Hotels and Motels

The red glow of an erupting volcano serves as the dramatic backdrop for this luggage label from the Excelsior Hotel in Naples, Italy. The stylized "JP" monogram in the lower left-hand corner identifies the artist as J. Paschal, and the printer was S. A. Richter & Co. of Naples. For a luggage label from a similarly named hotel, see Hotel Excelsior, Siena, Italy (below).

"The Instrumental Aires, featured at the Sapphire Room, Hotel Floridan, Tampa, Florida." A real photo postcard showing the three suave fellows who performed as the Instrumental Aires at the Hotel Floridan (now the Floridan Palace Hotel ). An ad from 1955 identified the musicians as "Bill Horn, direct from 2 years in Las Vegas, Bill Byers, Tampa's favorite vocalist, [and] Rickey Powell, wizard of the strings" (I'm not sure who's who in the photo, however).

"S. S. Grand View Point Hotel. A Steamer in the Allegheny Mountain[s]. 17 miles west of Bedford, Pa. U.S. 30. Elevation 2464 feet." An aerial view of this ship-shaped hotel, once a popular stop along the Lincoln Highway in western Pennsylvania, shows just how precariously it was perched on the side of the hill. Mouse over the image for an enlarged view of the building and the cars and trucks parked along the road. For more information about the hotel, see the Grand View Ship Hotel: A Steamer in the Allegheny Mountains, 1932 . For additional postcard views, see below.

Part of a real photo postcard of the Grand View Ship Hotel (see below). Note all the vehicles parked along the road. Is that a bus with the Greyhound logo?

A patriotic advertising card for the Galt House hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio. The text on the other side of the card-- Nothing Succeeds Like Success (see below)--appeared in various newspapers and magazines as early as 1881. The Cincinnati Galt House was apparently named after the original Galt House hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Galt House Cor. Sixth & Main, Cincinnati, O. Galt House, $1.50 per day for meals and room, Single meals, 35 cts. W. E. Marsh, Jr., prop’r. Established in 1836 by W. E. Marsh, Sr. Street cars for Zoological Garden and other places of interest pass the door. W. A. Adams, eng.

The reverse of a nineteenth-century advertising card for the Galt House hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio (see below). The "Nothing Succeeds Like Success" text appeared in newspapers and magazines as early as 1881, including the Madison Weekly Herald , Madison, Indiana, April 27, 1881. Nothing Succeeds Like Success It has heretofore been a mystery to us why STRANGERS are generally charged so extravagantly by HOTELS in large cities. Happening a short time since at the GALT HOUSE, corner Sixth and Main Streets, CINCINNATI, OHIO, managed by W. E. MARSH, Jr., son of the proprietor who established the Galt House FIFTY years ago, the mystery was solved. The accommodations at the GALT HOUSE ARE EQUAL in every respect to the best TWO-DOLLAR per day hotel, and yet the charges are only ONE DOLLAR AND FIFTY CENTS per day for meals and room; single meals THIRTY-FIVE CENTS. The GALT is HEADQUARTERS for the most complete meals, which together with FREE use of the PARLOR, OFFICE, CHECK-ROOM, etc., constitute the greatest bargain obtainable in the city. The solution is easy when the facts are known. The GALT is run exclusively in the interest of STRANGERS, the same RATE being charged per day, all times to EVERY ONE. Whatever will produce a reasonable RENT for the property is the EXTENT of its charges, thus doing away with the usual LESSEE’s profits. Its management is constantly under the immediate and personal control of the OWNER W. E. MARSH, Jr. Its employees being paid according to the volume of business, are efficient and reasonable in cost. The above peculiarities, a low, UNIFORM price, a reasonable RENT-charge ONLY, a rigorous and practical supervision of its internal affairs, and CO-OPERATIVE salary payments, have secured the GALT a fair transient trade, and the experiment is a success, producing RENT for the real estate. To this benefactor, who has made it possible to stay TWO DAYS in the city at the usual expense of ONE, we heartily recommend our friends.

A hotels/motels photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "The Glen House, Pinkham Notch, White Mountains, N.H." According to Wikipedia, " Glen House was the name of a series of grand resorts, between 1852 and 1893, in Pinkham Notch very near Mount Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USA." This seemed puzzling to me, since the Glen House pictured on this real photo postcard certainly wasn't one of those "grand resorts" of the nineteenth century. Fortunately, I discovered Steven Caming's book, Mt. Washington Auto Road (Arcadia Publishing, 2014), which contains a chapter about the history of the Glen House. As Caming explains, there have actually been four different Glen Houses. The one shown here was built in 1925 as the fourth Glen House and "was only a mere shadow of those grand hotels that had come before." So what happened to the previous hotels? All three of them burned to the ground, with accidental fires occurring in 1884, 1893, and 1924. This view of Glen House No, 4 was intended to illustrate what a relaxing and convenient place it was (mouse over the image above to see a cropped version ). A man and women are resting on comfortable chairs in the front yard as a small child plays nearby. Another man has parked his car right in front and is carrying a suitcase up the steps toward the entrance of the hotel. Sad to say, a fourth fire in 1967 destroyed this hotel, too, and put an end to this idyllic scene. Fifty yeas later, however, a fifth Glen House is now under construction and is scheduled to open in June 2018.

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

"Kendall Tourist Camp - 1½ miles west of Silver Creek, N.Y. Motor route U.S. 20 - phone Silver Creek 40-J. 4A-H572." For additional information and images, see the Kendall Tourist Camp page on the Chautauqua County, New York, web site.

A ticket or invitation for a "Social Hop" (dance) held at the Washington House hotel in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, on June 30, 1870. "A Social Hop will be held at the Washington House, in Mount Joy, Pa., Thursday, June 30th, 1870. Your company is respectfully solicited. Managers, Harry Sholl, Martin M. Brubacher, Albert Culp. Floor manager, Mart. Hildebrand."

A ticket printed in 1894 by Pluck Print . Oyster and Turkey Supper At H. S. Keller's Hotel, Voganville, Pa. Dancing free. On Thursday evening, Dec. 20, 1894. Price $1.00 for gentleman only. Price $1.50 for gentleman and lady. Pluck Print.

A business card for William B. Probasco and James P. Lott, who were the proprietors of the Burch House hotel in Bloomington, Illinois, for a number of years in the 1860s. According to various sources (see below), Probasco purchased the hotel in 1866, but Lott left Bloomington and moved to Chicago in 1870, so their partnership in running the hotel lasted less than five years. -- Burch House newspaper ad, 1869 . An advertisment that ran in the Bloomington Weekly Leader , April 15, 1869, p. 7, provided the same information that's printed on the card. -- James P. Lott moved to Chicago in 1870 . An entry about "James P. Lott" in the Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois (1905), vol. 2, Cook County edition, p. 939, states, "In January 1861, he came with his father to Bloomington, Ill., where he at first engaged in the grocery business, and afterward conducted a hotel. Coming to Chicago in 1870, he worked for his father's firm." -- William B. Probasco bought the Burch House in 1866 and ran the hotel until 1871 . Rochelle Gridley wrote about " The Probasco Family " on her 100 Years Ago in the Pantagraph blog, July 14, 2017, observing that William B. Probasco bought "the Burch Hotel in 1866 and ran that business until 1871, when he went into the grain business." -- William B. Probasco was in the business until 1871 . A profile of "W. B. Probasco" in The History of McLean County, Illinois (1879), p. 811, confirms that "he was engaged in the hotel business in Bloomington until 1871." Burch House, Cor. Front and Madison Sts., Bloomington, Illinois. Probasco & Lott, proprietors. Transient board, $2.00 per day. General stage office. Omnibus leaves the house. Connecting with all trains. W. B. Probasco. Jas. P. Lott.

The Nickelodean , a trade magazine for the early film industry, included a state-by-state listing of news "Among the Picture Theaters" in its issue for March 4, 1911. Under the section for Pennsylvania (p. 260), it noted, "A moving picture theater has been opened in the Richland House Hall at Richland." The Richland House was a hotel in Richland , Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, but I haven't been able to uncover any other information about this ticket or the moving picture theater held in the hotel's hall. Searching for "Braden & Funny Little Tommy" didn't yield any results either. The back of the ticket gives the dates of the shows as Saturday and Monday, February 22 and 24, without specifying a year. Thanks to Time and Date's Weekday Calculator , I was able to determine that February 22 and 24 fell on Saturdays and Mondays in the years of 1902, 1908, 1913, 1919, and 1930. Since the theater at the Richland House evidently opened in 1911, I'm guessing that this ticket dates to 1913. The Braden Entertainment with Edison Talking Moving Pictures Two hours of good show. Fun, travel, industrial, Wild West, cowboy, and lots of others. Braden & Funny Little Tommy. Bring this ticket first night only as you will have a chance to secure a Kalba diamond stick pin absolutely free. Admission, 10 cents. Free! Back of ticket: Richland House Hall. Saturday and Monday, 7:30 P.M. Feb. 22-24.

See the front of this ticket for more information. Richland House Hall Saturday and Monday, 7:30 P.M. Feb. 22-24.

A photo of hotels/motels for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Caption: "S. S. Grand View Point Hotel. A Steamer in the Allegheny Mountain[s]. 17 miles west of Bedford, Pa. U.S. 30. Elevation 2464 feet." Signs: "Grand View Point Hotel. Post Cards. Souvenirs. See 3 States and 7 Counties. Visitors Welcome. Free Telescope." "Hotel. Restaurant." This building started out as the Grand View Point Hotel in 1927 and then became the S. S. Grand View Point Hotel, or Ship Hotel , in 1932 after remodeling. For more information about the hotel, see my description of the Grand View Ship Hotel: A Steamer in the Allegheny Mountains, 1932 . See below for some other postcard views.

Sign on building: "Grand View Point Hotel." Road sign: "Lookout Point Grand View. Allegheny Mountains, elevation 2464 ft. Lincoln Highway." Handwritten caption at bottom of photo: "Lookout Point Grand View. 17 m. W. of Bedford, U.S. 30. CEG." This is a real photo postcard showing the Grand View Point Hotel sometime between 1927, when it was built, and 1932, when it reopened after being transformed into the Ship Hotel , which became a popular tourist attraction along the Lincoln Highway . See also a cropped version of this photo for a better view of the original hotel and a later photo of it as the Ship Hotel.

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.