Lara Croft, The Italian Job and was the setting for Madonna's controversial hit "Like A Virgin".
Venice is also labelled as one of the most visited cities in the world with tourism accounting for 28% of its economy. It offers visitors a riveting journey into the past through its well maintained historical buildings and sites. It also offers newer tourist options that include a host of luxurious hotels, boutiques and European cuisine. If anything, a snapshot of its picturesque background is reason enough for anyone to visit Venice.
The day after Christmas was always a busy time for the associates of MoonStar Venice. The annual Boxing Day Gala meant that The Venetian, the main restaurant at the property hosted a special buffet which opened from the wee hours of 6:00 a.m. on Boxing Day till 6:00 a.m. the following day. At any given time, 1001 dishes were presented to Christmas diners. Twelve different types of liquors were available and flowed freely through the day. Priced at $800 per person, it was the "all you can eat" buffet one dreamt about.
Most guests stopped by for the three main meals. They leisurely explored each culinary delight but went about their day attending to last minute Christmas gifts or meeting with family and friends. Of course, some parked themselves, with family and friends in tow, at the restaurant and took full advantage of the amount they had paid for the buffet.
From his glass office at the corner of the lobby, Gary, the property's Guest Services Manager watched. Making full use of their digital cameras, a group of youngsters swarmed the main lobby. The guys held out small shoots of mistletoe which the laughing girls spotted. They each smacked a kiss on the guys' lips. More pictures were snapped. More hugs were shared. Yes, joy floated in the air.
But Gary's thoughts were far from anything that resembled Christmas joy. He looked around him at the guest service office of MoonStar Venice. He had worked at this MoonStar property for more than three years and with the hotel chain for more than ten. Years earlier, in desperate need of an after school job to support his ailing mother, he had applied to be a bellboy at MoonStar London.
Guests had adored his gentle manner and the polite smile he offered them, irrelevant of how he was treated. Within a year, hotel management took notice and offered him an internship with the hotel chain. The opportunity of a lifetime to travel, meet people and be able to support his mother. It did not take him long to accept. He hired Mama a good nurse to care for her and even stay with her. He sent her the money she needed and still he had enough to live his dream.
The internship program he joined had allowed him to choose which department he would work for. He had selected guest services. He loved to see a happy guest, answer their questions and solve their problems. He always believed every guest needed assurances that "a holiday did not have to be coupled with worry".
For Gary, it was never just a job. Every single day, he lived for it. At least it was, until five weeks ago, when the website had cropped up. The pictures were horrific. Proof and accusations the site piled up against him were tremendous. He had no way of refuting any of it. He wrote to the site administrator and asked to have it taken down. He even begged over the phone. But they laughed at him and said he had finally got what he deserved.
Then the emails started. Each one was delivered from a different email address and each threatened to inform MoonStar Corporate, guests he had previously dealt with and acquaintances. Rude phone calls woke him up at 3:00 a.m. then kept him awake for days. Each time the hushed voice told him to burn in hell and sounded a cackling laugh. A few days before Christmas, he had received a note during morning briefing. It said that a Christmas gift which he must receive in person was waiting for him in his office.
When he arrived,
Venice is also labelled as one of the most visited cities in the world with tourism accounting for 28% of its economy. It offers visitors a riveting journey into the past through its well maintained historical buildings and sites. It also offers newer tourist options that include a host of luxurious hotels, boutiques and European cuisine. If anything, a snapshot of its picturesque background is reason enough for anyone to visit Venice.
The day after Christmas was always a busy time for the associates of MoonStar Venice. The annual Boxing Day Gala meant that The Venetian, the main restaurant at the property hosted a special buffet which opened from the wee hours of 6:00 a.m. on Boxing Day till 6:00 a.m. the following day. At any given time, 1001 dishes were presented to Christmas diners. Twelve different types of liquors were available and flowed freely through the day. Priced at $800 per person, it was the "all you can eat" buffet one dreamt about.
Most guests stopped by for the three main meals. They leisurely explored each culinary delight but went about their day attending to last minute Christmas gifts or meeting with family and friends. Of course, some parked themselves, with family and friends in tow, at the restaurant and took full advantage of the amount they had paid for the buffet.
From his glass office at the corner of the lobby, Gary, the property's Guest Services Manager watched. Making full use of their digital cameras, a group of youngsters swarmed the main lobby. The guys held out small shoots of mistletoe which the laughing girls spotted. They each smacked a kiss on the guys' lips. More pictures were snapped. More hugs were shared. Yes, joy floated in the air.
But Gary's thoughts were far from anything that resembled Christmas joy. He looked around him at the guest service office of MoonStar Venice. He had worked at this MoonStar property for more than three years and with the hotel chain for more than ten. Years earlier, in desperate need of an after school job to support his ailing mother, he had applied to be a bellboy at MoonStar London.
Guests had adored his gentle manner and the polite smile he offered them, irrelevant of how he was treated. Within a year, hotel management took notice and offered him an internship with the hotel chain. The opportunity of a lifetime to travel, meet people and be able to support his mother. It did not take him long to accept. He hired Mama a good nurse to care for her and even stay with her. He sent her the money she needed and still he had enough to live his dream.
The internship program he joined had allowed him to choose which department he would work for. He had selected guest services. He loved to see a happy guest, answer their questions and solve their problems. He always believed every guest needed assurances that "a holiday did not have to be coupled with worry".
For Gary, it was never just a job. Every single day, he lived for it. At least it was, until five weeks ago, when the website had cropped up. The pictures were horrific. Proof and accusations the site piled up against him were tremendous. He had no way of refuting any of it. He wrote to the site administrator and asked to have it taken down. He even begged over the phone. But they laughed at him and said he had finally got what he deserved.
Then the emails started. Each one was delivered from a different email address and each threatened to inform MoonStar Corporate, guests he had previously dealt with and acquaintances. Rude phone calls woke him up at 3:00 a.m. then kept him awake for days. Each time the hushed voice told him to burn in hell and sounded a cackling laugh. A few days before Christmas, he had received a note during morning briefing. It said that a Christmas gift which he must receive in person was waiting for him in his office.
When he arrived,
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