If ever any book can be said to have a little of everything - thrills, information, pace, a peek at human nature, romance... it is this. A book that comes very close to being a complete book in that it offers many flavours, unlike most of the thriller category that offer some but not all of the above. The romantic style of writing that is alien to Arthur Hailey, as it is not in evidence in any of his other books - Airport, Wheels, In High Places, The Moneychangers, The Final Diagnosis, Overload. Whereas, in this book, the major take-away is two-fold - one, the lovely romance between 2 couples {I wont reveal the couples, as one couple comes as a surprise. Request all commentors to reciprocate} and two, the usual hailey in-depth study of the chosen field {in this case, the Hotel trade}
Arthur Hailey is known for his in depth research of the topic at hand. He usually chooses one field to base his story on and does an in-depth study of the same {Airports in Airport, Banking in Moneychangers etc}. This makes reading his books a very entertaining as well as informative activity. But what takes the cake is the fact that each of his books will have a different flavour - you will be treated to a different range of emotion in each book! In Airport, the theme is thrills and anger at the establishment. In overload, the theme changes from that of anger to more of desperation at the power situation, and personal remorse. The moneychangers in very matter of fact in its approach, while the Final Diagnosis concentrates on the human angle, tragedy and hope etc. Each book is different!
The Hotel is, like the above, different. The plot is set in a hotel on which the mortgage is due, and the management is unable to meet the financial demands. This forms the basic back-drop of the book. Intertwined are a multitude of sub-plots which are an integral part of the story, and combine beautifully in the climax into one wonderfull ending. I am giving an idea of the sub-plots below {this is an extempore review written on-line from memory in a space of 15 minutes, so kindly ignore any misses!!!!}
Sub-plot 1
Peter Mcdermott, the general manager of the hotel - A man with an ivy-league education but sufferings the ill-effects of a bad indiscretion in his previous job at one of the top hotel chains in the world, that forced him to shift to this insignificant hotel, and the oh-so-slowly developing love story with Christine Francis, the secretary to the proprietor.
Sub-Plot 2
The career of the General Manager comes under threat as the new management wants him out...
Sub-Plot 3
Enter Cutis O-Keefee! The owner of one of the largest hotel chains in the world, on a tour to the hotel prior to final take-over negotiations
Sub-Plot 4
A hit and run accident by none other than the ambassador appointee of the UK to the states - a royal Duke, no less!
Sub-Plot 5
The antiquated hotel infrastructure, set-up and the proprietor’s out-dated views and management style...
There are other minor digressions - a professional hotel thief, minor incidents like a rape attempt, racism, conventions, ego tussles etc that add fillers to the novel...
I mentioned a second love story, didn’t I? Well, read the book to find THAT one, for I am NOT telling it here!
The attention to detail on every aspect - the day-to-day hotel running, the professional hotel thievery racket, the problems of running a hotel and its departments, characterizations etc are all something to behold. The book is not a racy paced book- despite being set in a time frame of one week, it has a comfortable pace, and makes for an enthralling read. All in all, I would rate it as his second-best book after the famous Airport!
N.B.: Who takes over? Does the hotel meet its financial requirements on its own? What happens there? THAT is deliberately left out, as saying anything will spoil the fun of reading it. But do read it- you will enjoy the surprises you will get!