"In the Shadow of the Sun," the fast-moving and humorous memoir of author Peter Venison, takes us back and forth across the Atlantic, from Europe to Africa, in fascinating detail:

"At about the time of my graduation a new hotel was opening in London's Knightsbridge. It was to be called the Carlton Tower and to be operated by Hotel Corporation of America, the first new hotel to be built in London after the war and the first belonging to an American operator. Completely against the advice of my college professors, I applied for, and was offered, a position as a front desk clerk. 'How can you...

Twenty-two years ago, author Peter Venison's Hotel Management became a best seller in the hotel and tourism industry, labeled a 'must read" on the curriculum of every hotel school, and landed on the bookshelf of every hotel manager. Despite many requests for a follow-up volume, Venison declined, on the basis that he had nothing new to say. Now he does.

Holed up for several weeks in five star hotels while concluding a complicated business deal, Venison realized that the standards offered by the industry still fall short of perfection. As a result, he has put pen to paper to...

"In the Shadow of the Sun," the fast-moving and humorous memoir of author Peter Venison, takes us back and forth across the Atlantic, from Europe to Africa, in fascinating detail:

"At about the time of my graduation a new hotel was opening in London's Knightsbridge. It was to be called the Carlton Tower and to be operated by Hotel Corporation of America, the first new hotel to be built in London after the war and the first belonging to an American operator. Completely against the advice of my college professors, I applied for, and was offered, a position as a front desk clerk. 'How can you...