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Andreas Augustin
By: Andreas Augustin
The history of hotels has become a commodity.
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Guided hotel tours, a 'History' button on the website, a book about the glorious past, all bear witness to this development. When I started, history was in the hand of managers making up stories to sell more rooms. Anecdotes and myths were presented as facts, passed on by generations of aged concierges and legendary head waiters. It was time to establish an international database of the history of our great hospitality industry: The Most Famous Hotels in the World.
In 1986 we became gatekeepers to the secrets of the past (very often the key to a successful future). Our series THE MOST FAMOUS HOTELS IN THE WORLD has become the benchmark of books that start many journeys down memory lane.
That sounds like a lot of fun; and it is. But its serious work. Our researchers spend most of their time in dusty archives and less glamorous places rather than in the Presidential Suite. Our job starts at the roots. For example, after we found the original architectural drawings of Raffles Hotel, in hidden archives in Singapore in 1987, the hotel was made a National Monument. The hotel's renovation became a global subject. Otherwise, it might very well be a shopping centre today. Today they sell these original drawings as posters. Nice touch!
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THE AUTHORAndreas Augustin is President of The Most Famous Hotels in the World, founded to identify notable historic and contemporary hotels with an impact on the history of society and their vicinity. The criteria are simple. over 50 years old (or soon to be) over 50 rooms over 50% of the year open.
Andreas Augustin
President, The Most Famous Hotels in the World
www.famoushotels.org
Editorial Partner of WOWtraveler.net
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