East Saginaw courier., 1866-05-30

French LIVING Criticised by Lave
Cosmopolito--Room for People who
Keep Hotel.

Keep Hotel.
q fPnis Correspondence Of the Wy. Irernld.I
Among the many plans andsprciects
which tho approaching grand exhibi-
ton has brought out for the acenmmo-
datioh Of strangers, one Of the most
useful is one just decided upon by the
finance committee of the exhibition
the erection Of a building in the park
for an International Club" This is
intended to be confined entirely to'ex
hibitors, aud in thu large reading room
it is intended to have journals from
all parts Of the world; waters who
speak allo languages will be employed
to serve meals to the members, each
Of whom will have his box in which
his letters, will be deposited. The club
rooms are to remain open. till eleven
o'clock in the evening. lo Aoaalj
/ think tia little strange that seine
of your shrewd American, landlords,
who, whatever else they may be lack
ing III, certainly "can keep a hotel,p
have not conceivSd iheiideaiof estab-
lishing-during the exhibition year
after which it would necessarily be-
come one OF the fixed and most popu-
ar institutions in Paris-a hotol kept
upon, the liberal American plan. ~ l ao
not mean by this that it Should neces-
sarly be conducted upon the old sys-
tenn Of lchaqging SO much a day for
room ana meals, (althongh it would
probably bewen to combine the Amer
lean and European systems in this
matter, giving guests their choiceO
lb4t that the little swindles to which
ghests are subjected in Eiropeah ho-
tets Should be abolished, and the ben
'efits of American hotels Introduced
There certainly never was a wider
field for enterprise in hotel Keeping
than IN Paris. Here in the capital, of
she world, in d city numbering nearly
two millions, in population, there are
really but two hotels 1.-The Grand and
the Hotel dui dvre-of modern con
strncti6n, The others, like the Meu-
rice, the Bristol, the Windsor and tile
NIirabeau, are still kept in the SAME
Old buildings that they were before
the age of railroans, and when Eng
fish "inilords" descended at them
from pbst-chaises, muddy and dirty
with the travel from Calais or Bou-
logne. The two hotels referred to,
though new and well conducted, lack
in many things the comforts which are
now considered necessities with you.
The rooms do not contain gas or
water, and the water is carried UP in
pals in limited quantities. The sit
ting room and chambers contain no
CRATES, and guests are not allowed to
burn coal, upon the pretext that it in
jures the gliding and paint, but in re-
ality to allow the proprietors to get
from five to ten francs a day out of
each guest who has a wood fire in his
room. Then the system of charging
is an annoying one. In these two ho-
tells the prices of rooms vary accord
ing to the tloor upon which they are
situated. An unintiated visitor upon
being informed that the price Of his
room for day is six francs, would be
inclined to believe that such would be
the price. When he receives his bill,
however, he learns his mistake. In
addition to the price charged for room
there is a charge of from one or two
francs day for "service J" and if the
guest only stops one night he is
charged one franc in the bill for can
die with which to light himself to bed
Now this would not be so annoying
were he informed that the price Of his
room would be eight francs, which it
really amounts to, or if, after paying
for service" he was not expected to
fee all the waiters and chanbermaids
who have ever rendered him any
The .SSferyite''' money is a mere fic-
tion. Not sou of it goes to walters
or chambermaids, who are employed
at very low wages, and depend princi-
pally upon the gifts of guests.
In the cefes and eating rooms. of
these hotels, too, the guests, after
paying exorbitant prices for every
thing are expeoted to give po,rlo1es to
the walters, who here, receive no pay
from the, house. In these places as in
AL cafes in Paris, every thing is done
upon a microscopic plan, every thing
being ridiculously small but the char
ges,., A gentleman takes his seat, for,
instance, in the cgjs OF, the Grand Ho,i
tel and calls for q glass of the. best
brandy, ! After considerable delay
and circumlocution the waiter brings
him upon q silver platter a decanter of
water, a little decapter Of brandy and,
a glass about tho size of an ordinary,
thimble. The decpnter containing the,
liquor is numbered from top to, bottom
like medicinal drinking glass, and
the little; glass, Just holds the, range
between two numbers on the decanter.
When the refreshmept is taken the
waiter examines the .decanter and
charges for the number of drinks ta-
ken, at the rate for the best fine
Champagne" brandy. of fifteen sous
to the glass or thimble full, which
amounts to about thirty dollars a gal
lon. In addition to this he expects
two sous for his services. If sugar is
called for, that is charged for; if a
lemon is called for, that is charged,
and extravagantly; if bitters are
called for, that is charged for, and, if
ice water is used that is charged for. \
These are the customs which pre-.
vail in all the hotels and cgfcs in Paris.
Now, it seems to me that smart
American landlord, who would intro
duce gas and hot and cold water into.
evsry rvom In his house; who would
charge so much a day for room, in
cluding service and lights; who would
pay his servants and cut off all ,,o,r-
bo'res about his hotel, would immedi-
ately and always have his house full.
Europao f,haf.. to~,.,ll., ,...t.. .ll