Hotel (1967) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Warren Trent denies Dr. Elmo Adams and his wife a room because he fears their presence could jeopardize the sale of the hotel. He is concerned that a black couple staying at the St. Gregory might create controversy and threaten the favorable bid he hopes to secure. This decision leads to a public relations nightmare when the NAACP becomes involved, though they clarify there is no immediate plan to push for black guests at the hotel.

• Adams couple
• room denial
• racial discrimination
• Warren Trent
• hotel sale

The attaché case that Keycase Milne steals contains a substantial amount of cash. Keycase grabbed the case hoping it contained easy money to pay off Dupere, the hotel detective who has been blackmailing him. When he opens the case in the elevator, he discovers the cash is real and substantial, giving him the payoff money he desperately needs.

• Keycase Milne
• attaché case
• cash
• stealing
• dupere

The elevator crash occurs when the control relays fail and the brakes begin to give way while the elevator car is carrying passengers. The control systems malfunction, leading to a catastrophic failure. The brakes ultimately fail completely, sending the elevator car plummeting and resulting in the Duke of Lanbourne's death.

• elevator crash
• brakes failure
• control system
• Duke of Lanbourne
• death

The Duke of Lanbourne dies in the elevator disaster when the car's brakes fail completely. He is trapped in the elevator car with Keycase Milne. During the struggle, the Duke wrestles away the attaché case containing the stolen money to help Keycase escape, but the elevator plummets moments later, killing the Duke.

• Duke of Lanbourne
• death
• elevator
• Keycase
• cash

The Duchess of Lanbourne confesses that she was responsible for the car accident that brought her and the Duke to the hotel. She engineered the accident to protect her husband's reputation, presumably to hide some scandal. She saves Dupere, the hotel detective, by confirming his claim that he did not know the car had been involved in a hit-and-run, leading police to decide not to press charges.

• Duchess
• car accident
• confession
• hit-and-run
• reputation

Warren Trent rejects O'Keefe's final offer after learning of the deceptive tactics used to influence him. McDermott reveals that 'Dr.' Elmo Adams is not actually a doctor but works for an O'Keefe hotel in Philadelphia, and that Adams was paid to create a controversy that would sway Trent. McDermott also reveals that Jeanne Rochefort slept with him to keep him away during the critical arrival of the black guests. Faced with this audacious scheme, Trent chooses to sell to the party planning to demolish the hotel and build an office tower instead.

• Warren Trent
• Curtis O'Keefe
• rejected offer
• deception
• hotel sale

Keycase Milne operates as a professional thief by using a range of cunning techniques. He picks up discarded keys found in airport ashtrays and uses them to sneak into rooms to steal cash. As the hotel industry shifts toward credit cards, which means fewer cash payouts in rooms, Keycase is forced to adapt his methods to continue his criminal operations.

• Keycase Milne
• thief
• stealing
• hotel rooms
• keys
• credit cards

After the Adamses are denied a room and followed by a man with a camera, the situation becomes a public relations headache. When McDermott calls the NAACP, they inform him there is no current plan to push for black guests at the St. Gregory. However, the controversy threatens both O'Keefe's deal and the union-backed bid, complicating the hotel's sale and adding to the mounting pressures on Warren Trent.

• NAACP
• racial controversy
• Adams couple
• hotel sale
• public relations

Jeanne Rochefort is the French mistress of one of the potential buyers. Her role becomes controversial when McDermott reveals that she slept with him to keep him away during the critical arrival of the Adamses, potentially influencing the hotel's fate. Despite the manipulation involved, she remains at the hotel and joins McDermott for a final toast as guests depart.

• Jeanne Rochefort
• mistress
• bids
• manipulation
• romance

Hotel detective Dupere attempts to leverage the Duke and Duchess of Lanbourne into paying him for information. The couple had arrived at the hotel hiding from a previous car accident. Dupere tries to blackmail them, but they push back in a dangerous game of bluff and counter-bluff, ultimately leading to the Duchess confessing her role in the accident to protect her husband.

• Dupere
• blackmail
• Duke
• Duchess
• car accident

Curtis O'Keefe envisions transforming the St. Gregory into a high-gloss, automated hotel of the future. His plans include installing luggage conveyors that loop around the building like an airport terminal, delivering bills on conveyor belts, removing the lobby's fountain and comfortable seating, converting the mezzanine into shops, and subdividing the grand suites into smaller rooms. These drastic changes clash with the hotel's existing traditions and union workers.

• Curtis O'Keefe
• hotel modernization
• renovation
• conveyor belts
• shops

After the elevator disaster, Keycase Milne is arrested. His identity is revealed in the wake of the elevator incident, and he is taken into custody. The elevator tragedy contributes to an exodus of guests as confidence in the hotel wanes, making the St. Gregory's closure seem increasingly likely.

• Keycase Milne
• arrest
• elevator disaster
• hotel closure
• fate