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LAS VEGAS – When the whales and celebrities need something, they call Joe Yalda.

As director of butler operations at The Palms, and the go-to guy on call 24/7 for guests staying in the hotel's $100,000-a-night "Empathy Suite," it's his job to deliver whatever that something turns out to be.

In one case, that something was two sets of the most collectible – and crispy – Air Jordan sneakers, precisely sized, waiting for a guest when they got to the hotel room.

On another occasion, a celebrity family fleeing the wildfires of Southern California brought with them to Vegas a pregnant dog that went into labor upon arrival.

Guess who lined the floor with towels and delivered the puppies?

"Eight puppies total," Yalda said. 

The 30-year-old Chicagoland native turned high-rise butler talked with the USA TODAY Network about what it's like to have a job that's equal parts server, sidekick and sleuth.

How did the Air Jordan sneaker expedition unfold? 

There's a guest of ours – a really big casino player that has his own company. Definitely your "whale type." His best friend is the COO of his company and a huge sneakerhead. Over the years of taking care of them, me being a sneakerhead and my brother being a sneakerhead, we would always talk shoes.

A peek inside: What does a $100,000-a-night Las Vegas hotel suite look like?

It came time for his 40th birthday, and he didn't know what to get the guy. He's like, "Joe, I've got an idea: Get me every pair of the Michael Jordan shoe." And I'm like, "That's kind of crazy." There are hundreds of pairs. But we narrowed it down to all the numbered pairs, all the original releases of the most collectible shoes. We get it all set up, and he goes, "You know what? Get me every pair in my size, too." So we got every pair in two sizes – size 11 and size 10 and a half – of the most collectible, original Jordan shoes.

Who paid for the shoes? 

He paid for it.

How did you become a butler? 

If you had told me when I first started with this company I'd be a butler, I would have laughed at you. Because you see butlers on TV. You don't really know what a butler does.

I started with our company when I was 16 as a busboy. When I turned 21, they made me the bartender. That's where I learned service is my thing. It's more than just gratuity. It's more than just ringing up that check really high. For that little bit of time you have someone, you're really making that day or that moment special for them.

The most gratifying thing for me is when someone returns. And I notice a lot of people are returning for my service. Eventually it caught the eyes of leadership and ownership, and they said, "You're going to be a butler." They put me in butler school, and the rest was history. That was five years ago.

How many butlers make a team? 

I have a team of six butlers, and we oversee 16 suites on the property. The one I'm personally hands-on with is this particular suite – the Empathy Suite. And depending on which guest it is and it even narrows down to the type of credit line they have with the casino. I would only handle a credit line $2 million or higher.

Can you talk about celebrities who have stayed here? 

No. My general answer is they're all amazing, and I'm very appreciative for being able to take care of them. 

Where do you stay when you're taking care of a guest? 

The next room over. 

What do you do in there?

I'm a workaholic. I'm Mr. Neurotic. I'm very OCD. I'm making sure all the suites are good, making sure my team is good, making sure all my work is done.

Are you always dressed in a suit? 

I'm always dressed this way. I can get into a suit in six minutes. That's my best time. It's not me that's taking care of them. It's the butler. You have to represent the job. There's almost a duty and a creed to it.

You're like the GQ Alfred from Batman.

I try to be. 

Tell me about appearance. Do you have to stay sharp and crisp? 

Clean cut, always.

When did you learn that? 

I didn't really become OCD with my manicuring until I started putting on a suit to go to work. You want to represent the company on the highest level. Being manicured is the smallest little thing you can do. It's that first impression you make, especially with the level of guests that we deal with. 

Do you have a family? Are you single?

I'm a single guy. I have a dog. She's my child. A Chiweenie, a little weiner dog. She spends more time at home than anything else. Her name is Rosie. I have a brother and sister. They're twins. My brother got a start in this company also. It's a family affair. The Yaldas are a part of Station Casinos.

What's the strangest thing someone has asked for? 

To be called at four in the morning for $1,000 worth of Neosporin – the little tubes. Imagine being that guy going to buy it. But we fulfilled it. He was trying to play a joke on one of his friends. That was a pretty random request.

Do people order a lot of exotic foods? 

If you want white truffle out of season, you're going to pay about $1,900 an ounce. We can get anything. If you can think of it, we can make it happen, as long as you're willing to pay for it. One of my favorite requests? In-N-Out Burger. Imagine having a Double-Double and sitting in this pool and staring out. It doesn't get more luxurious than that.

What makes a good butler? 

I always give people little keys to doing it right. To be a great butler, you need to maintain the look and being manicured, you need to have OCD, and discretion needs to be your No. 1 priority. Whatever happens in the room, stays in the room. You don't want to ever lose the trust of your guests. Trust is what makes you so valuable as a butler. I don't tell the stories of the people in these rooms. No one gets it out of me.



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