'Mijn ritme is daardoor tegen de natuurlijke cyclus in, omdat ik tijdens de nacht wakker moet blijven. Maar daar ben ik inmiddels aan gewend. Ik heb heel bewust gekozen om in de nacht te gaan werken. Zo ben ik me aan het oriënteren om in de toekomst een cursus gaan volgen en daar heb ik dan overdag de tijd voor. Voor dit werk moet je een echt mensenmens zijn en weten hoe je met verschillende situaties moet omgaan. Zo moet ik soms echt wel optreden wanneer iemand overlast veroorzaakt. Dat gaat me gelukkig goed af. Ik kan van nature heel erg met mensen meeleven en heb veel geleerd van ervaren nachtportiers. Ik vind het super dat ik veel verantwoordelijkheid heb. De meeste nachten ben ik alleen, dus maak ik zelf de beslissingen. Nadeel aan het ‘s nachts werken is dat ik overdag niet altijd rustig kan slapen vanwege straatgeluiden of wanneer de buren aan het verbouwen zijn, dat is best irritant. Dan moet ik genoegen nemen met minder slaap. Ons hotel is 24/7 bereikbaar. Ik word veel gebeld voor reserveringen. Mensen willen dan echt iets op dat moment geregeld hebben, omdat ze er anders wakker van liggen. Dan maak ik het graag voor ze in orde. Ook help ik gasten in het hotel. Laatst had een man zich buitengesloten; hij had in zijn hotelkamer in plaats van de badkamerdeur de deur naar de gang geopend en stond in zijn onderbroek op de gang. Hij was helemaal gedesoriënteerd. Gelukkig kon ik hem snel weer naar zijn kamer brengen waar hij lekker verder kon slapen. Het is in elk geval geen saaie baan; ik maak genoeg leuke, gekke en spannende dingen mee.’

'I work four nights a week, from 11 in the evening until 7 in the morning. After my shift, I usually go straight to the hotel gym to work out for an hour. Then I get home around 8:30, shower and then go to bed. Hopefully I then sleep until about three in the afternoon. I don't have a standard rhythm because of this. That's how my weekend starts on Sunday morning. Sometimes I do feel that I miss certain things in terms of socializing with friends and family. But I really like working at night. If there is a problem, I have to solve it myself. And at night you have more personal contact with the guests, during the day it all goes much faster. There are a lot of quiet nights. Guests then call for very small things: "Can I have an extra towel?" or "Can the temperature of the room be adjusted?" During the night, I can really take the time to solve the problem. Because it's usually not busy, they get full attention. But sometimes it's a lot more restless. Then you have to deal with people who have been drinking or causing noise pollution. At times like that, it comes in handy that I have a background in security. With the right conversation techniques, I can speak to them in such a way and make sure that no more nuisance is caused, so that the other guests can also sleep well. It's all about conveying superiority. I am quite down-to-earth and very clear. I always take a personal approach and my humor when addressing guests about undesirable behavior. When I use a little joke in the process, it just lightens things up and the problem often resolves itself.'

'My reverse work rhythm actually suits me quite well. I have a lot of contact with people in America, whom I met through online gaming among other things, and then the time difference and the fact that I am awake at night is actually very convenient. Before I became a night porter, I was a lifeguard. But when the pool closed, I had to look for something else. My father was a night porter and thought it would also be something for me. And he was right. Some nights are quiet, then I start with some administrative work, and there are always a few guests coming to check in. On nights out, it's usually busier. Then I often get calls from people who still want a hotel room that night. It's nice to be able to help with that. At midnight the front door is locked and I have the freedom to walk around. Then I can hear and see if everything is quiet. I work full nights alone; I have no problem with that. In fact, if there is a problem to be solved it is an extra challenge that I am alone. I am then the one who makes the decisions. I have to be strict on a regular basis. And I once had to evict a group of people from the hotel when they caused a real nuisance and kept going after several warnings. I won't raise my voice, but calmly explain the situation. Then it always works out. But in general, guests are more relaxed at night than during the day. Some people come down to have a chat if they can't sleep. We have a lot of international guests who suffer from jet lag, and then you can have a chat with them. At night you have a lot more time for that. That's what makes it so much fun.