Night in the Life - Granville Adams

By Fred Gonzalez

Granville Adams grew up in New York, and during his junior year in high school he started out working in the mailroom of Studio 54. “From that summer job I've probably done everything there is to do inside of a nightclub or restaurant over the last 20 years or so,” Adams said.

Adams got a call to come to Miami and handle the door for The Florida Room, the Delano hotel's exclusive speakeasy lounge, over a year ago, calling it the best job he's ever had. Adams arrives for work by 10 p.m. and his night ends between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. four nights a week. Throughout the night he has to maintain the balance in the room, the right mix of guys and ladies, and make sure the small space doesn't get too crowded. Doesn't sound too hard, but when everyone believes they know you and are your best friend, it can get taxing.

Before you begin your night working, how do you spend your days?
I am new to Miami so I am still a beach boy. .‚.‚. I enjoy being out in the sunshine as much as I can. I try to get at least an hour and a half to two hours out on Key Biscayne every day, whether it's on my bike or for a run or play golf and enjoy the day as much as I can before I come here at night.

What is the biggest challenge you face on a nightly basis?
The problem with my job is I want to let everyone in but I can't. And the reason is we have such a small room. This room is tiny and it is a basement and part of the thing we are trying to do here is create an atmosphere where people are comfortable. So a lot of times the reason I don't let a lot of people in is because the room is simply too crowded.

You've been considered the most diplomatic doorman in Miami. Where does that quality come from?
My mother is actually the one who instilled that in me and I have tried to maintain that throughout the course of my life. As you go through life you realize the things that are important and I realize that it's important to leave a positive impression on everyone you meet, no matter what. So it's difficult for me to actually disappoint people.

What do people not understand about your job?
A lot of people who come out at night, they are coming out to have fun. And then there is another side of people who work at night. It's difficult sometimes for people to understand if I have to make them unhappy, I'm not trying to kill their buzz or ruin their night. It's just my job and that's difficult to transfer.