In this era of Twitter, Facebook, and smartphones, it might surprise you to know many hotels, especially the upscale ones, still offer letterhead stationery for guests.
Before the arsenal of modern-day electronic gadgets kept us constantly connected, Americans regularly penned their messages on hotel stationery. Correspondence that now takes seconds to deliver once took days. A simple letter was often the highlight of an eager recipient's day, especially if it was from a loved one on vacation.
The industrial era of the late 1800s ushered in commercial letterheads with vignettes of factories, offices and hotels on the billheads. The United States' earliest hotels – Barnum in Baltimore, and New York's Astor House – printed prices, fire safety, location and availability of salesmen's sample rooms on their stationery. Travelers used these pages for long letters home, to be delivered by Pony Express or the transcontinental railroad.
By World War II "people were following hotel managers, so it was important to include their names on the letterhead " said Chris Donovan, the Hotel del Coronado's historian. Noteworthy men, such as Cesar Ritz of Ritz-Carlton Hotels, once held these positions of esteem.
Postcards gained popularity around this time. Donovan says "they were sort of like texting … used for short notes. Long-distance calls were too expensive." By the 1960s production soared and deltiology – postcard collecting – became an enjoyable pastime.
Fast forward to 2013 and staying in touch runs the gamut. While today R-and-R is mostly chronicled with our thumbs via text and hashtag, local getaways still offer a variety of writing materials. Sure, the green initiative underscores waste associated with paper at LEED properties, but the majority of hotels adhere to the simple art of longhand.
Hotel Indigo, the first LEED Certified hotel in San Diego, opts for print-on-demand letterhead stationery. An electronic file creates a blank sheet with the hotel's vibrantly colored logo. Postcards created by local photographer Ian Cummings are at the front desk. Whereas, Hotel Solamar relies heavily on handwritten messages on note cards to their guests. "It‘s a digital world now and that kind of personalized contact seems to be more and more rare" says General Manager Robert Hannigan. A communication board is featured in each guest room where hotel staff can welcome visitors with a memo. Roughly 15,000 cards are used annually.
Epistolary is taken one step further at The Grand Del Mar, where complimentary stationery is embossed with the guest's name. Five sheets are placed in-room. An estimated one-third hit the mailbox. And postage is gratis as well.
Upscale properties offer more printed accouterments, according to Tim Bateman, manager of hotel fulfillment at Prisma Graphic Corp. "The US Grant's usage was up last year" says Bateman; 18,000 pieces of letterhead were ordered in 2012 compared to 11,000 in 2011. Other paraphernalia supplied to four- and five-star hotels include voice mail instructions, weather forecast billets, TV channel guides and shoe shine instructions.
Chain hotels' policy varies. W Hotel, Sheraton La Jolla and Holiday Inn Bayside eliminated hotel stationery. "We haven't carried stationery since April 2007 as part of our green sustainable outreach" said Karen Cribbs, director of sales and marketing at the La Jolla hotel.
These conglomerates rely exclusively on Wi-Fi; it's free at some, while others charge a nominal daily fee. However, the Omni franchise continues to place 8½-by-5½-inch sheets and envelopes in guest rooms.
So, has social media usurped the handwritten word? It appears the humble linen sheet has not totally ceded control to Wi-Fi and cellphones.
Source: U-T San Diego
