The Hotel Doctor

  Opening an envelope from an international travel insurer, I expected a check but found only a form letter containing a dozen boxes, each l...

The guest’s symptoms suggested a urine infection, one of my favorite diseases. They’re miserable but respond quickly to antibiotics. T...

“We have two guests with a cough and sore throat, but they’re at a conference. They’d like you to come at three.” This news arrived at...

International Medical Assistance has a terrible reputation despite being my leading source of business. It often calls over a hundred ti...

A flight attendant at the Airport Holiday Inn was suffering an allergy attack. She couldn’t fly because of the congestion, and her air...

“Could you put my name on the bill?” asked a guest. “I have insurance for this trip, but my girl friend doesn’t.” “I’m afraid that’s...

In rudimentary English, a Hilton guest explained that his rash needed attention. “I’ll be there within the hour,” I said and quoted th...

This is strictly for American readers, but others will get a taste of the grotesqueries of our medical system. Let’s say you’ve been...

After a forty minute drive, I arrived at 4020 Los Feliz Blvd. No one answered my knock. Thinking the patient might have stepped out, I too...

The phone rang at midnight for a housecall in Long Beach, 35 miles away. So far, so good. Freeways were clear, and the caller was a reli...

That’s the most stressful sentence a hotel doctor hears – more than “I’m having chest pain” or “my mother stopped breathing.” Ameri...

A February 13 Craigslist ad is recruiting hotel doctors. If you read this blog, you know that I keep track of new arrivals and offer...

A travel insurer sent me to Koreatown, an older area of Los Angeles, home to a mixture of Koreans and Hispanics. It’s a colorful neighbor...