Built to Last

"Built to Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels East of the Mississippi" is a sequel to my 2011 book, Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York. It has 86 chapters, one for each century-old hotel (of 50 rooms or more) east of the Mississippi River and each is illustrated by an antique postcard. The Foreword was written by Joseph McInerney, CHA, President of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. The book has been accepted for promotion, distribution and sale by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. My research into the histories of these hotels turned up fascinating stories about single-minded developers, brilliant and accidental architects, dedicated owners, famous and infamous guests and even the story of an underground bunker-shelter the size of two football fields built under a hotel to house the U.S. Government in the event of a nuclear war.

Stanley Turkel is a recognized authority and consultant in the hotel industry. He operates his hotel, hospitality and consulting practice specializing in litigation support assignments, asset management and hotel franchising agreements. Prior to forming his hotel consulting firm, Turkel was the Product Line Manager for Hotel/Motel Operations at the International Telephone & Telegraph Co. overseeing the Sheraton Corporation of America. Before joining IT&T, he was the General Manager of the Summit Hotel (762 Rooms) General Manager of the Drake Hotel (680 Rooms) and Resident Manager of the Americana Hotel (1842 Rooms) all in New York City. Turkel is an Emeritus member of Friends of the Tisch Center and lectures at the NYU Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management. He is a member of the prestigious International Society of Hospitality Consultants and is certified as a Master Hotel Supplier by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. He served for eleven years as Chairman of the Board of the Trustees of the City Club of New York. Stanley Turkel is one of the most widely-published hotel consultants in the United States. His 250 plus articles on various hotel subjects have been published in all the major trade press outlets and posted on the Hotel-Online, HotelNewsResource, eTurboNews and BlueMauMau websites. His 2009 book "Great American Hoteliers: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry" was promoted, distributed and sold by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. His 2011 book, "Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York" was called "passionate and informative" by the New York Times. Stanley Turkel brings many talents and accomplishments to his clients including his broad-based experience, his informed knowledge, his legendary perseverance and research capability and his sterling reputation.