Felicity Long
Over the years, I had the chance to stay at London's The Athenaeum Hotel and Residences — the first time in one of the apartment-style residences with the kids -- and, as many parents know, finding spacious accommodations for a family of five can be a challenge in the U.K., nevermind one with a private front door and pop-up bunk beds — and years later in the posh main hotel with my husband.
While I can tell you a lot of things we loved about both options, what I remember with special fondness is the doorman, Jim Burns, who recently passed away.
Picture a very tall -- 6'7" in his stocking feet -- smiling man in a top hat and mutton-chop sideburns greeting tired arrivals with effusive warmth and an uncanny ability to remember their names, and you get a sense of who he was.
Or as Joanne Taylor-Stagg, the property's general manager, says: "he didn't just share our story -- he was our story -- and the face of The Athenaeum."
For one thing, Jim was a steady presence at the property for 33 years, as the doorman and, after he retired, as the hotel's ambassador, and for another, he exuded the kind of British charm that we Yanks, let's face it, eat right up.
"He had an almost photographic memory and would always remember names and something special about the guests," Taylor-Stagg said, adding: "'Princess' or 'My Lady' were two of his preferred gentlemanly greetings." To say that our young daughter loved being addressed as mini royalty is an understatement.
Another of Jim's specialties was regaling guests with anecdotes about the hotel's history, and here's one that Taylor-Stagg recalls fondly:
"Years ago, when Nelson Mandela was first released from prison and came to London, he stayed here at The Athenaeum. There were so many people around [and] so much support for him. As he was leaving and being ushered out of the hotel by his security team, he actually came back to [give a special thanks] to Jim!"
As to his personal story, he started working at the hotel in 1992. He'd been employed at the Waldorf and, according to Taylor-Stagg, he cycled across town to apply for the position based on an advertisement he'd seen in the paper. Then, in 2020 he suffered a motorcycling accident, which resulted in extensive injuries.
"His legs never really recovered; standing on his feet all day became uncomfortable, and he wanted to retire. Rather than retire fully, we created a new role especially for him: brand ambassador," she said.
Although he had to relinquish his famous top hat, Jim took to his new position with zeal, holding court in The View, a guest lounge on the top floor, keeping guests entertained with his indefatigable personality.
He will be missed.