Chapter 2

Summary

• The attendant worries about being behind on room cleaning and tips due to time spent in Mr. Snow's office.
• She reflects on her day so far, starting with her preference for entering the hotel through the front doors against protocol.
• She enjoys the luxurious lobby and has a friendly relationship with the doorman, Mr. Preston, whom she admires for his loyalty to his late wife.
• The protagonist appreciates Mr. Preston's integrity and despises cheaters, reflecting on her upbringing by her grandmother after her parents abandoned her.
• She then proceeds to the housekeeping quarters, dons her maid uniform, and discovers her housekeeping trolley had not been replenished by the supervisor, Cheryl, who she disapproves of for laziness and cheating.
• The protagonist resents Cheryl, comparing her unfavorably to other hardworking maids like Sunshine and Sunitha, who are good at their jobs.
• She visits Juan Manuel in the kitchen to give him a keycard so he can use a hotel room, a secret act of kindness due to his personal difficulties. She notices burns on his wrist but he dismisses her safety concerns.
• Juan shares a picture of his family, prompting the protagonist to feel empathy for his sacrifices.
• Afterward, she goes to the hotel's bar to collect newspapers from Rodney, the head bartender, for guest rooms.
• The protagonist and Rodney discuss an article about Mr. Black's family feud, which potentially affects the hotel's second Mrs. Black, with whom the protagonist has a secret bond.
• Rodney commends the protagonist for her help with Juan Manuel, leading to a moment of connection between them.
• She cleans the lobby and greets regular guests, the Chens, with Mr. Snow's philosophy of "discreet courtesy" in practice.
• As the protagonist begins her housekeeping rounds, she has a brief encounter with Mr. Black, who is in a rush and dismissive.
• In the Black's suite, she finds Mrs. Black, Giselle, distressed and seeks to tidy the room to lift Giselle's spirits but finds her closed off in the bathroom.
• She cleans while contemplating Giselle's behavior, then discovers an open safe in the bedroom with a large sum of money and legal documents, tempting her as she is struggling financially.
• The protagonist replenishes missing alcohol from the minibar and empathizes with Giselle's audible sobs from the bathroom.
• Giselle emerges, looking upset, thanks but dismisses the protagonist's offer for tissues. The protagonist is now unable to clean the bathroom.
• Feeling unsettled by Giselle's unusual behavior and with no tip left, she continues cleaning other rooms, reflecting on Giselle's kindness in previous encounters.
• Cheryl attempts to encroach on the protagonist's tasks, but she insists on doing them herself, proceeding to find a tip left in the Chens' room, contrasting Cheryl's lack of kindness.
• The protagonist daydreams about revenge on Cheryl for tip-stealing while continuing her cleaning duties.