When George Washington embarked on his presidential tours of 1789 91 the rudimentary inns and taverns of the day suddenly seemed dismally inadequate But within a decade Americans had built the first hotels large and elegant structures that boasted private bedchambers and grand public ballrooms This book recounts the enthralling history of the hotel in America a saga in which politicians and prostitutes tourists and tramps conventioneers and confidence men celebrities and salesmen all rub elbows Hotel explores why the hotel was invented how its architecture developed and the many ways it influenced the course of United States history The volume also presents a beautiful collection of more than 120 illustrations many in full color of hotel life in every era  Hotel explores these topics and more         What it was like to sleep eat and socialize at a hotel in the mid 1800s         How  hotelkeepers dealt with the illicit activities of adulterers thieves and violent guests         The stories behind America s greatest hotels including the Waldorf Astoria the Plaza the Willard the Blackstone and the Fairmont         Why Confederate spies plotted to burn down thirteen hotels in New York City during the Civil War         How the development of steamboats and locomotives  helped create a nationwide network of hotels         How  hotels became architectural models for apartment buildings         The pivotal role of hotels in the civil rights movement

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