On a recent winter morning, 50-year-old Dorchester native, Stephen Mastrogiacomo, arrives early for his evening shift as a bellman, doorman, occasional concierge, and on-call banquet bartender at the Omni Parker House, the oldest continuously operating hotel in the United States, founded in 1855 by Harvey D. Parker. For nearly 25 years, Mastrogiacomo has worked at this historic property that has sheltered every US president since Ulysses S. Grant, except for President Obama, along with luminaries like Mark Twain, Judy Garland, and Malcolm X, who worked in the hotel as a busboy. Sitting down in the hotel’s restaurant at table 40 — where John F. Kennedy was said to have proposed to Jacqueline — Mastrogiacomo talked about life on and off the job. (This interview has been edited and condensed.)

Q. How did you become a bellman?

A. When I was in my 20s, I traveled for a few years and started working in hotels. I spent some time in New Orleans and worked at a Sheraton [as a bellman-doorman] and then worked in Florida and Hawaii. In 1991, I moved back to Boston, applied to a few hotels, and got hired here.

Q. How has your job changed since you first began?

A. When I first started here, most luggage didn’t have wheels, so we were busier.

Q. Most memorable client?

A. This is an easy one. After 9/11, Mr. and Mrs. Frost stayed here. Their daughter, Lisa, was on the second plane that went into the [World] Trade Center, and they were here for a one-year anniversary and tracing her steps because she went to BU. We chatted for about 20 minutes and they were amazing — so strong. They were bringing buttons [bearing Lisa’s photo] to the memorial [in New York] and they gave me one. I still have it.

Q. Question people ask most?

A. Five, 10 times a day someone is asking me: Is it true, are there ghosts here, or have I seen anything? I’ve never seen one, but employees here have seen things and I’ve been here at night when guests have come down to change rooms because they saw something in their room, or an image in the mirror, or a shadow go through the wall, or orbs of light in the halls upstairs. One room that always stands out is room 303, supposedly the gentleman, who passed away in that room way back, used to smoke cigars and drink brandy and people often say that when they stay in this room they’ll be woken up in the middle of the night to the smell of cigar smoke and the smell of brandy. And I’ve even heard that some women have said they’ve gotten a sloppy wet brandy kiss on their cheek.

Q. Oddest request?

A. Just the usual things — men looking for women.

Q. Typical tip?

A. If it’s a big family with a whole cart full, they may give a $10 or a $20. Just a few bags and they’ll give you anywhere between $2 or $5.

Q. Recommendations for out-of-towners?

A. The North End — I have some favorite restaurants over there, like Regina Pizzeria or La Famiglia [Giorgio’s] — Trinity Church because the architecture is gorgeous, a tour of Fenway Park, and walking through the Public Garden, which is the oldest botanical garden in the country, and you’ve got the Make Way for Ducklings statues in there. I also suggest seeing the Boston Marathon finishing line.

Q. Rigors of the job?

A. From spring through fall we have a lot of tour buses and they’re usually filled with 50-60 bags and there’s a lot of heavy lifting. I’ve had some back injuries over the years.

Q. What shoes do you wear?

A. Bostonian by Clark. They have rubber heels and are so comfortable.

Q. How do you unwind?

A. I go to the gym a lot, read, and listen to music. But what I really enjoy when I have the time is getting up to the White Mountains of New Hampshire and hiking. I enjoy it for the scenery, solitude, exercise, and challenge.

Q. Favorite aspect of the hotel?

A. I’d have to say it’s the family atmosphere I share with all the employees. Then, there’s the hotel’s history. I always bring people down to the bakery because they want to see the Ho Chi Minh [marble pastry] table (the former President of Vietnam worked at the hotel as a pastry chef) and the press [that punches out the Parker House Rolls], and where the Boston Cream Pie is made.

Q. Favorite travel spot?

A. Nevada. Every August I go to Burning Man. . It’s the greatest thing ever, the escapism, the freedom. There is no cell reception and no Internet. You’re in the middle of the desert and there are hundreds of art installations and everyone collectively builds the whole city. It’s a very loving community and we don’t sell anything. You can do whatever you want there and everyone gets along. It shows how the world could be. It’s a place of possibility and hope.

Victoria Riccardi can be reached at vabbottriccardi@ gmail.com.