Since he started at the Waldorf Astoria as chief concierge in 1994, Romei has always made sure that his guests are comfortable.
While Frank Sinatra was residing there, Romei had freshly baked bread from Vesuvio Bakery delivered daily to Sinatra's door. Romei also understood that breakfast for actor Jerry Lewis meant having a bagel, so one of his personal favorites, Ess-a-Bagel, was delivered to his room everyday.
One of the more outrageous requests Romei has received came from a guest who wanted to skydive in the nude. After making many calls, Romei finally found a place in New Jersey that would accommodate them.
"It's not a common request," Romei said.
Other requests Romei has received involve a bit more logistical planning. To name just one example, Romei worked with a film industry investor to get actual blood oranges onto the set of the film "Blood Orange."
"They were filming in Cuernavaca, Mexico," Romei said. "And at that time, it was not allowed to import blood oranges into Mexico."
He ended up having to purchase the blood oranges from a Manhattan food market, then arrange for someone to fly them to Mexico City.
"I called [a colleague] at Les Clefs d'Or — which I'm the former General Secretary of — and arranged one of the Mexico City-based concierges to pick up the blood oranges so the [film crew] wouldn't have to go through customs," Romei said.
By the next day, the film crew had the blood oranges for the final scene of the film.