"You'll love this book. Saving The Saint George captures the human events that make the hotel business fascinating."

-- Joseph McInerney, President of American Hotel & Lodging Association


Notes From Greg

Wally Callahan, the hotel security director, was called into the situation as the stockbroker bellowed, "I will own this hotel in a matter of days. I know very important people in this town." Wally was aware, that many guests with a complaint and the money to own a Mercedes thought they knew "very important" people. Wally walked him to the security office so he wouldn't disturb every guest in the hotel.

That nice neighbor, the one who is always so cheerful and helpful, may be a totally different person when they're away from home. That's why I've loved the hotel business. You can help a person in need and make their day, or you can tolerate the belligerent ones and subtly show them why they need a personality transplant. The hotel business is all about people and the things they do when they're traveling. The events in the book are based on situations that occur every day in hotels around the world. When you work in the business, no two days are ever exactly alike, because people are nutty and nice. Dealing with the nutty or overly demanding ones is often a challenge. It's a great thing to see a hotel employee or flight attendant remain cheerful and helpful after they've been verbally flogged by a guest or passenger.


"Rather than charging for a full legal partner's time at this point, I suggest I have her get involved. She's young, but she worked at the Department of Justice for a couple of years and has a good head for dealing with people. Of course, I'll oversee it," Justy suggested. "You wouldn't be giving your old client a rookie would you?" Edwin asked. "She's my niece. I wouldn't subject her to anything she couldn't handle. She also handled those multiple murders on the West Coast for the FBI. She's seen much worse than this," Justy said. "You haven't under-represented us yet. Let's go with it," Edwin said. "What's her name and when will we hear from her?" "She's right here. Jennifer Lee Brown--she prefers Lee--meet Edwin Christian," Justy said. Edwin flushed. The girl had heard his "rookie" comment. "Hello. I look forward to working with you. Thanks for taking a chance on me," a soft voice said. Edwin recognized a zinger when he heard one, even if delivered by someone who sounded like a college freshman. His embarrassment turned to curiosity. Her comment was strong, but came wrapped in an almost-innocent voice.

Strong women, who can handle any kind of situation while maintaining their femininity and caring ways, are special. From my mother to my wife and daughters and the many great women I've known in business, I've been lucky to have special women in my life. Lee Brown is a character who takes control of situations and finds ways to make things come out right. She's a combination of tender and tough in the nicest way.

I wrote the book as a tribute to a very special breed of people…those who work in hotels, and in the travel business, and those who travel frequently. The people who have read the book have been generous with their comments of enjoying it. My hope is that it was because of the characters, and that they reminded them of people they have known.


Saving The Saint George is available at www.barnesandnoble.com, www.borders.com, www.amazon.com and www.iuniverse.com by using the title to search. Enjoy your stay!

by Anastasia Mann
Chairman/CEO of the Corniche Group, Inc.

1 If you are hoping for an upgrade at the gate (and it never hurts to ask as they oversell the back end frequently) be WELL DRESSED!


2. Checking into hotels you can also ask if there is a possibility of an upgrade to a suite - but be well-dressed again.


3. Think before dressing to travel – think about security lines – avoid belts and shoes that ‘tie" if possible – Clothing articles that are time-consuming to get off and back on.


4. Pick the line without people with laptops and baby strollers if possible.


5.Allow extra time for international flights - you can be denied boarding if it's too late to check luggage. 


6. Be careful with the WEIGHT of your bags- Airlines now have hefty fees for overweight baggage and they enforce it!



And a tip from one of Corniche Group's consultants, Dorian:

To ensure that your first class passengers on American Airlines flights get a choice of meals, on even numbered flights assign seats in the first two rows and on odd numbered flights assign seats in the last two rows. AA starts service from the front on even number flights and from the rear on odd number flights.