They are the first and last employees you see at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

They are the young men who wear the 1920's golf-style knickers with the argyle socks.

They are the valet and bell staff of The Resort.

I have been part of this group for the past three summers. There have been countless cars parked, luggage tagged and stored, and flights of stairs ran up and down.

Valets run. Everywhere. It's a job requirement.

"All of the valets need to be fit," said Blaine Holom, one of the three primary doormen. "They run up and down stairs all day, trying to grab cars and help guests as fast as possible."

These guys work hard for every tip they earn. Because, what most people don't realize, they live off tips.

On a good night, a valet could make $150 to $200.

"Essentially, the majority that we make comes from the tips we receive," said Tony Grimmett, head bellman. "The hourly wage is a nice compliment, but it's a very small portion of what my income is."

Grimmett is in charge of scheduling the valets, making sure rules and regulations are followed. He was recently named the head bellman.

"It's generally very busy during the summer with taking care of guests," Grimmett said.

Dave Finney, manager of the transportation, bell and valet departments, said the average wage of a valet/bell employee is $3.80 an hour. The wage is 45 cents more than the Idaho minimum wage for tip paying jobs.

"They absolutely work hard for their money," Finney said. "The guys do a nice job out there."

One of the perks of being a valet is seeing and conversing with sports stars and celebrities when they visit the hotel.

Grimmett said that since the valets and bell must stay professional at all times, they just don't walk up to them and ask for their autographs or anything, but while helping them out, sometimes valets will share a nice conversation with people such as John Travolta, Dana Carvey, Jake Locker, Vince Young, Randy Moss, Drew Bledsoe and John "Cougar" Mellencamp.

During my time with the valet/bell staff, there have been countless times where after bringing a car down, the guest would hand over the money only to the person who did the work.

Many people have a misconception that it's "every man for himself" and you keep what you make. The system at the Coeur d'Alene Resort is different.

"The valets share the tips between whoever is working at that specific time," Grimmett said. "Whenever a new valet comes in or leaves they make a cut of the money they all made and share it evenly."

With a system where all the money is pooled, the sense of "every man for himself" is non-existent. Valets are a tight-knit group.

"It's very much of a buddy-buddy feeling around here, and I consider everyone I work with a friend," Grimmett said.

That camaraderie is critical because dealing with so many guests and trying to work as fast as possible can be stressful.

The valets and bell will probably have contact with about 500 or more people on a busy check-in and check-out day.

How hectic can it be?

Just as he entered the bell closet, newcomer Hunter Vendegriff could only muster two words to express he felt about working as a valet before running back into the parking garage to grab someone's car.

"It's great," he said, and then raced off on foot to drive a car down to the valet floor.

The bottom line is, that's why they work for valet and bell. They like to provide good, fast service and help people.

"Some people think that sometimes we are only here for the tips, but really we are here to provide a service for everyone," Grimmett said. "A service that allows them to have fun and enjoy themselves, without having to worry about taking care of luggage, their golf clubs, or their car."

The doormen are a bit different than the valet.

Doormen wear slightly different uniforms and try to maintain order on the otherwise hectic valet floor during peak check-in and check-out times. Though, this level of chaos is nothing compared to what Holom experienced last summer.

Holom, a military veteran who was sent overseas to Afghanistan with a unit attached to the Army Rangers, continued his job at the Resort when he returned home.

Holom will be competing in the 2012 Coeur d'Alene Ironman next summer. That will make Holom the fourth valet to have competed in the competition. Other current valets who have completed an Ironman include Nick Buley, Matt Hague and Ryan Cutler.

Grimmett offered a bit of advice for locals who feel that their service is only to hotel guests.

"A lot of people think they can't use the valet service, but they can, it's a complimentary service that they are welcome to use at any time," Grimmett said. "It would be a good opportunity for local people to come in during those winter months and use the resort because of reduced prices and rates, since there's not as many tourists visiting the resort."

My experience as a valet is the most fun I've ever had. The work is hard and tiring, but in the end, the guys I work with are not just co-workers, but they've become good friends.