Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-07
CRANKS AT HOTELS.
Sketches of Eccentric Characters
Who Have Been Patrons
OF SOME PITTSBURG HOSTELRIES.
Grumbling Guests, Satisfied Boarders, and
Strangers Who Betrsy
ASTONISHING LACK OF INFORMATION
WRITTEN FOR THE D1sPArcH.I ]

| " hell anu OIner Foreigners, Is AIS AOScA
population. do not mean travellers and
transient guests, but another class whose
only home is within a hotel.
Whoe'er has trayePd life's dull round,
Where'er his stages may have been,
| May sigh to think he still has found
His warmest welcome at an inn.
So says Shenstone. and the average man
who is blest with happy home will be in
clined to agree with him. But there are
hundreds who think otherwise; men and
women, both married and single, possessed
of abundant means, who prefer hotel life to
the petty annoyances of housekeeping.
There is scarcely city or village in the
country which does not number among its
population many persons who reside at
hotels from choice. Indeed, it would
] seem as if no one could adopt that
mode of living from necessity, or
from motives of economy. as the rates, even
of the cheaper hostelries, are considerably in
excess of the cost of housekeeping. One
can readily understand why bachelors and
single ladies prefer to pay literally for
their board, rather than provide their own
food and lodging, but why married people,
and even families, should follow their ex-
ample is not so apparent. But every per-
son who can will follow his or her inclina-
tions, and it is fact beyond dispute that
the number inclined hotel-ward is already
large and steadily increasing. The
HOTEL POPULATION OF PITTsBURG,
if reckoned up, would probably run into
the thousands, and it embraces wealthy
business men, clerks, and even laborers.
Only men of good income can afford to live
at first class hotels, but there are second,
third, fourth and even fifth rate establish
ments, so that person can board at hotel
for almost any price, from $50 week down
to $5, and even less. Talking with an old
hotel clerk of this city, the other day, 1
picked up some information that rather
surprised me.
"Why," he said, ''I know men that pay.
$3.50 month for board and only S15 or S16
for office rent. There are others, who have
neither offices nor business, but ample in
comes, who live in single rooms in small
hotels and are astonishingly economical.
Every hotel almost has its set of old board
ers who have been regular fixtures for 10,
Is or 20 years, and some very peculiar
man I could mention, only it wouldn't do,
has occupied the same suit of rooms for a
dozen years, and has never permitted the
walls to be repapered, or the woodwork
painted, or. new carpets put,down in all
that time. The only fixing or cleaning he
will permit is sweeping, and that has to be
done carefully or he raises row. 1t would
go hard with servant who so much as
moved a book or paper from its place while
r.. Il Il
of his rooms which is filed from top to
bottom with an accumulation of old clothes,
old papers, account books, newspapers,
hats cast off shoes and other stuff that has
been there for years. The closet has never
been cleaned out since he began piling stuff
in there. All the material in it must be
we'll nigh worthless, yet he values il, as
highly as if it were worth its weight
in gold.
1--WE have another guest who has sat at
the same table with other boarders for five
years, and never yet addressed word to
them. He's quite sociable with strangers,
but he never. opens his mouth to the hotel
people unless to give an order to some of the
servants.
SEVERAL LITTLE EcCENTRIcITIEs.
"Another old boarder wasn't suited with
his room after the house had been renovated
year ago, and so he got it frescoed, ,papered
and fixed up to suit his own taste. As he
was a good customer the landlord allowed
him to have his own way. I suppose he
went to an expense of several hundred dol
lars in fitting up the room, getting new
carpets. new curtains, and some new furni-
ture. Why he did it can't imagine; must
be twas whim, for he never spends any
time in his room except at night, and as long
as I've been here I've never known him to
invite anybody into it.
"Another old fellow is known to the
hotel employees as The Kicker Nothing
ever suits him; at least he was never heard
to express satisfaction at anything done for
him. He has new complaint to make to
the landlord every day, and has been in
formed more than thousand times that he
might leave if not suited, vet he couldn't
be hired to move. He enjoys his fussing,
and as we've got used to it, very little at.
tention is paid to any of his grumbling.
Boarders in general don't require half as
much waiting on as transients, but there are
some / have known that I wouldn't have
about a hotel at any price, if I was manag-
ing it.
agreeable patrons. They always make
themselves at home, get acquainted without
an effort and treat the hotel folks like old
friends after they've been here day. The
man who travels least is likely to be most
exacting and cause most bother. A hotel is
the best place in the world in which to
study human nature. If man is cranky
in any way his pecuIiarities are pretty sure
to crop out here. If he is inexperienced
and comes from back town, we know it,
no matter how much style he may try to put
on.
STRANGE INFORMATION WANTED,
"Not long ago we'll dressed man who
was stopping here asked me where the post
office was. gave the directions as well as
could, after which he thanked me and re-
marked that he wanted to mail letter. l
didn't inform him that there was a letter
box right here in the Office, for didn't want
him to think 1 was aware of the fact that he
was a 'hayseed' from way back.
"Another, man who asked me whether /
knew certain person was completely mys-
titled when began looking over the city
directory to find the name he mentioned.
Evidently he had never seen such publ
cation before.
"'What? said he, do you have q book |
that tells where everybody lives?'
I" 1T is supposed to contain the name of
every resident of Pittsburg and Allegheny
Ireplied;;
Might convenient scheme for you, he
rejoined, and from further remarks L in
ferred that he was under the impression
that the book had been compiled and
printed solely for the use of our hotel.
'Then we have to give people advice as
to what merchants, tailors, etc, to patronize.
We are supposed also to know which thea
ter is giving the best show and to be able to
tell our guests at which of the churches they
are likely to hear the finest sermon. A hotel
clerk needs to be walking encyclopedia of
general information, and he must be if he
is successful in his business" BART.