New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-09
THORNS IN MINE HOSTS SIDE.
PEOPLE WHO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HIM.
WHAT MUST DE ENDURED IN ORDER TO AVOID
GIVING OFFENCE TO GUEsTs-cRANKs,

GIVING OFFENCE TO GUEsTs-CRANks,
scAMPs, LoUNGERs, sNoRERs.
"You wish fate had made you hotel-keeper' In
stead of newspaper man. do you - said the manager
Of one of New Yorks popular hotels the other day
II suppose you think our life all beer. beer AMI
skittcs,' chi We've nothing to do. OF course, bat
welcome our guests and take In their money
no hours az anxiety about making up enormous
rentals satisfying exacting, fhitrnnins pup
lie; trying to keep our help' with iheir hah
dozen unions from running and tho hotel
and the guests too no fighting unjust laws
that discriminate against our business keeping sharp
for dead beats and scamps and having TO give
every woman that comes cOrner-room on the second
floor, with q southern eXposure-oh, no! tell YOU
SIR the successful manager Of 1rst-class hotel In
this city has no slnccure. Let me point out to you
some of the lesser difficulties we meet with, and then
perhaps you judge OF how much tact REQUIRES
10 overcome the greater.
q DO you those two welldressed men sitting
over there talking Look AZ the with new per
file on his knee. He's not ono OF my guests not
paying guest I should say-though he's with me
pretty constantly. He's OF your regular hotei-
louugers and has got the other man, who is paying
guest into conversation. And there he Will SIT wear
ing out nv best chairs and carpets occupying the
space the newspaper that others should have as
long as his newly found friend will endure him. /
cannot turn him out. Of course, for fear OF giving
offence, but he and many others lke him seem u"
think hotels are for their convenience Ihey
make appointments 10 meet people here block up the
passage ways fill the parlors. drink the ice-water
mOnopolize the papers and generally make themselves
an unspeakable nuisance 10 us, but never spend a
penny II they can help II. why. one man. Of monil-
mental cheek actually got upstairs the other day
and took bath before the hall porter got on 10 him.
These fellows never hesitate 10 ask for paper and
envelopes TO do their writing and II postage stamps
and messenger service the free list too they
would feel even more at home with Us than they DO
vAGARIEs OF THE PAYING GUESTS.
"Thcn there's the guest who opens his letters
right over the counter here wants 20 use me register
as q writing desk to indite his replies upon. is with
difficulty persuaded to go into the sitting where
the writing tables are and when he does 90. invariably
leaves some of his letters ss open on the DOOR, anu
these must be sent after T. -
"snorcrs give us not q little trouble. 1t some
times seems to me that when guest feels ured OF
has taken a little much at the bar. he steers III
Decline for the parlor fops into the most comior'aOe
chair. straghtway falls fast asleep and then begins
10 snore TO the great annoyance OF everybody aDou
him. All you can do is In send boy to wake nun
LID You can't scold him for II, be gets angry ana
GOES over to a rival hotel but you must watch him.
for he generally drops off again, and only ater several
wskngs does he take the hint and 60 to MS bealoo
Petty thieyIng depetcs our pockets gocd oea'
in the course of year too. People steal our hodP'
raphins towels and even bed-spreads and pillow
shams knives, forks. spoons. etc. ABln 10 hes'
sneak thieves are the dead beats who are constantly
tnventing new lodges TO do A fellow with an
English accent worked racket on me the othef
day. lie registered got a good room ana tnrc"
down 'wo railway checks for his luggage WhicE
he ordered sent up stairs to him. After some hours
spent in looking for the trunks, the clerk reported
that they could not 10 found This threw the English
man into a towering rage. and he was with dihcuiy
persuaded that no doubt they would be found by next
morning Next morning he himself TO complain
at The station about tho trunks, ana never came Oaci
rha checks were bogus and had secured for the scamp
two meals and a bed
"Then, there's the guest who breaks dishes and
spills things on the tebe-clOih Many people read
their papers at the table, and this is fruitful source
Of broken glass. Others, in putting on their over
coats manage knock something of the table with
a flop Of the tails Cut glass and chinaware are eA
penslve and chip out of the edge IS as BAD %
regular smash-up, for Clipped dishes my guests
Will not put up with. l never ask people 10 pay
for accidental bcakage. though over and over again
all the profit that particular meal IS gone by the
breaking of a wlne-glass or the stopper of cruet
bottle.
CHILDREN ARE NOT WELCOMED.
"Children too, seem TO delight in splling orange
Juice and other things that produce neradcabe stains
Cd the table linen. In fact there's no money at all III
allowing children inside the doors of hotel who's
chief reliance is on transient guests Business mn won't
stand them prancng in the corridors and crying In
the dining rooms and 10 matter how many regulations
YOU make for their control 1t is impossible to enforce
tho rules without offending the parents.
People who get offended because you won't cash
their checks on the slightest acQuaini ance are
another source OF trouble TO Confidence men.
who epdeavOr TO swindlc our guests and hurt the
reputation OF the hotel Shalpers. male ana lclDac'
who write 10 people staying here. claiming old a.
nusintancc and that not In order to get strangers
into compromising positions for Matchmaking purposes
the difficulty knowing just how to deal win women
tTavelipg alone couples who pretend TO lie married,
but arc not suicides that hoIrify everybody IN the
bouse and make the chambcrmaids afraid To 60 near
uar ocular rooms for months after and Particularly
people who come Into your house with the germs
nf gous disease about them. taken down SICK
with II on your hands and drive all your guests away
in a panic all these and many Others my boy. con-
splre 10 render the hOtelkeeper's path about az
tbOrny as that OF the average man.