Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-02
A HOTEL CLERKS CHAT.
People from the Rural Districts Want
the Best Rooms and then Can't Sleep.

the Best Rooms and then can't sleep.
people never know exactly what they
want" said the clerk of one of the uptown
hotels to a STAR reporter. lat least some peo-
pie Now, that man." he continued pointing
to man who was just leaving the counter,
twas complaining to me that he didn't sleep
wink all last night. He said that when he paid
the prices asked by Washington hotels he
ought to be able to sleep"
what was the matter with him?' asked the
reporter.
why, he wasn't accustomed to the noise of
a city. He lives in rural town. where every
thing is quiet after O'Clock at night. He came
in last evening and wanted one of the best
suites of rooms we have. / settled him in the
most desirable apartments on the second floor,
fronting on two streets He heard the street
cars running up to midnight and then there
were the night-liners going by after that until
daylight. These we're sounds that he was not
used to and they made him nervous so he
couldn't sleep. Now I've changed him to an
inner room, higher up, and he'll sleep all right
tonight
DO you often have trouble of this kind2"
''Yes, indeed, every day. People who are
strangers to a city always insist upon having
rooms on the lower floors and they want them
to face the street. They get what they ask for
and then they kick because they can't sleep.
Of course the best rooms for persons of this
kind are on the inner court and nearer the
roof. The air is prrer and they are quiet. But
then countrymen are timid about fire that
they don't want to take these rooms You
can't make them believe that they are as safe
as any others in the house that in case of
fire they could escape from them as easily.
remember western Congressman who when
be first came to Washington tried four different
hotels before he finally got settled. He first
changed twice in one day because he couldn't
get suite on the parlor floor. He couldn't
sleep at all on account of the noise. Finally he
came back here and took an inside room on the
fourth story. Then he slept like top, and he
has been with us ever since"
Il should think women would make more
trouble than men about a hotel" said the re-
porter. though perhaps you don't suffer much
from them
Don't L? Well. now / would rather deal
with twenty men than one woman. You can
reason with men. III You haven't got Just the
kind of room they want you can convince them
that you will do the best in your power for
them. Not so a woman. She always thinks you
are trying to swinde her; that some other woman
is getting better cared for. She wants to know
who the woman is whose room is next to hers,
where she comes from and all that. She will
keep the bell boy on the go and make it lively
for the chambermaid. OF course all women
are not of this kind. but there is sufficient
number to keep us active all the time
the year?"
No, we don't lose much in that way. OF
course, once in a while fellow comes here,
stays day or two and then skips off without
payment, but an experienced hotel clerk can
size up his man pretty well when he registers
More is lost upon what are known as regular
boarders than upon these hy-by-night chaps.
have in my mind case where man and his
wife and one child boarded here all through
one session of Congress and don'tbelieve they
ever paid cent"
How was that?'
''Oh. it was none of my funeral I took the
measure of the man in less than a week. and
told the governor what 1 thought He was
man who would pay if he had the money but
he didn't have 1t. He was interested in some
railroad bill that was before Congress, and if it
had passed he would have made a good deal of
money. l think the fellow had once been well
fixed, for he was gentlemanly in his manners,
and he had a stock of good clothes. His wife
had some elegant costumes and lots of iewelry
She was the one that got around the governor
She was a beautiful talker. and she told the
governor all about their misfortunes and the
prospect which her husband had if the bill in
which he was interested should pass Congress-
that the governor Just let them STAY on until
the session was over. His bill didn't go
through, and SO he didn't have any money.
and as l said before. don't believe they ever
paid cent. / could tell lots of Just such
stories, but that is enough to show what mean
when l said that we lost more by regular
boarders than by transients,'
Il suppose you have every room engaged for
Inauguration week, said the reporter, chang
ing the subject.
I'VE could have checked off every room
twice over, had We so desired but we have
not. We have certain regular customers
those who always stop with us when they come
to Washington-whom we propose to look out
Tor first. How many of those will want to Sc
cure rooms we shall not know until about the
18th of this month. After that we shall begin
to reserve rooms for others. have no doubt
every hotel will be crowded, for the indications
are that more people will come here to see
Gen. Harrison inaugurated than have ever
been here before. We had pretty big rush
when Cleveland was inaugurated. but the at
tendance next March promises to be even
greater"