It has long been common for corporate travelers at luxury hotels to be addressed by name when they call the front desk, the concierge or valet parking. Switchboards equipped with digital displays make this easy. But now many elite hotels are doing such "guest recognition" programs one better, by instructing employees to greet guests by name in hallways, in elevators, even in the gyms.

"Even the cleaning staff knows your name" at the W Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, said Reid M. Cline, a senior vice president at Vivendi Universal, who traveled frequently from Los Angeles to New York before moving east in March. And, "at breakfast, it's always, `Will you be having the same café au lait, Mr. Cline?' " He said he had never been called by the wrong name.

The first time he got the "Mr. Cline" treatment before even opening his mouth was at the St. Regis Hotel in New York five years ago, when he was an executive at the Walt Disney Company. He was, he said, "taken aback" at the time, but the name recognition programs are "more competitive now."

At the Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, "guest name usage is very strong," said Deborah Damask, the director of public relations. Frequent corporate guests, or, rather, their assistants, are encouraged to mail in photos so their bosses can be properly addressed by passing staff members. Sometimes, guests at the Beverly Wilshire are prominent enough that their images are easily accessible on the Internet.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/01/business/01FACE.html