BACK AT THE DAN PANORAMA

So there we were back at the Dan Panorama for a short, ten day visit. Long time readers of this blog know that we always stay at the Dan P. As always, we got a warm welcome from all of our friends on the staff there.

As always, our stay there was wonderful. Our room was a most comfortable place to spend the night. Breakfast in the dining room was a daily feast of great food. The front desk was incredibly helpful whenever we needed anything done.
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We would like to introduce you to Natalie. Natalie’s official job is being secretary to the hotel manager, Yehuda Kraus. In the mornings, however, Natalie is the hotel’s “good will ambassador.” She tends to remember the names of every guest she meets. She roams the dining room at breakfast, stopping to greet every guest. We introduced Natalie to a visiting rabbi friend, and she told him that now that she knows his name, she will always remember it, so that when he next comes to the hotel, she will greet him by name.

Natalie’s family hails from South Africa, so her normal accent in English is the slightly melodic one of South Africa- altogether a most pleasant sound. Natalie gives each guest her full attention as she speaks with them, so that everyone feels as if they are important in her eyes. As the eyes and ears of the hotel, Natalie is the human face of the hotel.

Natalie was taken aback when she found out that we don’t carry any photos of the grandson (7 months old) and gave us an executive order to be sure to come back with photos to share with her.

Natalie genuinely cares about “her” guests, and she clearly loves interacting with people in the dining room and in the lobby. Natalie is just one more reason we love the hotel and its staff.

UPDATE

Ilana is still in the dining room working hard. Her smile is still a huge smile as she greets her guests each morning. In addition, Ilana has started school, and she is very happy to be studying and preparing for her future. Ilana remains a very hard worker, and she watches over her guests very carefully and is attentive to their needs. In a dining room full of male staffers, Ilana is the beautiful princess of the domain!

Ihab is also still in the dining room, where he works very hard. Ihad introduced us to his five year old son who is totally adorable and as curious as they come! We predict a very bright future for the little boy as his questions showcase a quick and inquisitive mind. Ihab is the consummate guardian of his realm. He remembers every guest’s breakfast menu and is quick to serve with a smile and a gleam in his eye.

We are proud to say that our relationship with Ihab extends beyond the hotel, and we consider him a good friend and an extra “son.”

Issam still works the front of the hotel. There is no one in the world like Issam. He is the best front man we have ever met. He remembers guests’ names. He is a regular encyclopedia of information about Jerusalem. Issam has hired cars for us, told us where to find esoteric items we couldn’t find on our own, and has introduced us to just about every member of the hotel’s executive staff. Once when Issam hired a car and a driver for us, he phoned the driver all throughout the day to track our progress and make sure that everything was good. The other day, a guest asked us about the Tunnel Tour and Issam piped up with the reservation phone number and offered to have the hotel make the lady’s reservation for her. That is a truly a front end man!

The Dan Panorama of Jerusalem- our home in Israel! We would NEVER stay anywhere else!