First of all, I want to thank you guys for all those beautiful comments you have left on the Antlers blog. Now, I think is time for me to write something as a reply or let’s say a farewell. I would like to express my gratitude for the professional as well as personal development I have gained working here.

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to share my life over the past 37 years with so many people. I am thankful for the success of my work. To my beloved staff, I can’t say enough about them, they have been my backbone through this entire process and it’s because of them that I have been able to succeed at my job. It would be very foolish and naive of me to believe even for a second, that I alone am the reason for the success of my career. It would also be very prideful and silly to say the Antlers’ success is because I have surrounded myself with all the right people!! But, the truth of the matter is, God has put all of these wonderful people in my path and for that I am very grateful. The list would be too long to print if I were to name all of them. They know who they are and I will never forget their contributions! I will mention some of those wonderful people.

Hmm…Let’s start in 1972, the very beginning of the great Antlers story. I remember the time when I came in this hotel, and Bud Benedict was the manager of Antlers. I will always be thankful to this special person who gave me the chance to prove everyone and most important – to myself, that I can handle all pressure and the expectation from the staff and the guests. Luckily, I was able to control that and deliver the best of me for my second home (Antlers).

Everybody knows that Antlers at Vail became such a beautiful place thanks to the great managing skills of Rob LeVine. Since I know our manager, I have a great relationship with him on business and social level as well. We have always been cooperating with such a high level of understanding each other. Rob, there is so much to say about you, but I will be short and say thank you for giving me a chance to prove myself, thank you for all these years spent with you, for your kindness, for having confidence in me, and I want you to know that I will miss you, as a manager and as a friend as well. I am and I will be forever grateful for your leadership and friendship we established over my 37 years run at the Antlers. Rob thank you for all the things you have done for me, all the lovely parties and naming the Millie Barela Boardroom after me. I hope that we are going to stay in touch.

Thank you Randi for being there for me when I needed you the most and making my job easier. You have always been here for me on business and social level as well. It’s been a pleasure and adventure working with you and I will miss you so much.

I also want to thank Magda and Randi for the flowers, and Magda, you are doing a great job at the meeting rooms.

I also want to express my gratefulness to Tom and the engineering staff.

Everyone knows how wonderful person Greg is, on social and professional level as well. Greg, I want to thank you for all those wonderful stories you have written for me, for the great article on the Antlers’ blog which left me without words, for your hard-working time you are dedicating for this hotel, and for all those lovely years spent with you.

Well, everybody knows that someone must continue with my job at Antlers, and I think there isn’t better person for this position than my sister Lora. We spent together a wonderful 35 years, and I am so proud of that. Lora, you know everything about this job, and what is most important everyone trusts you, so I don’t see a reason why you should be afraid of doing this job on your own. I know that we are going to see each other in future, but I am already convinced that it will be hard to get used to it on the life where I will not be able to see you every day like until now. I want you to know that I love you so much, and I am sure that you will do the job like no one before. You have the best housekeeping team in front with Gladys, and there is no reason to be afraid. I wish you luck and a lot of success.

The guests and owners of Antlers have always used to be satisfied of the cleanness in this hotel. As a executive housekeeper, I will always be thankful to my housekeeping team, especially to my sister Lora, Gladys, and all the rest of the housekeeping staff so and the people who have gone and come including my friends and family which helped me to reach this successful level I have today, at the ending of my career.

I also want to thank to Chris Ratz and the front desk staff. Thank you for your outstanding cooperation.

Well, I think it is time to end up my farewell here. I want to thank you for your time reading this article and thank to all employees in Antlers from which I have learned tremendously. If it wasn’t your constant support and encouragement I would not have been able to perform my duties so well. Professionally, I have gained a lot of knowledge and I shall always cherish this as one of the most satisfying phases in my career. Personally too I have shared a special bonding with all of you and I shall take away with me cherished memories of our times together.

Thank you so much for making my time at Antlers a truly enjoyable one. I invite any of you who would like to keep in touch, to speak to me before I leave on Monday and I will be happy to give you my phone number.

Now, it is time to dedicate all my time to my lovely husband Willie and my wonderful kids and grandkids.

I wish you all the best and I’m sure I will see you around somewhere.

Best Regards,
Millie Barela

After construction was completed, it took us two days to move out and into our new shop and that unit looked worse than the last college apartment I shared with 7 other guys. Jerry called Millie and said it was ready to clean. Being the rookie I was, I laughed to myself and thought there is no way we could ever rent this unit again. I was sure it would be condemned and used for storage. In one afternoon, Millie and the girls had transformed it back to what it was. I could not believe my eyes when I walked in the next day and saw what they had done. It was spotless and that was the day I realized what an amazing housekeeping crew we had (and still do).

Millie, thanks for teaching an old guy like me to look under the cushions to see if there are smashed potato chips or under the bed to see if there’s dust. Greg

If somebody ask me to describe you, I would say that you are wonderful person. I look at you as one of the most loyal person I’ve ever known. Loyalty is not measured by someones’ louder applause when you are loved by everyone but by his quiet presence as you walk all alone when everybody had turned their backs on you. You are a type of person which you can trust, takes care of you, is concerned about you, defends you, helps you, and more importantly loves you. I will never forget this days spent with you.

Your present at Antlers is irreplaceable, and you are going to miss me anyway because I am going to leave soon and I am not planning to come back again, but you are going to leave a big hole in the hearts of all those lovely people who spent every day in your presence in this hotel.

I already told you, and I am going to say again: there is still a lot of time before your retirement. Everybody would love to see your face at Antlers for a at least a couple years more. But it’s up to you.

Thank you for everything Millie, I will miss you a lot.

Igor Janevski
Macedonia

-“You have to know one big thing and stick with it. The leaders who had one very big idea and one very big commitment. This permitted them to create something. Those are the ones who leave a LEGACY.”