The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1888-09-06
WE MUST HAVE 1T.
MARIETTA As A WINTER RESORT.
Another First Class Hotel Needed Here.

~'At't lNItU WIZ NV bC iOAG W
accommodate the crowd from the
North and Northwest that will come
here to spend the winter. You
want another fine, large hotel nice
ly situated and it will advertise your
place and do more to build it up
than anything else We fully
agreed with him on this point.
The rapid accumulation of wealth
III the United States and the great
increase in population opens to the
South an opportunity the impor-
lance OF which few begin to com
prehend, says the Manufacturers
Record. This opportunity is to
make the South such winter re-
sort that where thousands of wealthy
people now spend their winters in
that section, there will be tens of
thousands. The severity of North
ern and Western winters is so keen
ly telt that the tendency to go South
upon the first approach of cold
weather is increasing every year:
but there has been a serious lack of
proper hotel accommodations in
Southern towns and cities, with
few rare exceptions. This must be
remedied. Hotels built in a good
manner, well furnished and heated,
with table supplied with the best
that can be had, ought to be found
in all parts of the South, and then
there would be rush of Northern
visitors sufficient to fill them all.
We do not believe that there is a
first-class hotel adapted in every re-
spect for tourists, in the entire
South which is not doing much
better business than its builders ex-
pected, however much their croak-
ing neighbor predicted a failure.
When Mr.. Frank Coke announced
his intention Of erecting that mag
nifcent Battery Park Hotel at
Asheville, it's failure as a money
making scheme was freely predicted
1t had only been open a few months
when it became necessary to double
the the size, and still there is scarce
ly room to accommodate the crowd
who IN winter and summer seek adj
mission there. 1t has ADVERTISED
Asheville all over America, and has
added to the wealth of that city
many times what it cost. The build
ing of the great Ponce de Leon at
st. Augustine was looked upon as
the folly of a man so rich that he
knew not what to do with his mon.
ey; and yet not only has that hotel
made st. Augustine famous all over
the world as the Mecca of all tour
lists to the South and the most wide
ly advertised resort in America,
but even the first seasons business,
contrary to the owners expectation,
yielded, it is said, a large profit.
And so it has been all over the
South. Wherever there was good
hotel adapted to Northern visitors,
well managed and we'll advertised,
the results have more than surpass-
cd the expectations. If there be
any apparent exception, there must
be some good reason. The hotel
may be well built, it may be splen-
didly furnished, it may be spotlessly
clean, its location may be all that
could be desired, and yet it may not
draw many tourists. Why? An
investigation would probably show
some serious drawback. 1t may not
be properly heated for cold weather,
the table may be poor, cheap cleo
margarine may be substituted for
butter, or there may be something
of this kind to counterbalance all
the good points People who have
sufficient wealth to spend their win
tiers away from home will only 20 to
places where they can secure the
same advantages that are furnished
by the best Northern hotels; and
the Southern hotel, however pre-
tentious, which lacks in any essen
tial point, will fail to secure the de-
sired guests.
We need but look at Ashville,
Aiken, Townsville, st. Augustine
and many other places to see the
effect OF fine hotels. These towns
have literally been built up through
the influence Of their hotels. Of
the thousands of visitors yearly at
tracted to them in quest of health
OF pleasure, many have remained
and made their permanent homes
there. And what these towns have
done hundreds of other places,
equally as well situated as regards
climate, healthfulness and scenery,
can do if they will but follow their