Hidden Hospitality: Untold Stories of Black Hotel, Motel, and Resort Owners from the Pioneer Days to the Civil Rights Era

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Rediscover Black-Owned Hotels, Motels, and Resorts and the History behind Them.

Throughout America’s history of slavery and segregation, Black travelers faced not just unwelcoming environments but the challenge of finding safe places to rest and recharge. In response to this basic human need, courageous Black entrepreneurs carved out spaces within the dominant culture, creating a network of Black-owned establishments that offered comfort and safety to Black travelers.

Calvin Stovall, a hospitality professional with nearly thirty years in the industry, brings this overlooked history to light. In Hidden Hospitality: Untold Stories of Black Hotel, Motel, and Resort Owners from the Pioneer Days to the Civil Rights Era, Stovall shares the inspiring paths of these pioneers. He highlights the immense challenges they faced and the enduring impact of their establishments, showing how their spaces became vibrant hubs of Black culture, where people could gather, find joy, and be their true selves.

Through vivid stories and photographs, Stovall covers the entire chronology of Black hospitality, from the Royal Navy Hotel, an eighteenth-century establishment managed by a free woman of color, to significant fixtures during the Green Book era, such as the Majestic Hotel — a city unto itself — as well as the Hotel Theresa, where historical figures were known to unpack their bags. All along, Stovall captures how Black hoteliers not only built businesses but also created dynamic spaces that were more than places to stay—they were lively centers of Black art, music, and social life, influencing the broader society around them.

As Black history continues to enjoy growing scholarship, a fuller picture of the Black experience emerges through stories corrected, expanded, or finally told. Stovall is here to remind us that the story of Black hospitality is far from over.

Editors’ Note

Calvin Stovall’s career in hospitality informally began as a front desk clerk at downtown Chicago's Holiday Inn Chicago City Centre. After earning a business administration degree from Chicago State University, he would graduate with a master of professional studies from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. Since then Calvin has enjoyed a nearly thirty-year career in the hospitality industry, during which he served as vice president of brand marketing with Hilton Worldwide. During his tenure at Cornell University, Calvin was asked by the chair and cofounder of the first chapter of the National Society of Minority Hoteliers (NSMH) to conduct research on the historical contributions of African American hoteliers for one of their first conferences-and this is where his journey with Hidden Hospitality began.