Service With a Smile: The Benevolent Bellhop
Name: Christopher Elkhart
Nicknames: Chris, Steward
Occupations: Doorman, and then a bellhop
Born: February 11, 1957, in Baltimore, MD, US
Died: July 26, 1991, in Los Angeles, CA, US
Spouse: Chambrea (since 2022)
Children: None
Favorite Foods: Fish and Chips, Pot Roast, Green Bean Casserole
Hobbies: Reading and hiking
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"I just want you to know—this isn't personal."
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Steward, real name Christopher "Chris" Elkhart, was born in a cheerful little suburb in Baltimore, Maryland on February 11, 1957. His mom waited tables at a diner, and his dad was a radio announcer. Chris's interest in the customer service business was sprouted by his mom taking him to work with her as a reward for good grades, and he was wowed by the speed and quirkiness with which she served up diner patrons' orders. "Service with a smile", she'd always tell him, four words which he'd take to heart once he entered the workforce himself.
Chris's first real job was working as a doorman at a downtown hotel to help pay his way through college. One of the guests struck up a friendship with the young man, and in 1982, put in a good word for Chris to a hotel owner in Los Angeles, California. This owner, in turn, offered to hire Chris as a bellhop, and he accepted. It wasn't long before Chris became known to the hotel owner, the other employees and the hotel guests as "Steward", a name he wore with pride.
As he helped guests with their luggage, Steward hoped to one day be the hotel's new owner. Alas, that wasn't to be. On July 26, 1991, after working as a bellhop for 19 years, he died in a freak accident involving a loaded luggage rack at the age of 34. Subsequent investigations revealed a fault in the luggage rack, and the hotel owner settled with Steward's estate out of court.
Now a ghost, Steward spent the next 20-odd years wandering the Earth, looking for a purpose in the afterlife. Late in 2017, he encountered the enigmatic Hellen Gravely, who offered him free room and board at her luxury hotel in exchange for his services as a bellhop. Steward agreed, but what he didn't know that he'd become part of a larger scheme to appease Hellen's idol, a certain malevolent blob of ectoplasm—
On October 30, 2019, Steward joined Hellen's other employees in welcoming six guests to the Last Resort, with an additional guest arriving later that night. Those guests, of course, were Luigi and co., with all but one of them trapped in portraits just after midnight on October 31. By sheer luck, Luigi escaped, armed himself and vowed to rescue the others, confronting Steward as he escorted his recently-rescued mentor, E. Gadd, to his vehicle. Steward quickly recognized his opponent as the mentee Gadd referred to as he was showing the scientist to his room. In the ensuing battle, Steward tossed heavy luggage at Luigi, but he was overwhelmed and captured despite landing a few good hits.
After the ordeal ended and Steward was freed from Hellen and King Boo's influence, he joined the other reformed ghosts in building a new hotel where the Last Resort once stood, a project which was completed in June 2020. Steward became the lead bellhop of the new hotel, helping out weary hotel guests with the same energy and positive attitude his mom had shown. Service with a smile, indeed.
Steward married Chambrea, a maid he'd known since his days working at the Last Resort, in May 2022. In spite of a rocky start, he's on civil terms with Luigi and his friends, and he's finally found closure over his fatal accident in 1991.