Author: Francisca Matteoli

 Publisher: Assouline

 ISBN: 2843233429

The following review was contributed by:  NORM GOLDMAN:  Editor of Bookpleasures &CLICK TO VIEW  Norm Goldman's Reviews       

To read Norm's Interview With Francisca Matteoli CLICK HERE

Ever wonder if landmark hotels have unique souls or a persona attached to them, or are they merely brick and glass- a place to sleep, eat and wander around their lobbies?

Judging from the contents of author Francisca Matteoli’s Hotel Stories: Legendary Hideaways Of The World, you would have to conclude that yes, some of these legendary hotels do in fact have a soul.

Matteoli’s appealing writing style and interesting tidbits make a book that would ordinarily be dry, come alive. The author captures the traveler’s imagination with a collection of narratives that are rich in detail unfolding some of the most famous hotels in the world and the celebrities who frequented them. 

We learn about The Algonquin in New York City, where Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe wrote My Fair Lady; and where the Round Table Of The Algonquin was formed. The latter were a group of literary giants who met every day in the Rose Room to exchange barbs and ideas.  Among the participants were Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley of Vanity Fair.

Did you know that Ian Fleming of James Bond fame discovered for himself the island of Jamaica in 1944, purchased a piece of land in Oracabessa (Golden Head) calling his paradise Goldeneye, built a simple villa, where he wrote the adventures of James Bond? Eventually, the villa became a luxury hideaway and the Goldeneye Resort. Today, you can rent Fleming’s house, and according to the author, his desk is still in his bedroom. 

We are informed that the Regent Beverly Wilshire is the hotel for making motion pictures. There is even a luxurious dressing-room providing hospitality to movie stars after a day’s work in the nearby Hollywood studios. For many years Warren Beatty lived in the Veranda Suite.

Among other interesting hotel tie-ins exposed in the book are: Frank Sinatra and The Peninsula in Hong Kong, Charles De Gaulle and the Cashel House in Ireland, Orson Wells and the Copacabana Palace in Rio De Janeiro, Truman Capote and The Plaza in New York, Andy Warhol and The Savoy in London, Ernest Hemingway and The Ambos Mundos in Cuba, the Sundance resort and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, and there are several more. 

The material in this collection of short essays is skilfully and poignantly blended together with photos and period illustrations that permit readers to get a solid sense of the unique personalities of these renowned hotels. Anyone interested in famous hotels would do well to read this book.