# Radio reservations collect? Waldorf Astoria hotel ad, 1933 **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541 "2020-06-12T15:37:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/1 "2020-06-12T15:37:25Z")
[![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_Astoria_New_York#/media/File:Waldorf_-_Astoria_ad_1933.jpg) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_Astoria_New_York#/media/File:Waldorf_-_Astoria_ad_1933.jpg) Third line down. What does that phrase mean? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/2 "2020-06-12T15:39:22Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > [Waldorf Astoria New York - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_Astoria_New_York#/media/File:Waldorf_-_Astoria_ad_1933.jpg) > > Third line down. What does that phrase mean? The next line is about being met at the dock when your ship makes port - so “radio reservations collect” probably means “If you make a reservation via radio transmission from the ocean liner you’re on, we’ll pay the fee that you otherwise would be responsible for” ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/3 "2020-06-12T15:54:21Z")
Ninjad - my guess was going to be that “radio” is here short for “radiotelegram”. ---
**Author:** ![EdelweissPirate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@EdelweissPirate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdelweissPirate)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/4 "2020-06-12T17:12:17Z")
That line in the ad is in the imperative, I think. As DPRK and Andy L said, it’s referring to radiotelegrams. But that reference makes the most sense to me as the imperative—much like “Call collect today” was bandied about on TV in the 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/5 "2020-06-12T17:18:05Z")
> [@EdelweissPirate](#): > > That line in the ad is in the imperative, I think. As DPRK and Andy L said, it’s referring to radiotelegrams. But that reference makes the most sense to me as the imperative—much like “Call collect today” was bandied about on TV in the 1980s. Good thought. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2020, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/6 "2020-06-14T04:06:41Z")
I guess that makes sense. I didn’t know ocean liner passengers were charged for radio messages back then. Are they still, or does everyone just use their cellphones? Is there cell service on liners today no matter where you go, or perhaps only when you get close to shore? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2020, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/7 "2020-06-14T04:29:57Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I guess that makes sense. I didn’t know ocean liner passengers were charged for radio messages back then. Are they still, or does everyone just use their cellphones? Is there cell service on liners today no matter where you go, or perhaps only when you get close to shore? I thought most places by now have simply discontinued telegram service (Wikipedia says that in the US you can still send telegrams via iTelegram, though), and in any case the hotel or other business would expect an e-mail or some other on-line reservation, or a telephone call, so a telegram would be pointless even if you could send one. Cruise ships (and airliners) used to have pretty expensive cellular service, for which they absolutely charged you (to the extent that if you wanted to gab on the phone you might as well pay a slightly smaller fortune using Iridium), but maybe that is changing. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2020, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/8 "2020-06-14T08:45:53Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Cruise ships (and airliners) used to have pretty expensive cellular service, for which they absolutely charged you (to the extent that if you wanted to gab on the phone you might as well pay a slightly smaller fortune using Iridium), but maybe that is changing. Not changing. Phone and wifi are among those things that if they can charge for it, then they will charge for it. Of course, if you choose an expensive enough room, or a long enough trip, then this is one of the things that they will offer to throw in for “free”. But calling it “free” doesn’t make it so. It’s a lot like wifi in the hotel industry. Expensive hotels will usually charge extra for wifi, because they can. Cheaper places won’t put it on your bill, but that’s because it’s in their advertising budget. “Free wifi!” ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2020, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/9 "2020-06-14T08:48:45Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > It’s a lot like wifi in the hotel industry. Expensive hotels will usually charge extra for wifi, because they can. Cheaper places won’t put it on your bill, but that’s because it’s in their advertising budget. “Free wifi!” The key difference here is that expensive hotels are often frequented by business travellers, who don’t care if the wifi costs extra because they can expense it. Cheaper hotels are more usually used by tourists who pay out of their own pocket. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2020, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/10 "2020-06-14T09:04:20Z")
Speaking of the Waldorf–Astoria, it does not re-open until sometime next year, so impossible to say yet how to make reservations, or how much they’ll be charging for WiFi in your expensive hotel room. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/11 "2020-06-15T15:14:09Z")
Interesting - thanks, all! ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/12 "2020-06-16T12:02:44Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > The next line is about being met at the dock when your ship makes port - so “radio reservations collect” probably means “If you make a reservation via radio transmission from the ocean liner you’re on, we’ll pay the fee that you otherwise would be responsible for” Note that this ad appeared in the “Cunard Atlantic News” (see the information [here](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waldorf_-_Astoria_ad_1933.jpg)), which upon a bit of Googling appears to have been an on-board newsletter for passengers on Cunard liners. So this ad was specifically geared towards people who were on their way to New York and hadn’t lined up a place to stay. Might as well drum up some business from them, and make it easier for them to choose your hotel before they arrived in port. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/13 "2020-06-16T12:44:01Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > Note that this ad appeared in the “Cunard Atlantic News” (see the information [here](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waldorf_-_Astoria_ad_1933.jpg)), which upon a bit of Googling appears to have been an on-board newsletter for passengers on Cunard liners. So this ad was specifically geared towards people who were on their way to New York and hadn’t lined up a place to stay. Might as well drum up some business from them, and make it easier for them to choose your hotel before they arrived in port. Excellent point. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/14 "2020-06-16T19:31:58Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Not changing. Phone and wifi are among those things that if they can charge for it, then they will charge for it. Of course, if you choose an expensive enough room, or a long enough trip, then this is one of the things that they will offer to throw in for “free”. But calling it “free” doesn’t make it so. > > It’s a lot like wifi in the hotel industry. Expensive hotels will usually charge extra for wifi, because they can. Cheaper places won’t put it on your bill, but that’s because it’s in their advertising budget. “Free wifi!” Admittedly the WiFi charge in nicer hotels was often waived if you joined their loyalty program. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/15 "2020-06-16T19:36:16Z")
“Radio” is used as a verb. So they’re saying that you can use the ship’s radio to make your reservations and they’ll pay any fees. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/16 "2020-06-16T19:37:54Z")
I read some place that some hotels have free low-speed WiFi, good enough for checking email but are charging for high-speed WiFi that is fast enough to stream content. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/17 "2020-06-16T20:24:27Z")
I wonder how this worked logistically. Would the hotel get a bill from the shipping line or something? My guess is that the ship would contact their office or perhaps a telegram service who would then phone the hotel. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/18 "2020-06-16T21:00:33Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I read some place that some hotels have free low-speed WiFi, good enough for checking email but are charging for high-speed WiFi that is fast enough to stream content. I’ve been in a lot of hotels where there are two speed options for wifi. The slower one is free or cheap, while the other one is $10 to $15 per day. I usually get the slower one and have no problems. Sometimes, if I’m working and need to access my office network, I’ll spring for the faster one. For all I know they both use the exact same interweb tubes. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/19 "2020-06-16T21:13:38Z")
I’m sure they use the same access points (wireless antennas) but it’s quite possible to configure things to offer different levels of performance. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541/20 "2020-06-17T07:55:49Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I wonder how this worked logistically. > Would the hotel get a bill from the shipping line or something? > My guess is that the ship would contact their office or perhaps a telegram service who would then phone the hotel. I’m guessing here, but I’d think a luxury hotel of Waldorf-Astoria stature would, during that period, send and receive telegrams and radiograms all the time, both on its own behalf and on behalf of its guests. So they might simply have running tabs with the telegraph companies that would be settled periodically. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-reservations-collect-waldorf-astoria-hotel-ad-1933/855541.md?page=2)