His Guests Were Always Right

From the Penn Hotel Website

Just to totally prove that I am a complete nerd…

After my stay at the Hotel Penn in New York, I had to do my research…because a nerd can’t stay in a hotel without researching its history and what-not, right?

(If you’re interested, you can read my previous blog posts here and here about the hotel’s history.)

Ellsworth Mellon (EM) Statler

The man behind the Hotel Penn is also an interesting share.

EM Statler 

EM Statler started his hotel career right here in the Ohio Valley. As a teenager, he worked at the McClure house in Wheeling, WV. He started off as a bellboy, where his dedication to hard work and a personable nature earned him a $6 a month wage and an average of over $150 a month in tips.

EM understood that going above and beyond expectation pays off.

He moved on from the Ohio Valley to Buffalo, New York where he owned a restaurant. But his heart was always in the hotel business. He had an idea—to open modestly priced hotels for average people that were dependably clean and service oriented.

In the early 1900’s, he opened his first hotel. It looked like it was going to end in failure, but EM and his wife rolled up their sleeves and worked as the hotel’s management, bookkeeping, and office staff. In time, their debts were paid off and he’d accumulated $200,000 which he paired with a loan of $300,000 and opened more hotels.

In 1919, the Pennsylvania Railroad tapped EM Statler to build the world’s largest hotel across from Penn Station in New York.

It was a huge undertaking at the time—a hotel with over 2000 rooms and all the upscale perks the era could provide. As usual, with hard work and dedication, Statler accomplished his goal—The Penn Hotel.

EM had ideas for making his hotels very customer friendly. Many of those have become standard for hotels today:

Private baths with ample hot water piped directly into the room

Desks stocked with pen and paper

Small amenities, like sewing kits

Keyholes above the doorknobs to reduce the shadow

Full length mirrors

And then there is this...the Statler you may be more familiar with, from The Muppets' Statler and Waldorf