Evening star., 1936-02-21
HOTEL FACILITIES
| AMPLE IN CAPITAL
Statistics Prove Sleeping on
Park Bench Is Rare
Necessity.

Despite an impression abroad in the
land that the Capital is so overcrowded
that even the park benches are at a
premium, visitors can readily find
hotel accommodations on all but a few
occasions.
True, when the larger conventions
are in town, some may be forced to an
involuntary search for bed, bath and
board, but the hotels seldom are re-
quired to post IS. r. o." signs.
On the other hand, Washington
still is far from being Goldsmith's
Deserted Village" and If called upon
to do so today, six of the larger hotels
would find 1t difficult to accommodate
number equal to the total member
ship Of Congress.
The Willard, for example, is "quite
congested," according to its room clerk.
1t could accommodate about rs per-
sons if there was some doubling up"
During recent two-week period, while
the United Mine Workers were in con-
vention, it was filled to capacity each
night.
4'Aoy A1OSPNCSos
The Mayfower is less crowded, but
says the current period is only a
breathing SPELL" Every room Is
booked throughout April.
Practically full all the time. We
have to turn away people about half
the time" according to the Shoreham
Hotel room clerk.
Tho DoJa HT1o n-l ~,
hatan find they can take more
guests except under extraordinary cir
cumstances.
Virtually all hotels report there is
less congestion than formerly.
1t was different during the earlier
and more frantic days Of the New
Deal. Before the N. r. A. was knocked
out Of bounds by the Supreme Court
nine, Washington was crowded as If a
world series was being played here
daily. Hotels used to put up signs
begging their patrons to get out as
soon as possible and let the desk know
when they were leaving.
Cherry Blossom Time.
With Spring and cherry blossoms,
ETC.. the overcrowding will set in again,
advance hotel bookings, indicate.
The Hotel Association of Washing
ton predicts, however, the number Of
outsiders here this year will be smaller,
not larger. Congressman, for instance,
will go back home soon to attend to
what political prognosticators call
"mending their political fences" With
their departure also may be expected,
according to hotel men, an exodus of
several thousand Office assistants,
secretaries, stenographers, lobbyists
and other living manifestations of
Washington during law-making time.
The hotel men have gotten firm
of accountants to figure out how room
occupancy in the Capital compares
with that in other cities. The ac-
countants found that IS per cent of
the hotel rooms here were occupied
during January, compared with rs per
cent in Chicago hotels, 70 per cent in
New York and 65 per cent in Cleve-
land. The average for all four was
So per cent. A similar situation OBJ
tanned last year and in 1884, the SURVEY
showed, with the percentage Of hotel
room occupancy in Washington two to
five points below that of the other
cities.
Cite Recent Conventions.
The Greater National Capital Com
mittee Of the Washington Board OF
Trade pointed out that Washington
recently took care Of two conventions
having a total attendance of 3,424-
the United Mine Workers with reg
istration of 1000 and the North Amer
ican Wildlife Conference with 1924.
No one slept on park bench.
A sore point with the committee is
the tendency of some visitors to de-
part when they discover, after having
failed to make reservations, that they
cannot get rooms at one or two hotels.
They go back home and announce that
Washington is overcrowded, the COM
mittee charges.