The evening times., 1900-06-16

big gun he was-and he was talking to me
about America I have been entertained
here for five weeks. he said. and ] am
charmed with your people and the homes
where ! have been. The only things I've
seen that are like the jokes about Ameri-
cans in the European funny papers are
your hotels. One is more comfortable in
them than in cur hotels. but they are il
such atrOciOusly vulgar taste l told him
be didn't strike the right places. but he
was right about the thing. all the same
"A few, old, reputable hotels are trail
ing along on the old basis, and are max
ing fair profit They haven't the ex-
pense handicap Of the new places; but
their expenses are greater than they
used TO be, and ii has been necessary TO
put good deal Of money into improve
ments. They haven't gone in for show,
but they've had to put open plumbing all
over the houses. and introduce improved
heat anG light and water supplies II is
almost necessary today 10 run an a la
carte restaurant with every American
plan hotel, for the European fashion is
growing in popularity all the time.
It's amusing to see how many people
stay at these quiet, less expensive houses,
but want their friends to think they are
at the sweller hotels. The men don't
bother much about it. Give a man a good
room, good bed, and good meals and: as
a rule, he's satisfied; but the women want
the style They come to town. leave their
luggage at the station, go to one of the
big show hotels and register. Then they
come. well say. to my hotel, and engage
room for the next day, and give their
checks TO our porter. They write to all
their friends, that first day. on the pa
per OF the swagger hotel; and then they
come around here and settle down to solid
comfort al $3.50 a day. We have 70 send
somebody over 10 the other hotel every
morning for their mail Hurt our feelings?
Bless you, no. We aren't responsible for
all the tomf0olery Of the world, and we
have plenty OF old patrons swho are rich
and aristOcratic and don't 90 10 the new
places simply because they think they are
bad form
It's funny how much people viii sacri-
nee TO their vanity. They'll go and take
the cheapest, scrubby room in one of the
Sllded places, and go out to some cheap
little jc'at for their meals. The clerks
and managers tell me that they have lots
OF bcarders. chiefly women. who are hard
ly ever seen in the dining room. There's
rule against cooking In the rooms. but
the proprietor is positive the women do
II. though they are so sly he can't catch
them at it.
Women are queer-some women. I
mean. They are ali right in most ways,
but they'll do the queereSt things, and
hotel man gets kind of sOured on the sex
When l furnished my last hotel l bought
towels for the rooms at S12 dozen. l al
ways like decent towel, and 7 thought
the women would appreciate them. They
did. They appreciated them so much that
almost every time a woman left room one
q GicQnrp-~ ~a1 I H1H 70 all
halt and buy cheap towels that wouldn't
be any temptation. Bless the wOnent
They didn't mean 10 steal. They were
Just collecting souvenirs. and hotel things
seemed like public property. They took
the towels Just the way they take hotel
stationery No matter how nice a woman
is she hasn't any principles against tuck
ing ali the hotel stationery in sight into
her bag when she's packing to 90 away
My OWE women folks do II. too never
can tell where their letters are mailed
BY looking al the envelope; because. il
they're in Florida they are Just as likely
70 use San Francisco or Quebec hotel
envelope as anything else
When it comes TO running a hotel.
though. man needs some capable woman
back Of him. and be cant make things 20
unless he has her There's no use talk
ing. women understand some things about
a house better than a man could ever un-
derstand them, and an immense amount Of
responsibility must rest upon them Give
me a good clerk. a good cook, and a capa-
bic housekeeper. and I'll make any hotel
go. The most valuable faculty a hotel
man can have IS a faculty for picking out
the right men and women to do his work
There's great row about the difficulty in
getting good hotel maids; but II a hotel
manager treats his servants righr he'll get
a atr G-I
l give the girls good comfortable rooms
and baths and good meals. I don't over
work them. If they get siclzS take care
CT them. and each one OF them has two
weeks vacation in the summer with full
pay. That sort Of treatment pays in the
long run.
"One thihg hotels need is their own pri-
vate laundries. II is expensive. but il saves
linen and keeps il looking and smelling
good 1 always used 20 send my linen 10
one OF the big steamship laundries when I
was younger man. but one day visited
the laundry and saw my stun going
through a washing machine. with stun
from tramp steamers and all sorts Of
places The linen was wTung out OF dirty
water, not Tinsed. and dried in dry heat
without ventilation and fresh ali. I start
ed home and ran most OF the way. be-
cause l was in such a hurry 10 change
things Ever since I've had my laundry
work done in my own private place. with
good rinsing. and drying in air and sun,
and l don't get any more sOUr-smelIiug
towels and sheets and napkins.
"Oh. you learn lots Of things In the
course OF forty years hotel work. Forty
years from now these swell hotels, II the
aren't dead. Will be run differently Mark
my words The best grade of people are
getting tired already OF paying big prices
for mere show, and the quiet dignifed
houses, even when their prices are as high.
are getting the bulk Of the most desirable
patronage The first step in American
social progress has been money The next
step viii be exelusiveness and quiet ele-
ganee- Hotels will follow the evolution -
New York Sun
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