From 1921 to 1938, Carlyn Frank called the famed Ambassador Hotel home. At the time, it was, without a doubt, the most iconic and grandest of all hotels in Los Angeles, hosting Hollywood stars, wealthy east coast tourists, foreign dignitaries, even US presidents. But Carlyn's magical childhood was abruptly cut short when her father, Ben Frank, the hotel's executive manager, was let go without warning. The elegant bungalow on the lush hotel grounds, ice cream sodas in the Fountain Room coffee shop with the likes of Bing Crosby, lavish birthday parties in the Cocoanut Grove--all of it--gone overnight. Suddenly, her days went from extraordinary to ordinary, and though this dramatic shift overshadowed her life with a painful, private sense of loss, it did not define her or diminish the legacy she left behind. Life Without Reservations is a unique mother-daughter memoir rooted in Carlyn's intimate and humorous storytelling. It is rich with details about the hotel, Los Angeles, and the golden age of Hollywood, offering a window into a privileged, opulent world that no other historical account of the Ambassador can match. When Carlyn passed away before completing her manuscript, her daughter, Lisa, lovingly finished the story, including her mother's remarkable post-Ambassador life.