The evening times., 1900-06-16
RUNNING MODERN HOTELS
A Business That Requires First
Class Executive Ability.
SNOWY Luxury Plays Havoc With
PrOfts-GOod Landlords Born, Not
Made-A Capable Woman to Look
After Matters Always a Valuable
Adjunct-Needs OF Good HOxteIries

large hotels were in operation as at pres
have plenty of patrons. yet most of the
hotel managers complain Of the smallness
of profits.
What is wrong with the hctel busi-
ness?" a Sun" reporter asked o. a man
who for forty years has been successful
hotel manager in New York ard other
Eastern cities.
Everything is wrong with it," he re-
piled. pessimistically- "A man might as
we'll expect to get rich peadling lightning
bugs as running an up-to-date hotel un-
less he runs il as a freak museum. In the
first place, the rents are simply murder
Gus. The public has been educated up to
a high degree of hotel luxury. Solid com
fort isn't enough today. Glitter and glare
and novelty are what the people with
money are crying for. Hotels undertook
to satisfy these whims. A few set the
pace, others had to fall in line il order u
catch patronage. and competition is so keen
that every hotel is on a tremendous strain
to keep up with the procession. When
hotel is built now the only idea is 70 make
it bigger and Shower and more elaborate
than any Of the others. The architects
turn themselves loose. and the capitalists
pour in money The decoration and fur
nishIngs and all that sort Of thing are the
most expensive that money can buy. Plate
glass and marbles and onyx and bass and
silver plate are used as freely al plaster
OF paris. Decorative effect cuts a good
deal bigger figure than practical utility,
and nobody counts what the cost OF run
ming such plant will be.
Then the hotel man rents the place.
God help him. There is so much money
sunk in the establishment that the rent
must be enormous So little attention has
been paid TO economy that FIVE times as
many employees are required as should be
necessary in house OF the size. Taxes
repairs, fuel all the other running ex-
penses are monumental. By the time the
investor has his per cent on the money
Invested and the expenses OF keeping up
the hotel are paid the manager IS in a
hole. He is in a treadmill simply work
ing for his landlord. OF course. he has 20
charge high rates He couldn't keep
things going at all II he didn't. and even
as il is he doesn't make money l can
count the wealthy hotel men Of today on
the fingers OF my two hands. and yet
rich hotel men used TO be ak plentiful as
blackberries
The bigger a hotel Of this modern sort
is the better. The biggest ones stand the
best show for coming out ahead OF the
game. for. after a certain point, the In
crease IN expense isn't in proportion to
the increase in size. The main cost OF
running small modern house is as great
as It would be for a large cne The only
difference need be in greater cining-room
and bedroom accommodations. and extra
ri ra~ afanrv fff1 4.
OF figure. The income of house may be
almost doubled by doubling its size. but
the expense isn't increased . per cent OF
course, II the hotel can't draw a crowd
size isn't any advantage; bur the com
plant Just nOw isn't that the hotels are
not full. but that, even when they are full
the men who are running them don't make
money
The absolute folly Of some hotel archi-
tects and builders is enough 10 make a
practical hotel man tear his hair. 4 very
handsome hotel has recently been put up
In one Of our big Eastern cities. Il has a
magnificent front, and its drawing rooms,
offices, reading rooms, concert halls, bed
room suites. and all that sort Of thing are
SUPERB 10 the last degree-miliions in
them Well do you know they can't keep
servant in that blooming place? The
servants quarters and al the arrange
ments for work are so beastIy bad that
three times the servants have all walked
out In a body: aad suppose they'll keep
II up l tell YOU, We are sacrificing too
much TO onyx and plate glass and Louis
XIV furniture.
Now, I've had occasion within the last
few years 10 pass judgment upon several
modern New York hotels Friends Of mine
wanted TO buy. and the decision was Ic:t
TO me. One Of the places-and stunning
one il looked to be-was offered at a good
deal less than cost, and my friends thought
II was bargain. l went up and looked il
over Then l telegraphed:
" IS7't buy If they offer * to you for
two cents There's no money in II for yol
IL they'd give il 10 you
You see, II was just this way The
hotel was beautiful and utterly imprac-
tieable-5uilt by an architect in a pipe
dream, l should say. Just to give you an
instance of what l mean. went down into
the boiler room. II was full OF men in
uniform
4" How many men do you use here?' 1
asked.
d" Seventeen said the engineer.
" Great Scott, Seventeen men to Iun
this boiler rom? How much coal do you
use? He told ne.
Where are your coal bins?' 1 said,
looking around
We'll. those there at the end are the
only ones We have, and they only hold
twelve tons. so we have to axe in coal
every other day
NO wonder they needed extra men. and
th.ak of all the noise and dirt CT that coal
dumping under the windows every other
day. The arhitect that didn't know bet
ter than that ought to be shot.
There were FIVE elevators running in
that house. Two would have done the
work The architect said. You've got the
boilers. II won't cost anything special to
have all the elevators you want But the
boilers have to be fed and there has to be
a double elevator force for each elevator
figured out the number OF employees In that
hotel and asked how many guests were
staying there. There were four and one
half servants TO each guest; and yet the
house. as it was planned, couldn't have
been run with smaller force.
You can see why ! sert that telegram.
The sit.ation is exactly the same in most
Of the swell hotels Of the city, though a
few of them are making good money.
Economy of administrator There's the
keynote to successful hotel management
/ AS I've been telling you, II isn't possible in
some Of the modern hotels; but every hotel
ought TO be built with that as the chief end
| and aim, and the sooner architects grasp
that fact the better. The kitchens are put
| too far from the dining-rOomS. Things have
| to go through too many ha.ds before they
are served, and can't be served quickly.
Difficulties of cleanine and polishing are
not considered Three men are paid TO do
what cne could do if rational arrangements
were made for his work know one good
old hotel that Is run in first-class fashion.
One is made as comfortable there as any
| where in the country. The house will ac-