The New York herald., 1876-09-24
The City Hotels Overlooking
with Guests.
Il r AD E r WV E d
Hopeful Anticipations Of Business
Men Generally.
STAGNATION CHECKMATED.

at present The Centennial Exposition In very large
measure produces this improved condition OF affairs
During the extremely hot weather tho people gen.
orally restrained their desires visit tho great show,
and now lhat the weather cool and agreeable for
travelling and sight seeing they with rush
from the Quaker City to the metropolis, which is
u object OF much interest to many the show
itself The hotels, the street cars tho great retail
sores Broadway and the principal avenues Of the city,
literally crammed with strangers. But the hotels
reap most of the profit OF this welcome
visitation. People who here must eat and
sleep, but they always compelled to make pur
chases In tho present instance the Improvement OF
the retail trado OF this city, far could be asccr
tanned at the largest in the city yesterday, Is
not proportioncd to the crowded condition OF tho
hotels Still there is a general improvement and, IN
the light of yesterdays Investigations, IL is OF more
satisfactory If directly ,raceable to the
influx OF Centennial visitors. 1t is due to healthy
vival of business While the proprietors OF most OF
the large hotels visited yesterday admitted that the
ovcrcrowding which they now being subjected Is
mostly direct result of the Exhibition, they also
state that the legitimate business or In other words
that which comes apart from the great fairs at
fractions better and healthier than any time since
the panic 1873 In OF this indication Of return
10 better times these hotel keepers naturally jub
lant and they not alone in this respect. In some
OF the retail stores feeling akin to theirs prevails II
is felt that matters merding the tresancy to
spend money in the regular ways Of trade which I'm
meda,ey succeeded the panic and has continued, In
greater less degree, since Is now giving way to
a revival OF confdcuce that is likely to be productive
of very good results. Appended the views OF
Of the propricors of the prominent hotels and retail
stores given yesterday to the HERALD representa-
tivcs:-
Mr. Allen, one Of the proprietor; of the Astor
House. said :-"For the past ten days have been
iuli TO ovcrlowing, and daily Obliged to send
of people away for want Of room We have had
TO put up in every open spacc available In halls
and parors and meeting rooms that We never use for
sleeping apartments ordinary occasions. Last
night mad tho biggest house that We ever had. We
had even put up cots In the private office. We
now feed daily between 100 and 5000 people People
ask us TO let them sit IN chairs all night when we can't
furnish them with beds" Mr.. Lansing CT the same
house. added There has been nothing like the
present New York since 1858, when tho Crystal
Palace Exhibition in progress
The writer passed by the registering desk about
and found II surrounded ny crowd OF clamorous
travellers, with satches. seeking accommodation.
Mr.. Schenck, of the Merchants Hotel in Courtlandt
street. OF Broadway, said to tho writer eve
ordinarily accommodate with comfort about 275 people,
but daily Tor some weeks past has exceeded
by at least lo0 and then we turn away iully 100
a dav more. We have now in position sixty extra be
ana cotsn Then, leading the way the billiard room
Mr. Schenck pointed 10 two rows OF snowy COTS say
ing. 1--WE have had TO take down our billiard tables and
put these up their place" The cots were closely
placed that one could scarcely walk between them yet
Mr. Schenck said that they were nightly nllcd. BY
far the greater number Of the guests at this house
TRANSIENT remainiug, the average, only lew days
Mr.. French, OF Frenchs Hotel, in answer to the in
quirics of the HERALD man. said:- 1--WE are running
very full Just now Our daily average is about 500
guests We have had put up about 100 extra beds
most of them cots-and still We are obliged TO turn
away average about thirty or forty people day.
This has been condition for about six weeks but
the crush has been greatest for three weeks past Our
people only stop day or two, when they are oil again
to make room Tor others"
sHow is business with you hcres" qucred the writer
OF the manager at Swecncy's HOTEL and the answer
every bed In the house ..why,n said the manager,
1--WE have more trouble refusing those who 60
away than accommodating ouc guests" The average
number guests at this hotel is about $50 day. Beds
have been erected every vacaut space and there
nothing but hustle from morning till night and night
TIL morning. The people are mostly OF the sightsee
ing class, and do much help trade. They gener-
ally stay from two TO five days
Mr. Walsh tho business manager Of the St Nicholas
Hotel ad-'This has been the best for hoIel
business since 1873 We can accommodate between
Coz atd 700 guests vt this house, and We have been
running very nearly iuil since The middle OF August
Since the lst OF September business has increased
sdcrably, and we are now putting up cots every
night Having n good many permanent guests and
many VINO come 10 US rom year 70 year
crowd our house TO an uncomfortable
degree, and SHAH be Obliged to turn away some pco
pie II the rush continues to increase as 1t has gone on
Tor the past week. Our arrivals Tor the week have
been as Iollows:Monday, BAL Tuesday, 3O4; Wednes-
day, 3J6; Thursday, 34 Friday, 200, and to-day we
shall have about 200. Our guests remain usually from
one day a week. They people from the Centcn
NAL and merchants who have come on to make pu.-
chases."
500 YOU think trade will be benefited by their pres
enccy y'' the writer asked.
II have doubt 1t will be; there are among our
guests several heads of iales that have come ON 10
get their fall and winter supplies.
At the Metropolitan Hote! the information obtained
to the effect tnat business Is great increased
mostly within the past two weeks The house ordina-
ry accommodates about $50 guests but has now within
It's walls 500 people. 10 accommodate tins increased
number between fifteen and twenty cots are nightly
erected The majority OF these guests visitors to
the Centennial Exposition. There besides many
merchants who have come on TO make their purchases
and have brought their families with them to combine
Al the Union square Hotel Mr. Dam said:-l
twenty-five years OF my experience here there have
never been many people in New York rs
during the past week We have turned away
nearly 100 people day IRON this house
lors, and accommodate daily between lU0 and $50
people. This is u family house. however. and VIC cant
crowd It like houses can be crowded where all tho
"Can GU form any estimate as to the effect gen.
eral business oi the presence oi such swarm Of WIS.,
itorsyN Mr.. Dam asked.
"The effect must be considerable" Mr.. Dam said.
Here clerks very Dusy receiving parcels pur-
chased by the guests during tue day."
The Grand Central Hotel, capublc of furnishing
sleeping accom- modations to some 100 guests reports
present upward OF $50 the books with AN aver
daily arrival OF about 300 during the past three
weeks This is about double the business OF the same
lime last wear
Al the Hoffman House the clerk said:-.'I dom:
know how much is due 10 the Centennial Exhibition,
but certainly dong very large business"
What IS the comparison" the writer asked, "be-
tween the business you are now doing and our bust
ness OF n year ago at the same timey'
III cannot say exactly, but should judge it to bo fully
thirty three and one-third per cent better We
are doing better Than at any time since 1871"
"hrc your guests making many purchaser"
Yes; they certainly seem to be, judging by tho par
cells received here AT The desk
The Filth Avenue Hotel is filled to ovcrlowing Tho
propretors were not in when the iikRALD man Called
but "A condeseendng clerk With patronzing smile and
anty benevolent counenance, graciou3iy accorded
| the Information desired When asked how business
was he SAID 1--WE send away people enough day
To nll all the houses above Tweuty-thrd street We
have put up in every vacant apartment iu tho tea
room, in tue back Office, IN fact every ywherc.'
We iuil as be, was the reply OF Mr.
BresliD OF the Giiscy House, 10 the reporters query
respecting business ut this hotel We arc dong moro
than double the business OF year ago this time.
BY putting two beds rooms heretofore used
as single can entertain about 800
guests. our increase is not particularly identified
| Il .is.n mil