Hotel history: The art of hospitality
July 21, 2018
What is the art of hospitality? Fanciful prediction; definition of “turnpike;” the pineapple as a symbol of hospitality; Hokusai, the great Japanese printmaker – these are all examples of the myriad ways hospitality plays into hotels. Let’s take a look at each one.
Fanciful Prediction
In the September 1912 issue of American Homes & Gardens, futurist Harold D. Eberlein presented his predictions of the impact of air travel on American cities. Eberlein foresaw a proliferation of roof gardens on top of large hotels to provide pleasing views for guests. He also predicted that travelers could expect to find “clerks and bellboys posted on the top floor ready to attend to the immediate wants of tourists who have just arrived by airplane. Aerial taxicabs will circle like vultures over the hotel waiting for a doorman to signal one of them to alight and pick up a departing guest.” The creation of drones and self-driven vehicles