Life, 1925-08-20 · page 29 of 36
Life — August 20, 1925 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily advertising**, not satire. It's a Statler Hotels advertisement disguised as editorial content in Life magazine. The illustration shows a well-dressed traveling businessman arriving at a hotel with his luggage—a common visual shorthand for the modern business traveler of the early 20th century. The text is a first-person pitch from the hotel chain explaining their service philosophy: clean rooms, private bathrooms, ice water service, morning newspapers delivered under doors, and lending libraries. The appeal is to comfort and anticipation of guests' needs. The "satire" is gentle: the article's title, "Traveling's hard work, too," humorously acknowledges that even leisure or business travel requires effort, positioning the hotel as a solution to traveler fatigue. This is standard early advertising rhetoric—identifying a problem (exhausting travel) and offering comfort as the solution. The rates listed ($3-7 for rooms) are presented as "unusually low," targeting middle-to-upper-class travelers concerned with value during this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
* LIFE - 27 Traveling’s hard work, too OTELS can do a lot toward making the hard work of traveling easier for you. When you get to one of these hotels we do everything we can to make your way smooth and your visit comfortable. In the first place, we maintain our houses in new condition, keeping them bright, clean, fresh, attractive. They are virtually new hotels—but their service is administered by trained and seasoned organizations which are not newly-built. We try to meet you with courtesy —and with helpfulness, if that’s what you need. We try to look at things from your point of view. We try to anticipate your wants, as far as we can—and that’s surpris- ingly far, when you come to think of it. And if, despite our trying, there’s a slip in service which dis- pleases you, prompt and satisfactory adjustment will be made for the asking. In anticipating your wants we know, for instance, that you want cleanliness—and we're cranks about having things clean. We know you'll want a completely equipped bathroom, so we have no guest tooms without one. We know you'll want ice water frequently, so it’s piped to your room. We know you'll want to see a paper when you get up in the morning, so we slip one under your door while you sleep. We know you're apt to want something to read besides what you have with you, or the magazines you buy, so we have libraries waiting your request for “a Rates are unusually low in comparison with those of other first class hotels: Single rooms are from $3 in Cleveland, Detroit and St. Louis; from $3.50 in Buffalo, and from $4 in New York. Twin-bed rooms (for two) are from $5.50 in Cleve- land, Detroit and St. Louis; from $6.50 in Buffalo, and from $7 in New York. And remember that every room in these houses has ics own private bath, circulating ice water, and many Buffalo—and Niagara The newest Hotel Statler, (1100 rooms, 1100 baths) is in Buffalo—delightfully situated on Niagara Square. Across the street from it is the new Seatler Garage, a marvel of convenience throughout and especially appreciated by tourists visiting NIAGARA FALLS, which is but 23 miles away. The old Hotel Statler ip Buffalo is now called HOTEL BUFFALO. other conveniences of equipment and furnishings that are unusual—such as, for instance, the bed-head reading lamp, the fulllength mirror, the morning paper that is delivered to your room before you wake. In every room, too, is posted a card on which is printed the price of that toom. We believe in the policy of o of one price, plain figures and a square deal— therefore mark our goods in plain figures, good book.” The list of things in which your wants are anticipated, in these hotels, would be long, long. So remember, when you’re com- ing to a Statler city, that you won't have to argue us into giving you the things you want. We know that traveling’s hard work—and we know how to make you comfortable. P0002 n STATLER |F:s: Buffalo~Cleveland~Detroit~St.Louis The largest hotel in the world —with 2200 rooms, 2200 baths. On Seventh Avenue, 32d to 33d Screets, directly opposite the Pennsylvania Station. A Statler-operated hotel, with all the comforts and conven. iences of other Statlers, and with the same policies of courteous, intelligent and helpful service by all em- ployees. And Statler-Operated Hotel Pennsylvania~New York. comicbooks.com