El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-12
THE HOTEL
PROBLEM
In Ell Paso Has Been Virtually
Settled.
COLONEL J. F. HARVEY
Late of the RiCheIieu Says That Our
Greatest Need is d First-Cldss
Restaurant.

Col. J. F. Harvey, late of the Alamo
gordo hotel, in An interview with
representative of the HERALD. express
sed himself relative to the hotel bus l.
ness in Ell Paso.
"As regards the hotel question
which has been one OF such Importance
to Ell Pasosns and which has been
agitated quite freely for long time
and now seems to be nearing a more
practical solution of the problem with
the coming opening of The Sheldon,
also the D. r. Francis and others
Ell Paso people and their visitors
ought to be well cared for. They are
all certainly well located and pro-
mise to be we'll equipped.
and if the managers are
good caterers, and know how to handle
but what Ell Paso's wants in that direc-
ton are well filed for long time to
come. OF course, one may have the
best and finest equipped of houses, but
in order to hold the travelling public
he must be a natural caterer or hotel
man, and q hail fellow we'll met, as he
has to come in contact with human ma
ture in all it's phases. The most i'm
portant class for the hotel man to be-
come popular with is the drummer.
He is the one that has been the hotels
benefactor and best friend, for without
him half of the botels in the United
States might as we'll close their doors.
The drummer is An exacting guest as
he is not out entirely for his health,
and while he Invariably joins in most
any little game after the gas is lighted,
he will demand the closest attention
during business hours.
Next comes the tourist, or people
of leisure. They require different
treatment. They look upon the hotel
for the time being as home, and there
fore must have all the comforts of q
home in order to hold them. If ladies
are in the party they should have ex-
ira attention at once, by adding an ex-
ira rocking or easy chair, or sending
up nice little lunch and bunch of
flowers.
speaking of these matters reminds
me of one case in particular while
1 was manager of the Richelieu hotel
in Chicago. And bye the bye, don't
overlook the fact that it was a para
costing hundred dollars a
plate used in the crystal banquet
service, and an art gallery costing over
one hundred thousand dollars, all for
the pleasure of it's guests. 1 merely
mention these little details to show
that the 'Richelieu' was the best for
its size thai was ever offered to the
Chicago public. Of course the owner
was bit foolish to spend over a half
million dollars in 100 room house to
educate the public how to live, but it
was his money and his fancy, snd he
did provide everything that money
could buy. The Richelieu had no rival
in the west,
"But to return to my story:An old gen.
tleman and his wife arrived one day,
and l saw at once that the governor
was a man of the world, and soon as an
opportunity offered 1 wrote him to
join me. We got to chatting and time
slipped by rapidly. Suddenly he said,
by gracious colonel my wife will never
forgive me nor you for my neglect of
her. Well, said, Il will bet you the
cigars she will not scold, but tell you
his room, but returned in few MIMI
ties and said. Colonel, open a case:
you have won.' On going to his room
he found his wife eating dainty
lunch, and a large bouquet ofifowers in
a vase in the mantle. Il only came to
stay few days, but 1 guess will
spend the winter, and he did.
''The next class of guests are the
local ones, most of whom are table |
boarders. OF course there is little pro
fit in the table boarder, but he is as
necessary to the success of hotel as
the leading newspaper in a town, be-
cause he is the man about town and |
can bring many a guest to your house. |
81 really believe. as I said before, that
your hotel question is fairly settled,
but what you do need, and your bust
ness men could we'll afford to promote,
is first class restaurant, supper rooms |
and banquet ball, and general
for private parties, etc. It
seems strange that in city so thor
oughly American and up-to-date that
the Chinese eating places are all you
have"
A Pleasant Party.