New-York tribune., 1885-01-18
H1PD TIMES AND HOTELS.
HURT BY BUSINESS DEPRESSION.

GIooNY MONTHS PAssED-BRIGHrBR PROSPECTS,
TALKS WITH wELL-KNowY LANDLORDS.
No surer indicators of the general business
feeling throughout the country TO be found than tho
registers uf NewYork hotels. Should trade he In
depressed condition. the unsEed pages OF these vol
will testify u the fact, wEe on the contrary uni
versal prosperity them TO be flled dailywth
long list It is not surprising. then that the
year OF 81 looked upon by the majority OF hotel
ayers and propretOrs in this city beng " tho
gloomiest they have known. Those who have Lost
money congratulate themselves that II not moro,
whilo those who have managed TO hold Their own con-
slider that they have just for Iubation. Not only
has tho general depression in business circles affected
the New-York Bonifaces. bat the sudden and rapid in
crosse in the nun Der OF large hotels has aso operated
nuriousy in the direction. In the past twelve
months fewer than five houses claiming TO be nrst-
class have been opened al Of them above Thirty
fnh-st Naturally 1t Is claimed by the established
hotekeepers that in order TO obtain speedy patronage
the majority OF these houses cutting rates.. and this
must inc yitably draw much custom from the houses
which adhere their old scales OF prices Ultimately
linked with the interests OF e hotels proper are those OF
tho restaurants which IN many instances attached
TO the former The restaurant business as la late
years taken ga antc strides in city which has
always been renowned for its establishments or this
descrption Around Madison Square cluster the eaef
of IL ese and within a stones throw three or four
which run each other close in the race for supremacy
In order To discover II possible, how far the leading
establishments OF this nature have suffered at all in
qtiry was made yesterday by TRIBUNE reporter
The Astor House is now the bestknown hotel below
Canal St and it might naturally be expected tdat 10
would have suffered much as or more than ITS up
town rig ais depending does to great extent UPON
business men, +. I. Keith the manager. however. was
in mournful mood
The difference between our receipts IN 1883 ana lsss
said he was only $780, which Is a little below dollar
Inr anna
have all affected by the tard times Even our
hncl hsuess which we expected would feel the stress,
moe, % "en al 10 ony appreciable extent We have
fen rooms for thing aud strange as II may appear
xnars The restaurant has also its regular patrons,
sonle OF them daily some OF them weekly ONES Men
from uptown whose business calls them to tls lower
mart of the city at stated 10 the Astor House
rs matter Of course. These and our ether Gus
not the men to stint themselves 'n 'heir
Andrew DAM OF the Union mare Hotel sam lila LII
terribly nring the last twelve months THINK my SELF
fortunate to have nothing seoas T 10 10 Sopn G y Sey S
cent hotel accomnodation on Manhattan Island
rn owner who d not know what with his ground has
built q hotel IT, Then there nave peei 700 inany
apartment houses built and I'm the face OF the grea CONF
penton they had to reduce their rents until hcy do
not pay interest Oh the capital iiyeste.. All ,neso
struck however by the faot that restaurant business
has largely increased nstesd OF Diminishing during the
rcstanrants rsst have suffered with the hotels"
Said Edward y. stokes, OF the Holaan house' nus,
materially frightened OF late. In vew oi tnc geher'
Oppression all around me- can only .iy that maa PEI
restaurant busincss, y couu
moi be larger my dining room people have 10
wait for tables nearly every night, great IL the RUSH
Al one time last week every room IN tue house Was e
There il doubt, however, that hotel keepers have
shared in tho general losses OF the last year:
Mr Walter, OF the Albemarlc said: Business mas
seldom been 80 dull Our patrons belong as rule 10 tho
weal lthter clnsses and these have, think, been
especially hard pushed OF .lao. Fewer families havc
passed the winter here than for years our trascns
trade however is very good and everything shows signs
of mending." . ,..,., n,.s
The manager Of the Brunswick said that though pus,-
ness had improving the beginning OF tue year.
lie hard times had felt both IN the hotel ana
the great and unwarranted increase OF hotel accommodate
tions. -, -, ,,.. his establish-
mani hal mt nnnreciably suffered though u tunes hn
h % ms.,er o ,Iustontia Increase m business might
naturally have been looked for y,o. ,ha st,r,.xars
The Fifth Avenue, the st. James, the sturtevans
and the Gsey House were an ysea % @ anu a 're. @
e,sr tne times were confidently looked tor and IN fact
eeemod at hand