The Secret Life of the Hotel

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in hotels? Hotels represent nations, hosting visiting monarchs, politicians, and diplomats. Hotels underpin global networks of travel and communication, on which national and international prosperity have increasingly depended since the end of the First World War. Yet hotels are also places where people can be anonymous; where murderers and thieves mix with adulterers and con artists; and where prejudice finds expression in who is refused access, and in the forms of 'service' provided by staff in the lowest-paid roles. The Secret Life of the Hotel: Sex, Crime and Protest in British Guesthouses Since 1918 is the first book to uncover how hotels entrenched inequality, prejudice, and exploitation in Britain's tourist sector, and in wider society and culture, during the 20th century. Eloise Moss delves into hotel murders, swindles, and scandals, including the history of Agatha Christie's disappearance in 1926, the 'Margate Hotel Murder', and the divorce of Wallis Simpson in 1936 so she could marry King Edward VIII. Moss's exploration of the hotel also shines a light on the fight against the colour bar, the formation of the British civil rights movement, and the visit to London of Martin Luther King Jr. The Secret Life of the Hotel uniquely tells the story of Britain's relationship with the world during the 20th century through the prism of its hotels, showing how their infrastructure and 'welcome' had profound consequences for women, people of colour, LGBTQ+ citizens, and people with disabilities.

Eloise Moss is Professor of Modern British History at the University of Manchester, UK. She is the author of Night Raiders: Burglary and the Making of Modern Urban Life in London, 1860-1968 (2019). Her television work includes the BBC's Murder, Mystery and My Family, The Real Peaky Blinders, Uncanny, and the Channel 5 series Great Hotels Through Time. She has also worked as historical advisor on the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? and Sister Boniface Mysteries.

Introduction 1. The Showman and his Hotel Empire 2. The Chambermaid 3. The Adulterers 4. The Murderer 5. The Architects 6. The Gentleman Standing at the Bar 7. The Dancers Epilogue Notes Appendix Bibliography Index