8
TEXAS HOTEL NEWS
Through San Antonio to Monterrey.
Old Spanish Trail Director Writes of Promotion of Travel to Mexico with San Antonio as Starting Point—Interesting Facts About Monterrey and Environs.
Bv II a it iial Ayres.
Two weeks ago an important group traveled by bus to Monterrey, Mexico, where they conferred with the otlicials of the Monterrey Chamber of Commerce and of 1 lio Mexican-Ameriean Automobile Association (AAA) to facilitate the 1 ravel movement through San Antonio and South Texas to Monterrey with the cooperation of the nation-wide otlices and connections of the American Automobile Association, the Greyhound Bus Com pa n.\ and the Old Spanish Trail.
The party included otlicials and represent at'ves of the national and the local
HARRAL AYRES
For his work in developing the Old Spanish Trail and its Spanish historical background lie was decorated by the Kins' of Spain as a Knight Commander in tlie Royal Order of Isabella Catoliea, 1 lie Spanish order commemorating the life and work of Queen Isabella. Mr. Ayres was one of the party on the Monterrey, Mexico, trip and engaged •with the otiiers in focusing travel attention on Texas. The Spanish eon-decoration cross shows in the photo.
; AAA, the Greyhound bus company, the 1 Old Spanish Trail, the Baker hotels, and | the Laredo Chamber of Commerce. At Monlerrey. otlicials, citizens, hotels, restaurants and others joined in planning i for tlie comfort and proper care pf all i visitors.
At Laredo the Chamber of Commerce : wifi give complete aid respecting border ! regulations. These regulations naturally ,j prevail oil both sides of t he border. The
Laredo Chamber happily combines both American and Mexican service. Commercial intercourse there is close, so they are in a position to help American travelers in many ways.
The AAA otllce in San Antonio (San Antonio Automobile League) has been moved to a lino local ion at the Gunter Hotel arcade and is being expanded into a travel headquarters of world-wide service, and kept open night and day.
The Gunter Hotel maintainsa Mexican information bureau to serve internation-ait ravel and the Old Spanish Trail contacts wi'h all travel organizations and its travel literature is distributed by t hem all over the continent. The OST headquarters lias been at the Gunter Hotel so long its address is known everywhere—letters of inquiry about, this Southern country come to them even from foreign countries,
This shows that an internal ional clearing-house for travel information and service is already well rooted in San Antonio.
Millions Are Traveling.
Millions of people are traveling somewhere all the time. Many go to Europe. These present moves are intended as aids in turning a travel tide towards Texas, and all Texas will benefit.
Three hotels at Monterrey are being made ready for tlie best class of travel. One, the now Conde Monterrey, will be ready this summer. The Colonial will be ready before summer; it is pleasingly Mexican type, nicely located, and provided with all conveniences. The Ancira is being refurnished and improved; it is now an inviting hostelry of old Spanish type, the remodeling not interfering with present accommodations.
Travelers to Monterrey will tind a paved road of BOS miles from San Antonio. Monterrey has l;!G,000 population and is an industrial, cultural and historical city. The surrounding mountains and valleys are beautiful and devoted to agricultural and industrial pursuits. A stay of a week for visits to surrounding places will be well repaid in scenic and educational values. Many Mexicans in Monterrey speak English.
Laredo is tlie largest port of entry on t lie border.
A drive through to Mexico City will not be comfortable nor desirable fora year or so yet. it is GJ5 miles from Monterrey. Much careless publicity has been put out from San Antonio that leads people to believe they can drive to
3 I - >
Mexico City. The AAA and tlie OST both receive many travelers on their way, and the reactions of those people, when they tind they cannot drive through, is very distressing.
The border cities give a wrong impression of Mexico. The visit to Monterrey will be a delightful surprise.

Relations of Hotels
and Hotel Periodicals
s —! i
;The editor of Keelcr’ij Pacitifc Const Hotel Weekl.vtwas in oonversaVioji the of her day witli the manager of an important hotel,iwhen the latter said: “I liave been trying for soma timejto' make
r.t B—, owner of this hotel, realize the iportance to hotels of advertising in
hotel papers.' He is a |ceej> business man, but had never been so placed before so that his patronage cante jin an important way from people in liis own line of business. Oiie grocer does not himself pat ionize a fcliow-grOcqr, nor does lie,recoin mend him'to any so In the hotel busSiess w on a high plane. Much o comps tib it Ifom qt her
hotelmpn send it.
nije else. Not h conducted its business ities because
“A short time since I ?e id a couple of people to a hotel in another'part 'of the coast, and in a few days thereafter there cante from that hotel ioile family who hav,e bce|i staying in myt house nearly t wclmon) hs and are patting $200 ii mont h, besides what they spend for their meals. In l^iis case it was the result ’of my immediate ellort- to1, promote,I good ; feeling on tile part of another hp'el manager. Somutimes-il know from 'experience—it is tile hotel paper which creates the needed coni act. For instance, a; hotel-man lit another part of the coni.ti-y leads of niy|house just as jie is called on for a suggestion as to where a de,.ariing'guest shall stop, a lid 1 lie useful suggestion is mademom which at 1 his juid ,of Hid; line 1 and my house benefit. The hold newspaper kdeps the hotel boys in jdose louchiw it Ii tine auotSier. lit. also enables
in* n it wins iiuunaicr. lit-'*
(lie readers jbf Hie hotel paper to form a
fairly good; judgment oil a hotel 1 hey have never Veen, and cveifof the man in charge, whom he lnajy have holer met.
‘•in my vifew,” said the‘gentleman, “we have three important instruments to help bring! business from / afar.I One
is correspondence, another ' is association, add the Jhird lid paper, find the latter,I if we tie
is working all (he time.''. Coast Slot cl Weakly.?
he .hotel lie |iotel it aright, r’s I’iicilic
“IIcvl's ssFr wife! coming along [kvith driving!” N i
“She jtooli a turn for the worscl la, weak," [	i
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