[QUOTE=notlikely]
In the old days people really didn’t travel all that much, and when they did it was usually to some destination where they stayed with their relatives. So the “transiants” hotels we know today didn’t exist.
Hotels were for celebrities and and such. Remember there was no Disneyland or theme areas until the 50s. If people traveled it was to a World Fair or a natural attraction like the Grand Canyon (camping not hotels)
Outside of actors and such, traveling salesman came from town to town but they usually stayed in town for a period of a few days to a week. Again not the transiant hotel guest we know today
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Musicians - specifically, touring big bands - would sometimes make one-night hotel stops. Often they did this every other night to shower, wash a few clothes and catch up on sleep, which otherwise was had on overnight runs on the band bus.
Businessmen in various non-sales positions also found themselves traveling occasionally, say an engineer assigned to a field project, or a visiting muckey muck from the home office.
Many towns had hotels along a major highway or near the railroad station. They would cater to railroad men, teamsters, etc. Many towns would have one upscale hotel catering to businessmen and wealthier travellers.
In smaller towns, the hotel was often the center of a lot of social life, since it often had the best restaurant in town, and the bar might have a dance floor.
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog]
I’d be interested to know how “hotel” in the US translates to UK/Australian experience.
Here, a hotel is a pub. Traditionally that is, though now it’s a bit murky…
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I agree that most ‘hotels’ here are pubs. Not all though. There are still a few hotels that are principally providers of accommodation. There are your upmarket Hiltons and such, and your fleabag transient joints, and the full spectrum in between. In my experience, all your non-pub hotels are in the big cities.
I stayed in this joint in Melbourne last summer. Middle of the road, old style city hotel. Had a bar/restaurant but the main game was the accommodation side of things. Note: anyone thinking of living there permanently should get a room away from the street (it was somewhat noisy at night).
Another thing you will see in the US, is that hotels are often built in groups, several cheaper hotels clustered around a more expensive hotel that has a restaurant and a bar.
