It’s History
HOTEL OCEAN CITY Fred Miller on Days Gone By
O
NE hundred years ago, Ocean City’s slogan was “America’s greatest cottage seashore resort.” While many tourists rented cottages, just as many enjoyed staying at one of the city’s beautiful hotels. The 1912 Hand Book of Information, published by the Ocean City Ledger, informed visitors of the plethora of hotels that were available: “The hotel accommodations are varied and unexcelled. The rates run from $8 per week upward. The hotels and boarding houses are all located within a comparatively short distance of the Boardwalk and beach and all are easy of access to the railroad stations. In some instances, the electric cars from Philadelphia run by the doors. The diversity of style in these houses
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gives every person the advantage of all the comforts of home. Many of the hotels are enlarged and improved for the season of 1912. Some of the houses provide orchestra music and various entertainments are given. Everything is done to afford satisfactory service to patrons.” The Brighton Hotel, on the corner of Seventh Street and Ocean Avenue, was built in 1880, making it the oldest hotel on the island. It advertised: “Ocean Front, Location not excelled, Appointments and service First Class.” The Breakers Hotel, Third Street and the Boardwalk, was the resorts’ newest hotel. It opened on June 29, 1912 advertising: “Only Boardwalk Hotel; First Class in every particular. Private baths, hot and cold running water and telephone service in every
room. Elevator to street level. Auto bus meets all trains at main station of the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroads. Booklet on request.” The NO VACANCY signs were often seen in front of the following hotels: Bellevue, Berkeley, Biscayne, Breakers, Brighton, Fairview, Illinois, Mayberry, Normandie, Oceanic, Scarborough, Strand, Swarthmore, and Traymore. The hotels all had one thing in common – they all provided their guests with postcards with a beautiful picture of the hotel on the front. They found there was no better publicity than guests sending hotel postcards to family and friends with the standard line, “Wish you were here.”
OCEAN CITY
SEA SCAPE The Hotel Normandie-on-theSea sat at Ninth Street and Ocean Avenue. It often had a No Vacancy sign in front. 19