Wish Hotel (2012)

A short slice of life look at the staff of the Wish Hotel in Taiwan. Every day is much the same at the hotel that rents rooms for overnights or for “naps” during the day until a new night clerk is hired who notices things he shouldn’t.

The two female day clerks man the desk dutifully standing as guests enter the hotel and leave. One talks constantly about horror movies she’s seen as the other passively listens. Kai Lin, the quiet maid, follows her daily routine cleaning the rooms and general areas. The boss introduces Da Guan who will be handling the desk at night and tells him to familiarize himself with the hotel. When Da Guan is wandering around he notices Kai Lin doing one of her routines that is not quite normal.

The Wish Hotel is quite busy at lunch time when customers rent rooms for “romantic” meetings. The meetings keep Kai Lin busy and also reveal her proclivities to Da Guan. The maid doesn’t like change, but also doesn’t like her life. Only the “travels” of the guests perk her interest as do her actions for Da Guan.

Nothing overtly exciting happens in Wish Hotel, yet short films often reveal subtle rhythms and changes in the lives of those peered at. The daily routines run from the mundane to slightly out of the normal range, yet judgements aren’t made on the workers who cater to the customers who use the hotel for rest and recreation.

11 November 2024
Trigger Warnings: References to sexual activity but nothing shown.

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