CARNIVAL WEEK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22580, 19 November 1936, Page 16

CARNIVAL WEEK

CHRISTCHURCH HARVEST HOTELS AND BOARDING HOUSES Visitors to Christchurch for Carnival Week spent, at a conservative estimate, £20.000 on accommodation in hotels, boarding houses and flats. Between them, the four main hotels took from £4500 to 1-5000, and turned away hundreds of pros|>cctivo guests. These visitors found accommodation, but in many cases late-comers had to take it at Riccarton, Sumner or New Brighton. There were cases of people having to go to Rangiora. Sumner and New Brighton hotels were all lull over the past week. Those at Lyttelton shared in tho welter of prosperity. One of the big residential hotels in the city spent I'M in overtime so as to provide proper service for tho rush of guests. The same hotel spent £IOO more than usual for foodstuffs, and other expenses brought extra costs for the week up to at least £250.

One hotel, rather than refuse visitors who had tried everywhere in vain, hired beds and bedding, and provided accommodation in the bar passage. The proprietor pave up his comfortable room to a. guest and slept in the passage. "It has been a record week. We have never had anything like it so far as the demand for accommodation is concerned," said one hotel proprietor. "In my caso alone, I turned away between 250 and fIOO people, and refused hundreds more who applied for accommodation by letter, telephone and telegram. "Because my actual takings for the week were at least doubled, it does not mean that profits were correspondingly greater. Kvervhodv on the staff had to work longer hours, with heavy overtime. Kxtra hands had to be taken on and at least double the quantity of foodstuffs had to be bought." Yet, he continued. Carnival Week was not considered the most profitable period of the year for the hotels. August race week, with its whirl of social activities, saw much more money passed through the hotels. Dinner parties, hip sales of liquor, and many other items helped to swell takings. Fie added that during the past week he had averaged four hours' sleep a night, in order fully to supervise the comfort of his guests. The only jarring note in the universal delight at the increased business the races and lloval Show have brought is that bar takings in practically all hotels were very little above normal. The explanation is that the races finish too late for a brisk hotel trade, and most of the money that went 011 drinks was spent on the scene of activities.