Iowa State University Alumni Association| online edition | winter 2006
Paul Ruby

 


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Paul Ruby: The elegant little inn by the river

When Paul Ruby was a little boy, growing up in the far western suburbs of Chicago, his family often took the train into the city to attend the symphony or go shopping. The routine was always the same: They would walk from the train station to the Berghoff Restaurant for lunch, then walk to the Palmer House Hotel to use the restroom. As they left the restroom, the attendant would always hand Paul a towel and say, “Have a good day, Gov’nor.”

Paul just loved that part.

And wouldn’t you know it? That story got him a job at the venerable Palmer House, Chicago’s oldest and grandest hotel, fresh out of Iowa State’s hotel and restaurant management program.

He became the front desk manager at the Palmer House, but it wasn’t long before he moved on to the Drake Oakbrook Hotel. There he quickly rose through the ranks, and at age 26 Ruby became general manager, overseeing 15 department heads and a line staff of 150.

Ruby (BS ’85) admits, “I was in a little over my head. I found out the hard way a few times that I didn’t have the experience that most general managers would have at a full-service major hotel.”

But he learned a great deal there, and took the experience with him on a series of jobs: He ran his own restaurant (“I had maybe five days off in three years”); he was the second in command at a high-end country club, where he gained experience in fine dining, golf management, large parties, and $100,000 weddings; he was general manager of a Chicago dining and athletic club.

He moved around a lot. He worked long hours. He craved a position that would challenge him but would still allow him to spend quality time with his wife and two sons.

And then there was the Herrington.

The Herrington Inn and Spa in Geneva, Ill., is one of those places that makes you feel special when you walk into the lobby. It soothes you. It pampers you. It oozes charm and elegance, but you don’t feel like you have to run up to your room and put on a ball gown. It’s warm. It’s inviting. It’s perfect.

And it’s a perfect fit for Paul Ruby. It’s even better than he expected, he says. He became the Herrington’s general manager in 1999 and immediately oversaw the opening of the family-owned inn’s new banquet and meeting facility. He coordinated the historic hotel’s $5 million addition of 23 rooms and suites in 2001, increasing the total number of beautifully appointed guest rooms to 61. And he designed and opened a full-service spa on the grounds in 2003, where guests can enjoy massage treatments, facials, body wraps, and other services.

The Herrington, a restored 1874 limestone creamery building built on the banks of the Fox River, promises “the charm and warmth of a fine European inn combined with the amenities of a world-class hotel,” and it delivers. Both the inn and its Atwater’s Restaurant have been awarded the coveted four-diamond AAA rating. The inn’s turndown service is legendary: The drapes are drawn, the bed is turned down, fireplace is lit, slippers are put out, and a bottle of cold milk and plate of warm cookies are put by the bed.

The inn’s mission of “exceeding guests’ expectations with enthusiasm and anticipation” is accomplished daily by Ruby’s polished, professional staff.

Ruby tells a story about a guest who was coughing in the lobby. “She was apologizing for coughing,” Ruby says. “The front manager had the bellman go to the drug store and get some cough drops. By then, the woman had gone up to her room. Moments later, there was a knock on her door, and there was the bellman with a serving tray with cough drops and some tea with lemon and honey.

“The staff does little things like that. It’s in their nature.”

Read on | Lunch rush