Marci, Is that you?

"Kurt. I just want to know if Marci is going to be working at the Deer Valley property."

Lounging on the Mountain Terrace's "Garden of Fire" at the St. Regis Deer Crest. The 1812 Overture playing in the valley below by the Utah Symphony. (We can hear the cannons. There may have been fireworks). Kurt, Montage Deer Valley director of sales, is buying.

"Who?"

"Marci, from the website."

(Knowing chuckle.) "No. She was just a model we casted."

I found Marci on my first extended visit to the Montage Deer Valley site. She's under the "Activities & Amenities" section of the photo gallery. She likes to ski, looks amazing in a cardi and jeans, and works at the resort concierge desk. She's just my type.

All hotel fantasies aside, Marci, the fake concierge, looks a lot like the staff at the Laguna Beach Property: relaxed immaculate, wearing a sweater, hot, but approachable.

She uses one word responses, smiles, and nods her head to show she's listening: "Absolutely," "Certainly," "Definitely," "Precisely," and on occasion, "Of course," and on even rarer occasion, "Just a moment."

Montage staff are always waiting just for you, and your request will be the high point of their day.  But all of this doesn't come off in a robot sort of way like you might expect.  I've adopted the one word phrase thing whenever anyone asks me to do something at work. I don't know why, but it's kind of fun to be concise and attentive.

After running a program in Laguna last January,  I gushed to my driver all the way to the airport about how every staff member seemed perfectly placed and appeared to love his or her job. 

On late nights and long flights, I sometimes dream about quitting mine,  donning my favorite wool Patagonia sweater, and driving up the canyon for an interview.