They’ve got a hotel to run.
I've across with the phrase above in a novel. But apparently it's a famous sentence in The Furchester Hotel:
They're furry and crazy – and they've got a hotel to run!
But what does it mean?
Note: James and Bradley are the hotel's owners.
The fuller text is:
“If we could all just stop pointing the finger at me for a minute,
there’s something I’d like to bring up,” Matthew says. He knows he
sounds a bit aggressive; he doesn’t care. They’ve practically accused
him of murder, for God’s sake. “What’s that?” David says. “I think
James and Bradley are hiding something.” James looks completely taken
aback. Bradley flushes to the roots of his hair. “What do you mean?”
James stammers. Matthew leans toward James and Bradley, who are seated
together. “This is your hotel. Maybe you know something the rest of us
don’t.” “Like what?” James says, on the defensive. “I don’t know. But
I’ve seen you two whispering together. What have you been whispering
about?” “We haven’t been whispering,” James says, coloring. “Yes, you
have, I’ve seen you.” “Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Ian interjects,
“they’ve got a hotel to run.”
Best Answer
When you've got a {something} to {verb of doing} you have (pressing) obligations in respect to the something.
We've got a test to take. We must take a test.
We've got a hole to dig. We must dig a hole.
We've got a cake to bake. We must bake a cake.