Hotel Online
News for the Hospitality Executive


advertisement
 
 

Nobody Asked Me, But... No. 90

Governor Cuomo's March of Folly; Origin of Memorial Day;
Hotel History: Fisher Island Hotel & Resort; Quote of the Month

 
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, ISHC
June 4, 2012

1.  Governor Cuomo's March of Folly

Twenty-one of the largest trade show companies in the United States have expressed strong opposition to demolishing the Javits Center.  These organizations insist that they will not patronize Cuomo's proposed 3.8 million square foot convention center at the Aqueduct raceway in Ozone Park, Queens.  It is too far away from Manhattan's theaters, museums, concert halls, shopping and hotels.  The automobile traffic on the highways is already overcrowded and bumper ̶ to bumper.  Just imagine the dreadful gridlock if thousands more vehicles were on the surrounding highways.
 
Furthermore, when the ongoing $463 million renovation to the Javits Center is completed, Javits will be ready for a new expansion project which can be implemented at no cost.  Just sell the air rights over the Center to the developer of a new (and needed) convention center hotel.
 
If the historian Barbara Tuchman were still alive, she would already have the makings of another chapter for "The March of Folly".*  In the first chapter, Tuchman writes:

To qualify as folly for this inquiry, the policy adopted must meet (these) criteria: 
1) it must have been perceived as counter-productive in its own time, not merely by hindsight....
2) a feasible alternative course of action must have been available....

Wooden-headedness, the source of self-deception, is a factor that plays a remarkably large role in government.  It consists in assessing a situation in terms of preconceived fixed notions while ignoring or rejecting any contrary signs.  It is acting according to wish while not allowing oneself to be deflected by the facts.

Governor Cuomo: your recurring pursuit of a giant 3.8 million square foot convention center in Queens is contrary to the needs of the City of New York.  You can avoid this gross error and give us instead a rational and clear ̶ sighted decision to enlarge and enhance the Javits Center.

*Barbara W. Tuchman, "The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam", Alfred A. Knopf; New York, 1984

2.  Origin of Memorial Day

How many are aware that as "Decoration Day," it began in 1865 after the deadly U.S. Civil War? As historian David W. Blight* writes:

The first Decoration Day, as this event came to be recognized in some circles in the North, involved an estimated 10,000 people, most of them former slaves.  During April, twenty ̶ eight black men from one of the  local churches built a suitable enclosure for the burial ground at the race course.... (in Charleston, South Carolina).  At 9AM on May 1, the procession to this special cemetery began as 3000 black schoolchildren (newly enrolled in freedmen's schools) marched around the racecourse, each with an armload of roses and singing "John Brown's Body". The children were followed by 300 black women representing the Patriotic Association, a group organized to distribute clothing and other goods among the freedpeople.  The women carried baskets of flowers, wreaths and crosses to the burial ground.  The Mutual Aid Society, a benevolent association of black men, next marched in cadence around the track and into the cemetery, followed by a procession of white and black citizens.  All dropped their spring blossoms on the graves in a scene recorded by a newspaper correspondent: "When all had left, the holy mounds ̶ the tops, the sides, and the spaces between them ̶ were one mass of flowers, not a speck of earth could be seen; and as the breeze wafted the sweet perfumes from them, outside and beyond.. there were few eyes among those who new the meaning of the ceremony that were not dim with tears of joy."

Decoration Day became Memorial Day in 1869 when General John A. Logan, commander ̶ in ̶ chief of the Grand Army of the Republic called on all Union veterans to conduct ceremonies and decorate the graves of their dead comrades.

*David W. Blight, "Beyond the Battlefield: Race, Memory, and the American Civil War", University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, 2002

3.  Hotel History: Fisher Island Hotel & Resort

Fisher Island is located in Biscayne Bay, 3 miles off shore of mainland South Florida.  No road or causeway connects to the island which is accessible only by private boat or ferry.
 
The island was created in 1905, when the federal government sliced off the southern tip of Miami Beach to create a shipping channel from Biscayne Bay to the Atlantic Ocean.  Some years later, Dana A. Dorsey, the remarkable African American millionaire, bought the 216 ̶ acre island in a futile attempt to create a beach resort for African Americans who were forbidden to use all public beaches.  Carl Graham Fisher bought the island from Dorsey in 1919 and then in 1925 traded 7 ̶ acres to William K. Vanderbilt II for a 250 ̶ foot luxury yacht.  By 1936, Vanderbilt increased his land holdings on the island to 13 ̶ acres and built a $1.5 million Mediterranean ̶ style mansion, gracious guest houses, tennis courts and swimming pools.
 
From 1945 to 1971, the island was owned by a series of investors including Edward Moore (U.S. Steel), Gar Wood (the Speed Boat King), and Charles (Bebe) Rebozo (friend of President Richard Nixon).  After various changes in ownership, the island was vacant for 15 years until the Fisher Island Club development began in the 1980s.

In 2010, Fisher Island had the highest per capita income of any place in the United States.  The original Vanderbilt mansion serves as the centerpiece of the resort along with courtyard villas and beautiful cottages.  In 2007, a $60 million project produced a new golf course and renovations of the marina.  In 2008, construction began on the Beach Club.  At the center of this fabulous island resort is the incomparable Fisher Island Club.

4.  Quote of the Month

"Any city may have one period of magnificence, like Boston or New Orleans or San Francisco, but it takes a real one like New York to keep renewing itself until the past is perennially forgotten."
                                                                                  A.J. Liebling

Reviews of My New Book:  "Built to Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York"

*"passionate and informative"
 The New York Times

*"It's a terrific book"
Fred Schwartz, President, AAHOA

*"You have done an amazing job... your research into the history.... of these properties embellishes the topic immensely"
Stephen Rushmore, President, HVS International

*"I must say here that it has been a sincere privilege to review "Built to Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York"... I found it a fascinating read and it should be for anyone interested in history, building design and hospitality..."
John Hogan, CHE, CHA, CMHS, Ph.D.

To order the book, visit www.centuryoldhotelsinnewyork.com

This article is copyright protected by Hotel-Online. Reuse by other media or news outlets or organizations is prohibited without permission. Personal use and sharing via social media tools is encouraged.


.
Contact: 

Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC
917-628-8549
[email protected]
www.stanleyturkel.com


.
Receive Your Hospitality Industry Headlines via Email for Free! Subscribe Here

 
To Learn More About Your News Being Published on Hotel-Online Inquire Here
 
Also See: Nobody Asked me, But...No. 89; The Beat Goes On; Good News: U.S. Hotel Profit Recovery; Surprise: Nearly Half of NYC Hotel Developments are Outside Manhattan; Hotel History: The Mission Inn, Riverside, CA; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / May 2012

Nobody Asked me, But...No. 88; California's Level Playing Field Act of 2012; Rooftop Urban Gardening; Belleview Biltmore Hotel Reprieve; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / April 2012

Nobody Asked me, But...No. 87; Expand the Javits Center Cost-Free; Is This the Science or Art of Brand Management? Hotel Histories; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / April 2012

Nobody Asked me, But...No. 86; Choice’s Settlement with AAHOA; Don’t Demolish the Javits Center; NYC & Company’s Successful Marketing Strategy; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / March 2012

Nobody Asked me, But...No. 85; Praise for President Obama's Travel & Tourism Strategy; Proposed Queens Convention Center is a Poor Idea; Hotel Rooms and Floors Created Just For Women; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / February 2012

Nobody Asked me, But...No. 84; EB-5 Visa For Immigrant Investors; The Pistilli Lecture; A NYC Hotel Bargain; 'Built To Last'; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / January 2012

Nobody Asked me, But...No. 83; Congratulations To Lodging Hospitality Editor Ed Watkins; Did You Hear About 'Airbnb'?; A Sows Ears Becomes a Silk Purse; On The Verge; Quote of the Month; Give This Perfect Gift for The Holiday Season / Stanley Turkel / December 2011

Nobody Asked me, But...No. 81; AAHOA Strikes Back; Would You Believe Such a Study? Independent Franchisee Associations On The Rise; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / October 2011

Nobody Asked me, But… No. 80; Impertinent Questions Still in Search of Pertinent Answers; Questions for 32,500 Franchised Hotel Owners; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / September 2011

Nobody Asked me, But… No. 79; Relevant Brand Management?; Save the Belleview Biltmore Hotel; The Magical Americana of New York; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / August 2011

Nobody Asked me, But… No. 78; AAHOA Chairman Hits a Home Run; Universal Franchisee Bill of Rights; HomeSpun; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / July 2011

Nobody Asked me, But... No. 77: Public Relations Trumps Common Sense; Nobody Does It Better; Plaza Hotel’s Oak Room to Close; Pay Attention to State Franchise Laws; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / June 2011

Nobody Asked me, But... No. 76: Empire State Building's 80th Anniversary and the Waldorf-Astoria; "Defying Time: 100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York"; Impertinent Question Seeking a Pertinent Answer; Wyndham Hotel Group Reports; Save the Belleview Biltmore Hotel; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / May 2011

Nobody Asked me, But… No. 75: Blackstone Reportedly Prepping Hilton for Flotation; Things Are Seldom What They Seem, Skim Milk Masquerades As Cream; Quote of the Month; First Announcement / Stanley Turkel / April 2011

Nobody Asked me, But… No. 74: The Triumph of Public Relations; Helpful Hotels; Court Rules Holiday Inn Commits “Reprehensible Fraud”; Quote of the Month / March 2011

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 73: Impertinent Question Still Seeking a Pertinent Answer; The Fountain of Old Age; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / February 2011

Impertinent Question In Search of a Pertinent Answer; Does The Industry Really Need Another Brand?; Hilton’s Hands Get Slapped in Starwood Settlement; China- Based Developers Buy U.S. Hotels; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / January 2011

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 71 - Impertinent Questions Still Seeking Pertinent Answers; The Baseball Business…Where Next?; Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / December 2010

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 70 -John Q. Hammons, Impertinent Question, Quote of the Month / Stanley Turkel / November 2010

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 69 - Large Banks Creating Crisis For Hoteliers; Are Room Telephones Obsolete? / Stanley Turkel / October 2010

Impertinent Questions in Search of Pertinent Answers; BlueMauMau.org: The Best Franchise Website; Free Wi-Fi at Top of Amenity List / Stanley Turkel / September 2010

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 67 : Stanley Turkel's Review of Budget/Economy Hotels Following a Three Week Pennsylvania Road Odyssey / Stanley Turkel / August 2010

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 66 : Recognizing Three Hotel Industry Experts Whose Accomplishments Are Unique - Bjorn Hanson, Peter Greenberg and Richard Warnick / Stanley Turkel / July 2010

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 65: A Well-Deserved Compliment for Steve Rushmore; Impertinent Questions in Search of Pertinent Answers / Stanley Turkel / June 2010

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 64: Best Western Finally Makes a Move; Cuba, The Caribbean’s Hottest Destination / Stanley Turkel / May 2010

Nobody Asked Me, But - No. 63: Can Airlines Learn From Hotels?; Memo to Ian Schrager / Stanley Turkel / April 2010

Nobody Asked Me, But No. 62 / Do the Radisson Franchisees Agree with Carlson's billion-dollar Makeover Program? At Last: A Win-Win Victory for Tourism; Congratulations to the Harris Rosen Foundation / Stanley Turkel / March 2010
.

To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.OnlineSearch

Home | Welcome | Hospitality News
| Industry Resources

Please contact Hotel.Online with your comments and suggestions.