Crime Writer Margot Kinberg

We’re heading into the season now where people tend to travel. And for many people who don’t plan to stay with friends or family members, hotels offer a welcome option. Of course, there’s a very wide variety of hotels to choose from, and they range from luxury hotels to very inexpensive roadside inns and run-down, dilapidated places. There’s something, though, about the old-style luxury hotel, where the staff members know the guests, and where the atmosphere is a bit like a large home, and the guests are not anonymous people checking in and out with cards they swipe. It’s arguably harder to find such a place today than it used to be, although such hotels are still out there if you look. But if you do find one, it can be a great experience, and you can find them in crime fiction.

In C.J. Archer’s Murder at the Mayfair Hotel, for instance, we are introduced to Cleopatra ‘Cleo’ Fox. As the novel begins, it’s 1899, and Cleo moves to the Mayfair Hotel, which is owned by her uncle. Cleo’s a young, single woman who until recently lived with her grandmother. Since Cleo’s grandmother died, though, she needs a place to stay, and her aunt and uncle have agreed to take her in. The Mayfair is a luxury London hotel with a full staff, including a world-class chef. It does cater to people on holiday, but there are also people who more or less live there. The staff knows each guest, and for Cleo, the luxury is new to her. Everyone at the hotel is rocked when one of the guests, a Mrs. Warrick, is found dead. That’s terrible enough, but for the hotel manager, Mr. Hobart, the bigger concern is what the death might mean for the hotel’s reputation. The police are as discreet as they can be, but it’s important that the crime be solved before the hotel’s upcoming New Year ball. Cleo wants to be useful, and she is both curious and determined, so she starts asking questions. And it’s not long before she’s mixed up in the mystery. Among other things, the novel shows what an old-fashioned luxury hotel is like.

Agatha Christie wrote about such hotels in more than one of her stories. In The Body in the Library, for instance, Colonel Arthur and his wife Dolly have a rude awakening one morning when the body of a young woman is found in their library. The police are called in, and at first, Bantry himself is under a bit of suspicion. So, his wife calls on her friend, Miss Marple, to find out the truth. The body is soon identified as eighteen-year-old Ruby Keene, who was a professional dancer at the Majestic Hotel. Like other luxury hotels, this one offers evening entertainment including dancers like Ruby, who do demonstrations and then dance with guests. Miss Marple suspects that Ruby’s death may be connected to the hotel. And so it turns out to be, in an interesting way. I know, fans of At Bertram’s Hotel; that’s got another fine example of the old-style hotel, and how those places change.

Dorothy L. Sayers’ Have His Carcase also features the old-style hotel. In it, mystery novelist Harriet Vane is on a hiking holiday when she discovers a man’s body. The dead man is soon identified as Paul Alexis, a Russian-born professional dancer who was employed at the Resplendent Hotel, a luxury place that offers all of the amenities. In fact, when Harriet looks to get a room there, they’re loath to accommodate her until it’s discovered that she knows Lord Peter Wimsey. It’s that sort of place. But the hotel has its secrets and, as Harriet discovers, Paul Alexis’ death is linked to the hotel.

Hugh Pentecost’s 1976 The Fourteen Dilemma takes place at New York’s Hotel Beaumont, which caters to the wealthy and well-connected. In fact, the fourteenth floor is entirely given to luxury suites, some of which are occupied by more-or-less permanent residents. This is in the era before swipe cards and kiosk check-ins, so manager Pierre Chambrun knows all the guests, and makes it his business to ensure that even people who stop in at the bar for a drink are treated like VIPs. The story begins as George Watson, his wife Helen, and their 12-year-old daughter Marilyn, are the lucky winners of a lottery prize, part of which is an all-expense stay at the Beaumont, in one of the luxury suites. Mark Haskell, who is in charge of hotel publicity, prepares several activities (like a shopping spree, a trip to a baseball game, etc.) for the family, and at first, all goes more or less well. Then, one day, Marilyn disappears and is later found dead. The hotel’s reputation is at stake, so it’s important for this case to be solved quickly. It’s soon established that the only viable suspects are the other residents of the fourteenth floor. But that complicates matters, as they’re all wealthy, privileged people. Still, Chambrun is determined to find out what’s behind the murder, and in the end, we learn the truth.

You can still find luxury hotels, of course, although they’re different to the old-fashioned sort of hotel. They, too, offer all sorts of amenities, and in the best ones, the staff members get to know the guests, and cater to their individual needs. In Swati Kaushal’s Drop Dead, for example, Rakesh ‘Rak’ Mehta, President and CEO of Indigo Books India, Ltd., has planned a retreat for his senior staff at the exclusive Lotus Resort in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh. The hotel offers all the luxuries, and the guests soon settle in. On the second morning, Mehta’s body is found not far from the hotel, and it’s soon clear that he fell (or was pushed) from one of the cable cars that ferry people up the mountain to the resort and other places. Shimla Superintendent of Police Niki Marwah and her team are assigned to look into the matter, and as you can imagine, she pays close attention to the members of Mehta’s senior staff. As the investigation goes on, we get to see how a modern-day luxury hotel operates.

In today’s world, plenty of hotels have online and/or kiosk check-ins, online room service requests, and plain rooms. Even hotels with amenities are often more utilitarian than anything. But there are still some hotels that offer old-fashioned service and luxury, and for those who can afford it, they are memorable.

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from the Eagles’ Hotel California (you saw that coming, right?)