The WORST episodes of Hotel

Every episode of Hotel ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Hotel!

Hotel is an American prime time drama based on Arthur Hailey's 1965 novel of the same name (which had also inspired a 1967 feature film). The series was set in the elegant and fictitious St. Gregory Hotel in San Francisco. Episodes follow both the activities of passing guests as well as the personal and professional lives of the permanent hotel staff.

Last Updated: 8/24/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
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#1 - Triangles

Season 3 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/12/1986

Lauren Moffet arrives for an illicit rendezvous with her lover, Neil Benson, which disturbs Lauren's friend, Christine, because Neil, who is married, seems insincere. Discussing hotel reservations with Neil's secretary, Christine learns that Neil has no wife and informs Lauren. In turn, Lauren tricks Neil into catching her in bed with Mark, posing as her lover. Neil storms out of the room, perhaps for good. Later, Lauren tells Neil she had a talk with his wife, who wants a divorce. Neil plays along, and they reconcile. Janice Copeland is worried because her husband, Richard, is entering a yacht race right after heart surgery. Richard resents her coddling, especially since their sex life is suffering. Richard's old friend Peter is touring Richard's yacht when Beverly Wilder, who is on the race committee, sets her sights on Richard. Beverly and Richard have a wild encounter, but Peter eventually brings Richard and Lauren back together.

Directors: James Brolin
Writer: Matt Geller
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#2 - Pressure Points

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/3/1986

When hotheaded Drew Fletcher checks in just after being acquitted of murdering his girlfriend, he attracts the attention of Sharon Lockwood, who seems intent on starting an affair with him. Sharon, the sister of Drew's murdered girlfriend, goes to Drew's room with a pistol in her purse, seeking revenge. Her pistol and intentions hidden, Sharon openly offers herself to Drew, but his feelings for his slain girlfriend are too strong to go through with it. Won over by Drew, Sharon confesses her original motive for being there and does her best to comfort him. The hotel staff is stricken by the flu, which increases Christine's anxiety in running the hotel. Peter notices Christine's short temper flare at the staff, her lack of appetite at meals and her inability to enjoy his companionship and love.

Directors: Nancy Malone
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#3 - Forsaking All Others

Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/26/1986

Charles Cabot tries to revive an old romance with Dr. Hannah Fielding, who is attending a convention of the World Health Organization. Their previous involvement years before had ended because Hannah knew that Charles's first love was his business affairs. Charles woos Hannah into spending the night with him, but she decides to end it there and return to her work with third-world children. Brede Ashlander, a charismatic multimillionaire yet also a domineering husband, hounds hotel employee Marie Lockhart. Marie had fled from him two months ago and now wants a divorce, but Brede tells Christine that Marie is in need of psychiatric therapy. When Brede tries to remove Marie by force, Christine prevents him and assigns the hotel lawyer to Marie's divorce case. When Charles agrees to sell Cabot Corporation's half of the hotel to an Australian conglomerate, Peter refuses to sell his interest.

Directors: Alan Cooke
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#4 - Undercurrents

Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/19/1986

After army officers Nick Hauser and Rodger Gage check in for a weekend on the town, Rodger has an illicit rendezvous with his gay lover. In a gay neighborhood, street punks beat up Rodger, and Nick learns his army colleague's secret. Nick furiously demands that Rodger leave the hotel. Bellman Dave, who is Rodger's old friend, has a talk with Nick, helping him realize that Rodger is a good friend, regardless of his sexual orientation. Meanwhile, Elizabeth interferes with important communications between Christine and a potential client, making Christine look incompetent just as Charles Cabot is questioning Peter and Christine's managerial capabilities. Elizabeth also schemes to estrange Christine from Peter by spilling wine on her dress while visiting Peter. When Christine arrives to find Elizabeth wearing Peter's robe, Christine assumes the worst.

Directors: Bruce Bilson
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#5 - Hornet's Nest

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/12/1986

A fickle young heiress, Erica Atwood reconsiders her engagement to Chip Lansing, heir to Lansing Chemicals, a company with which Atwood Chemicals is on the verge of merging. To her family's dismay, Erica instead intends to marry Tony Patterson, a wildlife scientist and son of the Atwood's gardener. Tony initially learns of Erica's engagement at a disastrous dinner with Erica and her family. Erica's pragmatic older sister Isabel disapproves of Tony at first, then falls in love with him. Elizabeth seduces Peter's banker to get access to his personal investment file. The information turns out to be useless, and instead of being grateful, her scheming father, Charles, chastises Elizabeth for her wanton ways. Elizabeth later invites a strange man to her apartment; the man brutally rapes her. Because she was foolish enough to let the man in, Charles blames Elizabeth. Through Peter and Christine's mediation, however, Charles and Elizabeth take a small step toward reconciliation.

Directors: James L. Conway
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#6 - Double Jeopardy

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/5/1986

When John Lucas, a Missouri sheriff, checks in, his wife Jenny accuses Billy of murdering her brother six years ago. Charles Cabot informs Lucas of Billy's prison record, information the new concierge, Elizabeth, has provided from Christine's personnel files. Charles tries to use the opportunity to replace Billy with a security chief of his choosing. Traveling fur coat salesman and bigamist Freddy Barnes struggles to keep his two lives separate, when his wife of three years, Sonia, surprises Freddy at a convention to which he has brought his wife of eight years, Barbara. When Elizabeth is revealed as Charles Cabot's daughter, Christine doesn't fire her because Christine has sympathy for the fact that Charles is exploiting his daughter.

Writer: J.P. Brown
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#7 - Enemies Within

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/29/1986

Agoraphobia, or the fear of open spaces, has kept Laura Shafer confined to the hotel for three months. Laura's father, Al, who is a used-auto dealer, her jilted fiancé Kevin and Peter all try to help her, but to no avail. When Al's efforts to help his daughter end up doing more harm than good, Peter eventually convinces him to stop trying to run her life. With help from a counselor, Laura makes enough progress to reunite with Kevin. When Charles Cabot fails in courting Christine as an ally against Peter, he resumes his angry confrontation with Peter. Elizabeth, the new concierge, recognizes a film director, Harley Magnuson, and manages a romantic rendezvous with him in his hotel room. When Harley's wife arrives unexpectedly and catches them, Elizabeth has to talk Christine out of firing her. Shortly thereafter, Billy is puzzled to see Elizabeth meeting in private with Charles Cabot.

Directors: Bruce Bilson
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#8 - Queen's Gambit

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/22/1986

Continuing his efforts to take over the hotel, Charles Cabot evicts Peter from the hotel penthouse and searches the accounting records for evidence of wasteful spending. Charles's sister Jessica and family patriarch Uncle Jake align with Peter, forcing Charles to back down temporarily. With Peter sharing Christine's office and making managerial decisions that she should be making, Christine is forced to assert herself. Realizing that Peter will never give up his old office, Christine has a storeroom converted into her office. Rena Payne plots to have her young lover, Ray, murder her wealthy husband, Everett. Rena arranges to have Ray shoot Everett in her hotel room and to make it look like a robbery. Noticing that Billy carries a pistol, Rena sends Billy to her hotel room in the hope of eliminating both her husband and her lover. When Ray fails to go through with the plan, Rena is arrested.

Directors: Richard Kinon
Writer: J.P. Brown
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#9 - Opening Moves

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/1/1986

Just as Christine and Peter celebrate their now open romance, they soon face a takeover attempt on the hotel by the Cabot family's ruthless financier, Charles Cabot. As the battle over the hotel intensifies, Christine and Peter depend on each other for love and support. Charles digs up whatever dirt he can find on Peter and teams up with Jessica Cabot to put a legal hold on Mrs. Cabot's will, depriving Peter of a job and home. A successful young architect, Alan, despondent after a bitter divorce, falls in love with a beautiful, high-priced call girl, Michelle. Michelle discourages Alan's feelings for her, but he persists and follows her back to her apartment, where he discovers that she has a child. Alan leaves, and Michelle, emotionally worn, moves out immediately to start anew in another city. Finding her gone, Alan sets out to find the woman he loves.

Directors: Nancy Malone
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#10 - Horizons

Season 3 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/21/1986

When Christine announces her resignation, the entire staff is saddened. Christine leaves a note for Mrs. Cabot explaining her frustration with Peter, who uses their professional relationship to avoid showing Christine his feelings. Both Julie and Megan become upset when Peter promotes Julie to Christine's vacated position. Christine is distraught because Peter didn't consult with her in finding a replacement, while Megan is jealous and doesn't understand why she was overlooked. After making an emotional speech at Christine's going away party, Peter is overcome by his feelings and heads for the hotel bar to drown his sorrow. Billy tells Peter to admit his love to Christine. Peter goes to her apartment, but he still can't express himself, and Christine gets into her cab to go to the airport. Peter blocks the cab with his car and finally pronounces his love for Christine. They fall into each other's arms.

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#11 - Separations

Season 3 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/14/1986

After a twenty-year absence, Peter's brother Owen shows up as bodyguard for Francesca Delgado, president of a South American country. When Owen, formerly a mercenary, almost kills a reporter, Peter reprimands his brother and learns that Owen was responsible for their father's death. Peter throws Owen against the wall and storms off. Later, Francesca explains to Peter that despite Owen's feeling of intense guilt, he was not responsible for their father's death. Before Owen leaves, he and Peter embrace, and Owen promises to return some day. Albert, the hotel's doorman of thirty years, is forced to switch to cloakroom duty. The transition is difficult, partly because Albert will miss the brocaded uniform his grandchildren love so much. With Peter's approval, Dave, Julie and Megan present Albert with a vintage doorman's jacket and dub him the St. Gregory Doorman Emeritus. Unaware of Peter's brother's reappearance, Christine demands that Peter come to a decision about their relationship.

Directors: Bruce Bilson
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#12 - Promises to Keep

Season 3 - Episode 23 - Aired 4/30/1986

Legendary movie star Barbara Farrell comes out of seclusion to confront her daughter Livy, whose publisher and lover Ted persuaded her to write a sensational book chronicling her mother's cruelties. Unknown to Barbara and Livy, Barbara's manager, Sidney, originally presented the book idea to Ted as a way of getting exposure for Barbara and bringing her out of retirement. Looking for a profitable publicity stunt, Ted and Sidney try to manipulate the two women into a public reconciliation. Only after breaking free from Ted and Sidney's parasitic grip are Livy and Barbara able to come to an understanding. Christine hesitates in making her relationship physical with Dr. Evans, who is perfect in every way but one: he's not Peter. When Dr. Evans makes a surprise visit at the hotel, Christine becomes frustrated with Peter's perfectly cordial handling of the situation. She wants some sign from Peter that he cares for her. When Dr. Evans unexpectedly proposes to Christine, she declines.

Directors: Nancy Malone
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#13 - Changes of Heart

Season 3 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/9/1986

Charles Canfield, owner of a prestigious English hotel, and his daughter Mary attempt to lure their friend Peter away to London to manage their hotel. Mary has a long-standing crush on Peter, and the attraction is mutual, which arouses Christina's jealousy. Mary's influence and the promise of part ownership in the hotel make the offer hard to refuse. Peter offers to take Christine with him, but she tells Peter that he has to choose between her and the job in London. When it becomes clear that the only thing keeping Charles's highly competent daughter from managing the hotel is his lack of confidence in her, Peter convinces Charles to entrust the job to Mary. Billy hires an attractive new assistant, Sheila, a former military policewoman. Billy begins to have doubts about Sheila, however, when she throws a shoplifter through a window. Billy checks with Sheila's former supervisor and learns that she and her boyfriend were suspected of operating a black market on the base.

Directors: James Brolin
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#14 - Hearts Divided

Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/2/1986

Barbara Fremont, Christine's attorney friend, has decided to leave her career and move to South America. Her client and secret lover, John Dunson, has escaped from prison, and is posing as Barbara's brother Joe. Christine is not fooled, however, and Barbara admits that she and Dunson are leaving the country. Urged by Christine, Dunson decides to serve his sentence, and Barbara insists they'll see it through together. A 16-year-old faith healer, Rachel, accepts $50,000 to heal a wealthy crippled man, Garrison Snow, but nearly dies in the effort. Her brother Roy secretly sells her story to Stella Falco, a tabloid reporter. In order to send Rachel back to obscurity, Peter convinces Stella to brand Rachel as a fraud. Bellman Dave's friend, Tom, puts Dave's wife, Megan, in his film, which includes a steamy love scene.

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#15 - Hidden Talents

Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/19/1986

The TV show, Catch A Rising Star, uses the hotel ballroom for the finals of its talent contest, in which the top prize is a recording contract and $10,000 in cash. The hotel also welcomes top scientists in a NASA think tank, and FBI security is heavy. Julie unwittingly becomes a finalist in the talent contest because Dave and Megan submitted her tape. Although Julie would like the $10,000 to give to her grandfather's medical clinic in Africa, she's not interested in a singing career. Among the NASA scientists is Claire Talbot Ames, wife of Mike Ames, Peter's college roommate. When Claire finds evidence that Mike is a spy, she consults Peter. Peter and FBI agents catch Mike photographing a top-secret project, and Mike is gunned down. Hysterical, Claire rushes to the van where FBI agents have carried Mike's body. She finds him alive. It turns out that Mike was working with the Soviets, and his so-called shooting death was his way out.

Directors: James Brolin
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#16 - Restless Night

Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/10/1986

Ellen Pierson and her friend Sherry are on a mission to get even with Ellen's husband for cheating on her. Sherry has talked Ellen into finding a random man to have sex with. Ellen's first rendezvous proceeds no further than a passionate embrace, and before she can accomplish her mission, she accidentally discovers that Sherry was the woman involved in her husband's infidelity. Ellen decides to immediately return to her husband and deal openly with his adultery. Peter dreads having to attend an opera board party, fearing that his ignorance of opera will cause the organization to cut its support for the hotel's annual charity gala. Although Christine tutors Peter, it's only by being himself that Peter charms the opera aficionados. Grieving over the death of her infant daughter, Audrey Beck accompanies her husband Jason on a business trip for a change of scenery.

Directors: James Brolin
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#17 - Harassed

Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/5/1986

Drew Hayward, Peter's college classmate, starts as the new director of hotel operations. Julie hopes to become Hayward's assistant manager, but Hayward makes the job offer contingent on sexual favors. Because Julie thinks Peter would back his college friend, she doesn't report Hayward's harassment. When Julie rejects Hayward's job offer, he grabs her and threatens to have her fired if she doesn't have sex with him. Julie breaks free and tells Peter about the incident. Hayward claims that Julie tried to seduce him to get the job, but Julie reveals that she secretly recorded their previous conversation; Peter gives Hayward ten minutes to collect his belongings and leave. Maggie Lewis, a flower vendor at the hotel, seeks Christine's help. Lisa, the child Maggie gave up for adoption, is marrying Roger Easton, the son of snobbish Ruth Easton, and Maggie needs Christine and Peter's help to put up a well-to-do front and save Lisa embarrassment.

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#18 - Heroes

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/26/1986

A Benham Academy football coach, Jack Allen, celebrates Benham Senior Weekend with half a dozen students. Five are football players; the sixth is scholarly Martin, the butt of their jokes. When Allen's daughter Beth arrives, she's delighted to find her friend Martin, but Allen interferes with their friendship. The football players try to humiliate Martin, and Christine berates Coach Allen for encouraging them. When Martin confronts Allen, Allen surprisingly vows to change his ways. Peter's old buddy, Brad Carlton, a former Vietnam POW, recognizes a hotel waiter, Duong Thanh, as one of his prison camp tormentors. When Brad's wife Wendy finds her husband fashioning a bamboo whip, she asks for Peter's help. After talking to Mrs. Thanh, Wendy learns that Thanh's cruelty stemmed from his parents' death in a bombing raid. Thanh goes to Brad's room, removes his shirt and hands the whip to Brad. Brad's anger, however, turns to those who sent him to war.

Directors: Jerome Courtland
Writer: Steven Smith
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#19 - Lovelines

Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/19/1986

Peter agrees to appear as a guest on a radio talk show hosted by his ex-girlfriend, psychologist Dr. Ann Vargo, who is broadcasting from the hotel's mezzanine. Christine helps Mrs. Cabot entertain boys and girls from the Children's Home, run by Betty Archer. Christine becomes enamored of an eight-year-old girl, Amanda. Later, Christine finds Amanda at her door and receives permission to keep the child overnight. Christine begins to feel that caring for Amanda is the most important thing in her life. During Peter's radio appearance, a caller vows revenge on Dr. Vargo for breaking up his marriage. After several threatening episodes, Peter has her moved into the hotel. Billy places a guard outside Ann's door after she and Peter barely escape a sniper's bullets. Hoping to lure the stalker, Ann goes to the deserted studio where Peter is hiding. The gunman turns out to be Glenn, a new bellman. Peter overpowers Glenn and turns him over to Billy.

Directors: Alan Cooke
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#20 - Facades

Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/12/1986

Christine sees a briefcase filled with money in a car driven by Scott Baker. Later, Christine sees the now empty briefcase in Peter's office as Peter introduces her to Vanessa Clark, an old girlfriend. Christine is suspicious of Vanessa, but Peter refuses to listen. In fact, Vanessa has talked Scott into embezzling $850,000 and has contacted a fence, Steiner, to launder the money. Scott is, however, unaware that Vanessa plans to run off to Hong Kong with the money. Dan and Lisa Mason welcome Kim Lan, a 12-year-old Vietnamese orphan, escorted by Sister Nuyen to a foster home in America. Dan, a lawyer and Vietnam veteran, relocates Vietnamese children. Lisa is proud of her husband's efforts, but is stunned when Kim turns out to be Dan's daughter. Lisa cannot accept Kim, and is torn between a mother's concern and a wife's anger. After Kim tries running away, Lisa reconciles with Kim, who eventually feels like she's found a new family.

Directors: Bruce Bilson
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#21 - Child's Play

Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/5/1986

Peter refers a 16-year-old runaway, Michael, to a shelter run by Marilyn Jeffries and promises Michael a job interview at the hotel. Michael is lured, however, by a 17-year-old girl, Angela, to a pornographic screen test with Cheryl and Dennis Preston. Afterwards, Peter shows Michael a pornographic video featuring Marilyn, who warns Michael of the dangers ahead. Michael phones his father and goes home. Irene and Paul Fitzgerald are poised to embark on a world cruise after a brief reunion with their son, Jack, and his workaholic wife, Deborah. When Irene reveals that she's pregnant, Paul becomes distraught, believing they're too old for parenthood, and Deborah is convinced it's her mother-in-law's revenge against the younger woman's resistance to motherhood. Eventually, Deborah and Irene have a heart-to-heart talk, reconciling the family. When waitress Shawn Barrish takes a bellman position, veteran bell captain Walter Devlin insists to her that it's a man's job.

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#22 - Recrimination

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/29/1986

A convention of police chiefs includes Mrs. Cabot's old friend, the recently widowed Brian O'Connell from Atlantic City. Their friendship blossoms into romance, and Mrs. Cabot spends the night with Brian. Both are beginning to think about marriage. However, realizing she could never leave the hotel to be a police chief's wife, they decide on something less matrimonial, a couple weeks of fishing in Canada. Pretending to cram for an exam, Nick Miller, a college junior, has a rendezvous at the hotel with 38-year-old Kay Radcliff, who happens to be the mother of his college roommate, Todd Radcliff. Todd and his girlfriend, Denise, pay Nick a surprise visit and find Todd's mother sharing the hotel room. Todd is inconsolable, and Denise fails to convince him that his mother has the right to choose her own love life. Finally Kay explodes, telling Todd to grow up and face it like a man.

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#23 - Scapegoats

Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/22/1986

The marriage of Gerald and Ivy Milburn is threatened by jealousy as Gerald questions his wife's attentions toward Peter, and Ivy watches her husband befriend a sexy, but obviously broke woman, Tracy Benedict. Gerald offers Tracy money and a room at the hotel if she'll distract Peter from Ivy. Meanwhile, Ivy asks Peter to befriend Tracy and find out about her affair with Gerald. Complicating matters, Tracy's jilted fiancé arrives, determined to win her back. Determined to correct the Milburns' paranoia, Peter sends Tracy and Nick on their way as lovers. Bartender Frank Jessup trades jibes with waiter Joel Shubert, a homosexual tired of Frank's prejudice. Ironically, Frank soon learns that he has AIDS. Frank believes Joel to be the cause, but Joel has twice tested negative. Frank's ex-wife, Sheila , berates Frank as a closet homosexual, and his son, Elliot, thinks he's a junkie. Frank apologizes to Joel then reveals his problem to Christine, who tells him that his job is secure.

Directors: Jerome Courtland
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#24 - Shadows of Doubt (2)

Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/15/1986

Learning that Christine's boyfriend, Adam Kirkwood, is the FBI's prime suspect in an arms smuggling operation, Peter takes Christine to Agent Rider, who informs her that George Sandler, a powerful politician, and Adam are plotting to sell arms to guerrilla forces in the Third World. After planting a bomb in the hotel basement, security chief Art Patterson anonymously tips off the hotel and personally disarms the bomb in order to make himself a hero. When Billy finds evidence pointing to Patterson, Patterson asks for Billy's resignation. Over Peter's objections, Christine agrees to plant an FBI listening device in Adam's bedroom. When Adam catches Christine, Sandler insists on killing her, but Adam arranges for Peter to take Christine to safety. At the hotel, Billy agrees to resign, but Patterson eventually confesses to Billy and leaves the hotel security in Billy's hands.

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#25 - Shadows of Doubt (1)

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/8/1986

Former college friends Bob, Tom and Susan meet for a weekend reunion, all three having recently ended long relationships. When Bob and Susan sleep together, Tom's anger betrays his longtime love for Susan, and the reunion begins to disintegrate. Although Bob and Tom get into a fight, the three friends eventually reconcile. Meanwhile, Peter is jealous of Christine's affair with Adam Kirkwood, a wealthy, young, international businessman. Returning after a long mourning period for his late wife, the hotel's venerable chief of security, Art Patterson, believes that his assistant, Billy, is after his job. Patterson plants a bomb in the hotel basement. When George Sandler, a rich man with political aspirations, hosts a fund-raiser, Adam invites Christine and Peter. Trailing them is Mr. Rider, an FBI agent interested in Adam's illegal weapons shipments.

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