Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-30
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
OF THE HOTEL MANAGER


Supplying the daily wants of a household
many housewives as a task of no insignif-
cant proportions. But what nightmare
would be the thought that they had to pro-
vide for from 400 to 500 persons a day? Yet
this Is the task set for the manager of
every large, first-class city hotel He eX-
perences practically all the difficulties of
the housewife only on a larger scale, faces
all the questions relating to servants, plan
ming of meals economy of management,
etc, that are so perpleXing to housekeep-
ers, and in addition he has to deal with
many other problems that are not included
in the worry list of those who conduct pri-
vate homes.
The successful hotel manager has labor
to perform. He has to possess knowledge
of many, many things, and in addition to
being a good business man, he must know
human nature thoroughly from the kinder
garten through the postgraduate school.
He is called upon daily to deal with people
of all kinds and classes and of all sorts of
dispositions. A dissatisfied guest must be
the rare exception. 1t matters not that the
guests are of many minds, possessors in
many cases of dispositions almost, if not
quite incapable of being satisfied with
whatever efforts are made for their COM
fort. Those things are merely ordinary in
cidents in the life of the hotel manager and
are not 10 De COHSlutItu III lIlS llS III VI tA-
tenuating circumstances relieving him from
any duty. And Notwithstanding all the dis
couraging things with which he has to con-
tend, the hotel manager IS expected to pre-
serve his genial entertaining personality at
all times.
OF course he has many employees who are
supposed to stand between him and many
petty annoyances, but the active successful
manager is in touch with everything that
goes on about the large establishment and
all things of more or less Importance come
to his attention in some form or other
The managers of several of the large no
tells in Washington, as well as in other
cities, attend to the marketing, the pur-
chase of the daily food supply for the hun
dreds of guests, themselves. They arise at
an early hour in the morning and go to the
market just after the farmers have deliv-
cred their supply of fresh country produce,
and they are thus able to secure the best
vegetables, meats and fruits offered before
they have been picked over by the later
army of marketers. In some large hotels
the stewards, the right-hand men of the
managers attend to the marketing, in adj
dition to exercising general supervision
over the kitchen, dining room, cellar and
living apartments.
In the kitchen of a large hotel there may
be fifty employees and sometimes more than
that number. There many chefs and
assistant chefs, each one specialist in the
preparation of some particular class OF
food. as, for instance, special meat cook,
a special pastry cook, and specialists IN
preparing salads, ETC. The securing of a
competent chef to fill a vacancy is often a
matter of great difficulty and one to which
careful attention Is given In the admins
tration of a hosiery. A checking depart
ment is also maintained now in every large
hotel kitchen, whereby all articles of food
o,,A III Of IA E n nr W a
cellar are checked. This prevents great
loss to the management from unreliable and
dishonest servants.
The living rooms and apartments are d.
rectly In charge of a head housekeeper
who has supervision over the chambermaids
and those who take care of the linen The
head waiter has supervision over the dining
room, and the head barkeeper looks directly
after the affairs of the bar.
X
One of the important duties devolving
upon the manager is the selection of the
hotef clerks. This branch of the business
requires men who have had especial train
ing, and who, besides, must possess the ma
tive qualities of geniality and urbanity.
They must have tact and the disposition to
use 1t abundantly, and in addition they
must have good knowledge of human ma
ture, like the manager. 1t is stated that 1t
takes years of experience for clerk to ac-
quire what is termed hotel sense"
Another important employe of the large
hotel Is the head porter, who has charge of
receiving and distributing all baggage and
is responsible for it. He must possess a
correct knowledge of the arrival and de-
parture of all trains and furnish informa-
ton relative to the routes and itinerary of
guests.
Each large hotel employs hundreds of
men and women. Chambermaids, bellboys