The Washington herald., 1921-11-06
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sOaY By DAY
Impressions:
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IntroducIng AIhert KeIIer.

SouctnG Abtrt ketier.
New York. Nov 5,--AIbert Keller
welcomes more celebrities to New
York than Rodman Wanamsker,
the city's oficiai greeter and hand
shaker. Keller is the director Of
the Ritz both In New York and AT
lantic City and has SO dignified the
holstelries that he manages that
the slang phrase "To Ritz',-mean-
ing to overawe with grandeur--has
become part Of the language of
the .Manhattanese.
Keller Is a young man in his
early thirties-a giant in stature
with a boyish manner of young
college graduate. He learned the
art Of inn-keeping under the great
Cesare Ritz, founder Of the chain
of European hotels that bear his
name and later spread to America.
The mantle OF the late George
Boldt has fallen upon Keller. In
former years the nations great
found cloister at Boldt's hospice
but here of late Keller receives
them.
During the past month Keller has
personally received President
Harding. Gen, Diaz. Admiral Beat
ty, Premier ventzelos. Douglas
Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie
Chaplin and many others. And
within the month he is to receive
the King Of Rumania, Lloyd George
and Marshal Foch.
Keller has restored the Mine
Host system to New York hotels.
Instead of being ticketed and num-
bered, he stands at the portals of
his inn and welcomes guests with a
handshake.
The Ritz is constantly surround
ed by vanguards pfe police, placed
there by the city government as a
safeguard to its distinguished
guests. During the week flags or
the Greek, Italian and English
governments were flying from the
hotels flagpoles.
OF President Harding's recent trip
to New York. He had left his yacht
at Atlantic City and spent the night
at the Ritz there.
Keller had received him. The
President mentioned off-hand that
he was going to New York shortly
before he departed. His special
train was ready to pull qpt. Keller
felt II. his duty to be at, his hotel
in New York personally TO receive
the head of the nation.
There was only one way possible.
So he flew to New York in an aero
plane and was standing in the
Madison avenue entrance Of the
Ritz when the Presidents auto
mobile drew up. The President, of
course, was pleased and appreciat-
ed the compliment.
Keller believes that a hotel is
exclusively for it's guests and that
is the reason the foyers of Ritz
hotels are small and simple in
their decorations. This prevents
lobby loungers from cluttering up
the lobby. Behind the scenes awaits
the real elegance.
Keller is an accomplished lin
guist and speaks a half dozen DIFF
ferent languages nuently. He Is
rarely seen save when a distin-
guished visitor arrives. In Europe
the personal greeting OF Mine Host
10 q VI anu
II was in that atmosphere that
Keller was trained.
Before coming to New York he
directed the Ritz in Paris. HIS
hobby is the collection of Chinese
vases and he has perhaps the most
select in America-eXquisite speci-
mems of that azure Chinese porce-
lain which according to the rules
of the ancient craft. must be bril-
liant as a mirror, thin as a paper
of rice. sonorous as the melodious
stone khinG. and colored." He also
has Persian pottery with Korean
verses glazed blue on peacock
blue; Mandarin Ko-yao porcelain in
oranges and opal white and royal
Copenhagen and Meissen and lacy
Bristol.
He is married and has a boy. Al
bert, Jr.. and a daughter and lives
in one Of the sedate homes on Park
avenue.