Reader remembers the Skyline Hotel in Richmond

A Richmond News reader remembers the working day, in the ’50s, when he utilised to operate at the famous Skyline Resort

Dear Editor,

Re: “Do you keep in mind the Skyline Resort?” News, March 17.

Who remembers the Skyline Lodge? Very well, I definitely do for the reason that in 1958 and 1959 I labored weekends as the night time-shift bellhop although I was nonetheless heading to Richmond Senior Secondary faculty.

It was, as any evening-shift bellhop at any hotel will ensure, an encounter loaded with a smorgasbord of encounters with people from all walks of daily life and from all corners of the world.

Numerous of people encounters ought to not be shared in print, together with an awkward deal with-to-confront I experienced with just one of my teachers who was investing the night at the resort, but there ended up also a whole lot of pleasant activities that presented me with really a few pleasurable memories.

The resort didn’t have an elevator at the time so I received a whole lot of workout carrying heavy baggage up and down the stairs. Remaining so shut to the airport, the hotel was also utilized for layovers for flight crews from several airlines and they normally held the hotel personnel fast paced with meals orders and space company — and they had been fantastic tippers as very well!

I believe there were two or three entrepreneurs at the time — all businessmen from Winnipeg — and I recall their frugality for the reason that, when a single of them visited, they would get me to accompany them via the rooms as we altered all the lightbulbs to decreased wattages.

The lounge, ideal future to the front desk, was a active, occasionally raucous, location, and the beer parlour at the front of the constructing was a preferred hangout for airport workers and taxi drivers.

One of the gains of doing the job the late change was that you could go into the kitchen immediately after the cafe closed and make your own sandwiches and drink all the soda pop you wanted.

 Yes, I recall the Skyline Hotel. For this younger high school kid it was a spot exactly where I figured out a ton of points about human personalities and behaviour I could under no circumstances have acquired in school, and I have normally been thankful for owning that.

Ray Arnold

RICHMOND