Category:
Hotels

Hotel Automat



Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 19, 2021 - Comments (4)
Category: Inventions, Technology, Hotels, 1960s

The Lunar Hilton

Back in 1967, as the first landing on the moon approached, Hilton prepared plans for opening hotels in space. They envisioned first opening an Orbiter Hilton, soon to be followed by a Lunar Hilton.

Details from an article in the Boston Globe (July 20, 1969):

The first moon tourists will enjoy comfortable earth-style living in a tri-level underground resort. Bottom level will contain mechanical equipment and the center level will consist of two 400 feet guest corridors containing 100 rooms. Top level will be for public space.

Hilton said the three floors will eliminate elevators and should minimize power requirements. Multi-story underground moon hotels will come later.

Guest rooms will have wall-to-wall television for closed circuitry views of space and to receive programs from earth. A nuclear reactor kitchen will prepare dehydrated freeze dry foods. Cleaning will be done by small laser units.

The Lunar Hilton's most popular spot will probably be the Galaxy Lounge where thermopane windows will provide a view of outer space and earth. Pre-measured, pre-cooled, "instant" drinks will be served by push buttons.

Hilton even created a key for a room in its lunar hotel and printed up a form so that people could book a reservation.

More info: CNN Travel



Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 05, 2021 - Comments (3)
Category: Hotels, Space Travel, 1960s

Exit Traveler Rescue Kit

The Exit Traveler came on the market in the late 1980s. It was designed to let hotel guests rappel out of their window in the event of a fire.

Of course, you had to carry the thing around in your luggage, on the off chance that you got stuck in a burning building and the stairs were inaccessible. Then you had to find something to anchor the device to. And it was one-use only. Perhaps why it never caught on.

Seems that the inventors also tried to get hotels to pre-install them in rooms, anchored to walls. But the hotels probably had visions of guests rappelling out of windows even when there wasn't a fire.

More info: Exit Traveler



Newsweek - Oct 26, 1987

Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 20, 2021 - Comments (4)
Category: Inventions, Hotels, 1980s

Frustration Room

In 1962, the Imperial Inn in Chicago opened a “frustration room.” It was a room that people could rent to vent their frustrations. They were supplied with dishes, lamps, furniture, and light bulbs, and they were invited to hurl these against the wall of the room. On the wall were pictures of policemen and politicians, among other things. The hotel manager noted, “there is a chance that someone might get carried away, and unwind so far that he needs to wind himself back up again. So as a special precaution we have a straight jacket available for anybody who goes berserk.”

Pittsburgh Press - Aug 19, 1962



Opelousas Daily World - July 15, 1962

Posted By: Alex - Mon Feb 03, 2020 - Comments (3)
Category: Emotions, Hotels, 1960s

The Check Out Suite

The Hotel Bellora in Gothenberg, Sweden has introduced what it calls the 'check out suite'. The price of staying in this room is proportional to how much time you spend online while there. The cost rises the more you use the Internet. Also, a lamp in the room changes color from white to red as your Internet usage increases. If the lamp changes fully to red, you've got to pay full price for the room.

The goal is to encourage occupants of the room to have more real-world interactions with people. But if so, why limit it to Internet usage? What about docking them for time spent watching TV as well?

More details: adweek.com

Posted By: Alex - Sat Feb 16, 2019 - Comments (2)
Category: Internet, Hotels

Emma Harbin, the Dixie Eagle

Not only was she one of the earliest women aviators, but she also helped her husband run a tourist court and dairy! (Lots of great fotos at the link.)



Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 28, 2018 - Comments (0)
Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Regionalism, Air Travel and Airlines, Hotels, Twentieth Century

The Non-Smokers Inn



Lyndon Sanders opened the Non-Smokers Inn in 1981 in Dallas. At the time, it was the first exclusively non-smoking hotel in America. Actually it may have been the first to offer any rooms exclusively for non-smokers, period. I'm not sure. But as it turned out, he anticipated the non-smoking trend too well. From cnn.com:

In a business sense, he was ahead of his time -- too far ahead. The Non-Smokers Inn did well at first, but by 1991 Sanders had to turn the hotel over to new management, which changed the name to the Classic Motor Inn, and allowed 22 of the 135 rooms to welcome smokers.

It wasn't that the world had turned its back on his idea -- it was that the world had embraced it too thoroughly. Major hotels had started putting in nonsmoking floors, and advertising the fact; people who didn't smoke suddenly had no trouble finding a clean, fresh-smelling room. The Non-Smokers Inn, struggling for business, had to become something else and let smokers in, because the nonsmokers no longer had to look so hard for what they desired.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Mar 30, 2018 - Comments (0)
Category: Hotels, Smoking and Tobacco, 1980s

Wine On Tap

In 1953, the Hotel Terminus in Dijon, France upgraded its amenities to include free red and white wine on tap in every room.

If this hotel is still around, I can't find any evidence of it online.

The Evening Sun (Hanover, Pennsylvania) - Jan 7, 1954



St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Dec 30, 1953



Update — relevant meme:

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jun 13, 2016 - Comments (3)
Category: Hotels, 1950s

Love Hotels Book

Wouldn't your "significant other" get the hint when you presented this fine book as a gift?

Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 27, 2010 - Comments (5)
Category: Sexuality, Books, Hotels, Asia

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