The history of the small chocolate placed on hotel pillows, primarily in luxury hotels, is linked to a secret love story in Hollywood in the 1950s. Before becoming a Hollywood icon, in the 1920s, Cary Grant was a vaudeville artist who performed at Muny, a long-standing outdoor theater in Missouri.
According to Amanda Clark, a historian specializing in local history at the Missouri Historical Society, the busiest spot in Missouri at the time was the 5-star Mayfair Hotel, the first to feature a rooftop pool. Grant visited frequently and became close with the manager, who often helped the actor avoid crowds using a secret passage.
In the early 1950s, while still married to his third wife, Betsy Drake, Grant rented a penthouse to meet with his mistress.
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Actor Cary Grant and the story related to the hotel chocolate. Photo: People |
"He would scatter a trail of chocolates from one room to another, leading to the bedroom", Clark said. These clandestine meetings could have become a major scandal but were fortunately not discovered.
The chocolate trail caught the attention of a manager, who then adopted the practice for the hotel: each day, one chocolate was placed on a guest's pillow. According to Clark, the manager transformed the story behind the Hollywood actor's actions into a distinctive feature of hotel culture.
The story originating from the Mayfair Hotel is also mentioned in American author Josh Chetwynd's book, "Book of Nice: A Nice Book about Nice Things for Nice People". To this day, placing a chocolate on a hotel pillow is a gesture of hospitality, aiming to help guests feel relaxed and comfortable.
On the Quora forum, regarding the question "Does this hotel practice make a stay more special?", member Kate Daly suggested not necessarily. "Additional amenities and services are nice, but I don't really need them". "Many upscale hotels still do this. It's a sweet gesture, but personally, I'd prefer to be given a bottle of brandy or cognac", another member wrote.
However, a member named Andy Hill stated that his wife was very pleased with these chocolates: "If it makes her happy, then I have to thank the hotel for helping me out".
The Mayfair Hotel is now named Magnolia Hotel St. Louis. The hotel embarked on a new chapter in its history after a 2014 overhaul. However, it still preserves traces of its past, including a room named the Cary Grant Suite, in memory of the actor who was once closely associated with the hotel.
Tam Anh (according to People)
