The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-02-18
HOTELS CURTAIL l MANY SERVICES
War Restrictions RespOn- sible; Draft Make In.
 roads in Personnel

New York, N. Y, Feb. l8-The average American hotel user, who is a pretty good cross-section of the average citizen, is taking war re- strictiorS and privations in his stride, according to F. Harold Van Orman, president of the American Hotel Association.
 MT. Van Orman, who has just completed trip on essential hotel business which took him to many sections of the country, stated Normal war restrictions have made 1t necessary to crlrtail or eliminate entirely many of the services which hotels formerly supplied to guests. The draft has made tremendous irl- roads in our trained personnel and we have had to replace them with willing but lintrained workers. Wo- men have taken the place of men in many instances, and in the essen- italy male jobs older men have re. lieved younger ones for service in the armed forces.
 "Nonetheless, MT. Van Orrnan continued, Gin all my recent trav- els, hotel men have told me that their patrons are accepting this necessary Sub-standard service pa- triotically and with good grace. They realize that hotels are doing every thing possible, under the circuln- stances, to make their guests coni- fortable, and they are also aware of the fact that hotels are doing their part in conserving nanpower, fuel, food and materials.
 'The querulous guest" MT. Van Orman said, lis almost as extinct as the Dodo bird, and the few who do turn up face not only the in1- placable fact that we are at war but also the ire of their disgusted fel- low guests. The average American is not complaining. He knows that he is better off than anyone else in the world and that every luxury which he misses now Is somehow contributing toward our final vic- tory.
 Tn an unprecedented step for the industry" MT. Van Orman contin- ued, tour Public Relations Commit tee has had its own investigators in the field making impartial reports on the hotel industry. The purpose of this survey is to establish the actual and potential war usefulness of the industry and to obtain other pertinent data. Chief objectives were to determine ways of expand ing the aid of hotels in maintaining civilian and military morale, and to establish a workable basis for co- operation with civic, military and health authorities, and welfare groups throughout the country in the suppression of vice and heavy drinking.
 Another result of the survey" MT. Van Orman added, twill be Q general strengthening of the hotel lndustry's program of informing the general public why certain hotel services and activities must be discontinued for the duration. The findings of the survey are now be- ing studied and will be released to hotel owners in the form of 8 def mite program within a short time.
 However" MT. Van Orman con- cluded, "the splendid cooperation on the part of the majority of hotel users in accepting all the war reg ulations and restrictions to which we must adhere is of great assist ance to us in this part of our job. I have said before, and I repeat, that when you tell an American cit- .izen what Is expected of him in a time of emergency you can count on him coming through"