The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-20
The 1,ooo.R HOTEL WANTED
CALLS FROM MERCHANTS FOR A
BIG So 4 DAY HOUSE.


BIG 81 4 DAY HOUSE.
II ID Needed 20 Accommodate the Crowds
Of Buyers Who Come Twice . Year
Would Cost . Fortune and, Mer-
chants Say. Would He Always Full.
Downtown merchants say that the hotel
New York needs most il great two-dollar-
a-day house, with every convenience. With
1000 well-hghted guest rooms and with a
great dining hall where good meals could
be served for rs and 50 cents. The hotel
might be erected anywhere between Sixty
third street and Forty second street and
little west of Broadway.
is there any man acquainted With New
York's floating population who doubts
says an advocate Of the l.OOO-room hotel
And being filled, even at the low rates
quoted. can there be question Of it's fnan-
cial success? New York merchants are very
decided on one point: this hotel Is what
they want, what they think the city wants
moro than anything else"
To 20 into the suggestion for the hotel
more in detail: 1t should be as short dis
lance west Of Broadway as land can be rea-
sonably secured. The chief object is to
have 1000 rooms that are comfortable.
These rooms would be of the same size.
about i0x1S feet, that is, . large hall room.
They would be built In pairs, 20 that two
connecting rooms and bath might be had.
There should be bath for every four. or
perhaps for every two, rooms.
Tho top floor should be given over to
the dining room. This could be made so
attractive that q large number Of people
not staying at the hotel would resort to it.
A good breakfast or luncheon would be
served for rs cents. dinner for 80 cents
An eating room Of the quick lunch variety
would be conducted in the basement. There
would be bar. Nothing about the hotel
would be cheap In the Offensive sense Of the
word. Its appointments and service would
equal those Of any g or $3.50 house in
New York.
Tho erection Of such hotel would cost
fortune.
Il could not make figure on 1t without
giving the matter many hours Of work. an
architect who has drawn the plans for sew
eral Now York hotels said, .but I should
say it would cost q 100000 to put 1t up.
You would have to count on ten stories
at least for those 900 rooms. Then there
are your dining floor and your Office and
lobby. 1t might be done for less, but not
much less, l think
The architect mentioned a popular Broad
way hotel which let's few rooms go at less
than 81 on the European plan, and said
THAT hotel cost just little less than ~
cents a cubic foot, and it is by no means
an expensive structure. Building in New
York would cost only a little more to-day
than 1t did several years ago when this hotel
was put up. I am comparing your pro-
posed hotel, which would be on a larger
and at the same time more economical scale.
with this one when guess 81, 10000
AS to the demand for new hotels, there
is little need OF argument to convince those
New Workers. who come into touch with the
great transient population Of the city.
During the last weeks in August several
Of the most popular hotels in lower Man
haitian turned away thousands OF would-be
guests. More than one hotel had to turn
away over one hundred day for several
days running
The merchants who meet tho greatarmy
Of buyers that invades the city at this "a
son are hearty in their approval Of the he I
project as sketched above.
.Why, our statesmen receive hundreds
of letters every season, said John G. Eames
manager Of the H. B. Claflin Company,
asking them to secure just such accommo-
dations as this hotel would give. In only Il
few cases can they do it. They place many
OF the visiting merchants in boarding
| houses.
Il am sure such a hotel would be very
popular-sure it could be filled practically
all the time. 1t would be success.
For my part, though" Mr.. Eames con-
tinued, Il should like to zee big hotel
like that 60 up downtown. / mean well
below Fourteenth street.
"A great many buying merchants still
+, want to stay down here. think popular
priced hotel. either below Fourteenth street
or between Twenty-third and Forty-second
streets. would be great success
Most Of our people, said George G..
Clark Of the Tefft-Weller Company. want
10 get above Twenty third street nova
| days. There Is where the life is at night :,
and the theatres. l think hotel above
t hat point would take better.
@As for filling it. there can't be shadow
Of doubt on that score. 1t could be filled
| twice over the year round
at is true, however. that number OF
merchants like to put up below Fourteen h
street. And every good hotel is crowded
| now.
| Good rooms, even though small. at a
dollar--that's what thousands want who
! come to New York. A good hotel that sup.
piled them would help us all--it would
make them stay longer and come moro
often
| j. E. Nichols of Austin, Nichols 4 Co.
was emphatic in his expression Of belief
| that such hotel would be welcomed.
| 4They could surely fill 1t as soon as they
opened it," he said. Il am sure it would
be welcomed very heartily. Quite nun.
Der OF our customers go to high-priced
hotels, but we have many who wish for just
such stopping place as this hotel would
George Putnam. manager for Sweeteer
Pembroke 4 Co, expressed the opinion
that big hotel with rooms at dollar a day
would be a success and greatly benefit
New York
aThe merchants would bring their wives
more often" he said. And they would
stay longer. giving more time to sight E,
seeing and pleasure. Many Of them would
come oftener, too
Never Garvin, one Of Sweetser, Penn
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