‘Our superstar’: Popular Myrtle Beach resort bellman who ‘never met a stranger’ dies
The smiling face that guests of Sands Ocean Club are used to seeking out when they arrive won’t be there anymore, but the outpouring of condolences has made clear the impact Carlos Williams had on so many.
Williams, 49, died unexpectedly Saturday after more than a decade working as the bell captain at the Myrtle Beach resort, which also includes Ocean Annie’s.
Family, friends and coworkers describe Williams as a man who “never met a stranger,” taking the time to get to know every guest and condo owner on a personal level, and remembering each detail no matter how much time passed between meetings.
Elanda Manigault, the resort’s front office manager, said there were times during the busy part of the summer when the check-in line would back out the door despite there being available bellhops because everyone would want to wait to be helped by Carlos.
“They didn’t mind waiting 30-40 minutes just so he could take them up (to their rooms),” she said. “That’s the first thing they’d ask as soon as they walk through the doors, ‘Where’s Carlos?’”
Nora Middleton, Carlos’ sister, said her brother would constantly be getting calls and texts from out-of-town guests on their way to the club to make sure he’d be there when he arrived.
Eddie Williams, the longtime general manager of the resort, called Carlos “the epitome of hospitality,” an industry where first impressions are key.
“There’s an old adage that one person doesn’t make an organization, but there will be a chink in the armor after his passing,” he said. “We’re feeling it now, and I’m sure we’re going to feel it for some time to come, if not always to some degree. He set the bar so high.”
Carlos Williams followed in the footsteps of his father, James, who worked at the resort for decades dating back to when it was a Howard Johnson’s in the 1970s, Eddie Williams recalled, so Carlos and his siblings became like family for the tenured staff and management there.
Manigault described Carlos as a jokester, who could make anyone having a bad day smile, recalling just last week when he tricked people with a toy snake.
“We had the best laugh about that, made everybody’s day,” she said.
Hundreds have posted messages of condolences and remembrances on his Facebook page since news of his death began to spread, and Manigault said the phone at the club was ringing off the hook starting Saturday from guests wanting to know if the news was true.
“I don’t think I’ve seen anybody, just a normal person, with this much outpouring of love,” she said. “Maybe a superstar, that’s to be expected, but just a normal person? He was our superstar, I guess.”
Middleton said her brother was always there for his family, especially his two children, Jayden and Arianna. He loved fishing, hunting, riding his motorcycle and cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Myrtle Beach High School, where he graduated in 1991, she added.
A funeral service is scheduled for noon on Saturday at Sandy Grove Missionary Baptist Church, but Eddie Williams noted there likely isn’t a place big enough in Myrtle Beach to fit all the people who want to pay their respects.
