My long-time preoccupation with hotel history reveals one continuous strand: the achievements of unique entrepreneurs who created singular hotels one at a time. These pioneers were not "hotel men" by subsequent definition. They did not attend hotel schools because there were none until 1924 with the creation of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. Most of them did not grow up in the hotel business but became successful because of their varied on-the-job training experiences, unexpected opportunities and business acumen. Their tradition-breaking vision and single-minded ambition led them to create iconic hotels.