Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1920-11-02
HOTEL RATES NOT TO
RETURN TOOLDLHEL
r. M. Statler, Head of Chain of
Hostelries, Writes Manager
r. S. Tate of the du Pont.

4 NJ Statlrr. president Of the Hotel
Statlrr GO Inc. declares hotel and restau-
rant prlccs can never go back to the pre-
~, purc level Writing e. Ernest ,.
Taitc, mauagcr of III, Hotel du Font, Mr.
Ststler says
think vou will agree that the rep
b,-rutauvr hotel mon Of the country owe
ID Ia IN, public 10 show why hotol ana
restaurant prices can never go back I"
th.. pr,-war prlcc level You know and
Snow why. tut We forget that the pub
n ha. shorter memory, and II II ever
understood u les forgotten.
wrote f hrict article Tor our dally
p4pcr. The Fen ~vl,ana Register. ~ the
II fcl T,ursVlvama New York and am
/, losing cop, Aft,r yen have read IT.
VII YOU dist pass it ON e Your local news
papws
IN 4 few DAYS we expect e. nave this
information IN pamphlet ~ loatiet, anu
II YOU want a quantity fm Distribution
y will h, glad e. send thcm 10 YOU.
We should GET thu real truth Of thus
situation before the american public at
i t,me u hen thov should hear II, as |
bahev. We can forrstall adverse criticism
nv a frank statement and the pubhc VIII
thon know WHIST 70 expect
Mr. Statlers article IN the fennsyi-
vAnis Register follows
The hotel man Of tho past was not
hu.ners man Like Topsy, ne SIMPLY grew
aud fourished He sold few rooms, some
food and lots az booze lie made q hvlns
aid soiuetimcs something besides
The Hotel man never did much hgur-
irg ~ 20 where hrs profits came from lie
dfsu't have 70 OF NJ least he thought he
Didn't lie was not much Different from
hundreds vrs thousands Of other small
business men 81 all kinds ~ those days.
The real difference. however, IS tina
for wears and wears all oyor the country,
b. was establishing IN the puhlic mind
fnlsc proc for rooms and food price
that BE never could have made and con-
tnued a. business except, for the proht ne
made on his hquOr sales
In the past many q tile smaller hotels
made all and m some cases more than theH
total net profit from their bar Prom the
smaller ~ o. the very largest taken Is .
whole. probably - per cent OF the money
made Ia the hotel business came from the
s,,t 81 WINES and hquon
The public l. looking TOR return N
mo- o. pr'-war prices y. hotels, the same
Is IN other lines al business The public
us. right 70 expect that, unless the pub
l, - told why Il can never he.
Ne Eitifuf - itAI Ali'l i''sN~'4assttV alANA
ist hut the public Is also torgetiul ne
public IN a WAY knows the los Of rcvenue
oad profit the hotels have suffered from
prohibition hut " hen Il sces the reduction
prices taking place AL round i, IN
,thcr lines Il j. not gong 70 he satisfied
ilat the hotel men are playing ialr. unless
d knows why
The hotel men will never he able % sell
their goods proportionately lower, the
came IS othor lines Of business not affected
hy the Eighteenth Amendment.
The public bought rooms and food IN
hotels IN the past 80 or below cost because
hotel men were satisfied with profits most
81 which cane from liquor sales
There being no more profit from TINS
source. rooms and food viii have q be
pricod ~ a figure that vii ensble hotel
g. pay overhead maintenance, depre-
cmtion operating expenses and leave
margin oi profit sufficiently larCe u hold
~, organization together So that service
may he rendered 70 the public during dull
Is well ~ busy periods
Consequent prices ~ hotels cannot he
reduced llAe tt,, h4eS not affect e by the
prohibition question.