Customer Reviews

Running a Hotel on the Roof of the World: Five Years in Tibet

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you were to cross National Geographic, Bill Bryson and Fawlty Towers, then I'm sure that this book is what would pop out at the other end.

Covering the author's 7 years working in the most unlikely Holiday Inn in the world - in Lhasa Tibet - this is a real treat. From the rains of dead flies at a banquet to the bizarre Miss Tibet contest in the hotel swimming pool, back to the dead guest who nobody seems to be able to get rid of, and encountering various smells, accidents and infestations on the way, Le Sueur emerges as a Basil Fawlty for the 1990's, tackling each catastrophe with crossed fingers and invention in equal measures. It's genuinely hilarious, and more so because it isn't the product of a comedy writer's brain, but an account of real, if at times surreal, events.

Le Sueur is a very likeable protagonist who not only brings us the humour found in trying to run a top class hotel in a communist coutry cut off from the rest of the world, but also explores the effects of China's rule on Tibet and its people. What prevents the politics of the book becoming staid and stuffy is Le Sueur's naive angle - he sees the Tibetan situation in the same way that any other ordinary person might, with a mixture of fascination and outrage. It's clear he has a great deal of love and respect for Tibetans, and writes in a highly acerbic tone about their relationship with the Chinese. But at the same time, he is not afraid to show his downright frustration with both the Tibetan and Chinese staff in the hotel who it seems, will never understand the basic principles of customer service, or even hygiene.

It's a nice balance, and the book works on both the levels Le Sueur is obviously trying to explore. The humour is so abundant it's ticklish, the anecdotes are so interesting, you won't want to put the book down; in short, "Running A Hotel" is a very entertaining read.

Le Sueur told about his stay in Tibet - with great sense of humour & ability to put things in perspective - what must have been nevertheless quite a strain on a person's moral. Even so that it seemed appealing, though one knows better as one gets further into the story. A relaxing way to get to know the country; and this way only the strong-minded ones still want to go; & not the weenies who can't miss out on luxury items!

I enjoyed this book thoroughly for the author's sense of humour. What a sigh of relief reading a book about Tibet discussing issues which aren't related with the human rights issues. This is a travelling book, a book of observation which continues on the tradition of Bill Bryson & Jan Wong (of China Blues' fame). Still, we learnt a lot about the country by reading between the lines. I have read countless of books about Tibet & China & most of them were about how the authors survived their ordeal. Cliche`. Here, we also read about the author's ordeal but of a different kind. We were brought behind the scene of an international hotel & I'm adamant that most hotel operators haven't removed 200+ dead rats from their hotels before, rode in their hotel vehicle which were devoid of suspensions & driven in break neck speed by their driver who hardly spoke any English, etc. There's so much to be written but it's better to let the prospective readers discover for themselves what a wee gem this book is. I finished this book in 2 days as I couldn't afford to put it down. Damn hilarious, compatible with the Fawlty Tower as claimed, & truly a memesrising experience. Keep up the good work!

I took this book on holiday and read it from cover to cover in one go! You cry with laughter at this guy's English sense of humour but the really clever thing is that you also learn sub-consciencly about the situation in Tibet. You end up falling in love with Tibet and the Tibetans and want to go there yourself. (Although if you're afraid of flying read this book before you book your tickets!). There's a lovely romance story that picks up half way through the book. It leaves you curious as to what happens next, so I hope he writes some more.

Although not a side-splitting, Fawlty Towers type of romp, "Running A Hotel . . ." is nonetheless a funny and yet informational book and I'm glad I finally had the chance to read it. M. LeSeuer deftly and often humorously exposes and enlightens the reader to some of the mystery that is Tibet. He also treats the political and cultural climates of that time very ably, with a keen awareness of the delicate balances needed to maintain the working and social environments harmonious during trying times. I learned a great deal about Tibet from this book and recommend it highly. Even though it was published about 10 years ago, the writing and the narrative detail remain fresh and entertaining.

I bought this book on my last day in Hong Kong after finishing a stay in China. Alec Le Sueur writes about experiences that were identical to mine. I sat in the lobby of the hotel waiting for the bus to the airport laughing until I almost fell out of my chair, much to the consternation of the hotel staff. If you have been to China or are thinking about going READ THIS BOOK! Mr. Le Sueur provides excellent insight into an amazing part of the world.

Author Le Sueur's story of his time helping to run the world's highest Holiday Inn in Lhasa, Tibet is a delight. Although written in the mid-eighties and somewhat out of date it is delightful tale of the trials and tribulations of the tourist industry in Tibet at that time. Readers will laugh out loud reading about the Miss Tibet competition sponsored by the hotel under the direction of its moody Italian General Manager, as well as the difficulties engendered by having a 'shadow' Chinese management team attempting to run things along with the team hired by Holiday Inn. There are also wonderful descriptions of the wonders of the Tibetan Plateau and the pagentry of Buddhist Festivals. This book is sure delight those planning a trip to Lhasa or those who have already been.

In 1988, the twenty-five year-old Brit, Alec Le Sueur, arrived in Hong Kong determined to continue his career in high-end hotel management by securing a position in a poncy hotel in the Orient where, as popular legend had it at the time, the best establishments are located, e.g. the Hong Kong Peninsula Hotel. What he got - almost by accident - was a gig as manager of the Sales Department at the Holiday Inn in Lhasa, Tibet, a place in the middle of nowhere - unless you're Tibetan - otherwise known as The Roof of the World.

Alec renewed his employment contract with Holiday Inn several times such that he spent five years in Lhasa. One must assume that, for at least part of that time, his work was uneventful. But you wouldn't know that from reading RUNNING A HOTEL ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD, which is a litany of tales narrated in a manner that begs the rhetorical question: Jeez, can you believe this, or what? Since none of this is presumably made-up, the reader can be thankful that he's only on his way to, say, Cleveland - as I am as I peck this out - and not flying the Chinese state airline, CAAC, to the Roof of the World. (Well, perhaps CAAC's in-flight food service, however dodgy, is marginally better than what most U.S. carriers now offer; at least it's included with the price of the ticket.)

All of Le Sueur's experiences are told against the background of the political relationship between China and Tibet, where the former is the Communist Big Brother lending their unfortunate Tibetan comrades a helping hand to achieve the nirvana of a socialist workers state whether the latter likes it or not. And the Tibetans appreciate it, I'm sure, though that doesn't prevent the locals from periodically torching the Lhasa police station.

The internal operational structure of the Lhasa HI apparently reflects management at its most inefficient: each member of the expatriate executive team is paired with a Chinese Communist Party counterpart and all operational decisions must be approved during a joint meeting of both sides. This stricture, along with the vagaries of a long supply line and linguistic misunderstandings can lead, as Alec so succinctly describes, to absurd situations. Then, there are the live snakes in barrels delivered to fill a commissary's seafood order, the massive room over-bookings, the shut-off of the heating system in the middle of winter, the problem presented by the dead tourist, an infestation of rats, and the massive logistical barriers surrounding the printing of a simple promotional brochure. And who could forget the "Miss Tibet fiasco"? All of Le Sueur's recollections make the prospect of managing a HI establishment elsewhere seem idyllic. Even Cleveland, perhaps.

The book includes that rarity among travel essays - a section of photographs, and in COLOR no less. However, the selection of images seems to have been haphazard as there's only one (exterior) shot of the hotel itself - odd in a volume focused on the running of the place. There are no snaps of any of the other managers who play prominent roles in Alec's dark comedy or of the love interest he met while in-country; perhaps he couldn't obtain signed releases.

The author's narrative style is matter-of-fact, and there's not much of a hint that Alec took things lightly until it became a matter of retrospect. If Le Sueur has that famous dry British wit, it wasn't much in evidence. The humor in the piece is provided by the reader's mind's eye. This is good enough to earn four stars, however.