Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-02-23
Hotel CriIIon 'SmeIled a Rat
After It Had Died 80 Times
French Servants of The Crilon, american Hotel Of
Occupation" Collected Half Franc for the Same
Defunct Rat Again and Again.

have been injured or wounded in
battle.
In one way il seems rather a Sc
we're punishment to take an enlisted
man who has fought at the front for
his country and make him perform
the mental duties of the ordinary
hotel lackey But every man OF
them, no matter what his thoughts
may be on the subject, performs his
duties with a smile.
The Crillon has ESQ rooms, and
capacity crowd. Each day more than
800 persons are fed in the dining
room, where meals are served as
near cost as possible, but even Cost
prices" could compare favorabiy
with the better New York hotels, UNI
til the management began an investi-
CATION of the subject of food. It dis
covered that the produce merchants,
aware of the fact that Americans
were in the hotel, systematically
raised their prices, and were continu-
ing 10 raise them as each week went
by. So an American foraginS expe-
ditiol, consisting Of several motor
trucks, soldier carrying cash, and a
number of enlisted men, now leaves
the hotel at o'clock every morn
ing and goes into the open market.
Much food, however, is obtained
from the American commissary at
cost, and this helps in keeping down
expenses.
The Americans, in their early days
as hotels managers, struck queer
French custom, which since has per-
sistently continued in effect. Il Is
the demand of the truckster, the coal
man, or any other carrier for a tip
before depositing his goods or car
go at the hotel. It was useless 20
buck up against this aged custom,
so the drivers and the like now re-
ceive the customary tip.
Cigaret Brings Pep.
Service in the Crillon, however, IL
not rsckoned in confines or francs,
but in America cigarets. One
American cigaret will produce
more pep and industry in the aver
age French manservant than a FIVE
franc note. The reason for this is
that he cannot get tobacco that COM
pares in any way with the American
brand, and he Graves it At all times.
In this connection the cigar stand
in the hotel dispenses American Gig
arets, cigars and chewing gum at
cost, and for comparison the fol-
lowing can be cited: It costs exactly
$3.50 American money to buy a
package Of 10 cigarets Of a certain
brand, which are sold in the Crillon
for about 10 cents.
Perhaps the queerest happening
each two weeks in the Crillon is the
appearance of the man, whose chief
claim to fame is the assertion that
he possesses a formula which means
sudden death" to all bugs and in
seets. Under the French manage
ment the "bug man" came every two
weeks, and as he is under contract
continues his calls. He travels
through all the rooms and corridors,
squirting a marvellous fluid, and his
chief interest to the Americans is the
question: eff his formula is so good.
why do the bugs come back every
two weeks?" But that question will
remain unanswered, for the "bug
man" is of a far too lofty character
to allow impertinent questions to jaf
his complacent mission in life.
1t. w. J.. Black and 1t. c. c.
Walker are the manager and assist
ant manager, respectively. of the
Americanized Hotel de Crillon. Be-
fore they joined the army they were
connected with the Vanderbilt ho-
tel, New York City.