Leslie Graf has worked in the hospitality industry since she was 16 years old, and has done almost everything from housekeeping to front desk. After about eight years of working in hotels, she loves her job, and looks forward to an opportunity that will turn it into a career.

The Kitsap Peninsula Visitors and Convention Bureau recently recognized Graf with its 2004 hospitality award, given to an individual who has “displayed exemplary and consistent customer service” in a front line position. Working for nearly two years at the Best Western Wesley Inn in Gig Harbor, she says she loves coming to work every day — which is a lucky thing to say for many people.

“Each person walking through the door has different expectations and needs, it’s a fun challenge to try to make everybody happy,” she said. “It’s like traveling all over the world without spending any money,” she said of her ability to always meet new people.

Graf’s line of work wasn’t always exciting — at one hotel in Tacoma she was robbed at gunpoint, and calling 911 was not unusual when she worked in that neighborhood. But that hasn’t put a damper on her smile, and she says those times were used as a learning experience.

The customers who are helped by Graf at Wesley Inn tell a little story about the young wife and mother: “She is the type of person that makes you feel welcome from the time you first enter the hotel lobby,” wrote one guest. “Charming, friendly and sensitive to guest’s needs,” wrote another.

It was comments like those that convinced owner Sue Braaten to nominate Graf — although she said she could have nominated everybody on her staff because they all share the same commitment to their customers.

“We all have the same goal; our mission statement is that ‘every guest leave feeling special,” said Braaten, who built the hotel seven years ago as a way to fill a need, because there were no hotels in Gig Harbor at the time.

Graf says working for someone like Braaten makes coming to work easy, because they share the same positive morals and Braaten is a role model to the other employees.

“I understand that this is a business first but also you have to treat everyone morally; it’s a balance between what’s good for business and what’s good for the customer, and the balance changes with every customer,” Graf said.