What is the importance of the Langham Hotel in the book, Afterlife: A Novel?

The Langham Hotel is the main base of operations for those in the echo world who do not want to be Eaters. The hotel is a safe zone, meaning that there are patrols and rules in the hotel: one, pull your weight and two, do not eat people. As a result the hotel is the only place that is really safe from the Eaters, people who will kill to get your soul and the energy from it. The Langham Hotel was first set up as a safe zone by Raylene.