Hart and Callahan claim to have “often felt a little like Lucy and Ethel in the I Love Lucy
episode in which the women land assembly-line jobs.... The difference in our case was that we had to smile and make eye contact.” Their humorous anecdotes and behind–the-scenes information on the hotel industry are rich fodder: Madonna's “phobialike aversion to air-conditioning,” Gary Busey's antics that garnered him the nickname “Mr. 'Abuse-y,' ” and Prince's rather humorous issues with public contact. Hart and Callahan go beyond celebrity as they describe such other guests as Lobby Lizards (“a nonguest who used the hotel lobby as an ad hoc office/living room/reading lounge/coffee shop, usually lingering for hours”); a cursing, Swiss general manager whose morning meetings were dubbed “the Morning Beating”; and the comically large Saudi royal family. The authors also offer tips for travelers like how to get quality treatment (snipping off a button before you send down dry cleaning or leaving some cash in a pocket will imply to employees you may be a “spotter,” an undercover hotel inspector) and warnings that one should bring disinfectant wipes for those room objects “cleaned infrequently,” like clock radios and telephone headsets. Overall, Hart and Callahan write entertaining, light fare. (Apr.)
