The chocolate candy on a hotel pillow has long been seen as an essential attribute of premium service, but this tradition has a very specific author — Hollywood actor Cary Grant, reports infohub.kz.
The custom of leaving sweets on a guest's bed arose thanks to the romantic escapades of the Hollywood star, writes People.
In the early 1950s, Cary Grant stayed at the Mayfair Hotel in St. Louis. At that time, the actor was married to his third wife, Betsy Drake, but secretly arranged a rendezvous with his mistress in the penthouse and planned a romantic surprise for her.
To impress the lady, Grant laid out a trail of chocolates leading from the living room straight to the bed, and placed the last sweet on the pillow along with a love letter. The name of the star's secret companion remains unknown, but the actor's unusual gesture did not escape the hotel manager's attention.
The manager decided that such a token of attention would make an excellent signature service for all guests and ordered chocolates to be placed on pillows in every room. Soon this idea was picked up by luxury hotels around the world, turning the actor's secret romantic date into a legendary tradition of the global hotel industry.