New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-23
THE EXHIBITION SEASON.


PARIS, May Gas the day of the opening drew
nearer the rush Of visitors became greater the num-
Der of available lodgings fewer. and the price OF
chem increased is still increasing, and ought 10 be
diminished. There are in Paris 9,446 hotels or
houses in which furnished apartments are to be let
The number of separate apartments chambers, etc,
comprised in these 9,446 hotels is 13O, l71 aud OF
this number IL, 097 were according TO tbs latest
police returns occupied days before the list oil
May leaving exactly 1887 for those who came
after have already Said something about prices,
and can only repeat that things are getting worse
rather than better. Landlords who have contcnted
themselves with an average increase OF 6o per
cent in the usual prices OF rooms extol and regret
in the same breath their own moderation. Not day
passes that some fresh story of oXtoron is not told
| fear made my figures much too moderate III the
letter devoted to this only TOO engrossng topic
There are signs Of disposition in of the hotels
Uhcy are very few) which issue tariff of prices, to
20 beyond their own printed limits. gave you
some Of the prices at the Hotel de- Louvre. ldid
moi then know that they had simply doubled their
ordinary rates in some cases more than doubled
At the Spiendide H6tol. they ask yOn SO day for
two rooms al an upper floor. At the Wagran, Rue
de Rivoi a guest who bad been paying Sl3 y
day for q first floor apartment, was notified
fortnight ago that he might have the priv
Ilege of keeping it after the 1st OF May
by paving $50 instead Of SO. lie declined; but
what cares the landlord, if il be true, as he alleges
that every room in his house is let from to-day
presume it is true know that an English family
of my acquaintance, who have been there for ten
days, were notified that they must give up their
rooms on April 2G At the Hotel d'hlbc, in the
Champs Elys6c the American system is adopted,
with notifications. You pay 81 a day each for two
persons in one room, If You want two rooms,
tho price is S2S for two persons. This
is an increase of - per cont The hotel IS
much freguenicdby Americans, being in the resident
American quarter, where hotels, in the ordinary
meaning Of the word, are few. II Is distinguished
further by possessing English billiard table, and
the Englishman who periodically desDises French
Billiards logks thithcr to enjoy the national variety
OF his fayorito game. Tho Princess Louise mot, |
presume on account OF the billiards. and her hus-
band the Marquis of LOrnc, are now there. lonly
follow the English custom in giving the Princess
precedence over her legal superior. She is never
called Warehouses of Lorue. except a second and
explanatory title, and she Is always mentioned first
IN court circulars aud all records of high life.
report of the original meeting OF tho Paris land
lords al which they decided. or pretended 10 decide
not to raise the prices Of their rooms, was sent To
the newspapers and circulated far and wide, in Ing
land especially. for The Partisan spider expects vast
numbers of English flies to walk into his parlor
At a second meeting held just before the opening
the former decision reversed, and it seems TO
have been left to each landlord to do as he liked
about prices. There was, at any rate general uh-
dertandiug that prices should be raised; which has
been most faithfully acted up TO by every one CON
cerned. do not know Of a single hotel whore tho
usual rates have not been largely augmented. But
no report Of this second meeting was sent to the
press: none so far as know, has been published;
arriving strangers were left to find ont for them
selves. Anybody who was too lazy or too lordy to
ask for terms before taking rooms was likely TO pay
roundly for his casy-going habits. believe 1t j.
the custom in most hotels TO charge an additional
sum 10 such grand seigncurs, even in ordinary times
No hotel in Paris has fixed price for all seasons;
none suspect. has n fixed price Tor all classes OF
guests at any season. / have paid at various
seasons of the year three separate prices for
the same apartment in April, for instance, Just
double what | had been charged the previous Mo-
yembcr That is not altogether unfair; the demand
regulates the price and Paris is full at Easter;
paratiyeiy empty in the late Autumn. But the
rates which have now been doubled are the usual
double rates for this period of the year. Whatever
the period the visitor 30 Paris any other EurODeaE
city cannot be too strongly advised 10 know
what he Is 10 PAY for rooms before he takes them.
In ordering by telegraph he may require the price
20 be stated in the answer but if not stated cN
fnrtionatc demand would be sufficient reason for
declining TO take the rooms on arrival or for lrav-
ing them on the following morning | won't 20
into the long list of grievances which the incxper-
cncrd traveller will be sure to find in his first blll
matter how carefully he may make his bargain. In
formation about service and bougics and converts
and baths aud soap and all tie rest of il may be
found in every handbook 1t is the travellers own
fault il he does not learn the alphabet of foreign
travel before be sets foot on foreign shore.
For charges on a grand scale the Hotel du Louvre
remains unsurpassed. At the dinner given Friday
night TO the Prince Of Wales by the British exhibit
ors the price Of tickets - francs each trI5),
of which two-thirds certainly clear pl- profit,
mean. For such a dinner the usual rate is 30
francs, or SO a head. There were go persons
present in all, more than could possibly dine in
comfort there anywhere else, and with sucl
number the price should have been diminished.
good many worthy BIitons staid away. thinking 1T
too much to pay for the honor of taking their
mutton under the same roof with their Prince.
A lodger in the Grand Hotel, tenant of small
room for which he paid during April 13 francs
day, has published the letter he received May l,
from the manager. as follows:
"Sm: have the honor TO inform you that on
and after the lst of May the price OF the apartment
Won occupy will be raised 10 81 francs a day. With
the expression OF my regret at being unable 10 re-
eve myself from tho necessity OF imposing this Ia
crease yOu beg you 10 be so kind rs to accept
the expression Of my most distinguished cOnsldera
| ton"
If it be any satisfaction to the traveller to his
purse empticd with ceremoniOus politencss, lac may
certainly enjoy it by gong to the Grand Hotel The
cost Of liihographng the letter of apology was
doubtless calculated in advance and duly added TO
| the price of the roOms-much as your solicitor in
! England puts in au extra charge for making out