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.. Slave Trading at the Saint Charles Hotel in Washington DC, Why Are Some Hotel Franchise Companies Defranchising Exterior Corridor Hotels? |
By Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC
February 2009 1. Slave Trading in Washington- three blocks from where President Barack Obama took the oath, there once stood the Saint Charles Hotel which housed slave traders. It advertised that below its restaurant, guests could temporarily hold slaves in its six 30-foot-long arched slave cells complete with wall rings and shackles. The hotel advertised: �In case of escape, full value for the Negro will be paid�. Nearby was the three-story Yellow House slave market where slave traders sold their cargo of slaves. The National Mall sits on the former site of the city�s most bustling slave market. This information and much more, is contained in the book �Black Men Built the Capitol� by Washington reporter for the Associated Press, Jesse J. Holland. The book reports that enslaved black men built the Capitol, White House and other important Washington buildings and that Philip Reid, a thirty-nine-year-old slave from South Carolina cast the model of the Statute of Freedom that sits atop the Capitol Dome. The grounds of the Arlington Cemetery were, from 1863 to 1888, a self-sustaining village for former slaves called the Freedman�s Village. 2. Impertinent Questions in Search of Pertinent Answers-
Unfortunately, there is a dearth of reliable data regarding many of the questions involved in this controversy:
3. Americas First Franchising System- No, it was not A&W Root Beer or Termimex Pest Control or Howard Johnson restaurants. It was Martha Matilda Harper (1857-1950) who developed a network of franchised beauty salons in 1891. Each salon was owned and operated by a woman trained in the �Harper Method�. Harper inspected the franchised salons, provided training, group insurance, worldwide advertising and beauty products. Harper developed her own organic shampoos and tonic to be used in the Harper Method encompassing hygiene, nutrition and exercise. At the height of their success, there were more than 500 Harper salons along with a chain of training schools. Ultimately, Harper opened a laboratory in Rochester, NY and added new products to her line including other hair preparations, creams, makeup, permanent wave and hair coloring products. The franchised Harper shops changed the lives of hundreds of women who became owners through Harper�s flexible financing. Harper shops were customer-focused with reclining shampoo chairs, scalp massages and other stress reduction relaxation techniques. They also provided childcare and evening hours. Harper introduced flextime, profit sharing and paid personal time off. She created the first widespread franchising system and a model that included training, centralized management, quality control standards, independent ownerships and wider opportunities for women. 4. Steve Rushmore�s Louisiana Roadfood Festival- Is there a more appealing event than this HVS-sponsored festival featuring Louisiana�s legendary roadside eats in the heart of New Orleans? In conjunction with the Louisiana Office of Tourism and the Tabasco Company, Roadfood.com is bringing sixteen of the state�s best restaurant cooks to the French Quarter to prepare the world�s longest po-boy, bayou boudin sausage, Cane River meat pies, catfish and hushpuppies, gateau sirop and bourbon bread pudding, jambalaya, crawfish pie, file gumbo and much more. There will be strolling brass bands and soloists, panel discussions and ad hoc debates about outstanding Roadfood. Admission is free; proceeds from food and beverage go to participating restaurants, including New Orlean�s own Café Reconcile which provides at-risk kids the opportunity to learn the food service business. For more information about the festival: www.LouisianaRoadFoodFestival.com 5. Quote of the Month- Mark Twain
Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC operates his hotel consulting office as a sole practitioner specializing in franchising issues, asset management and litigation support services. Turkel�s clients are hotel owners and franchisees, investors and lending institutions. Turkel serves on the Board of Advisors and lectures at the NYU Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management. He is a member of the prestigious International Society of Hospitality Consultants. His provocative articles on various hotels subjects have been published in the Cornell Quarterly, Lodging Hospitality, Hotel Interactive, Hotel-Online, AAHOA Lodging Business, etc. Don�t hesitate to call 917-628-8549 or email [email protected]. |
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Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC
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