The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-08-25
Entertaining Visitors

Vermont is now at its best, from
natures standpoint. The abundant
rains have given the landscape an un
usual emerald. The roads are in
good condition, without heavy mud
or dust. 1t is JOY to travel through
the state by any form of conveyance.
Visitors voice their delight over Yer
mont's charms. There ought to be a
big register of summer business this
year. 1t is large, but not what 1t
should be- Lakes Champaign, Mem
phremagog, Bomoseen, Wiiloushby,
Caspian and scores of others, and the
scenic centers of the mountains
should be crowded with thousands OF
tourists and soiourners. Where there
are ten there should be one hundred.
Vermont has far more than New
Hampshire to offer in everything
save the rugged barrenness of high
mountains, which soon pals.
But publicity is not all Of it. Yer
mont should prepare to make good
once the tide of travel sets this way
We must not disappoint. To all that
we have we must add more in order
to hold. There are certain things
that summer trade demands or ii VIII
go where it can find them. These are
creature comforts, which nowadays
amount to Injuries. There must be
good communication and Transports
ton service. For Vermont this means
good wire, mail and railroad facili.
ties and good highways for motor
vehicles. We have the basis in all
these departments and it is pretty
certain that growth in patronage
could be handled without serious in
convenience. The telephone and tele
graph reach everywhere, the rural de
livery is omnipresent, railroad ser
vice is generally somewhat beyond
what would seem to be the normal
needs, and we have made splendid
progress in highways, to a point that
is beginning to be recognized. In
these important respects, therefore,
we may feel assured.
But even more important than easy
means of access to Vermont is the
ability to care for summer guests in
a becoming manner while they are
here. One will not come to Vermont
simply to feast on the scenery. There
must be three square meals and Il
good bed connected with it each and
every day. The meals and the bed
and all that goes with ministering to
the rather critical needs of these visi-
tors must compare with what can be
had at mountain and shore resorts
elsewhere. 1t is in this respect that
Vermont is lame, to degree. 1t has
numerous hotels, and not Il few Of
them can be classed as popular hos.
telries on account of the fine service
they give, but there are not enough
Of these latter to raise the average
where it should be if Vermont is to
bid for heavy summer business This
fact may be established by the signi-
ficant contributing fact that all the
real high-cass hotels we have are fiji
ed to overlooking, as rule. We
doubt If there is a single instance of
failure in the hotel business due to
building beyond fair expectations
Practically all the failures come from
inferior service rendered in one re-
spect or another. Nothing travels so
far and fast as the reputation of
public house. The question of quail
ty is always the first one asked. Bust
ness goes to the good hotel and shuns
the poor one in almost direct meas.
IRE to qualify A poor hotel will sue
coed nowhere and we might almost
say a good one would succeed any
where.
Much goes to make the good hotel
beyond the table cooking and the
chamber service, though these are
the prime requisites. If landlords
and landladies could only understand
how much plain, simple cleanliness
counts they would exert themselves
to attend scrupulously to it. Travel
ling people have plenty of time to see
and observe. They never fail to note
dirt or filth. To what they see imagi