Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-05-09
English Hotels.


writing from England, expresses surprise that
no American has started q hotel in London. He
says there are enough Disguised Americans to
I'LL three hotels run upon the system In vogue
In the United States.- What the writer iursighs
most strongly against Is the gratuities exacted
from the guests by the servants in the English
hotels All tourists have experienced this in
tolerahle nuisance, which, in England, as In ORR
entail countries, is recognized as an essential
part Of the hotel system Tipping enters into
the economy Of all hotels in England any
person employed about q hotel there from the
proprietor down. can be feed. 1t 10, however. a
disgrace to those high classed hotels that they
make these gratuities the basis OF an arrange
ment with the servants The meniais are paid
mere pittance, and IL is enioined upon them
to make up the balance of their wages by So
Letting aims from the guests. Indeed the head
waiter IN many hotels is required to pay a bonus
for the position. And this Is not confined to
hotels alone 1t is well known that the Earl Of
shrewsbury employs his servants with an under
standing of this kind. Many of those noble
lords would perhaps feel insuited or treat with
contempt the assertion that they are the recip-
tents Of gratuites. but nevertheless it is true
II they do not solicit aims directly. they do in
directly, forthey depend upon the public to pay
portion of their servants salaries.
The editor of the Examiner and Times Man
chester during the visit ofthe Shah of Persia to
England. suggested that No fees to servants"
should be prominently inscribed over Bucking-
ham Palace and Windsor Castle He was
prong ted to this b. the fact that when the SuI-
| tan visited England and was entertained at the
palace he incurred serious expense by solicited
aims. One noble lord in waiting whined Ike
study beggar until he got his little keep
sake. But the degrading practice prevails to
the greatest extent in the hotels. In short. IN
these establishments it amounts to wholesale
beggary. Pay is asked for every and the
slightest service: for carrying baggage to a
ROOM for opening door. bringing glass of
water for lighting the gas. or for showing the
way to ROOM There is servant at every
door in the house. and each one expects to be
paid for the privilege of stumbling over him
while he opens the door. Ask an emplOye for
Information and there will not be q civil answer
unless he sees movement OF the hand toward
the pocket. The traveller is feeced from the
time he enters until he leaves. Added to this
nuisance is the fact that in an English hotel
every want is extra. The custom is to light the
guest to his room with q bit of candle about
two inches long or rather the lighted fragment
is taken along to light the gas. This bit Of
candle is charged for in the bill An indignant
traveller once after inspecting his bill marched
back up four flights of stairs and appropriated
the bit OF candle. The soap also comes in as an
extra and what enrages an American most is
that he finds in his bill a charge for attendance
when his pockets have been depleted by teeinu
the servants After the regular bill is paid it
costs about ten dollars to get out Of the house,
for waiter with glistening eyes will dog every
step, and rise up like Banquo's ghost at every
door. The chambermaid expects ten shillings,
the head waiter ten. the head porter ten, the
boots five, and then on departure the second
porter fingers at the cab door for two shillings
hotel in London conducted on the double
system, one charge for every thing, and have it
perfectly understood that such charge is all
there is to pay, would be full every day in the
year.