As we wearily check into our hotels, BnB's, and roadside lodges after a long day of travel, we seldom stop to think about the difficulties minority travelers faced doing those exact things in the not-too-distant past. Calvin Stovall Jr. is the author of Hidden Hospitality: Untold Stories of Black Hotel, Motel, and Resort Owners from the Pioneer Days to the Civil Rights Era, a book that explores the often-overlooked experiences of Black travelers and the entrepreneurs who created the thriving businesses that catered to their needs. From the days of wagon trails all the way to the Civil Rights Act, Black hoteliers faced down discrimination to build vibrant hubs of culture across the country.

Buy your copy of Hidden Hospitality here.

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"Lounge Cruisin" by Airstream.

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Our first live episode! We got to interview the queen of literary cocktails (and acclaimed Broadway producer) Brisa Carleton live at the Algonquin Hotel's historic Round Table, where literary greats like Dorothy Parker once lunched and quipped. We discuss Carleton's debut novel, Last Call at the Savoy, which spotlights the forgotten history of London's first female bartender, Ada Coleman. She also lets us in on her writing process along with some extra history tidbits about the Savoy and the Algonquin.

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"Opportunity Walks" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC-4.0.

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Thank you for calling. Your call is important to us. Please hold. Dial 0 for the operator. These familiar expressions began 150 years ago when Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call in Boston. It didn't take long for luxury hotels to adopt the technology, and eventually the phone became a commonplace amenity used to request room service, wakeup calls, and extra towels. But behind the hotel's phone lines were the women running the switchboard... and keeping the secrets of their celebrity guests.

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"Mining by Moonlight" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC-4.0.

"analogic_dial_telephone" by trip_sound is licensed under CC-3.0.

"phone-pickup-click-22" by Adam_Joseph is licensed under CC 3.0.

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It's Christmas Eve, and we're taking you to divine lodgings, aka hotels in monasteries. Some of these hotels may not offer room service, wifi, or even bellhops (though some definitely do). Instead, they offer the chance to walk in the footsteps of pilgrims, stroll sacred hallways, spend time in quiet reflection, and contemplate life's big questions. From Mt. Sinai to Montserrat, you can sleep near the saints and dream of miracles.

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🎶 Music

"Church Bells at noon from the top of the Cathedral of Bern (Switzerland)" by felixblume is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

"Eternal Praise (Original Short)" by Pony Boy is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

"Agnus Dei X" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC-4.0.

“Gregorian Chant” by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC-4.0.

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NOFO Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden, is making all the right moves. From interesting room design to curated activities for guests to a hip wine bar, this boutique hotel experience might just make Stockholm your next destination.

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"Backbay Lounge" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC-4.0.

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Ah, the hotel bar—a traveler's best friend. Over the years, they've made a name for themselves outright and are sometimes more famous than the hotel that spawned them. We take you from Hollywood to New Orleans to Europe to tell the stories of some of the most iconic hotel bars in the world, where celebrities hide their misdeeds, writers look for inspiration, and a martini is always stirred.

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☕️ You can support Hotel History (and our caffeine addiction) here or on Patreon.

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"Study and Relax" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC-4.0.

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From having a hearty stew sent to your room in the local inn to scanning QR codes, room service has changed its form but never its allure—tasty fare with minimal effort. One hotel in particular made modern room service a necessity for luxury establishments, and others quickly followed suit. What are the most common and most bizarre room service orders? And how do some hotels elevate their offerings from more than a $20 club sandwich and $5 bottle of water?

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📚 Shop our bookshelves here.* Support indie bookstores!

☕️ You can support Hotel History (and our caffeine addiction) here or on Patreon.

🎶 Music

"Lobby Time" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC-3.0.

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Rob Hart's The Paradox Hotel is a genre-bending sci-fi thriller with an arsenal of mystery, action, heart, and, um, dinosaurs? We discuss our love/hate relationship with the main character, how a hotel dedicated to helping the uber wealthy time travel might run a little differently than a normal one, and the theory of time travel itself, naturally.

Pick up a copy of The Paradox Hotel here.*

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☕️ You can support Hotel History (and our caffeine addiction) here or on Patreon.

🎶 Music

"The Complex" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC-4.0.

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