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A love of travel and an affinity with people led James Hanley to a career in the tourism industry.“I traveled a lot when I was younger,” says James. “And I liked staying in the hotels, meeting all the interesting people, so I decided I’d like to do it for a living.”He studied Hotel Management at Vancouver Community College and found work with the Hyatt Regency Hotel, located in downtown Vancouver, soon after. Seven years later, he is a Mini Bar Porter at the Hyatt, and throughout this time he has been named employee of the month and now has the most seniority in his department. On a typical workday, James will visit 130 guestrooms over 34 floors – and he holds a record of visiting 200 rooms in a single day.As well as replenishing supplies, maintaining stock and attending to guests’ needs, James easily maneuvers a fully loaded cart through the maze of elevators, corridors and doorways that comprise the hotel, and he has developed solid miming skills that enable him to communicate with guests who don't speak English.The most interesting part of the job, according to James, is meeting guests from diverse backgrounds. And he loves how friendly all of his Hyatt co-workers are.You might be surprised to hear that James has Cerebral Palsy (CP). CP affects individuals in different ways including fine motor control, speech and walking. James describes his CP as "manageable," meaning he has mastered his challenges in the above mentioned categories.James would like to tell others with a disability that may be similar to his, “If you enjoy your job enough, stick to it, and you can make it work.”
