‘Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality’ by Jacob Tomsky Doubleday, 247 pp., $25.95

For the uninitiated, staying at a luxury hotel can be a little intimidating. On top of the exotic amenities and premium services, you encounter shiny people at every turn, like extra utensils at a fancy place setting, ready to do things for you that — no, really— you’d much rather do yourself. Do you tip the doorman? Can you keep the Swiss lotion? What, exactly, is “turndown service”?

Front-desk raconteur Jacob Tomsky is here to help. His sharp-witted, candid new book, “Heads in Beds,” demystifies the world of high-end hospitality so effectively that you’ll start looking up rates at the Ritz. Armed with a philosophy degree, which he calls “garbage stuffed inside a trash can of student loans,” Tomsky found work out of college as a valet for a new luxury hotel in New Orleans. He was quickly promoted to the front desk and then became the housekeeping manager before burning out. After a year abroad, he moved to New York for a fresh start. But when he couldn’t get a job outside the industry, he was forced back in, landing a spot on the front desk of a hotel — code-named the Bellevue here — near Times Square. “Heads in Beds” is tightly written and laced with delicious insider tips. You’ll learn how to park your car in the hotel’s driveway without getting towed, how to pig out on the minibar for free and, most important, how to get that killer upgrade to the corner suite with Central Park views (wrap a $50 bill around your credit card when you check in).

Coarse, smart and wickedly funny, the author delivers hilarious caricatures of the hotel guests and colleagues he has encountered over the years.

Tomsky is still in the game today, but when he first moved to New York, he tried to find work in publishing.

Clearly, he’s found his way in elsewhere, and “Heads in Beds” will make you glad he did.