Savoy exuorts
Sir: In the controversy which has gone on over the control of the Savoy Hotel, one important fact seems to have been overlooked and that is the value of the Savoy group to exports.
The Savoy board published figures showing that the intake of foreign currency (chiefly us dollars) was in excess of £4 million, but this of course can be doubled or even trebled, as the Savoy figures obvi- ously only relate to the direct pay- ment into the hotels of foreign currency, whereas there are indirect exports.
By this I mean that people en- gaged in overseas trade, whether it be from the letting of a grouse moor or the direct export of goods, have to do some entertaining, and when entertaining it is necessary not only to give the best of food, atmosphere, service etc,but also necessary to give something which the customer does not get at home. This is especially true of the Ameri- cans.
Unfortunately there are no first- class hotels left in New York. Some years ago there were, but now pro- perty developers, coupled with the chain hotels, have taken over ,to such an extent that there is hardly a hotel in New York which has not seriously deteriorated.
The Savoy has kept an zxtremely high standard on account of its intimate management which runs right through from the board to the managers of the three or four hotels.
I am not going into the ethics or
the principle of the matter of who should control the hotels, but I do say that it is necessary to our export trade that they should remain first-class hotels and not be- come part of a chain group of hotels, as in almost every case, all over the world. this has led to a deterioration in food, service, atmo- sphere etc, which inevitably comes when an in''mate rrinn.,.–ment is replaced by large groups.
Victor Seely 42 Orchard Court, London w I
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