Orlando Perez, concierge at the Hilton Bentley South Beach, gives us his insight on what he enjoys about being a concierge and everything else that South Florida has to offer.
How long have you been a concierge?
I have been in the Industry since October 2010. I was part of the Opening team for the JW Marriott Marquis. I started off as the pool/ recreation attendant. I was overlooking the pool, basketball court, tennis court, bowling alley and a little movie theater all on the 19th floor. I decided in April of 2014 that I wanted to work on South Beach due to the amount of tourists that we receive here in South Florida. So I joined the Hilton Bentley. Since I was born and raised here in Miami-Dade County and I am very proud of my city and all it has to offer, the Hilton Bentley is a gem in itself with the location it has on 1st Street and Ocean Drive. We have direct Ocean access and amazing restaurants to dine at within a few steps away. I feel right at home at the Hilton Bentley. It is like family there from the management on down to the team members.
What’s your favorite part about being a concierge?
My favorite part of being a concierge is when I blow away the minds of the guests and leave them in total awe. I strive to make every guest experience a memorable one. I am always looking for ways that I can put the “wow” in the guest experience. I can really say that I enjoy what I do. The cliché is if you like what you do then it is not work and that is how I feel about what I do.
Where do you go on South Beach on your days off?
I am an Ocean person so on my days off I really enjoy going to the beach or fishing. When I am not on South Beach I go to the Florida Everglades and enjoy some fishing there. Also, there is a lot to see out there and since it is something native to us here in South Florida it's nice to go see the wildlife that is there. You can take a nice stroll through Shark Valley or even a guided tram tour.
Do you have any recommendations for families?
I know this first hand since I am a father to a 10-year-old boy! I know that the Miami Children's Museum is always a great place to take kids of all ages because all of the interesting things to do. Also I like Jungle Island, which is really fun, and they have a water park in the summer. They offer exclusive tours where you can interact with lemurs, snakes and an Andean condor. Also they have different mammals like a white lion, red kangaroo and even a liger. They also have a wide variety of primates.
Any rainy day plans that you recommend?
Florida is known as the sunshine state, but we also do get a significant amount of rain so you have to have a plan B when the weather does not cooperate. We have amazing shopping here in Miami and the surrounding areas. From the top 10 largest malls in the United States, we have 2 here in South Florida. They are #3, Aventura Mall and # 7 Sawgrass Mills Mall. The Aventura Mall is a full service mall with high-end shopping and restaurants. The Sawgrass Mills is an outlet mall with discounted shopping with high-end retail stores like Gucci, Burberry, Tory Burch, Prada and Jimmy Choo. We also have some amazing museums like the Perez Art Museum Miami and the Vizcaya Museum and Garden.
What are some of your local favorite haunts?
I would say Little Havana is a local favorite that I have a lot of guests ask me about. Little Havana has some very good spots to check out while you are there. There is Azucar Ice Cream Company with its homemade Cuban Ice Cream. They have a house favorite called Abuela Maria (Grandma Maria), which is vanilla ice cream, guava, cream cheese and graham crackers. Across the street is the legendary Domino Park where you can see the “abuelos” (Grandfathers) playing dominoes. Also there’s Little Havana Cigar Factory where there is a big selection of cigars. Another local favorite is Wynwood Walls and they have been around since 2009.The Wynwood Walls has brought the world's greatest artists working in the graffiti and street art genre to Miami. The artists have come from all parts of the world including the United States, Brazil, Belgium, Mexico, Portugal, Ukraine, Portugal, Greece, Spain, Germany, France, England, Japan and Singapore, just to name a few.