The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-20
THE wALDORF-AsToRIA.
The worlds Greatest Hotel and How
1t Is Operated.

New York Tribune.
The greatest hotel in the world Is 'un-
questionably the Waldorf-Astoria, and in
the huge pile of bricks and mortar which
go to make up this famous hosiery
kings fortune has been expended. In order
TO insure light and air at the rear private
way has been constructed and land OF
great rental value given over TO this street.
The joint hotels, for they are really two
separate and distinct edifices, the property
of different owners and constructed at diff
ferent times, are an outward manifestation
of the colossal Aston fortune. AS in times
gone by the ancestor of the present hold
ers of the name and estates constructed
the greatest and most wonderful hotel that
had ever been seen in this country UP to
that time. so his descendants determined
that they would construct hotel that
should eclipse anything ever attempted up
to that time, not only in this country, but
in the entire world. During their lives
John Jacob Astor and William Aston of the
previous generation Of Astors occupied two
stately old-fashioned brick dwelling houses
at the corners Of Thirty-third and Thirty
fourth streets and Fifth-avenue, with
wide yard between. Down Thirty-third
street and down Thirty-fourth street, as
down many another street in this city,
the houses belonged 10 one or the other
of the brothers. In the course of time
these two brothers were gathered to their
fathers, and. according TO the Aston GUS
tom, the bulk of these great estates de-
scended TO their sons, William Waldorf
Astor inheriting the share Of his father,
John Jacob Aston, and the present John
father William Aston. The social trend
of the city to the northward left the old
Astor homes behind. and first William
Waldorf decreed that hotel should re-
place his fathers home, and the original
Waldorf was the result. Later John Jacob.
not TO be outdone built the Astoria on the
site of his old home, having constructed
a modern and more magnificent home for
himself at Sixty-f1fth street and Fifth
avenue. The two hotels were thrown into
one and put under one management, but
even to this day they are not entirely COM
pleted, for the western end of the Wal
dorf, which is ultimately to be the highest
point Of the combined structure, is at pres
ent only built up four stories, although
IL is said that during the coming summer
this part will also be completed.
To run successfully so immense an en-
terprise calls for an executive head of the
first water" 1t may be taken as a gen.
eral rule that the same number Of servants
are employed as there are guests at the
hotel In Dewey and Horse Show weeks
last year the names of over 1900 employees
were TO be found on the company's pay
rolls. To-day there are about 1900, and in
the heat of summer the hotel force will
be cut down to 1000 or less But one pub
lie bar exists in the hotels. and this is on
the Astoria side; but to each dining room
bar Is attached, and the duties of the
bartenders there are solely and only to at
tend TO the wants of the patrons of those
dining rooms. Across the public bar as
much s., 1000 has been taken in in a
single day, and it Is said that the bars
all together average $500 a day, or over
100000 year. This is exclusive of the
cigar stands, of which there are three,
where you can purchase cigars from 81
OF manufacture. Almost everything can
be found in the hotels. There are billiard
rooms UP stairs and down, bathrooms of
assorted sizes, a perfectly equipped the
alter, and, Ii Is needless to say private
dining rooms almost without end. All the
kitchens are in the Easements, and are
most wonderful and complicated culinary
establishments, and if the management
would consent to publication of the
amounts or various materials consumed
from one years end to another, it would
furnish arguments by the wholesale for all
sorts OF people. Their wine cellar alone
must represent an enormous investment
for on their wine cards are to be found
the names Of the rarest and most costly
vintageS- Walters receive $25 a month
and out of this is charged all breakage
and fines for delinquencies. Yet they man.
age through their fees to net an average
or 800 month. each. Taken all in all the
hotel is a most wonderful and complex
machine in it's workings. even more so
than the greatest department store. 1t is
said that 1t requires 100 guests to run it
and keep even, and that all above that
figure represent profit.