Some people can’t imagine holding down a job for four years, let alone 40.So imagine this reporter’s surprise when I met a handful of Fairmont Southampton employees who had reached that milestone and were excited to keep going.Hospitality workers Egbert Simons, Herbie Bascome, Patricia Robinson, Keith James and Malcolm Outerbridge started working at the hotel shortly before it officially opened as the Southampton Princess on August 17, 1972.Then owned by shipping magnate and billionaire Daniel Ludwig, the hotel was opened in a lavish ceremony by then Governor Lord Martonmere and Premier ET Richards. A black-tie gala was also held with over 1,500 guests and a live performance by popular singer and actor of the time, Frankie Avalon.From the hotel’s opening to present day, the long-standing employees have welcomed countless guests from around the world — as well as a few celebrities.Mr Simons, an assistant Fairmont Gold manager, said one of the highlights of his career was serving as butler to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during a dinner visit to the hotel in 1994.He was given a bunch of official papers to read detailing things he could and couldn’t do around the Royal.“It said things like ‘Do speak when you are spoken to’ and she had her own bottles of water, which her people gave to us.“Everything that was given to me was checked by her security as well, so it was mainly me [serving] her the dinner and I had to cut her meat because she had her arm in a cast. I [mainly] just stood behind her the entire night.”He said it was perhaps his most memorable career moment and added: “I felt an enormous sense of pride.”Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert met with all five industry veterans to congratulate them for their decades of service. He said: “Forty years in the hospitality industry speaks volumes and a lot of young people can learn from them.“I know several of the gentlemen and the lady and there is no doubt that they are from the old school where they understood what hospitality is all about.“I am glad they are still here and hope they can stay longer and train the young people and help out people along the way as we work to rebuild tourism.”Bell captain Mr James started working in the hospitality industry at age 13, as a bell boy at Coral Beach. He took a break from that to work as a carpenter at Gorham’s, but returned to his roots and took a post at the hotel.He said: “Working at the hotel wasn’t a job, it was just like having fun. When you enjoy something it’s not like work.”His job involved greeting people, showing them to their rooms and telling them about Bermuda. “We had to take pride in [our Country] because that’s what encourages guests to come back,” Mr James said.During his time at the hotel he was able to meet a host of celebrities — from former basketball players Scottie Pippen and Patrick Ewing to actor and comedian Richard Pryor.His most rewarding experience came when an entertainment group brought three tigers to the Island. Mr James said: “I was mesmerised with the tigers and eventually they let me in with them and guide them and walk them.“They let me know they were dangerous animals and could kill me, but I wasn’t nervous.”Mr Bascome, age 70, was still a young man when he decided to become a chef. He has travelled to many countries throughout his career.Although he enjoyed meeting different people and getting to understand the new cultures, inside the kitchen it was mostly all business, he said.“The kitchen is the kitchen. How much you enjoy it depends on if you like cooking or not because you don’t get to meet many people.”While he has mastered the tastes and flavours of many international cuisines, he said his speciality is still with Bermudian dishes, like shark hash.Before Mr Bascome puts down his chef hat and retires from the job, he hopes to teach young Bermudians the benefits of working in the hospitality industry. “One of my main objectives is to encourage young Bermudians in the culinary field and help motivate and train them.“With young people if you can get them to love what they are doing it’s very easy to get them and train them. We have quite a lot of young chefs here and they are doing very well.”Attendant Ms Robinson began working in the hospitality sector at age 16. She grew up in a single-parent home and had to drop out of high school to earn a wage and help out her mother Bernice Robinson.Despite the sacrifice, she said she loved her job in the laundry room washing towels, robes and napkins.“It was good back then. Everybody get along and had fun together working. We used to work non-stop when I was down in the laundry room and it was just crazy — just work, work, work during the day and nights were optional, but it was fun.”Now serving as attendant at the Willow Stream Spa pool, she said she most enjoys meeting people from all different walks of life.“I met one woman named Deborah Holding from Washington and we got quite close and she would come back to Bermuda especially to see me. I would show her around and we would go out to have lunch. It was fun getting to know some of the guests.”Ms Robinson, age 60, said she stayed with the job because it kept her moving.“It can also be challenging because you have to move fast to keep up with the work. Sometimes I would start work an hour early to keep up, but normally I just moved quickly,” she said.She said she was happy to be recognised for her 40 years of service and said she’s “loved every minute of it”.“[I love] coming to work and helping out guests or helping out my colleagues. I just love to work.”Bellman Mr Outerbridge, 63, said working at the hotel gave him the opportunity to meet new people each day.“We also get a lot of return guests and there are times they come back and they are looking for some of the staff they have met in previous years,” he said.His favourite moments have been welcoming guests from big US companies that hold events or conventions at the hotel despite the long hours involved.“We would come into work at like 5am and go up until about 10pm. Sometimes the flights were delayed and we had to wait until midnight, but everyone worked together and got back to work in the morning at 8am.”The job can also be stressful when airlines misplace a hotel guest’s luggage, but Mr Outerbridge never considered working a different job.“I prefer to be in the bell department out on the front line where we meet the guests and greet them. I just enjoy working around people and meeting people from places like Hawaii, Australia, England and the majority [who] come from the East Coast [of America].”