We have been diligently working in the Portofino Bay Hotel here in Orlando and although we work in hotels fairly frequently, I feel as though the crew and I have stepped into another realm. We usually work during normal hours but because they are keeping the area being finished open and we were following a prep/drywall crew (from Prestige Construction — great company), our faux crew is working unusual hours. It’s tough to go to work when it is dark outside and then go through the behind-the-scenes maze to get to our location and then when you are done working, come out into the sunlight and just have the One Goal of Sleeping.

The Portofino Hotel at Universal Studios replicates Portofino, Italy and it does so down to the minutest detail.  The ceiling finish is a form of lime-based Venetian plaster called distressed Marmorino (”little marble” in Italian) — this particular one requires seven layers with four of them being all trowel work. This past Friday, my brother literally took the trowel out of my hands and had to pry my fingers open since they wouldn’t move. I’m going to have to provide a massager strictly for the hands (trowel work) and the neck (ceiling work)! The good news is that it looks great and really adds another level of ambience to the rooms.  Additionally, the staff working at the Portofino couldn’t be nicer — one time we were brought coffee and morning cakes and sometimes they come in to offer encouragement and a bit of small talk. It’s amazing to see how their kitchens are kept really clean and how well-organized their staff is.

While working on larger projects, it’s best to have a crew that gets along really well, have truly great attitudes and enjoy what they do. It’s gratifying when a finish comes together and looks great but you have to keep morale up while the tough work is going on. Thankfully, our crew of seven work perfectly together and we have a myriad of conversations going on from the educational (you can have firemen come to your house to give a fire safety inspection) to the zany (rock salt will kill grass permanently). We also have a kind of “game show” going on whereas we try to determine at how much money one of our crew will finally take to do something he/she dislikes. It’s actually pretty entertaining to dream up different scenarios based on everyone’s personality. [Allright, so let’s say (insert name of detested music band/artist here) asks you to faux their house and it will take a month. During this time, they are rehearsing their new album and tour right next door, at a volume of 11. How much money will you do this for?] Sometimes I have to try to remember not to laugh so hard since I am standing on a scaffold. Another thing is that now that the ceiling speakers have been fixed, all we are able to listen to is the Italian music that is heard throughout the hotel. (And all seven of us had just agreed on one radio station. Sigh.) I thought it was amusing when one of our crew, Pedro, said “Didn’t they play this song just a while ago? And we were all like “Yeahhhh, you’re right! They need to find other CDs.” We are now recognizing the Italian songs. I can’t wait for the day we actually start singing them. Arrivederci!