In his new role as general manager of Hotel 140, a boutique hotel located in the nation’s first headquarters of the YMCA at 140 Clarendon St., Saturnin Tomeho prides himself in offering the finest in personalized service, greeting guests in the lobby each day and leaving handwritten notes for newcomers to the 59 rooms.
“My passion is the hotel business,” said Tomeho, who also serves as general manger of Hotel 140’s sister establishment, The Berkeley Residence, a hostel located between the Back Bay and the South End at 40 Berkeley St. “My hours are long, but that’s part of the gig.”
Tomeho completed master’s degree programs at both University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis and the University of Paris VII, where he earned a degree in History of Art and Western Civilizations.
“In the hotel field, you have to be multi-faceted and embrace knowledge in all different fields,” Tomeho said.
Tomeho first worked in Southern France as a consultant with International Tourism and Development, a private consulting firm that maintains a relationship with Boston University. In this role, Tomeho organized trips for mayors of cities in Southern France to U.S. destinations, including San Francisco, Las Vegas and Boston.
“I found Boston to be more European than the other cities,” Tomeho said. “Its location also attracted me because I still have many friends in France, which wasn’t that far of a plane ride from Boston.”
At this juncture, Tomeho was determined to relocate to Boston and willing to accept a job at any level in the area. He took a job as the front-desk agent at the Newton Marriot Hotel in April of 1993 before being promoted to laundry supervisor six months later.
In 1994, Tomeho accepted a position as beverage manager at the Sheraton Ferncroft Resort in Danvers, eventually climbing to the level of assistant controller of the 376-room hotel.
By August of 1998, the former controller of Sheraton and Tomeho’s former boss was working at the Best Western, The Inn at Longwood Medical and brought Tomeho on board as executive housekeeper to oversee 30 employees.
The following year brought another professional coup for Tomeho when he was named the recipient of 1999 Massachusetts manager of the Year Award in the mid-size hotel category.
“Then, I decided to cash in and become a general manager,” Tomeho said of his move to the Johnson & Wales University Hotel in June of 2001.
After the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the subsequent downturn of the travel industry, Tomeho returned to his homeland of Benin, accepting a position with Hotel Novotel of the Acco group, Europe’s premier hotel chain.
Tomeho returned to Massachusetts in October of 2004 and accepted a management position with the Holiday Inn – Somerville, followed by a stint at the Courtyard by Marriott in Woburn.
In the spring of 2007, Tomeho was named manager of three Waltham hotels – the Courtyard by Marriott, the Holiday Inn Express and the Home Suites Inn.
Last November, Tomeho landed his current position with Wellesley-based Maloney Properties that now brings him to the Back Bay to oversee the day-to-day operations of Hotel 140, which has earned a reputation as one of the neighborhood most luxurious inns since opening nearly five years ago.
“I always wanted to work in the Back Bay,” Tomeho said. “It’s an international destination, and I believe I can make a difference in this market.”

Area D-4 experienced a 7-percent decrease in violent and property crime in 2009, compared with the pervious year as the number of Part One crime incidents dropped to 5,037 from 5,398 in 2008.
According to Boston Police, burglaries and attempted burglaries were down 28 percent in Area D-4, which includes the Back Bay, the South End, Lower Roxbury and the Fenway, as the number of incidents dropped to 373 from 518 the previous year.
Aggravated assaults decreased 25 percent as the number of incidents fell to 291 from 388 in 2008.
While the number of rapes and attempted rapes dropped to 32 in 2009 from 34 the previous year, the number of homicides saw a dramatic spike as the number of incidents jumped to seven from two in 2008.
Vehicle theft and attempted vehicle theft dropped 12 percent as the number of incidents dropped to 241 in 2009 from 275 the pervious year.
Larcenies and attempted larcenies and robberies and attempted robberies, meanwhile, were down 3- and 2-percent respectively.
Citywide, Part One crime was down 8-percent, with 26,604 incidents last year, compared with 28,908 in 2008.

Beginning later this month, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) will begin installation of a 12-inch perforated PVC drainpipe in four of the Back Bay’s public alleys in an effort to remediate the groundwater system.
According to BWSC officials, the project sites are Public Alley 418 between Dartmouth and Exeter streets, Public Alley 420 from Berkeley Street to the rear of 173 Beacon St. and 73 Marlborough St., Public Alley 422 from Arlington Street to the rear of 8 Marlborough St. and 7 Commonwealth Ave., and Public Alley 427 between Fairfield and Gloucester streets.
Construction is set to start Jan. 22, with Public Alley 418. Work on Public Alley 427 – the final phase of the project – should be completed by April 14, weather permitting.
Typical work hours are from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the contractor for the project is Hyde Park-based P. Gioioso & Sons, Inc.
In some locations, the contractor will be required to relay the existing sewer pipe. Existing catch basins will also be connected to the recharge system, and new catch basins will be installed in some cases.
Benefits of the project include upgrading the sewer and drainage infrastructure, recharging groundwater and restoring the roadway.
Construction impacts include parking and traffic, rodent activity, dust and noise and trash removal, BWSC officials stated.
During weekday work hours, questions and concerns should be directed to BWSC Project Manager Luis A. Malara at 617-989-7450. For 24-hour, 7-day-a-week emergency assistance, contact BWSC at 617-989-7000.

The dead of winter

It is the dead of winter – that quintessentially New England moment in the midst of the snow and cold when there is just as much of it in front of us as already behind.
It is the dead of winter and we face at least three more months of frigid cold, show and ice.
The earth is frozen. Our minds become locked in this moment when everything in front of us is as difficult as everything already behind.
The darkness of the early morning determines how our connection to the sunlight can dictate how we feel.
Then there is the setting sun early in the afternoon and the darkness, again, long before we want it to appear.
This is the time of year – January’s short cold days – when those who suffer from depression have an especially hard time.
However, there are many more who live for the winter, for this moment, and who love the cold, the early darkness and the snow.
These are the hardy souls who love the New England winter, who enjoy it for what it is without fighting it or wishing they were in Florida.
On Beacon Hill and in Back Bay residents, visitors, tourists and shoppers walk faster and bundle up. They pay homage to the dead of winter, to the bitter chill, to the snow frozen on the ground and under our feet.
There is no rest for the weary who hate it.
There is the joy in having it here for those who love it.
The dead of winter comes each time this year.
It is here. It is real.
Not to worry – it won’t last very long.
In another week, we’re on the other side of it.
Next month, its presence is already retreating.
By April, we’ll have it licked.
Just the same, it is a long time until April.

The Patriots, Athens and Rome

The past glory of the New England Patriots is like the past glory of Athens and Rome.
The Patriot’s loss to the Ravens over the weekend represented the diminution of their empire, the piercing of their legend, the collapse, if you will, of their football empire almost in its entirety.
The Golden Age of Athens under Pericles lasted but 50 years.
Rome’s decline hastened under the Caesars – and Roman democracy came to an end when Caesar crossed the Rubicon.
Tom Brady – for about five years – has been both Pericles and Caesar combined, leading the New England football team to greatness.
Following the weekend debacle, the greatness of the Patriots, like the empires and dynasties that came before, lies in the ashes, or in this instance, on the artificial turf.
The boos inside the stadium exceeded the cheers on Sunday afternoon.
Nothing lasts forever.