New-York tribune., 1872-07-31
THE DECLINE IN SUMNER TRAVEL.

rYpoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT oP THB BTRIBUSBl
SARATOGA, July 25.-At last the vengeance
so long predicted by indignant and outraged tourlSr
has overtnken the hotelkeepers. reacuon at@'"s'
Summer travel in this country has set in whoh .rca'
ems 10 involve in ruin many enterprsing landorus anu
TO work complete revolution In the hotel system ~ o
fashionable resorts The present season IA the poorest
ever known to tho hotelkeepers. III ~ no" ~, '"o
week Of July, and il is safe to say that iaSno"nO
mer hotels not half full, ana 'nh' :" 1
instances not than quarter Oh 'Io '
are occupied Hotels OF wide celcbry-hoteiS "ioao
advertisements read attractiyely That IL seems 40 "
they must be overcrowded. are not paying tholr
expenses There in oven, with but few guests All
Lutte necessity for keeping up the stannaru VI tno
ArmIes OF servants have been engaged ior 'no soon
and must be paid and fed. Rent must DC pro'ioui0 i0'
and altogether unless August changes the "noio aPo'
of affairs many OF best rural ho'eiS WIZ o"'ns
hands after this season. During the war ana lor the
five years following the hoelkeeperS re'eou III o"o',
17rorybodv went 10 the most expensive resorts ana
nod the most extrayagant prices with only ieoDlo
mprmur Tho hoel-keepers, lke Jeshurun OF oid'
axed fat and kicked They saw the pubic seiIeu Dy
mania and they took advantage OF IT, "heh then
rooms were full and often when they not they put
nm cot n the parlors and crowded their guests as In
barracks charging this uncomfortable and insufficient
accommodation the rates they nOmnay asked for
separate rooms -Four to six dollars day were paid for
sleeping cot and for chance 10 fee the walters at
the dining table and the pubc-the most egregous and
gregarious the asinne kndsruggled for chance to
add its contributions to the Pactoian stream flowing
into the capacious pockets OF the aabsorbng Bonifaces
or course the everybody specially attracted to the
houses which known TO be the most overcrowded
Landlords strutted, and hotel clerks ruled travellers
with rod OF iron 1t proposed still further TO in
crease the rates OF board. Seven dollars day were
talked reasonable figure in the early future OF
the rst-class hotels The masters were triumphant the
paying slaves uhe public were humble, silent and
crushed. Suddenly the corner" in hotels broke. The
first symptom of weakness showed itself early last season.
The papers were filed with the complaints OF grumbing
constant readers" European trips became more pop
lar than ever and the patronage OF Summer hotels
fell of. There several bad failures, and among
them those Of three Of the most prominent hotel men I'm
the country The idea of increasing the prices of board
was then at abandoned, and decrease was de-
creed, being average, however Of only fifty cents
day. The seven dollar chimera vanished, and opulent
landlords sighed for the golden days which had passed
away The present season Ienered upon with fear
and trembling, especially as the number OF
hotels had greatly increased OF late and several
new and very attractive resorts had been just opened
But repentance too late. II the goose which
laid the golden eggs not killed, he certainly was
seriously wounded and had become exceedingly shy and
tlmd The primary OF all this trouble lay IN the
high rates Of board the secondary, in the inciyy OF
landlords rather Of their subordinates with whom
the travelling public had been brought into contact.
The mere nominal price Of board always much en-
HANGED by extraneous chargesby the fees to WATERS
and porters by the prices of carriage hire
&c Another item the absurd rate OF omnibus fare.
For ten cents may ride in New-York omnibus
from the Battery TO Fortieths For going quarter
oneeighhOf that distance, from the steamboat landing
or the railroad depot TO the fashionable hotel he would
be charged half dollar, and this, too in places where
horses and their feed much cheaper than in the
CITY, This item perhaps looks rather too tring to
serve mention; but when Mr. Smith on his Summer
tour with Mrs Smith and the two Misses Smith and
Master Smith, and Mrs Smiths unmarried sister. it
counted up rapidly Then the nominal board price only
included sleeping accommodations, and the price Of
private sittng-room always made dsproportion-
atey high.
goody part not by means the largest, but still
n noteworthy portion OF the patronage OF tho Summer
hotels from gentlemen travelling alone or in par
ties OF two and three The ndigntes heaped upon this
class OF the community form fearful record ana this
brings into prominence that wonderful being the hotel
clerk of the period Young handsome and supercious,
with his hair dressed in the most killing style, with
plump red cheeks with elegant garments Of the most
fashionable cut with diamond pin, with largenked
watch guard with superb cufbuttons. with an indiher-
ent haughness OF demeanOr wonderful TO behold, with
sovereign contempt for the sovereign people, with all
the attributes of power, with an utter disregard Of
yeracy with all the overbearing qualities which come
from irresponsible sway-this Is that marvellous and
magnificent mixture Of JOve and Apollo. And this Is
what he did with the gentleman travelling alone in
parties of two three: lie would deliberately Danish
them TO the hot rooms In the attic, or to the
inferior apartments looking upon dismal courtyards, or
exposed 10 the odors OF the kitchen. He would calmly
tell them that all the good rooms on the front were
ped He would know this to be false. and his victims
would know It, too but he omnipotent, and they
were helpless This the general practice in all fash
onabe hotels Now the occupant Of the poorest rooms
has to pay precisely the price as he who by favor
sm and personal acquaintance with the clerk, has the
hest one He must also be careful 10 see In his bills,
that there not extra charge for some meal dating
Just anterior to his arrival or some omnibus ride he dd
not take Here there is to be noted phenomenon. |
have travelled much for many summers. In tins and
other lands, usually feauentng the best hotels and OF
| tho very many errors " found in my bills, have
landlord. have never once found TIE extra hafdoar
or the shilling the franc or the thaer or the roube,
put down TO my credit draw no inference, but simply
state the fact curious phenomenon III hotel mathe-
matics . 49,, -. = II.
ing has driven many OF our summer travellers 10 Europe
| Never before have the outgoing steaners been as
has proved that foreign trip can be made at no greater
and often at expense. than tour among our favor
denoe AT one OF them. This tendency 10 visit Europe
will increase with increasing facilities, and every
| American hotekeepers will find they have raised
rival which, like the ghost of Banquo, viii not down"
| The EnroDeau system introduced into some OF
hotels-tha s the system OF only paying for what you
eat-is concession TO the spirit Of dsaecton in regard
to prevalent hotel arrangements but Is too often
deusion and The prices for articles OF food are
placed high as 20 no equally an insult TO the under
standing and 10 the pocket This too, will be remedied
in tl,ae The other day asked Summer hote-keeper
of eentemanly inspos aud long experience his opinion
on the points alluded 10 IN this Letter Ia acknowl
edged that European travel was having. this season.
disastrous effect upon the waterngpaoe patronage but
maintained that every season brought out fresh sup
ply OF younger home tOuristsyOung men just beginning
TO travel young bridal couples, and the riche
who would iii the vacancies He declared that the high
rates OF board were made necessary chiefly by the
pense OF help-by the army OF waters who had TO be
we'll paid and who much. lie did not deny that
fashionable h0elkeepers generally until tho last
or two) had been making large fortunes; did he
| IN the hYntem fnninY Ill