Our Viennese hotel was quite possibly the grandest in which I have ever stayed. A former palace, its marble hallways and the baroque decor of the suite to which we were upgraded set the scene for what was to be a fabulous stay.
My mind moves in dark ways these days, though, and mathematical calculations whirred into action. 140+ years. 100 rooms? Five million guest nights.
So how many maids, in the bad old days, had been abused? How many girls sent unwillingly to rooms in which they would be expected to be ‘good’ for VIP guests known to have unusual or forceful tastes? How many young ladies held firmly down whilst a gentleman companion unexpectedly thrust his unwelcome attentions roughly on her? How many whipped for transgressions real or fabricated?
Let’s say such occurrences mark a mere 0.01% of room nights: one in ten thousand. Five hundred shamed, crying girls. Five hundred scenes to be played. Any takers?!