Hotel Splendide
Hotel Splendide by Ludwig Bemelmans, published by Steerforth Press on November 29, 2022, is a captivating memoir that offers a glimpse into the vibrant world of a luxury New York hotel during the 1920s. This edition, consisting of 144 pages, presents a collection of spirited stories that reveal the chaos and charm behind the polished exterior of the Hotel Splendide, a thinly veiled representation of the Ritz. Bemelmans, known for his work on the Madeline books, shares his experiences as a waiter, blending humor with keen observations of hotel life and its intriguing characters.
Readers will find a richly detailed narrative that explores the hierarchy and eccentricities of hotel staff, from the authoritative maître d’hôtel to the endearing busboy. With a mix of affection and sharp wit, Bemelmans paints a vivid picture of a bygone era filled with extravagance and colorful personalities. Illustrated with his own charming line drawings, this memoir not only entertains but also provides insights into the culinary and social dynamics of the time, making it a unique addition to the genres of biography, personal memoirs, and essays.
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“Truly a great book—unique, invaluable and unapproachable as the gold standard of the genre… Bemelmans got there first, more frequently, and better.” —Anthony Bourdain
Acerbic, colorful, and spirited stories from a bygone era: behind the scenes in a grand NY hotel, from the author of the Madeline books
Picture David Sedaris writing Kitchen Confidential about the Ritz in New York in the 1920s, which had the style and charm of The Grand Budapest Hotel…
In this charming and uproariously funny hotel memoir, Ludwig Bemelmans uncovers the fabulous world of the Hotel Splendide—the thinly disguised stand-in for the Ritz—a luxury New York hotel where he worked as a waiter in the 1920s. With equal parts affection and barbed wit, he uncovers the everyday chaos that reigns behind the smooth facades of the gilded dining room and banquet halls.
In hilarious detail, Bemelmans sketches the hierarchy of hotel life and its strange and fascinating inhabitants: from the ruthlessly authoritarian maître d’hôtel Monsieur Victor to the kindly waiter Mespoulets to Frizl the homesick busboy. Illustrated with his own charming line drawings, Bemelmans’ tales of a bygone era of extravagance are as charming as they are riotously entertaining.
“[Bemelmans] was the original bad boy of the NY hotel/restaurant subculture, a waiter, busboy, and restaurateur who “told all” in a series of funny and true (or very near true) autobiographical accounts of backstairs folly, excess, borderline criminality, and madness in the grande Hotel Splendide… If you like stories about old New York as I do, this classic will have you laughing out loud.” –Anthony Bourdain
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