The Washington times., 1932-12-08
FLORIDA CUTS'
HOTEL RATES To.
BOOM BUSINESS.
Finds Guests Wiser, Thriftier,
and Changes Resort Plans
to Meet New Conditions
By HAMILTON M. WRIGHT, Jr.

by HAMALION M. WhlGhI, JT.
MIAMI, Fla. Dec. This land
where summer spends the winter
where Old Sol still reigns as the
premier drawing card of all time,
attracting a billion-dollar gate and
some 100000 customers every
winter. is once again playing host
to the nation.
Florida's guests this year are a
different lot. They are wiser,
thriftier. They'll look twice at
the softness of Florida moon as
1t bathes dropping palm trees into
sheer Ioveliness; they'll thrill TO
the tropic splurge of warmth that
floats down from aloft and go
into ecstasies when the sun puts
on the worlds greatest color ex'
hibition twice daily.
BY AIR, LAND, SEA
And they're coming, these frost
nipped Yankees-riding, flying
boating. They're coming to a
modern Utopia where some half
million citizens have actually
gone about very serious business
of kicking the stills from under
high prices and have kept right
on kicking the things out of the
way that would in any manner
impair the routine Of perfect hos
pitality.
Perhaps the real reason for this
veritable balloon bursting epic in
Florida's scale of prices is none
other than its new and dynamic
little governor, David Sholtz. OF
Daytona Beach, whose recent elec'
ton set a precedent by giving
him the largest and most ever
whelming plurality in the States
history.
Governor Sholtz knows Florida
backwards. He knows all her
trials and tribulations. He knows
that her biggest industry at pres
ent is the tourist business. And,
best of all, he knows the remedy.
And Governor Sholtz's remedy.
when he takes office the first of
the year, will be a kaleidoscope
incentive to put machinery into
motion that will give the North
erner the things he wants at the
prices he is willing to pay.
BIGGER, BETTER EVENTS
That is why Florida this year
is briStling with enthusiasm. Big
ger and better golf events have
been planned. Motor boat races
will be seen in almost every COM
munity.
The greatest horse racing sea-
son ever will open in Miami, Jan
uary 10, a State Fair at Tampa
starts January 81 for two weeks,
dog racing in leading resorts on
both the East and West Coasts
start approximately the middle
of next month December 15), au-
tomobile racing at Ormond-Day-
tona Beach in February; tennis,
polo and speed boat events at
Miami Beach after Christmas,
golf at st. Augustine, state tennis
championships at Jacksonville,
these and a score of other events
are on Florida's gala sports pro-
gram to entertain the visitor this
season.
HOTELS CUT RATES
Nothing is more conspicuous in
Florida today than a comparison
of hotel rates over three years
ago, not to mention last year.
"A survey just completed dis
closes that hotel rates have been
cut approximately in half. Here
in Miami. for example, a leading
hotel which advertised double
rooms at So a day in 1880, cut
them to $6 a day in 1881 is
billing the same layout today
tor 81.
Other first class hotels adver-
tise rooms as low as SIS a week
per person. Indeed it is safe
to say that one who wishes to
escort the trouble of shopping can
get just about anything he
wishes at the price he wishes to
pay. Hotel and apartment house
owners are eminently fair. They
have learned a bitter lesson and
much schooling has brought him
to the realizations that the boom
days were over eight years ago.
With the completion of the last
gap in U. S. Highway No. l last
year the Florida bound motorist
will find one of the most perfect
stretches of concrete in. the world