EACH MORNING before the sun rises over Fayetteville, Dorothea Kolle makes her way to the Hampton Inn. It’s still dark outside when she unlocks the kitchen door at 4:30 a.m., turning on the lights, starting the coffee, and preparing the most important meal of the day for travelers from down the road and across the world.
Breakfast can be eggs or waffles for most, but it is kindness for Kolle. It’s about making each guest feel welcome, seen, and loved, even if just for a few minutes over a cup of coffee.
Coming on board before the doors opened in 2013, for the last 13 years, Kolle has become an employee who is the heartbeat of the hotel. Guests return again and again, not just for the comfortable rooms, but to see her.
“I get there at 4:30 a.m. every morning, and I get everything ready for the guests,” said Kolle. “I cannot tell you how many people I have met. I’ve met an opera singer and a country singer, Jimmy Wayne. My husband, Dwight, and I have welcomed him into our home, where he enjoyed breakfast with us, and I have also made two quilts for him. I’ve collected little notes and comments on my kitchen board from children who have stayed here. If I go in and feel a little down, I go in there and look at them. I know God is good.”
Born in Chicago, she moved here when she was 2 years old. Raised from a toddler in Fayetteville, Kolle has deep roots in the community she now serves so lovingly. But her connection to people goes beyond geography — it’s a calling.
“The thing of it is, I was very shy in school and never spoke,” she said. “When I started here, I didn’t know what it was, but I just thought, ‘When they come down, I’m gonna say good morning regardless of how I feel.’ And when I do that, it really makes a difference.”
Over the years, those simple “good mornings” have turned into lifelong friendships. Guests have reached out long after their stays to ask how she’s doing, to send updates, or to let her know they’ll be visiting soon.
“I’ve got a lady coming from Georgia in the next couple of weeks, and she’s 81,” said Kolle. “She comes down every year to have breakfast, and then she goes back. I love her, and I look forward to welcoming her each time she visits. To me, that’s what life is all about — making a lasting impression on someone. But what they don’t realize is what they’ve done for me. It blesses me as much as it does them.”
Kolle’s exemplary customer service received worldwide attention in 2024 when she was named a 2024 Hospitality Hero by the Hilton Family of Hotels. According to Hilton organizations, recipients of the honor are team members who “embody hospitality with their warmth and light. These winners represent every aspect of the business and are recognized for their heroic contributions, enriching the experiences of our guests, colleagues, and communities.”
One of only 55 recipients worldwide, Kolle said she was stunned.
“Well, it was a surprise. I knew I got something, but I thought it was just for our hotel, and then when I found out the way it was, I was really honored,” she added.
Kolle said that doing this kind of work keeps her young at heart and motivates her to keep going.
“I never thought that I would be there this long at my age and still enjoy getting up and doing what I do,” she said. “It keeps me healthy. It keeps me positive. I’m honest when I love going to work.”
She also credits her team, with whom she works each day. She said she couldn’t do it without them, and coming to work is a joy because of the people she is around.
That love for people doesn’t end when her shift does. At home, she continues to care for others in her community.
“My husband tells me all the time I need to stop what I’m doing, but I love taking care of others if I’m able,” she explained. “I took care of some elderly people who lived close by, and I loved them. I cooked for them every week. They have moved off now because they had to go back with their kids, but to me, the more you give, the more you get back.”
For Kolle, hospitality isn’t a job; it’s a way of life. Her mornings begin long before dawn, but each day is filled with light:
the warmth of a smile, the comfort of a kind word, the joy of serving others.
“I’ve always been the caregiver in my family,” she said. “Everyone comes to me, and I guess I portrayed that by doing this.
When I see an elderly couple come in, I think of my grandparents. And I know I’m gonna be there someday, and I want to give
that so that I can get that same kindness back in return.” GN
