you won’t be able to get your usual late-night snack. So I just wanted to
wish you good luck against the Braves, and tell you that I’ll be bringing
over your special order from the Marriott after the game.”
The Dodgers returned to Marriott the next season.
You could say “celebrity treatment” is my specialty. I joined
Marriott right after college in 1968. As a room service captain, I had
plenty of opportunities to take care of special guests at the Atlanta
Marriott Marquis.
Today, I am sports ambassador for the Marquis and the city of
Atlanta. Sports figures have been especially near and dear to my heart,
and I make it a game to remember their favorite orders. Washington
Redskins coach George Allen loved his milkshakes. Muhammad Ali
preferred grapes and apples.
Over the years, I have amassed an extensive collection of sports
memorabilia. The best pieces in my collection remind me of the
most memorable time in my life … the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Albert “Smitty” Smith
Sports Ambassador
I remember watching the opening ceremony with Billy Payne, chair
of the Atlanta Olympic Committee. I was so proud to have played
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
a part in bringing the biggest event in the hospitality industry to
Atlanta. I guess the work I did in Seoul, Korea, organizing the
Celebrity Treatment
hospitality house for the International Olympic committee, helped.
A few years ago, Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda walked into
an Atlanta hotel lobby and was greeted by a man in full Dodgers uniform.
Lasorda did a double take. The surprise wasn’t the uniform. It wasn’t even
the identity of the man wearing the outfit: Albert “Smitty” Smith of the
Marriott. Smith often welcomed visiting teams by donning a team uniform.
What surprised Lasorda was the fact that the hotel in which the two were
standing was not the Marriott. The Dodgers manager asked Smith if he
had changed jobs recently.
“No, I’m still with the Marriott,” said Smith cheerfully. “But if tonight’s
game goes into extra innings, room service here will already be closed, and
In 1999, I was inducted into the Atlanta Convention & Visitors
Bureau Hospitality Hall of Fame, along with Ted Turner, Andrew
Young, Mayor William Hartsfield, and architect and developer
John Portman. The following year, I was honored to go to Sydney,
Australia, to help Marriott associates there prepare for that year’s
Summer Olympics.
My job has given me unbelievable opportunities … and
the opportunity to build lasting relationships with some truly
remarkable people.
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