Evening star., 1943-11-17

Most Nights OF Week,
Survey Indicates
You may be able to find a hotel
room here on Friday or Sunday
nights, but without a reservation
your chances are pretty slim on Sat-
urdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays,
a survey indicated today.
In an effort to meet the heavy
demand for accommodations virtual
ly all hotels are limiting occupancy
to five days, refusing to accept res
ervations from civilians known to be
visiting here only for pleasure, and
frequently requiring single guests to
double-up in larger rooms.
According to Arthur Harnett. Sec
retary Of the Washington Hotel As
sociation, the shortage of accom-
modations Is slightly less critical
now than last spring. But the Ho-
|tel-Transients Accommodations Bu-
reau, through which the Greater
National Capital Committee of the
Board Of Trade aids transients un-
able to find lodgings at the hotel of
their choice, today reported that
last Saturday placed q heavier de-
mand on its service than any day
this year.
Saturday Is Big Day.
Clarence Arata, executive secre-
tary of the Board Of Trade. said that
on Saturdays, when servicemen
crowd hotels here, it is virtually
impossible" for any one without
reservation to obtain room. Nu-
merous Saturday hotel-room seek
ers are forced instead to find lodg-
ings in guesthouses and tourist
homes, he said.
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays,
peak days for visits by business peo-
Pile. persons without reservations
generally can obtain some sort OF
hotel accommodations, but prob
ably will have to wait until after 7
pm. and accept space in one Of the
smaller establishments. One Of the
largest downtown hotels this morn
ing was busy registering incoming
guests, but was requiring that they
wait until late afternoon before oc-
cupying their rooms.
Dificulty in obtaining rooms is
also experienced on Monday and
Thursday nights, because business
men begin to arrive in large num-
bers on Mondays and many remain
until Friday.
Friday Is Best Bet.
Would-be hotel guests have COM
parstively easy time, however, on
Friday nights, after the businessmen
have checked out and on Sundays
when rooms are vacated by service
personnel returning to duty. Some
hotels even have vacancies on these
nights, Mr.. Harnett said.
Mr.. Harnett, whose association has
a membership of 30 hotels with about
5000 rooms available, expressed the
opinion that easing of the critical
hotel-room shortage of last spring
has been due largely to the removal
of some Government Offices and a
change in procedure which now en-
ables some persons to handle their
business through regional or local
branches Of Government agencies.
Crowding has increased greatly since
the slack period Of mid-June through
August, however, he said. Single
rooms are particularly difficult to
obtain.
Emergency Policies Adopted.
Both Mr.. Harnett and Mr.. Arata
agreed it would be impossible to ac-
commodate the large number of
transients now, we're it not for the
emergency policies adopted volun-
tarily by most hotels here during the
last year. The flve-day occupancy
limit, in effect almost a year by
agreement between the hotels. has
done q great deal to make rooms
available for transients. This limit
may, in some cases, be extended to
10 days, II guest hereaon war busi-
ness cannot complete his business
within the five days, Mr.. Harnett ex-
planned. /
Servicemen are given preference
wherever possible, Mr.. Harnett said
The Hotel Association has an ar
rangement with the Army Air Forces
and the Navy, whereby it holds q
few rooms for the unnanounced ar
rival Of persons on military business.
On Saturdays, most hotels hold a
few rooms for service officers and
their wives, who may make reserva-
tions for them after noon Friday
1 H. l. n