Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 196, Hotel History: The Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO

by Stanley Turkel, CMHS

Hotel History: The Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, Colorado (1918)
For over a century, dreamers, farmers, investors, and even a Prussian Count have held a vision of the magnificence in store for the Colorado Springs area. It took the foresight, dedication and incredible vision of one man, Spencer Penrose, to bring the dream to reality… and to make it wonderful enough to last 100 years.

Even before it was the Broadmoor Dairy Farm, the land at the base of Cheyenne Mountain was a ranch where corn was grown for making brooms. Willie Wilcox, who came to the area seeking his fortune and hoping to find a cure for his tuberculosis, bought the land in 1880 and established a small dairy. Unfortunately, Wilcox’s inexperience with animals soon became evident, and he realized that without significant investments the project would not be a success, so he began negotiations to sell the land.

Prussian Count James Pourtales had also come west to seek romance and fortune, and in 1885 he brought his knowledge of German scientific farming to Colorado Springs, and began a partnership with Wilcox to bring the dairy back to life. Although the dairy was still doing well by 1888, Pourtales realized it would not turn a large enough profit or return on his investment to be of aid to his estates in Prussia. He decided the only way to make a decent profit would be to create an upper-class suburb of Colorado Springs with numerous amenities to increase the value of the home sites. So in 1890, Count Pourtales formed the Broadmoor Land and Investment Company and purchased the original 2,400-acre tract.

To entice people to buy lots, Pourtales built The Broadmoor Casino, which opened July 1, 1891. A small hotel was constructed a few years later. Continually beset by financial problems, Pourtales was unable to move forward with development of the site, and the property was forced into receivership. In 1897, the casino and its small neighboring hotel was eventually converted into a boarding house and day school for girls.

On May 9, 1916, Spencer Penrose, a Philadelphia entrepreneur who had made his fortune in gold and copper mining, purchased The Broadmoor Casino and Hotel 40-acre site, and an adjoining 400 acres. Penrose devised a new project to turn the Pikes Peak region into the most interesting, multi-faceted resort area that could be conceived and he had the money to do it.

Using the famous New York architectural and design firm Warren and Wetmore, Penrose began construction of the main complex on May 20, 1917. With the objective of creating the most beautiful resort in the world, Spencer Penrose imported artisans from Italy and other European countries to create the ornate moldings and paintings which adorn the interior and exterior of the hotel. Italian Renaissance in style, the original Broadmoor resort was designed with four wings which were completed in June 1918. An 18-hole golf course was designed by the master golf-course architect, Donald Ross.

The resort officially opened on June 29, 1918, newly christened as The Broadmoor with architectural and design features including a spectacular curved marble staircase, dramatic chandeliers, Della Robbia-style tile, hand-painted beams and ceilings, a carved marble fountain, and a striking pink stucco façade.

The genius of Spencer Penrose was not limited to the construction and operation of a world-class resort. He was brilliant in the promotion and marketing of the resort, and the surrounding areas. Penrose correctly assessed the tourist value of Pikes Peak for the growth of The Broadmoor. He built the Pikes Peak Road leading to the summit as an alternative to the Cog Railway and established the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which is still considered one of the finest privately-owned zoos in the United States. In 1925, Penrose purchased and modernized the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, which became one of his most enduring legacies.

When The Broadmoor opened in 1918, Penrose charged each and every employee with providing a level of service and overall experience as yet unattainable in the United States. He contracted Italian Executive Chef Louis Stratta and charged him with bringing his inventive and international ideas to America’s west. In the resort’s 100-year history, The Broadmoor has had only six General Managers and four Executive Chefs, a true distinction in the hospitality industry, and a testament to the “quality of life” at the resort.

The Broadmoor’s surge in fame led to an expansion of the resort’s facilities, all created to achieve The Broadmoor’s “grand plan” of top-rated service and uncompromising excellence. Addressing the popularity of golf as an American pastime, The Broadmoor hired famed golf-course architect Robert Trent Jones to design a second golf course; Jones’ nine-hole course was expanded to 18 holes in 1965. A third golf course, designed by Ed Seay and Arnold Palmer was added in 1976.

In 1961, The Broadmoor constructed the International Center, a dedicated meeting space, followed by a new building housing additional guest rooms, and The Penrose Room, a fine-dining restaurant. In 1976, the West Complex was completed, adding another 154 guestrooms and a variety of meeting facilities. Colorado Hall, a second conference facility was constructed in 1982 and the 12,000 square-foot Rocky Mountain Ballroom opened in 1994. In 1995, an additional 150 guestrooms with either lake or mountain views, were added.

Also in 1995, the hotel opened the new Broadmoor Spa, Golf and Tennis Club, that featured a full-service, world-class “amenity spa”. This state-of-the-art fitness center included an exercise room, aerobics studio, indoor swimming pool and outdoor heated lap pool and Jacuzzi, a golf clubhouse, three restaurants and lounges and both golf and tennis pro shops.

The summer of 2001 saw the completion of an 11,000 square foot infinity edge swimming pool that was added to the north end of Cheyenne Lake, along with Slide Mountain waterslides, a children’s pool, two 14-person whirlpools, 13 cabanas and a new pool café.  In October 2001, the venerable Broadmoor Main Building closed for the first time in the history of the resort to undergo a major renovation. Each of the original 142 rooms, the lobby, lounges, restaurants, retail outlets and public spaces were redone. The renovation of guestrooms included high-speed Internet access, multiple phone lines, PC data ports and enhancements like large five-fixture bath facilities with soaking tubs, separate showers and plumbing, new sprinkler systems, and other high-tech features.

In May 2002, The Broadmoor unveiled the completion of a $75 million renovation project. The project began with the addition of the Lakeside Suites building, with 21 spacious rooms, most with fireplaces and either patios or balconies.

In October of 2005, The Broadmoor added 60,000 square feet of additional meeting space with the completion of Broadmoor Hall. Located next to the International Center and Colorado Hall, Broadmoor Hall brings the total available conference and meeting space on the property up to 185,000 square feet. The Carriage Museum was relocated from the south side of the property and expanded to 8,000 square feet. The museum features historic memorabilia, vintage automobiles and carriages from the Penrose private collection. South Tower has been renovated to include all new guest rooms with luxurious five-fixture baths, fireplaces, balconies and flat screen TV’s in living area and bathrooms and the latest in technological upgrades. In July of 2006, the Mountain Course opened with 18-holes, designed by Nicklaus Design, bringing The Broadmoor up to 54 holes of championship golf courses.

Since its opening, this grand resort has been the destination of presidents, statesmen, foreign dignitaries and celebrities. United States Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Reagan and George H.W. and George W. Bush. Dignitaries include King Hussein of Jordan, Princess Anne, Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu of Japan, the King of Siam, Margaret Thatcher, and the NATO Ministerial Alliance. The hotel has also attracted many entertainment and sports celebrities throughout its long history including John Wayne, Maurice Chevalier, Bing Crosby, Walt Disney, Charles Lindbergh, Clark Gable, Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Benny, Jackie Gleason, Sir Elton John, Ted Turner, Jane Fonda, Terry Bradshaw, Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming, Michelle Kwan, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Sugar Ray Leonard, Stephen Tyler and Aerosmith.

The Broadmoor is the longest-running consecutive winner of both the AAA Five-Diamond and the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star awards. The Broadmoor has received the Five Star rating for a record 56 consecutive years and the Five Diamond rating for 40 years. “The Grande Dame of the Rockies” is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

My Newest Book

“Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels West of the Mississippi” is available in hardback, paperback and ebook format.

Ian Schrager writes in the Foreword:

“This particular book completes the trilogy of 182 hotel histories of classic properties of 50 rooms or more… I sincerely feel that every hotel school should own sets of these books and make them required reading for their students and employees.”

This trilogy consists of the following three books:

  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York
  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels East of the Mississippi
  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels West of the Mississippi

All of these books can be ordered from AuthorHouse by visiting www.stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the book’s title.

My Published Books

My Service as an Expert Witness:

For the past twenty-four years, I have served as an expert witness in more than 40 hotel-related cases.

My extensive hotel operating experience is beneficial in cases involving:

  • hurricane damage and/or business interruption cases
  • slip and fall accidents
  • wrongful deaths
  • fire and carbon monoxide injuries
  • franchisee/franchisor disputes
  • management contract disputes
  • hotel security issues
  • dram shop requirements

Don’t hesitate to call me on 917-628-8549 to discuss any hotel-related litigation support assignments.

About Stanley Turkel

Stanley Turkel was designated as the 2014 and the 2015` Historian of the Year by Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This award is presented to an individual for making a unique contribution in the research and presentation of hotel history and whose work has encouraged a wide discussion and a greater understanding and enthusiasm for American History.

Turkel is a well-known consultant in the hotel industry. He operates his hotel consulting practice serving as an expert witness in hotel-related cases, providing asset management and hotel franchising consultation. He is certified as a Master Hotel Supplier Emeritus by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

All of his books can be ordered from the publisher (AuthorHouse) by visiting www.stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the book title.

Contact: Stanley Turkel

stanturkel@aol.com / 917-628-8549

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 195, Hotel History: The Elephantine Colossus Hotel

By Stanley Turkel, CMHS

When Coney Island went from a sandbar resort in Brooklyn to the city’s biggest beachfront playground in the 1880s, all sorts of attractions popped up. There were beer halls, roller coasters, so called “freak shows” and a one-of-a-kind gaudy structure known as the Elephantine Colossus. It was constructed in 1884 by James V. Lafferty (1856-1898) who thought that the next great architectural step was to design buildings in the shape of animals, birds and even fish. During the twelve years before it burned down, the jumbo-size hotel in Brooklyn was known as the Colossus of Architecture and the Elephantine Colossus. A 1924 Brooklyn Eagle article gave the dimensions as 175 feet tall and 203 feet long.

According to “Brooklyn… and How It Got That Way” by David W. McCullough (1983), the building had 31 guestrooms and was made of wood with tin sheathing. It had long curving tusks and an oversize howdah.

David McCullough wrote,

“To get to the observatory in the howdah, customers entered the hind leg marked Entrance and wound up a circular flight of stairs. The other rear leg- each was 60 feet around- was the exit, and one of the front legs was a tobacco shop. At night, beacons shone out of the four-foot-tall eyes.”

Ten years earlier, the 25-year-old Lafferty constructed the Inexhaustible Cow at West Brighton. This popular stand provided drinks, from milk to champagne for parched Coney visitor throats. Lafferty had tested his elephant idea a few years near Atlantic City with a smaller structure which he called Lucy the Elephant. Lafferty was backed by his family’s wealth and driven by a vision for a new kind of real estate promotion that would lure prospects to the desolate stretch of sand dunes where he hoped to sell plots for vacation cottages.

Atlantic City at that time was fast growing into a Victorian vacation metropolis centered around the Absecon Lighthouse, the landmark that was then the symbol of the seaside resort. Lafferty wanted to establish a similarly impressive landmark and sense of place for his own new development in “South Atlantic City.” To gain the attention of the public and press, he chose what was then a startling concept: a building shaped like a gigantic animal. To fully appreciate Lafferty’s feat, it’s important to understand that in the 1880s, the idea of erecting a structure shaped like an animal was unheard of even as the new engineering techniques and technologies of a quickening industrial age made such complicated architectural projects theoretically possible.

In 1881, Lafferty retained an architect to design a building in the shape of an elephant from the exotic land of the British Raj celebrated in the period’s illustrated adventure magazines. Simultaneously retaining a patent attorney, Lafferty also sought to prevent anyone else in the United States from constructing animal-shaped buildings unless they paid him royalties. The U.S. Patent Office examiners found Lafferty’s to be a novel, new and technologically significant concept. In 1882, they granted him a patent giving him the exclusive right to make, use or sell animal-shaped buildings for seventeen years.

More sculpture than carpentry, the construction of Lucy involved hand-shaping nearly a million pieces of wood to create the required load supports for a 90-ton structure with an outsheath of hammered tin. The amazing elephant building, which did generate the national publicity Lafferty hoped for, was the first of three he constructed. The largest—a gargantuan, twelve-story structure twice as large as Lucy—called the “Elephantine Colossus” was erected in the center of the Coney Island, New York, amusement park. The third Lafferty elephant, slightly smaller than Lucy, was “the Light of Asia,” erected as the centerpiece of another Lafferty land sale program in South Cape May. The Colossus later burned down, the victim of a fire on September 27, 1896 and the Light of Asia was torn down, leaving Lucy the only survivor.

By the late 1880s, although the elephant buildings were drawing crowds of awed spectators, Lafferty’s over-extended real estate ventures were losing money. Lucy and his surrounding Absecon Island holdings were sold to John and Sophie Gertzer, who operated the elephant building alternately as a tourist attraction, miniature hotel, private beach cottage, brothel and tavern. Meanwhile, “South Atlantic City” developed into a thriving shore community that later changed its name to Margate. In 1920, Lucy the Elephant tavern was forced to close by the passage of Prohibition. When that law was repealed in 1933, she immediately became a bar again. In the 1950s, as a new America emerged from World War II to build webs of superhighways and adopt airplanes as a cheap new way of travel to exotic vacation destinations, Lucy faded from the public’s attention and fell into disrepair. By the 1960s, she was a dilapidated public safety hazard slated to be torn down.

In 1969, just ahead of the wrecker’s ball, the “Save Lucy Committee” formed by the Margate Civic Association began two decades of public struggles that moved Lucy to beachfront land owned by the city and restored the peculiar structure as a historic site and tourist attraction. Since 1973, enough money has been collected in dedicated “Save Lucy” campaigns to restore the structural integrity and exterior of the 90-ton wood-and-tin pachyderm. But the fundraising battle continues today as the group works to raise additional money required to underwrite the never-ending costs of maintenance and fighting rust, rot and even lightning strikes on the great wooden beast.

My Newest Book
“Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels West of the Mississippi” is available in hardback, paperback and ebook format.

Ian Schrager writes in the Foreword:

“This particular book completes the trilogy of 182 hotel histories of classic properties of 50 rooms or more… I sincerely feel that every hotel school should own sets of these books and make them required reading for their students and employees.”

This trilogy consists of the following three books:

  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York
  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels East of the Mississippi
  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels West of the Mississippi

All of these books can be ordered from AuthorHouse by visiting www.stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the book’s title.

My Published Books

My Service as an Expert Witness:

For the past twenty-four years, I have served as an expert witness in more than 40 hotel-related cases.

My extensive hotel operating experience is beneficial in cases involving:

  • hurricane damage and/or business interruption cases
  • slip and fall accidents
  • wrongful deaths
  • fire and carbon monoxide injuries
  • franchisee/franchisor disputes
  • management contract disputes
  • hotel security issues
  • dram shop requirements

Don’t hesitate to call me on 917-628-8549 to discuss any hotel-related litigation support assignments.

About Stanley Turkel

Stanley Turkel was designated as the 2014 and the 2015` Historian of the Year by Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This award is presented to an individual for making a unique contribution in the research and presentation of hotel history and whose work has encouraged a wide discussion and a greater understanding and enthusiasm for American History.

Turkel is a well-known consultant in the hotel industry. He operates his hotel consulting practice serving as an expert witness in hotel-related cases, providing asset management and hotel franchising consultation. He is certified as a Master Hotel Supplier Emeritus by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

All of his books can be ordered from the publisher (AuthorHouse) by visiting www.stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the book title.

Contact: Stanley Turkel

stanturkel@aol.com / 917-628-8549

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 194: John McEntee Bowman Part II

Hotel History: John McEntee Bowman Part 2
During his lifetime career as a hotel developer and operator, John Bowman was a horse lover and a thoroughbred racing enthusiast. He was president of the United Hunts Racing Association and the National Horse Show. For a time, he served as the president of the Havana-American Jockey Club that operated the Oriental Park Racetrack in Marianas, Cuba.

In addition to the six Biltmore Hotels which I described in Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 193, here are the descriptions of ten more Biltmore hotels.

  • Flintridge Biltmore Hotel- located in La Canada Flintridge atop the San Rafael Hills in California. Site of the present day Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy campus with some of the historic buildings still in use. Designed by architect Myron Hunt in 1926, in the Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style. Myron Hubbard Hunt (1868-1952) was an American architect whose projects included many landmarks in Southern California. In 1927, Hunt designed a hotel for Senator Frank P. Flint which was quickly sold to the Biltmore chain of hotels. Due to the Great Depression, the Flintridge Biltmore Hotel was sold in 1931 to the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, who founded the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, an all-girls’ day and boarding high school.
  • Griswold Hotel- in New London, Connecticut near Groton. It was built by Morton F. Plant, the wealthy philanthropist who was the son of the railroad, steamship and hotel tycoon Henry Bradley Plant. Two years after building his Branford estate, Plant purchased the dilapidated Fort Griswold House on the eastern point of the Thames River and erected a dazzling two-story luxury hotel. With a total of 400 rooms, the Griswold Hotel was 240 rooms larger than the Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island making it the largest luxury resort hotel in the Northeast. As described in a 1914 Griswold Hotel brochure, the freshest of foods was grown by Plant’s Bradford Farms. The guestrooms, detailed in mahogany, were lit with electricity and provided long-distance telephone service. Dancing was offered nightly and no expense was spared on service, food or décor.

    In 1919, the Griswold was acquired by Bowman’s Biltmore Hotel company. After the 1929 stock market crash, the Griswold fell on hard times until it was purchased by Milton O. Slosberg in 1956. He added a 3,600 ft. salt water pool and invested a million dollars in upgrades. But in 1962, a botched resale resulted in acquisition by the Pfizer Company which eventually tore the Griswold down. Today, the land belongs to the Shennecossett Golf Course.

  • The Belleview-Biltmore Hotel- Belleair, Florida first opened in 1897 as the Belleview Hotel. It was built by Henry Bradley Plant to designs by architects Michael J. Miller and Francis J. Kennard of Tampa. It contained 145 rooms, Georgia pine construction, swiss-style design, a golf course and race track. The Belleview became a retreat for the wealthy whose private railroad cars were often parked at the railroad siding south of the hotel. The Belleview, named the “White Queen of the Gulf”, was the largest wood-frame building in Florida. In 1920, it was purchased by John McEntee Bowman and named the Belleview-Biltmore Hotel. It was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1979, closed in 2009 and demolished in 2015 despite heroic efforts by preservation groups to save it. In its heyday, the Belleview Biltmore attracted presidents George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, the Duke of Windsor, the Vanderbilts, the Pew family, the DuPonts, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Lady Margaret Thatcher, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and entertainers Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan and Carol Channing.
  • The Miami-Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, Florida-was opened in 1926 by John Bowman and George Merrick. In order to create a one-of-a-kind resort hotel, Bowman selected the architectural firm of Schultze and Weaver once again. As Bowman wrote in a 1923 issue of Architectural Forum,

    “Any well constructed building that will provide adequate shelter and good management bears the responsibility of food and services but for atmosphere-that’s intangible to the well-being and satisfaction of the hotel guest – we must book primarily to the architect.”

    Schultze and Weaver had Miami experience as the designers of the Miami Daily News Tower (1925), Miami Beach’s Nautilus Hotel (for Carl Fisher) and the Roney Plaza Hotel (for E.B.T. Roney). The Miami-Biltmore Hotel opened with a magnificent gala ceremony that was the social event of the year. An overflow crowd of 1,500 guests attended the opening dinner-dance on January 15, 1926. The Biltmore was one of the most fashionable resorts in the United States. The $10 million project included a golf course, polo fields, tennis courts and an enormous 150 by 225 foot swimming pool. The 18-hole golf course was designed by the famous golf course architect Donald Ross. One of The Biltmore’s big bands was led by the famous Paul Whiteman.

    The Miami-Biltmore Hotel was one of the most fashionable resorts in the entire country through the late 1920s and early 1930s. Up to 3,000 spectators turned out on Sundays to watch synchronized swimmers, bathing beauties, alligator wrestlers and the four year-old boy wonder, Jackie Ott, whose act included diving into the immense pool from an 85-foot high platform. Before his Hollywood career as Tarzan, Johnny Weismuller was a Biltmore swimming instructor who later broke world records at the Biltmore pool.

    The Biltmore served as a hospital during World War II and as a Veterans Administration Hospital and campus of the University of Miami Medical school until 1968. It was restored and opened as a hotel in 1987, owned and managed by the Seaway Hotels Corporation. On June 19, 1996 the National Register of Historic Places designated the Biltmore a National Historic Landmark, an elite award earned by only 3 percent of all historic structures.

  • The Belmont Hotel, New York, N.Y.– across 42nd Street from Grand Central Terminal was the tallest in the world when built in 1908. It was demolished in 1939.
  • The Murray Hill Hotel, New York, N.Y.–  on Park Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets. It was demolished in 1947.
  • The Roosevelt Hotel, New York, N.Y.– was connected to Grand Central Terminal. It opened as a United Hotel and merged with the Bowman- Biltmore Group in 1929. It was purchased by Conrad Hilton in 1948 and later by the N.Y. Central Railroad until 1980. Today it is owned by Pakistan Airlines and operated by Interstate Hotels and Resorts.
  • The Ansonia Hotel, New York, N.Y.– was built as a luxury apartment hotel on the upper west side of Manhattan in 1904. When it opened, The Ansonia was “the monster of all residential hotel buildings”, according to the New York World. The Bowman-Biltmore Group owned and operated the Ansonia from 1915 to 1925. During the first several years of Bowman’s operation, Edward M. Tierney of the Hotel Arlington, Binghamton, N.Y. was managing director of the Ansonia. Later, George W. Sweeney, managing director of the Hotel Commodore was also appointed as manager of the Ansonia.
  • The Providence Biltmore Hotel, Providence, Rhode Island– was opened in 1922. It was designed by the architects Warren and Wetmore and operated by the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels chain until 1947 when it was bought by Sheraton Hotels. In 1975, the Biltmore closed and remained vacant for four years. After reopening in 1979, the hotel had a series of owners including Dunfey, Aer Lingus, the Providence Journal, Finard Coventry Hotel Management and AJ Capital Partners. It is now named the Graduate Providence Hotel, has 292 guestrooms and the largest Starbucks in New England.
  • The Dayton Biltmore Hotel, Dayton, Ohio– was built in 1929 in the Beaux-Arts style by architect Frederick Hughes. It was considered one of the finest hotels in America and was managed by Bowman-Biltmore Hotels until 1946. Subsequently, it was operated by Hilton Hotels, Sheraton and, in 1974, became the Biltmore Towers Hotel. In 1981, the Kuhlmann Design Group redeveloped the property into elderly housing. On February 3, 1982, the Dayton Biltmore was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
  • The Havana Biltmore & Country Club, Havana, Cuba– opened in 1928 and was managed by the Bowman Biltmore Company

My Newest Book

“Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels West of the Mississippi” is available in hardback, paperback and ebook format.

Ian Schrager writes in the Foreword:

“This particular book completes the trilogy of 182 hotel histories of classic properties of 50 rooms or more… I sincerely feel that every hotel school should own sets of these books and make them required reading for their students and employees.”

This trilogy consists of the following three books:

  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York
  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels East of the Mississippi
  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels West of the Mississippi

All of these books can be ordered from AuthorHouse by visiting www.stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the book’s title.

My Published Books

My Service as an Expert Witness:

For the past twenty-four years, I have served as an expert witness in more than 40 hotel-related cases.

My extensive hotel operating experience is beneficial in cases involving:

  • hurricane damage and/or business interruption cases
  • slip and fall accidents
  • wrongful deaths
  • fire and carbon monoxide injuries
  • franchisee/franchisor disputes
  • management contract disputes
  • hotel security issues
  • dram shop requirements

Don’t hesitate to call me on 917-628-8549 to discuss any hotel-related litigation support assignments.

About Stanley Turkel

Stanley Turkel was designated as the 2014 and the 2015` Historian of the Year by Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This award is presented to an individual for making a unique contribution in the research and presentation of hotel history and whose work has encouraged a wide discussion and a greater understanding and enthusiasm for American History.

Turkel is a well-known consultant in the hotel industry. He operates his hotel consulting practice serving as an expert witness in hotel-related cases, providing asset management and hotel franchising consultation. He is certified as a Master Hotel Supplier Emeritus by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

All of his books can be ordered from the publisher (AuthorHouse) by visiting www.stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the book title.

Contact: Stanley Turkel

stanturkel@aol.com / 917-628-8549