Who opened the first hotel?
The first HOTEL.
The first HOTEL was Low’s Grand Hotel, Covent Garden, opened in January 1774 by David Low at 43 King Street, a house formerly occupied by the eccentric Lord Russell, who had redesigned its interior to resemble the between-decks of a warship. Before Low switched his avocation from hairdresser to hotelier, visitors arriving in London for anything more than an overnight stay would generally seek furnished lodgings, while those on short visits put up at inns. Low’s venture, described by Horace Walpole in 1776 as a ‘Hotel Garni’, introduced the idea of a public place of residence designed primarily for the accommodation of families. In this it differed from the inns and taverns of the time, whose major business was the provision of refreshment, and to whom the letting of rooms was of secondary importance. In order to publicize the Grand Hotel, Low had a series of gold, silver and copper medallions struck for distribution to princes, nobles and commoners respectively. Despite, or perhaps because of, such effusions of good will to his guests, Low failed to prosper in the hotel business and in 1780 he abandoned it for another trade, becoming the first chiropodist to style himself as such. In this too, he eventually failed, being forced to enter a workhouse, from which he was expelled for stabbing the Master. The Grand Hotel continued under new management after Low’s departure. In 1794 a Mrs. Hudson was proprietress; an advertisement issued by her in that year quaintly informs the public that the establishment has ‘stabling for one hundred noblemen and horses’. At the beginning of the 19th century the Hotel acquired celebrity for its cuisine, the dining room acquiring the name of ‘The Star’ on account of the number of distinguished people to be seen eating there. In succeeding years, it became known variously was Troome’s’, `Joy’s’, ‘Evans’s’, and ‘The Falstaff, finally ceasing to be a hotel in 1880s.
Who opened the hotel with attached bathrooms first? The first HOTEL EQUIPPED WITH BATHROOMS was the ‘Tremont House’, Boston, which was opened on 16 October 1829. The eight bathrooms, all located in the basement, were approached by a separate entrance on to the street. Since the Tremont House could accommodate some 250 guests, possibly this helped to discourage long queues for their use.
The first HOTEL WITH PRIVATE BATHS was the Mount Vernon Hotel, Cape May, N.J. in 1853. The first in GB was the Savoy Hotel, with 70 private bathrooms, opened by Richard D’Oyly Carte on 6 August 1889. Holloway, the builder, was frankly incredulous when D’Oyly Carte on 6 August 1889. The first RAILWAY HOTELS were the Victoria and the Euston, both four-story buildings designed by Philip Hardwicke for the London & Birmingham Railway Co. and opened simultaneously at Euston Station in September 1839. The Victoria, on the west side of the Station, was intended for the humbler class of travellers, being described in the Company’s literature as a ‘dormitory and coffee room’. It was unlicensed. Opposite it was the Euston, maintained in regal style by the Manager, Mr Bacon, a former steward of at the Athenaeum, and catering to 1st-class passengers only. Which was the first hotel with a bridal suite? Irving House, New York was the first hotel to offer this attraction in 1844. In Eastern Exchange Hotel, Boston, Mass was the first HOTEL TO BE INSTALLED WITH CENTRALLY HEATED STEAM-RADIATORS.
