Hotel: An American History (Hardcover)

~ Andrew K. Sandoval-Strausz (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this lucid and creative work, Sandoval-Strausz, an assistant professor of history at the University of New Mexico, situates the rise of hotels within the history of the triumph of capitalism and of an increasingly mobile society. Hotels, he says, facilitated mobility and the integration of frontier lands into larger networks of capital and commerce. Hotels were also part of the gradual process that dissociated people from particular places. If hotels solved some social problems, Sandoval-Strausz shows, they created others: guardians of domesticity, for example, worried about urban dwellers who chose to live full-time in hotels. In exploring the social and political meaning of hotels, the author pursues countless avenues, from menus to morals (Hotels were magnets for prostitution and other forms of illicit sex). There's a bit of labor history thrown in, too, since, in order to make good on the promise to be patrons' home away from home, hotels employed a huge number of workers, from cooks and launderers to janitors, Sandoval-Strausz also traces hotels' exclusion of Jews and blacks—the book ends with the 1964 Supreme Court case that desegregated public accommodations. From start to finish, this is a fascinating study. 93 color, 58 b&w illus. (Nov.)
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Review

"'A dense, ambitious, and valuable new work... Hotel is filled with interesting information; Sandoval-Strausz develops social, moral, economic, legal and political connections with originality and insight. His impassioned reading of our 'built environment' is fascinating, his research prodigious... I will never again check into a hotel without thinking of myself as an ambassador of peace; that alone, with its profound implications, makes this thoughtful book worthwhile.' Dominique Browning, New York Times Book Review" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1 edition (November 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300106165
• ISBN-13: 978-0300106169
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #398,326 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The New Stardard , December 4, 2007

By	Paul Malo (Fulton, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While this comprehensive history of the American hotel surely will become required reading for students in hospitality programs, it is not the sort of history of hotel management and technology that one might expect of a text book in this field. Rather, this seems to be the "American Studies" genre, primarily concerned with viewing the hotel as a phenomenon in a larger cultural context of the place and times.

While more attention to management practices and technology might have enriched the book, it serves a sufficient purpose as cultural history. The author clearly has done much homework, searching local newspapers across the nation for anacdotes about hotels. Naturally, what was reported was not behind-the-scenes hotel operation, but what would interest the public--the "front of the house" events.

All of us who have favorite historic hotels and their histories will regret that much has been missed, but considering the vast scope of his subject, the author has done a superb job.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book About the Rise of Hotels, December 3, 2007

By	Carol A. Ardman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lucky me. A friend gave me this wonderful book about the rise of hotels and the hospitality industry in the United States. What an eye-opener. The author, an academic, has done massive, serious research and has come to some extremely interesting conclusions. Who would have dreamed what an important part of our social history hotels are, or what they have meant to us economically (including the rise of the railroads). As someone who has traveled extensively, I can attest that some hotels are more welcoming than others, some have better beds or better food, but being a guest in a hotel is almost always a treat. This book helped me relive childhood trips to Miami Beach, eating a glorious room service dinner during a blizzard Richmond, Va., and hightailing it to a Motel 6 in Carlsbad,California. It taught me about a valuable part of our history I had never thought about. And the pictures are fascinating. I'm giving Hotel: An American History to my traveling cousin for Christmas.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Less Privacy than a beehive, November 22, 2007

By	Joel Nossoff (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'll never hear the snoring, coughing, wheezing, televisioning, or humping in the hotel suite next to mine without thinking of this history of the American Hotel.We have come a long way since the time when overnight accomodations included sharing a bed with a stranger (unintentionally). The slamming of doors, the ker-chunk of the ice machine down the hall, and the rowdy late nights of party-goers become understandable (if not tolerable) after reading this rich and detailed history of the American hotel. Indeed, it explains why "American Hotel" is redundant.