Life, 1926-02-04 · page 33 of 40
Life — February 4, 1926 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising** for the Statler Hotels chain, disguised as editorial content. The small illustration shows two men—likely a bellhop and a guest—examining a hotel bill, which sets up the advertorial's premise: "Do you get your money's worth when you travel?" The text is a sales pitch claiming Statler Hotels offer exceptional value: reasonable rates, modern amenities (private baths, ice water, reading lamps), complimentary services (morning papers, fairly-priced merchandise), and no hidden charges or aggressive tipping culture. The phrase "tip-extraction" suggests contemporary frustration with bellhops pressuring guests for gratuities. The cartoon itself isn't satirical—it's simply illustrative. Rather, the entire page satirizes hotel industry practices by positioning Statler as the honest alternative to competitors who "overcharge you some place else." It's 1920s consumer-protection marketing wrapped in Life magazine's editorial format, exploiting readers' existing skepticism about travel expenses and hospitality-industry nickel-and-diming.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
_ Do you get your moneys worth when you travel? «gpd = 4 One thing about which we never have a com- plaint in these hotels any more is our room- rates. We haven't a room, you see, that hasn't its own private bath, circulating ice-water, a full- length mirror, a bed-head reading lamp, plenty of conveniences that add to your comfort. And our rooms, our houses as a whole, are kept in new condition—clean, bright, attractive. j Yet our rates are unusually low, compared with those of other first-class hotels. | We put a morning paper under your door —but it never shows up in your bill. Mer- chandise at our news and cigar stands is sold at the same prices street-seores charge. We | protect you against tip-extraction, for unre- quested service, in our public rooms and | washrooms. But we don't overcharge you some place else— and thus risk losing the good will those policies win for us. i And service? Statler service is rendered by well- built, well-seasoned organizations that operate under | the broadest policies of guest-satisfaction known to “@*—-—_—— — a | the hotel world. And if some little thing does hap- Rates are unusually low, in comparison with those of other first-class hotels. $3 in Cleveland, n $3.50 in Bs pen to go wrong, in this humanly-rendered service, we're right there to make it satisfactory to you in any way we can. le rooms ate fre two) are from $5.50 8; from You can be sure of getting your money's worth, and Something more, in these hotels. L72022 YZ To ror, 180 bahyeto te opened Ite in 1936. Advani the het G - The Statler Office Building, with 200,000 sq. ft. of desirable space for offices, STATLER war — Buffalo—and Niagara The newest Hotel Statler (1100 rooms, 1100 baths isin On» 9 Bufalo—delightfully situated ‘New York on Niagara Square. Across The largesth td the street from it is the new Statler Garage, a marvel of convenience throughout — and especially appreciated by tourists visiting NIAGARA FALLS, which is but 23 miles away. The old Hotel Statler in Buffalo is now called HOTEL BUFFALO. Buffalo~Cleveland~Detroit~St.Louis Se And Statler-Operated Hotel Pennsylvania~New York comicbooks.com