The sun., 1918-12-16
CITY'S HOTELS
FULL TO LIMIT
Christmas Buyers and Visitors
to Greet Homecoming
Troops Flock Here.
PROSPERITY REFLECTED
Eager Purchasers Among Out
Of Town People Who Are
Playing Santa Claus.
PROSPERITY REFLECTED

New York's hotels are crowded as
never before at this Season of the
year. This applies to small ones as
well as the large ones, Many OF the
overflow Of would-be guests to whom
accommodations have been denied by
force Of circumstances are putting
up" at and putting up" with every
day boarding houses.
Inquiry among hotel managers last
night diclosed two big reasons why all
the hotels are filled. In the first place,
thousands of folks-down casters,
Westerners, Southerners-whose boys
are due TO return on the homecoming
transports are in New York to well
come the soldiers.
In the second place. this is the time
OF year when a small army OF non
New Workers comes TO town to do
! business with Santa Claus. knowing
! that nowhere else on earth can they
find things so much TO their liking as
/ in the metropolis.
! Shoppers Eager to spend.
The great number of Christmas
/ shoppers now in the city indicates
that times are prosperous. The fact
that they have money and the end OF
the war has put them in a frame OF
mind in which they take pleasure in
spending II means good business for
storekeepers as well as for the hotel
men. One hotel man said last night:
"As things look at present, 1t cer-
tainly does appear as IL the new year
would bring a lot of prosperity all
along the line"
At the Biltmore il was said tha.
every room in the hotel was occupied.
A large number of the guests are in
town waiting for their loved ones to
come back from their serious and we'll
finished business on the other side OF
the Atlantic.
The Waldorf Astoria has been filled
every night for the last two weeks and
indications were that the demand for
reservations would continue for some
time.
THE hotels are all so crowded" one
Waldorf representative said. that Il
looks as If the folks on their way &c
New York will have to walk the
streets"
! Many With No Place ia Stay.
AT lIlt CIO"utu NlCAlsDlH II WAS SdlC
that many applicants for accommoda-
tions have explained that they had
been turned down at five or six differ.
ent hotels, and they had TO keep OF
going, as the McAlpin could not take
care of them.
The st. Regis is booked fun" but
n representative of the management
said there wasn't anything unusual
about that. as The hotel always has q
full house at this sc1son 1t was ex-
planned that the influenza epidemic is
in part responsible for the large num-
ber of out of town people here. Those
unable to come here during tho fal
while the "fu" was raging postponed
their visits and now they are COM
bining trips with Christmas shopping
The RitZ-Carlton reported mo va
cant rooms and a wonderfully good
business. Many OF the Ritz's guests
are from the West. Nearly all OF
these are waiting to greet their boys
and take them back home.
Pat Kyne, manager os the Parl
Avenue, said thousands OF visitors are
IN town for the third annual hote
mems exposition, which opens to-day
and it's attendant functions. How
ever, the biggest part OF the guests
he said, are the fathers and mothers o.
the brave boys.
The Hotel Association has n clear
ing house which is looking after thu
big hotels overflow. These are sent
as far as possible, to the so-caller
small" hotels, virtually all of whcl
are sharing the good times with thu
big ones.