History of the Brazilian Court Hotel

and for his men. I traveled to Palm Beach and found a room in a nearby guest house and went to work at the hotel that afternoon. Bright married in Arkansas and returned to the Pea- body Hotel in Memphis with his new bride. Stopping at the front desk to pick - up a second room key he mentioned that he had just married. The desk clerk instead of congratulating the couple simply said, “ that will be $2 extra for the room. ” The Peabody incident came to mind one night when Bright was in the lobby of the Montauk Manor when guest Errol Flynn returned from a night on the town. While waiting for the elevator a couple approached Flynn and the man said, “ she would like to go with you. ” Flynn replied, “ just step into my parlor. ” As the elevator closed on Flynn and the woman Bright turned to the desk clerk and told him to add $5 to Flynn ’ s bill for the extra guest that night. The day before opening for the 1937 season the as- sistant manager of the BC had all of the toilet seats repainted. The first guests found the paint still wet. Fortunately there were only a few early arrivals. Bright ’ s colorful suits were to present a Palm Beach/ Miami image to his guests. Colors were hard to find in the early years and he had to have them custom made in maroons, yellows, and even peach. He al- ways said that this made his guests happier, especial- ly on rainy, cloudy days. The northern businessmen coming to south Florida to open a business always wore dark suits and even vests with the temperature in the 80s and 90s. One of the guests suggested installing a ticker tape machine at the BC to keep - up with the latest news. One was installed on the cloister near the cocktail lounge entrance. The complaints began immediately. “ It ’ s too loud ”, “ we came here to get away from all the news ”, and “ the men are distracted by it. ” It was removed after one season. Bright was bellman at Hotel Good where Rep. Claude Pepper stayed when in Miami. Pepper, a lib- eral Democrat congressman, always tipped him a dime for carrying his luggage to and from his room. Worked at the front desk of the McAllister Hotel in Miami in 1935. After registering one of his first guests he noticed how they signed in: “ W. E. Arenot- man & Wife ”.

spend the night cleaning the kitchen after closing. One season the BC was the only hotel to receive a 100% rating in the kitchen by the health department.

Bright was adamant that the kitchen always be kept in perfect condition. He even hired an employee to

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