The Tale of The Traveling Sunglasses

A few weeks ago a package arrived with a pair of super cool wooden sunglasses. The glasses are made out of recycled wood, are artistic, lightweight, stylish and super cool. They are made in Rio and were sent by an old friend from my concierge world. My friend, Marco Bransford, is a lovely guy who was a former concierge and now operates his own tour company offering personalized tours of Rio.

Several months ago, he wrote me on Facebook to inquire about getting one of my textbooks, The Art and Science of The Hotel Concierge. I wanted to give him the book as a gift but was hesitant to mail it to Brazil, so instead I brought it with me from California to Montreal, Canada and handed it to a Brazilian concierge also attending the Pan American Les Clefs d’Or Congress. He brought the book back to Rio and hand delivered it to Marco. To thank me for the book, Marco wanted to gift me with the sunglasses, but was also hesitant to mail them.

Following the protocol that I initiated, Marco entrusted the glasses to a Rio concierge who was attending the International Concierge Congress in Dubai. The Rio concierge then handed the glasses to my friend Elizabeth, who lives in Boston. Elizabeth took the glasses home from Dubai and mailed them to me from Boston to California.

The glasses are a perfect fit. They arrived in perfect condition and I just love the story. Wearing them makes me feel connected around the world and grateful to be a part of the world’s best network, Les Clefs d’Or.