It's our first book club episode! We're talking about Deadly Summer Nights by Vicki Delany, a fun cozy mystery that takes place at a Catskills resort in the 1950s. Don't worry, no spoilers.

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As the summer wanes, we would be remiss if we didn't pay homage to another summer resort of bygone days. This time we're headed across the pond to the seaside town of Bournemouth in England, where British Jews created their own Borscht Belt of sorts to spend their summers and holy days feted with kosher delights.

Read more about Bournemouth here.*

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🎶 Music:

Crinoline Dreams by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

We've dug into some interesting corners of the internet (thank you messynessychic.com!) to bring you five strange, surprising, and fun hotels around the world, including the last steamship on the Nile, a hotel in the south of France that wishes it were a ship, a conservation-based hotel where you can hang out with giraffes, a kitschy hotel turned pop culture icon, and a Hogwarts-esque castle in Poland offering a wizardry school for those who never received their post by owl.

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🎶 Music:

Be Carefree - Calm mood of a weekend in anticipation of unusual adventures by Oleg Mazur Free Music is licensed under a Creative Commons License

New York City at Christmastime is the most wonderful time of the year! We bring you our top five NYC hotels during the Christmas season, all full of immaculate decorations, bespoke packages and excursions, and boozy brunches for Christmas and New Year's Day to take the edge off all the holiday fun.

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🎶 Music:

Advent Season by Torben Fugger is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

The Savoy Hotel redefined hospitality for London in the late 19th century, and it remains one of the top hotels in the world. In Part 3, we discuss the hotel's history following World War II through today, including Queen Elizabeth's coronation ball, Bridget D'Oyly taking the helm, famous celebrities who stayed (and got turned away), and a fun reality TV show back in 2020 titled, fittingly, "The Savoy.

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🎶 Music:

Four-Way by William Ross Chernoff's Nomads is licensed under an Attribution License.

We interview the creators of The Hotel Who, an immersive and interactive theater experience currently based in Los Angeles (but hopefully coming to more cities soon). They tell us about their current show (a 1930's murder mystery held in a castle in the Hollywood Hills), how they got started, and what's next for this unique art form.

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🎶 Music:

Masquerade by Beat Mekanik from the Free Music Archive licensed under CC BY.

Salem, MA, is a town steeped in history. It is forever embossed in pop culture as Witch City thanks to the witch trials in 1692 and its 20th century resurgence as a spiritual (and literal) home for many Wiccans. Salem's hotels are also entrenched in history. Built anywhere from the 1600's to 1925, they offer an escape wrapped up in local history, lore, and even a few ghosts.

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🎶 Music:

Nocturnal by Beat Mekanik from the Free Music Archive (License: CC BY)

If you fancy a midnight run-in with the famed Headless Horseman, or maybe just want to stroll down the road with the Lady in White, you should take a little trip to Sleepy Hollow. Yes, it's a real place made famous by Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. In addition to its ghost stories, it boasts a plethora of historical places, including the Florence Inn and the Castle Hotel & Spa.

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🎶 Music:

Scary by Liborio Conti.

The Savoy Hotel redefined hospitality for London in the late 19th century, and it remains one of the top hotels in the world. In Part 2, we discuss the hotel under Rupert D'Oyly Carte from the Belle Epoque, through the Jazz Age, and into the Second World War with plenty of scandals, spies, and intrigue along the way.

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🎶 Music:

Bees Knees by The Virginians.

They Call it Dancing by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra.

Lady of the Evening by Herbert Berger's St. Louis Club Orchestra

The Savoy Hotel redefined hospitality for London in the late 19th century, and it remains one of the top hotels in the world. In Part 1, we discuss the man behind the vision, Richard D'Oyly Carte, his decades-long partnership with light opera composers Gilbert & Sullivan, and some of the early scandals that plagued the hotel, (including one of its most famous guests, Oscar Wilde).

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🎶 Music:

Theme6

Fall is finally here, so we're taking a little trip to Stars Hollow, CT, to talk about the inns that provide a backdrop, back story, and realized dream for Lorelai Gilmore; her daughter, Rory; and her best friend, Sookie St. James – the Independence and Dragonfly Inns. We'll also give a little history on the Mayflower Inn in Washington, CT, which helped inspire the show’s creator. We may get sidetracked by the many psychological (and financial) issues facing the characters of this beloved show, so bear with us.

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🎶 Music:

Happy Days by Steven O'Brien via Chosic licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0

In part three of our interview with Jen Stewart, host of the Borscht Belt Tattler Podcast, we continue learning about famous hotels of the region and discuss the Borscht Belt in pop culture.

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🎶 Music:

Der Heyser Bulgar by Naftule Brandwein performed by the United States Air Force Band of the Rockies, Stellar Brass. Recording: United States Air Force, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Usually the whole point of a hotel is that you don't have to sleep outside, but these special "rooms" take you into some of the best spaces Mother Nature has to offer. Take your pick from staying in a treehouse, underwater in a lagoon, in a star bed with arguably the best view of the night sky on the planet, and more. Most of them can also be enjoyed by the less outdoors-inclined, and some of them offer indoor stays, too, so there's something for everyone!

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🎶 Music:

Inspiring Optimistic Upbeat Energetic Guitar Rhythm by Oleg Mazur via Chosic licensed under Creative Commons License.

In part two of our interview with Jen Stewart, host of the Borscht Belt Tattler Podcast, we talk about the impact the Borscht Belt had on sports, especially boxing and basketball, and talk about one of the most famous Borscht Belt hotel owners, Jennie Grossinger.

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🎶 Music:

Lachaim by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

We're going to the Catskills! It's summer vacation, and for thousands of 20th century families, that meant a trip out of the sweltering heat of New York City into the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, where they patronized thousand-acre resorts, bungalow colonies, and B&B's. We welcome special guest Jen Stewart, host of the Borscht Belt Tattler Podcast, as she takes us through the rise and fall of the Borscht Belt.

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🎶 Music:

I Like Peanuts by Jason Shaw licensed under Creative Commons License.

Welcome back to the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, where scandals live side by side with art and culture. This episode starts with the tragedy of John Belushi's death in the 1980s and finishes in the present day with union strikes and sexual assault allegations against the hotel's owner with a fair amount of sex, partying, death, and even rioting in between.

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Just above the famed Sunset Strip in West Hollywood lies an architectural fluke, an artist's muse, a celebrity playground. Chateau Marmont is one of Los Angeles' best known hotels, even if most Angelenos can't actually pinpoint where it is. This one has it all folks — high society, mobsters, the Hollywood elite, and debauchery of all sorts.

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Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream? If it's to learn about one of Hollywood's oldest hotels, we've got you covered. The Hollywood Roosevelt has been a hot spot for celebrities since it was built in the late '20s and continues to delight tourists and residents alike with celebrity sightings and a few hauntings, including Marilyn Monroe.

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The second half of the Plaza's history is filled with glamorous parties, rock stars, activists, billionaires, bankruptcy, a precocious 6-year-old running wild, and a slew of household names, including the Beatles, Truman Capote, Betty Friedan, and Donald Trump.

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For our inaugural episode, we take on a New York institution – the Plaza Hotel. We discuss its Gilded Age origins (ambitious, glamorous, and a wee bit violent), its rich and famous residents, and how it handled progress and change through the first half of the 20th century.

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We continue our exploration of literary hotels with the OG: The Algonquin Hotel in New York City. Known as a magnet for writers of every ilk, it was the home of the most well-known literary circle in America, perhaps the world. Variously known as the Algonquin Round Table, the Vicious Circle, and the Board, they dabbled in word play and cut each other down every day at lunch, then went home to write American classics. Their legend lives on at the Algonquin, along with stellar service, celebrity-inspired cocktails, and an annual cat fashion show that gives Fashion Week a run for its money.

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🎶 Music:

Night in Venice by Kevin MacLeod via Chosic licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Fitzgerald and the Plaza. Oscar Wilde and the Savoy. Allen Ginsburg and the Chelsea. The literary world and hotels have always walked arm in arm, but the hotels featured in this episode have taken it a step further, asking you to completely immerse yourself in literature. And we are more than happy to oblige! Listen on if you've ever wanted to curl up inside a bookshelf (you can – in Japan!) or if the Dewey Decimal System is your love language.

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🎶 Music:

Bedtime After a Coffee by Barradeen via Chosic licensed under CC BY-SA.

As we rewatched Sex and the City for the bajillionth time (recently released on Netflix!), we couldn't help but wonder – is there a hotel that matches the personality of each of our beloved fabulous foursome? A few martinis and bad renditions of the theme song later, and just like that, we had a list of hotels that scream Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte (and Big, Aidan, Steve, and Stanford, too).

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🎶 Music:

George Street Shuffle by Kevin MacLeod from Chosic.com under a Creative Commons Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Society is saturated with superstition, so of course hotels are no different! We can't guarantee it, but these superstitions just might make you feel a little more comfortable on your travels – and keep the resident spirits at bay.

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🎶 Music:

Ghostwaltz By Rezonance (CZ) is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

We've covered some of the most expensive and luxurious hotels in the world, but what about the accommodations that get less-than-stellar reviews? From the annals of the internet, we bring you horror stories (alleged, of course) of filthy rooms, antagonistic staff, and wayward... monkeys?

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🎶 Music:

Merry Bay by Ghostrifter Official from Chosic licensed under CC-BY-SA-3.0

Love is in the air! Or is that sex? There's room for both at our collection of hotels for lovers ... and sinners. From a romantic trip to Charleston, SC, a la The Notebook to the Belle Epoque-inspired labyrinth of a former Paris brothel cum (ahem) hotel, we've got the foremost places to spend a little one-on-one time with your pleasure partner. 💋

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🎶 Music:

"Sensual Jazz" by Grand_Project via Pixabay.

"Dreamy Jazz" by JuliusH via Pixabay.

"Submission" by Beat Mekanik from the Free Music Archive licensed under CC BY.

"French Toast" by Beat Mekanik from the Free Music Archive licensed under CC BY.

"Sexy Lounge Music" by Saavane via Pixabay.

Since winter is in full swing, we knew it was time for the Stanley Hotel – everyone's favorite haunted hotel and inspiration for The Shining by Stephen King (and the movie by the same name, natch). But the hotel had a haunted reputation even before King made it famous and those twin movie ghosts made it infamous. Throw in their very own frozen dead guy a la the world's only cryonics museum, and you've got a veritable amusement park for ghost and horror enthusiasts.

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🎶 Music:

Come Out And Play Royalty Free Horror Remixed By Darren Curtis is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

As the veil between worlds thins, the ghosts come out to play. And the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, has so many, it's been named the most haunted hotel in America by a number of ghost hunters. From a hopeless romantic Victorian gentleman to the notorious "Doctor" Baker, you'll meet these ghosts and more in this aubergine castle in the Ozarks.

Read more about the hauntings at the Crescent Hotel here.*

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🎶 Music

"Evil Plan" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC-4.0.

*affiliate link

When Shamim Ehsani and his brother envisioned a brand new luxury hotel for Kenya's capital city of Nairobi, they knew exactly what they wanted: A creative outlet for chefs, designers, and other visionaries. A platform for the arts. A place of authenticity. And most importantly—a home for the human tribe. They built all those things and more at Tribe Hotel, a five-star boutique hotel that has woven itself into the fabric of this vibrant city.

Visit Tribe Hotel.

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🎶 Music

"Whimsy Groove" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC-4.0.

*affiliate link

We're dreaming of blue waters, sandy beaches, and beautiful people, which means we're off to the French Riviera (figuratively). With the Cannes Film Festival happening this week, we're bringing you two episodes about its most historic (and luxurious) hotels, the Carlton and the Martinez, along with the iconic casino and members club, Palm Beach Cannes. We interview JQ Louise from the JQ List about her many stays on the Côte d'Azur and her experiences there (pay no attention to the sounds of our piqued jealousy).

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🎶 Music

"Parisian" by Kevin MacLeod via Free Music Archive licensed under Creative Commons License.

"French Toast" by Beat Mekanik via Free Music Archive licensed under Creative Commons License.

"Duet Musette" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

The Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, is known for its Old World grandeur, its relaxed, Southern style, and its proximity to the most exciting two minutes in sports—it's just a couple miles away for Churchill Downs, the site each year of the Kentucky Derby. While its history isn't quite as old as the famed horse race that kicks off the Triple Crown, the Seelbach has still stacked up plenty of stories in its 120-year existence. (Spoiler alert: Drinks, jazz, gangsters, and heists to come.)

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🎶 Music

"River Valley Breakdown" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

We explore the very real history of the Hotel Metropol in Moscow through the lens of Amor Towles' bestselling novel, A Gentleman in Moscow. The fictional Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is a member of the aristocracy at a very inconvenient time—the Bolshevik Revolution. Saved by a twist of fate, instead of an execution, he faces house arrest at the Metropol for the rest of his days. Over the next few decades we see the Soviet dream rise and fall through the eyes of the Count and a cadre of comrades who all discover in their own ways just how much a person can adapt and endure in difficult times—but fate is not equally kind to all.

Pick up a copy of A Gentleman in Moscow and learn more about the real Hotel Metropol here.*

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🎶 Music

"June (Tchaikovsky)" by Vladimir Takinov is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

*affiliate link

We return to NYC for the iconic Empire Hotel. Perhaps best known these days as a recurring setting in the hit TV series Gossip Girl, it has more than 100 years of history on 63rd and Broadway. Its famous neon sign overlooks the popular rooftop bar and sweeping views of the city.

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🎶 Music

"Perspetive Shift" by Brigida from Uppbeat

The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., has seen some incredible history. We finish up their centennial series with JFK and Jackie O through Russiagate, and then learn what's next for this stately Grand Dame.. Thanks again to Katherine Orr of Historic Hotels of America for your insightful answers on the past and future of historic hotels.

Learn more about the Mayflower and its famous guests here.*

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🎶 Music

"Theme 6"

"Spy Glass" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC-4.0 license.

"Sexy Lounge Music" by Saavane via Pixabay.

*affiliate link

We continue celebrating the Mayflower Hotel's centennial with part 2 of her incredible history. This episode takes us on a mid 20th century roller coaster ride, including the New Deal, World War II, and the Truman and Eisenhower presidencies. We also continue our interview with Katherine Orr of Historic Hotels of America.

Learn more about the Mayflower and its famous guests here.*

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🎶 Music

"Swing Big Band Music For Apocalyptic Open World Game" by Nicholas Panek is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

*affiliate link

The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, is an icon, and she's turning 100 this month! Known as the Grande Dame of Washington, the Hotel of Presidents, and Washington's Second Best Address, we're digging into the history behind this storied landmark. We also interview Katherine Orr of Historic Hotels of America for her take on the significance and impact of the Mayflower and historic hotels like it.

Learn more about the Mayflower and its famous guests here.*

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The Grande Real Villa Italia Hotel and Spa in Cascais, Portugal, has been named Europe's most romantic destination of 2025. Sweeping seaside views, a Roman bath-inspired spa, and serene ocean- or garden-side suites will provide the romantic getaway you've been searching for. But behind all the amore is the story of the May King, the rise and fall of Italian fascism, and the end of the Italian monarchy.

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🎶 Music:

La Vita Bella by Albert Behar from Uppbeat (free for creators!)

License code: WJVO3IPT9LFLBUPK

Travelers looking for hotels that speak to the heart of a destination should immediately check out Hotels Above Par, a curated guide to the coolest boutique hotels and travel experiences. What began as a fun social media project during the COVID-19 Pandemic by founder Brandon Berkson has become a full-fledged media company covering the best of boutique hotels, restaurants, and destinations around the world.

👩‍💻 Visit Hotels Above Par.

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🎶 Music:

"Afternoon Nap" by Ghostrifter is licensed under CC BY-ND 3.0.

Free Download: hypeddit.com/track/r2ukk2

We sat down with Michelle Heston to talk about a Berkeley, CA, gem—the Claremont Hotel. Any hotel that starts out as a castle built on the American Dream is a guaranteed Hotel History destination!

Read more about the hotel here.*

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🎶 Music:

"Bedtime After a Coffee" by Barradeen via Chosic licensed under CC BY-SA.

Hollywood thinks it knows drama? It could take a page from the Beverly Hilton's book. From star-studded events to political scandals to celebrity tragedies, few hotels have packed quite so many sordid happenings into seven decades of history.

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🎶 Music

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

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Picture it: Sicily, 1922 BCE. You're traveling on an errand for your local city-state. Where will you find lodging for the night? Or will you have to camp and fall prey to bandits on the road? We explore ancient hospitality covering Ancient Greece, Persia, and the Roman Empire, including a notorious inn that had no room for a Jewish family traveling to Bethlehem.

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🎶 Music:

The Hellespont by Omri Lahav (0.A.D. Soundtrack) under a Creative Commons License.

Desert City by Kevin MacLeod under a Creative Commons License.

Mystery Bazaar by Kevin MacLeod under a Creative Commons License.

Exotic Plains by Darren Curtis is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Hotels and their predecessors have been around for thousands of years. So what were they like back in the medieval period? Were they full of knights, adventurers, drunkards, bandits, and a wench or two? Turns out, just like today, you had a choice of accommodations based on the coin in your pocket, so where would you have stayed?

To learn more about the history of women in the alcohol industry, including ale houses, grab a copy of Girly Drinks by Mallory O'Meara here.*

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🎶 Music:

Medieval Minstrel Music - English Bard by Theme Cloud is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

The Britons by Kevin MacLeod

Ale and Anecdotes by Darren Curtis is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

We needed a hotel that was somehow cozy but also grand and preferably built in miniature, so we turned to the king of aesthetics and whimsy, Wes Anderson. His Grand Budapest Hotel delivers on multiple levels for hotel lovers (and great movie lovers). We explore the inspiration, architecture, and fictional history behind the made-up but eerily familiar world of Zubrowka and its famed resort in the mountains, the Grand Budapest Hotel.

Need more Wes Anderson? Grab a copy of The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel here.*

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🎶 Music:

Russian Folk - Troika (balalaika) by Luna Bujalesky is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

It's election season in America, but instead of watching cable news around the clock, we're distracting ourselves with an episode about hotels where major events in American history have taken place. We have the scandal that made Watergate a household name, a hotel where Martin Luther King Jr. left his mark on the eve of the March on Washington, and the "safest hotel in DC" where an attempt was made on Ronald Reagan's life.

Read more about some of the events described in this episode here.*

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🎶 Music:

Thief in the Night by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Dreamer by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

True Patriot by MaxKoMusic is licensed under a Creative Commons License

The Suicide. Hotel Death. Where Dreams Go To Die. LA's Most Haunted Hotel. These are a few of the nicknames given to the infamous Cecil Hotel. In our second book club episode, we discuss Amy Price's book Behind the Door: The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil Hotel and dive into the many mysteries and tragedies the Cecil has seen over the years.

Pick up a copy of Behind the Door here.*

📖 Join our book club here.

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🎶 Music:

"Myst on the Moor" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0.

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Before the first leaf even hits the ground, you can hear thousands of people shouting, "Sweatah weathah!" in their best (or worst) New York accents. Yes, the autumnal equinox has finally passed, and we are able to share some top tier choices for hotels near glorious fall foliage, including the oldest resort in the country and a few paying homage to their Victorian roots.

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

🎶 Music:

"Samba Isobel" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) licensed under a CC-4.0 licnse.

Not too long ago, jets from TWA airline ruled the skies, and its terminal at JFK was a marvel of futuristic design. Its name conjured images of fashionabLe flight attendants, first class service, and eccentric billionaire owner Howard Hughes. Today the airline is no more, but its terminal lives on as the TWA Hotel, where you can travel back in time for a night or just a layover.

You can learn more about the Jet Age here.*

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🎶 Music

"Shades of Spring" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC-4.0.

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For our latest bookclub episode, we discuss Ann Hood's memoir of her time as a TWA flight attendant at the end of the "glamorous" Jet Age in Fly Girl. To stay up to date on our current read, join our book club here. 📖

Pick up Fly Girl here.*

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🎶 Music

"Pickled Pink" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC-0.

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If you're going to call yourself the longest continuously operating hotel in America, you'd better have some juicy history to back it up. Luckily, the Omni Parker House delivers. Predating the Civil War by 10 years, the Parker House has hosted celebrities, politicians, revolutionaries, assassins, and at least one ghost. Not to be outdone, its restaurant is responsible for culinary delights like the Boston cream pie. The Omni Parker House has carved out a place as a true American icon.

Find works by famous Parker House guests here.*

🇺🇸 Listen to the entirety of JFK's speech about the Four Freedoms here.

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Bashar Wali wants to be your hotel guy, and you really couldn't find someone who knows hospitality as intimately. With 30 years of experience as a hotelier and hundreds of hotel stays notched on his bedpost, he knows a thing or two about happy customers. For Wali, everything in hospitality comes down to one thing—human connection.

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🎶 Music

"Afternoon Nap" by Ghostrifter licensed under CC BY-ND 3.0.

Free Download: hypeddit.com/track/r2ukk2

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