At Crown Center, former Harlem Globetrotter ‘Tall Paul’ rules the hotel entrance

All rise for Tall Paul.

He being Paul Alexander, the former Harlem Globetrotter who for 45 years has greeted guests at the Westin Crown Center.

On Thursday, Oct. 26, the Kansas City hotel celebrated “Tall Paul Day,” with local dignitaries greeting him.

Alexander, 70, says his motivation for brightening the days of hotel guests comes from the guests themselves.

“It’s the people that keep me going,” he said. “They come in just to see me. I say, ‘Ah, you’re kidding.’

“They say, ‘Nah, we’re coming to see if you’re still here.’ That’s what keeps me going.”

Over the years, standing at 6-foot-6, Tall Paul has welcomed to his lobby many celebrities — Clint Eastwood, Michael Jackson and President Barack Obama, among others.

“He is a legend of Kansas City,” said Jim Snow, general manager for the Westin and Sheraton hotels at Crown Center. The celebration included co-workers, friends and former Chiefs players including Bobby Bell and Len Dawson.

And nothing about the day suggested the popular doorman is on his way out.

“People want me to do 50 years,” Alexander said. “That’s an even number. Fifty!”

This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 12:35 PM with the headline "At Crown Center, former Harlem Globetrotter ‘Tall Paul’ rules the hotel entrance."