The Legends of the Hotel Lav
RESEARCH & BOOK CONCEPT, BRAND NARRATIVE DEVELOPMENT, COPYWRITING, CREATIVE DIRECTION
The Legends of the Hotel Lav is a book celebrating the 50th anniversary of the hotel Le Méridien Lav, part of the Marriott hotel group. The book is A Journey Through Time, a collection of memories told by the former and present employees of the events that took place in the hotel Lav over the past half century. We have interviewed the waiters and gardeners, managers and administrators, entertainers and musicians, chambermaids and accountants, photographers, and journalists who spent their time working in the hotel since 1971.
Many great stories and intense emotions emerged from the long talks and extensive research of the newspaper’s archive. As a result, the book contains twenty humorous, moving, intriguing, and sometimes sad stories based on true events, which will be preserved and prevented from being lost to time, as well as providing the inspiration for the hotel’s brand experiences in the next half century. Present guests have the opportunity to read a few bedtime stories and slide into a journey through the past decades. A summary of several stories is available below:
MEMORIES OF THE ONE ARMED BANDIT
brings us back to the glamorous era of the boutique casino opened in the hotel by the American businessman Bob Ayoub. The gamblers were allowed to eat anything they wanted free of charge, and the waiters serving them could eat the same. Shrimps and lobsters were their favourite choice; sometimes up to 100 kilograms of lobsters per day were served! But it wasn’t only the food that gamblers used to share with the waiters. They were true gentlemen who shared their gains with others, appreciating the waiters’ friendly pat on their back in the moments of losing several thousand dollars.
EXCUSE ME, HAVE YOU SEEN MR. PRESIDENT?
is a true legend, picturing a moment when Yugoslav President Tito, who was on his official visit to the hotel, escaped his protocol officers and ran away from the table. The waiter Ante was appointed to be an assistant of Tito’s personal waiter for the day. While the protocol personnel became agitated, looking for the president around the hotel, Ante took Tito to the kitchen, where he could take a break and have a glass of Chivas whisky with the rest of the staff.
THE HOSPITALITY PRODIGY
is a true story about one of the first hotel’s managers, who placed the hotel Lav on the map of the most luxurious hotels in Europe at the time. He was known for his stern character and approach to work, but he had an immaculate sense for hospitality and keeping high standards. He would control every single thing in the hotel — from inspecting how full the beach garbage bins are to how clean the employee's hair and nails are.
STRANGER IN THE NIGHT
is a one-sided love story about a lady who stayed in the hotel and encountered an intruder in her room in the middle of the night. A terrified woman called the reception, screaming and crying for help. The receptionist immediately ran upstairs into her room, but the unknown man had run away in the meantime. The next morning, while coming down for breakfast, the lady recognised the intruder among other faces in the lobby, and the receptionist was staggered to find out it was one of the most popular Yugoslav singers, who was staying in the hotel with his band.
HOLIDAY ZERO
is a legendary story about hotel’s doctor who run the weight loss program. The group of pleasantly plumped, American tourists arrived for a holiday, hoping to blend leisure and activities to improve their health. However, their holiday quickly transformed into an ordeal as the doctor spent each day preaching about the pitfalls of an unhealthy lifestyle. Instead of indulgence, they found themselves enduring rigorous daily walks and beach workouts, followed by low-carb meals. Despite their efforts, each evening the chubby tourists would secretly seek solace and comfort in the divine sweets crafted by the hotel's pastry chef.
MINESTRONE AFFAIR
is a love story of young waiter and Ingrid, a young lady staying in the hotel with her parents. Dying of his desire to somehow approach his crush, he swapped the shifts in the restaurant with his colleague, so he could serve the lunch to Ingrid. While pouring the Minestrone soup onto her mother’s plate, the waiter secretly slipped a note to the young lady behind his back. It read: "Meet me in the forest of the folded beach umbrellas." Needless to say, Ingrid returned home with a romantic summer fling tale.
THE CULTURAL ATTACHÉ OF THE HOTEL LAV
story pays homage to Zele, an extraordinary young man who joined the hotel staff as a waiter in the early 1970s. With his diverse talents as a musical polymath, clown, and faquir, Zele quickly caught the attention of the hotel manager. Before long, he was entrusted with organising all the musical and entertainment events at the hotel. Given Yugoslavia's role in the Non-Aligned Movement and its strong diplomatic ties with various Arab countries, many Arab musicians were featured as guest artists at the hotel. Zele's talents garnered him acclaim in Arab newspapers, to the extent that Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, sent him a briefcase full of dollars with a request for Zele to compose a record of Dalmatian-Libyan fusion songs.
SAVED BY THE BELL(BOY)
story recalls a peculiar incident that occurred during the 8th Mediterranean Games held in Split. The Secretary of the Executive Bureau of the Presidency of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia was enjoying a leisurely chat by the hotel pool, sipping Egyptian whisky, and indulging in his favourite American Kent cigarettes. As the evening wore on, he found himself running out of cigarettes and demanded a replacement box. This request would have been simple enough, except for the fact that Kent cigarettes were virtually impossible to purchase in Yugoslavia due to its closed economy at the time. The staff were in a state of panic, knowing they couldn't refuse the Secretary's demands, when suddenly the bellboy revealed that his brother had just returned from a voyage and had secretly smuggled two cartons of Kent cigarettes.
