The Grand Babylon Hotel is an exclusive London establishment, and American millionaire Theodore Racksole, visiting the hotel with his spirited 23-year-old daughter Nella, decides to buy the place. What he hasn't counted on is having to deal with a criminal conspiracy whose purposes are not at all clear, and events take an unexpected turn as Theodore and Nella play detective. Replete with evil villains, physical dangers, and secret passages, The Grand Babylon Hotel is a mesmerizing thriller that will be enjoyed by mystery lovers everywhere.

Grand Babylon Hotel is a supremely exclusive hotel. When an American millionaire, Theodore Racksole, and his daughter Nella buy the hotel, strange things start happening. The situation becomes intense when a German prince mysteriously disappears.

"The Grand Babylon Hotel opens with New York millionaire Theodore Racksole's demand for an "Angel Kiss"--An American concoction the Grand Babylon does not serve. Racksole and his daughter Nella are on vacation, but quickly find themselves running the hotel, after Theodore's impulsive purchase of the establishment from founder and owner Felix Babylon. Soon the Racksoles are rushing to solve the mystery that threatens the reigning Prince of Posen--and Nella's future. The hotel itself opens possibilities for adventure, discovery, and wonder that the Racksoles had never anticipated. The novel, out of print for decades, raises serious questions about the possibilities for a truly cosmopolitan world, offering a dazzling picture of what this would look like. The historical appendices to this edition include extensive photographs and documents from the history of the Savoy Hotel (the model for the Grand Babylon) and material on the film version."--

The Grand Babylon Hotel is an adventure novel by Arnold Bennett, published in January 1902, about the mysterious disappearance of a German prince. American millionaire Theodore Racksole must discover the truth behind the mysterious happenings at the Grand Babylon Hotel – before it is too late.

When Theodore Racksole—one of the richest men in America, and consequently the world—sits down in London’s Grand Babylon Hotel and orders a beefsteak and a bottle of beer, he isn’t aware that he’s about to become part of a plot involving blackmail, espionage, murder, the royal families of Europe and his daughter Nella. As he’s sucked in to the inner workings of the hotel and its staff he has to make a series of stark choices for the safety of his family and guests. The Grand Babylon Hotel proceeds at a pace that betrays the novel’s roots: it was originally serialized in 1901 in the Golden Penny. It was Arnold Bennett’s second novel, and was followed by at least forty works of fiction along with numerous plays and non-fiction works. Since its original publication The Grand Babylon Hotel has remained in print, and it has also been adapted for film and radio. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

Jules, the celebrated head waiter of the Grand Babylon, was bending formally towards the alert, middle-aged man who had just entered the smoking-room and dropped into a basket-chair in the corner by the conservatory. It was 7.45 on a particularly sultry June night, and dinner was about to be served at the Grand Babylon. Men of all sizes, ages, and nationalities, but every one alike arrayed in faultless evening dress, were dotted about the large, dim apartment. A faint odour of flowers came from the conservatory, and the tinkle of a fountain. The waiters, commanded by Jules, moved softly across the thick Oriental rugs, balancing their trays with the dexterity of jugglers, and receiving and executing orders with that air of profound importance of which only really first-class waiters have the secret. The atmosphere was an atmosphere of serenity and repose, characteristic of the Grand Babylon. It seemed impossible that anything could occur to mar the peaceful, aristocratic monotony of existence in that perfectly-managed establishment. Yet on that night was to happen the mightiest upheaval that the Grand Babylon had ever known.