Heads in Beds

A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality

By: Jacob Tomsky

Narrated by: Jacob Tomsky

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

In the tradition of Kitchen Confidential and Waiter Rant, a rollicking, eye-opening, fantastically indiscreet memoir of a life spent (and misspent) in the hotel industry.

Jacob Tomsky has worked in hotels for more than a decade, doing everything from valet parking to manning the front desk. He's checked you in, checked you out, separated your white panties from the white bed sheets, parked your car, tasted your room service, cleaned your toilet, denied you a late check out, given you a wake-up call, eaten M&Ms out of your mini-bar, laughed at your jokes, and taken your money. And in Heads in Beds, he pulls back the curtain on the hospitality business, revealing the crazy yet compelling reality of an industry we think we know. It is an incredibly funny, authentic, and irreverent chronicle of the highs and lows of hotel life and boy, is there a market for it: in 2010, the American lodging industry generated $127.7 billion in revenue. Prepare to be amused, shocked, and amazed as he spills the unwritten code of the bellhops, the antics that go on the valet parking garage, and the housekeeping department's dirty little secrets.

Prepare to be moved, too, by his insightful honesty about the profession; employees are often poorly paid and frequently abused. However, Heads in Beds is more than just a memoir. Jake explains the secrets of the industry, offering easy and legal ways to get what you need from your hotel without any hassle - from scoring late check-ins and upgrades to getting that pay-per-view charge knocked off your bill. This book will give you the knowledge you need to get the very best service from any hotel or property, from any business that makes its money from putting heads in beds. Or, at the very least, it will keep the bellhops from taking your luggage into the camera-free back office and stomping the crap out of it.

©2012 Jacob Tomsky (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Jacob Tomsky is a star. The kid writes like a dream. Heads in Beds is hilarious, literate, canny, indignant and kind - revealing an author who manages somehow to be both a total hustler and a complete humanitarian. I love this book. Keep an eye on this writer. I'm telling you, he's a star." (Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia)

Great listen!

Enjoyed this and very interesting take on the hospitality industry. Don’t think I’ll ever leave my car with a valet :). Author did a great job reading.

Entertaining & Informative

This is how an "industry insider" book should be done - exactly the right mix of industry secrets, hilarious anecdotes, and personal details all wrapped up in a neat package. Bravo to the author for his wit, his willingness to dish the dirt, and the wisdom to narrate it himself. I can't wait to try out the mini-bar trick to see if it works (maybe I'll try it in a friend's room first). This would be a perfect book to listen to on a plane or during a long car ride - by the time you get to your destination, you could score a room upgrade!

great insight into the hospitality industry

Dont pick it up if you are put off by adult language. Otherwise, it is great and it works in the context.

Awesome

Great story. Lots of good ideas. As a frequent traveler we will have to see..

Humor packed and full of truth!!!

What did you love best about Heads in Beds?
Heads in beds was a terrific listen. The author hit every the hospitality industry right on the head. I was very insight from both a guest persecutive and even more as hotel professional. Must have for any hospitality person!

Which character – as performed by Jacob Tomsky – was your favorite?
TOM (the narrator) was my favorite character.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
This book had me rolling!!

Not only hugely entertaining, but useful!

This was an unexpectedly delightful listen. Great great stories told with humor and laced valuable hotel info I will be sure to use. The author's reading is flawless, his accents and impressions perfect. Jacob Tomsky is one talented (and very funny) motherfucker.

An Eye Opener

Laugh out Loud Funny! An awesome look from the other side of the name badge. Cant wait to listen again.

Amazing for the traveler or employee

this book really puts things into perspective as the avid traveler or the tenured hospitality employee.

Always Tip the Bellman

Overall it's entertaining. I certainly learned a few things in it too. Autobiographical & nicely narrated by the author, who at various times is likeable, arrogant, ethical, sketchy, funny, hardworking, & a even little whiny at times. He manages to tell his story of working an otherwise uninteresting job in an entertaining way that makes you want to read, or in my case, listen to his whole story. The book was recommended to me by my mom who thoroughly enjoyed it, & I bought a copy to gift to a friend who's from Louisiana & who's son works in a hotel in Manhattan. I liked this book so much that I am now reading a book called "Cruise Ship Confidential" that's about working on cruise ships.

A peek behind the scenes

A first hand account of the inner workings of the Hotel industry. It's funny, informative, and a little scary if you spend any time in hotels.