In 1983 the Boston Herald called the Saunders Family the “Hub’s First Family of Hoteliers” and over 30 years later those words still ring true. Genuine hospitality is something that Roger Saunders, patriarch of the Saunders Hotel group, has been preaching in Boston’s Back Bay long before in-room WiFi, Bluetooth clock radios, and digital room keys. At the Lenox, the flagship property of the Saunders collection, the spirit of a fiercely independent, family run business is still our obsession. More than any brick or chandelier could, the people have made the Lenox a part of the very fabric of Boston. To celebrate this proud heritage, I sat down with Mr. Saunders to talk hospitality. From time to time we will share pieces of this oral history. Sit back and enjoy the first nugget of our past from a legend in the industry.