THE GREAT TRADITION

[Music] throughout north america dotting the countryside from the mountains to the sea in city and town from border to border and coast to coast there stands a unique group of buildings both horizontal and vertical unbelievably diverse each a place forever open and each a place times six thousand and growing [Music] these are the sixty five hundred member hotels and motor hotels of the american hotel association and this is their world [Music] [Applause] [Music] so a hotel a building a thing of bricks and mortar of shining steel and glass of artisans and air conditioners and art of imagination experience and great traditions traditions that reach back into history to the heroic age 500 years bc these are the men who today are the guardians of those traditions the leaders who pace an industry the member properties of the american hotel association represent a fantastic array of buildings of all shapes and sizes for all people and all purposes from the intimate end of a few rooms in an early american setting or the community hotel that serves as the focal point for a town's activity through the giant city hotel that stretches its great spiraling towers to the blue sky offering three thousand private rooms with bath innkeeping is an industry that reflects many moves it is a world of resorts and people that play carefree to follow their whim to take part in any of a hundred diversions [Music] along the vast network of highways that wind their way through the country a property of yet another mood the motor hotel offering comfort safety and convenience for the night or for the week to fit a modern need and the great traditions of the ends of old but they're not just buildings they're those things that people are they are people all kinds from everywhere going everywhere for every imaginable reason for affairs of state for business affairs or affairs of the heart it is a many-faceted industry seething with the temple of life a great patterned quilt of activities of people places services and tradition designed to meet the needs of the ever-growing numbers of a traveling public is the red book an industry-sponsored book listing by state and town every member of the american hotel association the number of their rooms and their rates a handy and convenient guide available almost everywhere oh a trip is this time to house no this is a hotel honey we'll be here just for a night we'll be needing a all right you can dial a housekeeper direct we have direct diamond system i'll a hotel is a composite of many parts and services but it takes only one finger to dial a world of services the switchboard the nerve center of any hotel it may be larger than that of a small town or it may be a single operator the purpose is the same a flick of a finger and contact is made to any point in the house or in the world advanced reservations ms mcnally speaking may i help you mr richard wright you'd like to make an advanced reservation for the 17th reservations to practically anywhere confirmed on the spot fine we'll have it prepared for you i'd like to order some warm milk for my baby please may i help you yes ma'am i'll take care of this right away nice please service the pulse of the hotel a factor inherent to the industry known for its great tradition of hospitality from the warm milk for the baby to the convenience of dinner in the room or the delight of breakfast in bed or information on tides boat rental or box lunches for the sportsman [Music] from the manager on down from the roof garden to the furnace room from the parking lot to the swimming pool the story of a hotel is told by the people who run it who tend to the physical plant from maintenance to the social director to the laundry and valet service it is a community enterprise that utilizes almost every skilled and semi-skilled labor that any city town or village would need that contributes to the prosperity of the community and a host of ways an employee wages in food and beverage purchases in federal city and municipal taxes the ends of america constitute the sixth largest industry in the united states that last year contributed well over three billion dollars to the national economy it is an industry that sends more than 4 million towels and 2 million sheets to the laundry daily that every year will buy more than 5 million pillowcases 6 million sheets and 14 million towels and it is an industry that will spend nearly one billion dollars this year for development construction and renovation all of which comes down simply to one thing service for all the guests for those who are too young to speak to those who may not speak our language the guests from abroad in a shrinking world the international traveler has become a frequent visitor to our shows the industry at large has adopted and wholeheartedly implemented a people-to-people program a design for peace through understanding they have created language charts that list the languages spoken by employees and have printed booklets in the major languages that serve as a guide to america her ways and customs it is a way to make the guests from abroad feel at home a modern welcome and the great tradition [Music] let's see [Music] evening is a time of relaxation the fun of having something to do whatever it may be the industry is only a reflection of the mood of the people they host lending themselves readily to every form of community activity whether that be a song fest a local pta meeting a hayride or a reception for a bride and groom [Music] but perhaps the greatest number of people attend the more than thirty thousand association conventions and seventy nine thousand company sales meetings that were held last year in the member properties and all members offer accommodations to meet the growing demands of the business and fraternal organizations it is a gay world of gracious dining where master chefs prepare excellent enticing meals in some of the most elaborate kitchens in the world where the grandest variety of foods is available a place that can and does cater to all and that can handle anything from the all-american hamburger to a quiet dinner in pleasant surroundings that offers good food at reasonable prices and a relaxed atmosphere but it's also a place that can handle a celebration buffet for 2000 or more with equal ease and facility offering everything to delight the gourmet [Music] they are occasions calculated to cause the weight watchers to have a convenient lapse of memory and willpower with tantalizing treats such as spit roasted pheasant under glass chill succulent oysters on the half shell set on a glistening field of crushed ice and desserts of majestic proportions and variety a symphony of sights to delight the eye and tease the palette all set to music [Music] a masterpiece called through time and experience yet it is just another facet of an industry that can feed more than two million people at a single seating in its timeless tradition of dawn to dawn operation the house never goes dark [Music] room 504 at 5am we will call you goodnight sir a hotel at rest quiet secure while the guest sleeps the staff remains constantly on the job waiting to be of service and to put all the vast resources of the entire establishment at the service of the guest it is comforting to know it is there to be had in a moment's notice all is peaceful and at rest in front of the house as the night slips silently unnoticed into the hour of dawn but dawn finds the back of the house pulsing with activity where in the kitchen a breakfast is being prepared within the hour the first of hundreds of thousands of hungry guests will sit down to their morning meal and all must be prepared many hours in advance [Music] the day is 68 degrees thank you a bright new day another day of people leaving arriving in a never-ending stream continuing a cycle that never ends perpetuating the great tradition this is an age of travel and wherever the 20th century man goes on the north american continent he will find a member of the american hotel association to greet him and bid him welcome [Music] with brotherhood [Applause] [Music] you