The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-05-10
HOTEL MEN ESPY
CLEANS Of HOPE
Learn Experincntcrs With Runles.
Hostelrics Arc Meeting Unc1-
pected Success.
JULY I NEEDN'T END ALL
Resumption of Motor Touring on
Big Scale Expected to Aid Ma
tcrially.
iN.1N York Sun j


The prob ibition cloud is already
revealing its silver lining TO hotel and
restaurant raen bout TO give the razz
e-e3a John Farley cnrn.-A few weeks
aGo they sat in their corners wrapped
in cloaks e woe and pouring old
furnace ashes upon their heads. Then
they could see nothing but ruin in
the future, fumless ruin.
Then astonishing news began to
trickle tno, that's bad old word) -~
began to percolate that hotel proprie-
North Atlantic states who have been
experimenting with various innova-
tons enforced by prohibitory condi-
tons have haG astonishing success.
Now opinion seems. 10 run among
the hotel ntY that The Sun reporter
talked to yesterday that they viii
keep right on doing business at the
same old stand | n spite of predic-
items made by some OF the mem hers of
The city and Atate hotel associations.
that large numbers OF hotel proprie-
tors would be driven cut of business
il the sale of booze was actually
stopped it looks now as if nobody is
going TO be ruinously injured There
.s bound TO be big falling off in
revenue here and there. but on the
the trade. the hotel men will get by"
and some of the former saloon men
will be able 10 juggle their old dis
pensaries into something legal,
Innovations Meet success
All along the coast and westward
to the Appa!achians proprietors OF
city. town and country hotels. both
of the commercial and tourist types
are mapping out means OF obtainin
from other sources than rum revenues
equal to those that were derived from
the banned vet goods. Popularized
dining-roon1s. tea and dance pariors
soft drink rrills and even the plebeian
soda fountain are some OF the innova-
tons that are being tested. and the re-
ports coming to this city are that there
has been remarkable success already,
Another factor expected to help out
of town hotel men is the indicated
revival of motor car touring Last
summer less than half of the usual
number of people went on journeys
with their pleasure cars because the
country was in the middle of war
and 1t wasn't the thing to do. Things
are different this year and with a
loosening up all along the line will
come a revival of automobiliny to the
consequent benefit Of the innkeepers.
Stra~s pointing the way are noted
il the editorials OF leading periodicals
devoted to the hotel business and the
reports of advertising agencies whose
trade Is drawn largely from auto
mobile taverns.' The hotel editors.
while hoping for the best. and their
conception tf the best would be the
failure OF the government to enforce
the emergency prohibition measure,
together with {. court OF popular deci-
sion multiplying the national prohibit
ton amendment advise their readers
to look the situation squarely in the
face and get ready to run hairless
houses. They suggest, too. all sorts
OF substitutes to get back the reve-
nue. taken away by the dry law, and
they hint tina. a live" innkeeper will
quit fuming and fussing and get down
To work.
The advertising men summarize
their canva~sss by stating that the
space contracted for by the hotel in
terests f,,r exceeds that taken by
then. last summer. They note that
the tourist houses in particular have
plunged heavily into publicity. frankly
anticipating = bumper season Of auto
mobile traffic and planning. and that
through increased patronage the losses
due to the Punishment of Barleycorn
will be more than made up.
Motor. Sales Arc nrro