---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ben had never seen another hotel quite…"
description: "\"“Ben had never seen another hotel quite like The Mandrake. The valets were all dressed like Roman Centurions, the Doorman was dressed like Caesar, and ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/jarod-kintz-2_business_ben-had-never-seen-another-hotel-quite-l_2788783.jpg"
---

#  Ben had never seen another hotel quite like The Mandrake…

![“Ben had never seen another hotel quite like The Mandrake. The valets were all dressed like Roman Centurions, the Doorman was dressed like Caesar, and the bellmen all had dark blue business suits and Donald Trump wigs.” quote by Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/jarod-kintz-2_business_ben-had-never-seen-another-hotel-quite-l_2788783.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/jarod-kintz-2_business_ben-had-never-seen-another-hotel-quite-l_2788783.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/jarod-kintz-2_business_ben-had-never-seen-another-hotel-quite-l_2788783.jpg)

> ““Ben had never seen another hotel quite like The Mandrake. The valets were all dressed like Roman Centurions, the Doorman was dressed like Caesar, and the bellmen all had dark blue business suits and Donald Trump wigs.””

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The hotel’s absurd décor satirizes excess and cultural appropriation through flamboyant costumes.

**In simple terms:** Crazy hotel design mocks extravagance.

Key Takeaway

Notice how style can mask substance.

Themes

satire excess culture identity humor

Mood

playful critical

Type

satirical observational

When to use this quote

- travel
- hospitality industry
- fashion
- political commentary
- creative writing

Key Concepts

postmodernism social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the hotel’s theme say about power?
- Why use historical figures for modern satire?

A Different Perspective

Humor may obscure serious critique.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Dark blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-blue/) [Like Mandrake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-mandrake-3363861/) [Mandrake Valets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mandrake-valets-3363859/) [Trump Wigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump-wigs-3363862/) [Valets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valets-345418/) [Valets Dressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valets-dressed-3363860/)

## Related quotes

> [Personally, I'm a fan of valets and managers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-rhodes/personally-i-m-a-fan-of-valets-and-managers/)

[Brandi Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-rhodes/)

> ['TMZ' has the cash to buy off valets and info like flight lists or even the limo list of what celeb is being picked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-rodrick/tmz-has-the-cash-to-buy-off-valets-and-info-like-flight-lists-or-even/)

[Stephen Rodrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-rodrick/)

> [I don't trust valets, waiters — nobody. I don't waste my time anymore trying to figure out who leaks things to the press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-richie/i-don-t-trust-valets-waiters-nobody-i-don-t-waste-my-time-anymore/)

[Nicole Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-richie/)

> [“Raj leaned over from the driver's seat to give her a quick, hard kiss. 'Don't think so hard sweetheart. I'm not dangerous.' He spun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-reynolds/raj-leaned-over-from-the-driver-s-seat-to-give-her-a-quick-hard-kiss/)

[D.B. Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-reynolds/)

> [Rarely do they appear great before their valets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/rarely-do-they-appear-great-before-their-valets/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [The nearer we come to great men the more clearly we see that they are only men. They rarely seem great to their valets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/the-nearer-we-come-to-great-men-the-more-clearly-we-see-that-they-are/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [ Rarely do they appear great before their valets. \[Fr., Rarement ils sont grands vis-a-vis de leur valets-de-chambre.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/rarely-do-they-appear-great-before-their-valets-fr-rarement-ils-sont/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [“ Bye ,” he said with a gentle smile. And with that, his delicious boots walked right out of the J-Bar, his dark blue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/bye-he-said-with-a-gentle-smile-and-with-that-his-delicious-boots/)

[Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/)

> [“Towards four o'clock the dew fell, and she smelled a gust of sweetness from the roses and a paleness showed in the sky to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/towards-four-o-clock-the-dew-fell-and-she-smelled-a-gust-of-sweetness/)

[Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/)

> [“Then I heard footsteps on a stairs, and in a moment the thickish figure of a woman blocked out the light from the office…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/then-i-heard-footsteps-on-a-stairs-and-in-a-moment-the-thickish/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [“She was wearing blue jeans and a dark blue peasant blouse, the ties of the neck open. She looked so beautiful and soft, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/she-was-wearing-blue-jeans-and-a-dark-blue-peasant-blouse-the-ties-of/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [“Despite the cold outside, she was wearing a cropped white shirt and tight dark blue jeans that sat low, revealing a tattoo of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/despite-the-cold-outside-she-was-wearing-a-cropped-white-shirt-and/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [“Darwin, landing in Brazil in 1832, had a similar reaction, colored by his reading of his predecessor." Humboldt's glorious descriptions are &amp; will for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/darwin-landing-in-brazil-in-1832-had-a-similar-reaction-colored-by/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [“The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-whole-idea-of-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-coming-down-with/)

[Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/)

> [“For a long time before I met you, I felt my life was this kind of test. I was in deep, cold water, swimming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/for-a-long-time-before-i-met-you-i-felt-my-life-was-this-kind-of-test/)

[Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/)

## More by Jarod Kintz

> [“I notice when you’re gone. Or do I? How can I observe something that isn’t there?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-notice-when-you-re-gone-or-do-i-how-can-i-observe-something-that/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“I wouldn’t love you if you were the last Sodomite in Gomorrah.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-wouldn-t-love-you-if-you-were-the-last-sodomite-in-gomorrah/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“A blanket could be used to make sweet, sweet music with the love of your life. Hopefully that person is me, because I’ve been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-blanket-could-be-used-to-make-sweet-sweet-music-with-the-love-of/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“A brick could be used to slow down time. Sort of like a camel in a wheelchair pushed by a thirsty Arab. Hey, Khalid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-slow-down-time-sort-of-like-a-camel-in-a/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“We have a love so pure that it makes snow seem yellow. (Don’t eat it!)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/we-have-a-love-so-pure-that-it-makes-snow-seem-yellow-don-t-eat-it/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“I hid Mrs. Frozenwater’s body in the ice cube trays in my freezer. Better to keep her there than let her memory thaw out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-hid-mrs-frozenwater-s-body-in-the-ice-cube-trays-in-my-freezer/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“Two similar words might lead to two similar ideas. They might also lead to the basement, which I recently converted into a dungeon/torture chamber.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/two-similar-words-might-lead-to-two-similar-ideas-they-might-also/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“Nothing is and isn’t; nothing is and isn’t—nothing itself is, and at the same time, nothing isn’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/nothing-is-and-isn-t-nothing-is-and-isn-t-nothing-itself-is-and-at/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“Embossed letters represent the topography of typography.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/embossed-letters-represent-the-topography-of-typography/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“There’s only one piece of clothing I could eat fast, and that’s a scarf.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/there-s-only-one-piece-of-clothing-i-could-eat-fast-and-that-s-a-scarf/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“Dora J. Arod is to Jarod Ora, as yes is to yes. Yes is also the correct answer to “Will you marry me?” Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/dora-j-arod-is-to-jarod-ora-as-yes-is-to-yes-yes-is-also-the-correct/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“The best part about being kidnapped is being blindfolded and getting kicked into the trunk of a car. Boy, normally I have to beg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-best-part-about-being-kidnapped-is-being-blindfolded-and-getting/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“Orafoura once told me that if I were a car, I’d be a Ferrari. One that was scratched smashed, rusted, and stolen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/orafoura-once-told-me-that-if-i-were-a-car-i-d-be-a-ferrari-one-that/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“What makes a good leader? I ask myself this every day, and then as I begin to list off characteristics I realize I’m describing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/what-makes-a-good-leader-i-ask-myself-this-every-day-and-then-as-i/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“I’d like to file a missing person’s report—on my clone. It’s nearly 2012. He should have been here by now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-d-like-to-file-a-missing-person-s-report-on-my-clone-it-s-nearly/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

[Explore all 6,921 Jarod Kintz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Ben had never seen another hotel quite like The Mandrake. The valets were all dressed like Roman Centurions, the Doorman was dressed like Caesar, and the bellmen all had dark blue business suits and Donald Trump wigs.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jarod Kintz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/ben-had-never-seen-another-hotel-quite-like-the-mandrake-the-valets/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/ben-had-never-seen-another-hotel-quite-like-the-mandrake-the-valets/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/jarod-kintz-2_business_ben-had-never-seen-another-hotel-quite-l_2788783.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/jarod-kintz-2_business_ben-had-never-seen-another-hotel-quite-l_2788783.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/jarod-kintz-2_business_ben-had-never-seen-another-hotel-quite-l_2788783.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Ben had never seen another hotel quite like The Mandrake. The valets were all dressed like Roman Centurions…” — Jarod Kintz",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jarod Kintz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Ben had never seen another hotel...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/ben-had-never-seen-another-hotel-quite-like-the-mandrake-the-valets/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/ben-had-never-seen-another-hotel-quite-like-the-mandrake-the-valets/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
