Synopses & Reviews
The hotel was old, run-down. But to Swiss-born Hugues Martin, a young, ambitious hotelier trained in the most illustrious European traditions, it is a rough diamond, tucked away on a quiet, perfectly situated Manhattan street. After begging and borrowing every penny he can scrape together, Hugues purchases the building ? and transforms it into one of the world's finest luxury hotels.Under Hugues's tireless, exacting supervision, the Hotel Vend?me is soon renowned for its elegance, its efficiency, its unparalleled service and discretion ? the ideal New York refuge for the rich and famous, as well as a perfect home for Hugues's beautiful young wife and their daughter. But when his wife runs off with a notorious rock star, Hugues is suddenly a single parent to four-year-old Heloise ? who will grow up happily regardless, amid a fascinating milieu of celebrities, socialites, politicians, world travelers, and the countless hotel employees who all adore her.As the years pass, Hugues and the hotel are the center of Heloise's life, a universe of unexpected mysteries and pleasures, crises and celebrations that make every day magical. She longs to follow in her father's footsteps and one day run the Vend?me with him. New challenges mark her way: an unexpected romance for Hugues and her own journey to hotel school in Switzerland. The lessons she has learned at her father's side, in their exciting upstairs-downstairs world, will carry her through it all, as they illuminate a story no listener will forget.Welcome to the Hotel Vend?me.
Synopsis
After his wife leaves him for another man, Hugues Martin's life revolves solely around two things ? the celebrated five-star hotel he owns and manages in New York City and his daughter Heloise. At four, Heloise becomes the only woman in her father's life; by seven, she is the undisputed queen of the Hotel Vendome. And as the years pass, despite her mother's abandonment, she basks in her father's love, the devotion of the hotel's staff, and the affection of its guests. But their little world is transformed forever when Heloise moves to France for hotel school and Hugues meets his match in Natalie Peterson, a woman who understands him and his love for the Vendome. Is there room in their lives for Natalie, or will her intrusion ruin their special bond? A novel about second chances and learning to trust again, Hotel Vendome is Danielle Steel at her best.