1. Introduction The natural curiosity about the world, the need to discover new territories, to meet new people, expan- sion of knowledge about the world surrounding us, all that since ancient times till now urges people to travel. And that is where hospitality establishments arise. First it was on the trade routes and routes of pilgrims in the Middle East where appeared caravan- serais, in the medieval Europe they were first inns and hospices. The word “hospice” came into the English language from old French “hospice”, where it formed from the Latin words “hospes” and “hospit- ium” meaning “hospitality”. This term was used since the 6th century to denote the places where pilgrims could rest. The first hospices were usually situated along the roads on the main routes of the Christian pilgrims. These were, in some sense, the houses where the tired, exhausted or ill travelers were taken care of. However hospices also were helpful to the local population. The word came from the English language into other European languages in the 19th century (Мальська et al., 2011). The standards of services in such establishments show that they were largely different from our to- day’s image of the comfortable places to sleep and rest, which are the present hotels. Often the guests had to bring with them their own beds and cutlery (as did the wealthy burgers in the 17th century in Eu- rope), and they had to watch out so that the goats Journal of Geography, Politics and Society 2016, 6(4), 77–83 DOI 10.4467/24512249JG.16.032.5819 THE DEVELOPMENT OF LVIV HOTEL BUSINESS IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD (1919–1939) Taras Zavadovsky, Dmytro Kadnichansky (1) Tourism Department, Faculty of Geography, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Doroshenko 41, 79000 Lviv, Ukraine, e-mail: taras_zavadovski@ukr.net (2) Tourism Department, Faculty of Geography, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Doroshenko 41, 79000 Lviv, Ukraine, e-mail: dimakad@ukr.net (corresponding author) Citation Zavadovsky T., Kadnichansky D., 2016, The development of Lviv hotel business in the interwar period (1919-1939), Journal of Geography, Politics and Society, 6(4), 77–83. Abstract The current paper researches and analyses the start and development of the hotel business in Lviv of the interwar period. The main focus is set on the division of accommodation establishments into categories, their structure and location. Much atten- tion is also paid to the description of hotels and their pricing policy depending on their status and venue. Numerous tables help to structure the statistical data, especially their client capacity, number of rooms, location etc. Key words hotel, Lviv, interwar period, tourism, guidebooks to Lviv, categorization. 78 Taras Zavadovsky, Dmytro Kadnichansky did not eat their pillows at night, as the rooms were shared with all the household. The way from the first documented by historians accommodation estab- lishments to the modern hotels lasted for four thou- sand years. Nevertheless, despite the living conditions and the price for the night, all the hospitality establish- ments were ruled by one principle “hospes hospiti sacer” (the guest is sacred for the host) as the ancient Romans used to say. When it comes to the hotel business it is not pos- sible not to mention hospitality. Hospitality is the feature that unites all the owners of hotels, it is the “genius loci” – the spirit of the place, which should be present in every hotel without exceptions. The main reasons for the development of the hotel business in the ancient times are defined as follows: • trade exchange; • travelling connected with the visiting of places of religious value; • expansion of diplomatic relations between the countries; • travelling to other places (Мальська 2009). 2. Analysis In Ukraine the hotel business started developing ex- tensively only in the second half of the 19th century and it was mainly connected with Kyiv and other large cities. The opening in 1889 of the regular railway con- nection caused the growth of number of travelers coming to Kyiv and triggered the building of hotels. Before that in the city stood out the “Green hotel” built in 1803–1805, which belonged to Kyiv-Pech- ersk Lavra and was the most famous during the 50s of the 19th century (Ганич, 2013). In the late 19th-early 20th centuries in the Eastern Galicia, which was the part of Austro-Hungary, the hospitality sphere was characterized by high rates of development. Almost every town had its own small hotels, restaurants, cafes. Generally in Galicia (both Eastern and Western) in 1902 there were 935 hotels with the average employment rate of three persons per hotel. The hotels employing more than 20 peo- ple constituted only 0.5% of the total hospitality establishments. Most hotels were characterized by the low level of comfort – simple interior, absence of water sup- ply and sanitation system. Here stayed mostly peo- ple with low income, commercial agents. In contrast with that there were large and a few small hotels with rich interior décor, luxury furniture, well-trained staff, utilities. They corresponded to the style of fash- ionable European hotels of that time. The large ex- pensive hotels provided the services of restaurants, cafes, baths and shower, so predominantly rich cli- ents stayed there. Lviv stood out in the Eastern Galicia accord- ing to the number of hotels, including the luxury ones. In the early 20th century the city had almost 48 hotels. For comparison: Warsaw had 32 hotels and Krakow only 18. The most famous hotels of Lviv were “George”, established in 1796 and called “De la Rus”. Later it was renamed after one of its founders George Hoffman. The hotel had 93 rooms: 32 suites with baths, central heating, hot and cold water sup- ply, telephone connection. The price depended on the equipment of the room and was from 6 (single room) to 24 (double room with a bath) zlotys. The hotel included a luxury restaurant, café, an orches- tra performed every evening in the marble hall (Мальська, Пандяк, 2009). In the Western Galicia (included into Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania) hotels were in private ownership, which helped its better financial supply and service organization. An important feature of hotel business was quite a large network of small es- tablishments, aimed at servicing various categories of population. After the end of World War I and the fall of Austro- Hungarian Empire the territory of Galician Kingdom and Volodymyria again after some short armed riots came under the power of the Polish Republic. Cor- respondingly, all the state and administrative institu- tions started working differently. With time changes came in financial and economic sector. Instead of guldens and krones the currency used was Polish mark till 1924 and later – zloty. But from the prices given below we may see that for a long time the Aus- tro-Hungarian currency had still been used. The postwar tourist guidebook “Przewodnik po Galicyi” of 1919 (Orłowicz, 1919) characterizes the hotels of Galicia as more expensive but less comfort- able, than the accommodation establishments of the Western Europe (4–14 krones). For the people, who needed somewhere to stay for longer periods of time there were accommodations in guest hous- es, existing in Lviv, Krakow, Zakopane and Yaremche. The prices were 5–10 krones for a day of stay. In the smaller towns there were second class hotels, in- side which it was quite dirty, very often the travelers stayed at a tavern or a village house. At that time there was plenty of restaurants in all large cities, spa resorts and hub railway stations. In smaller towns, even in poviat centers, as a rule there were no restaurants, and there was only an opportu- nity to have a breakfast. Warm meals needed to be The development of Lviv hotel business in the interwar period (1919–1939) 79 ordered in hospitality establishments several hours in advance. There were also towns with no hotels or restaurants at all. If you went into the countryside or to the mountains, you had to bring your own dinner with you. In small towns all trade was controlled by the Jews, so on Saturday all shops were closed, there was no possibility to buy anything and the towns looked as if they died out. The cafes in large cities were mostly in Vienna style. There were often held concerts of ballroom or military music. The role of cafes was often taken by confectioneries, predominantly visited by ladies (tab. 1.). When it comes to Lviv, in 1919 its tourist infra- structure included hotels, guest houses, restaurants, breakfast rooms, milk shops, cafes, confectioneries, wine houses etc. Tab. 1. Categorization of hotels in Lviv in 1919 Name Price First-class hotels (with restaurants) “George” up from 4 krones “Europejski” up from 2,40 krones. “Francuski” up from 3 krones. “Imperial” 3–11 krones Cheap hotels “Austrya” up from 2 krones “Victoria” up from 2 krones “City” up from 2 krones “Metropol” up from 2 krones “Grand Hotel” up from 2 krones “Narodna Hostynnycia” up from 2 krones “Sans-Souci” up from 2 krones “Warszawski” up from 2 krones “Pod trzema Murzynami” up from 2 krones “Krakowski” up from 2 krones Source: Orłowicz, 1919. Interesting is the recommendation of “Przewod- nik po Galicyi” guidebook, where it is noted that it is better to avoid dirty and neglected Jewish ho- tels in Zhovkva suburbs and on Horodotska street (Orłowicz, 1919). The guest houses (daily price 6–10 krones) where mostly for those, who were staying for longer periods: • Dom kobiet (House for women); • Guest house “Anuta”; • Guest house “Goplana”; • Guest house “Grottger”; • Guest house “Litwinka”; • Guest house “Mignon”; • Guest house “Warszawianka”. Later the accommodation establishments started to be characterized according to a new classification. Thus as it is said in “Przewodnik Po Lwowie” guide- book of 1925 (Orłowicz, 1925), this period was de- termined by a large number of the third-class hotels. The prices varied from 1 to 3 zlotys per day for one person. At the time of “Eastern trade” there is an in- crease in private dwellings. The situation was a bit different in guest houses, there was a variable tariff – the pay included a room with full accommodation – 5 zlotys per day (Orłowicz, 1925). The “Polski przemysł i handel” book of 1930 gives the description and characteristics of separate ho- tels, which were considered the best and the most popular among the visitors of Lviv. Among them are such hotels: “Krakowski”, “George”, “New-York” and “Bristol”. “Krakowski” hotel Location: Bernardynska square, 3. Administrator: P. Orzehowski. Director: S. Lackowski, K. Christman. It was a first-class hotel owned by “Państwowy Zakład Pensyjny”. The hotel included 98 stylishly furnished suites with bathrooms. There were rooms for busi- ness meetings, a library, a banquet hall and a mod- ern restaurant with exquisite Polish and French cuisine. Correspondence was carried out in Polish, German, French and English. “George” hotel Location: Mariatska square. Administrator: S. Borows- ki. The hotel is situated in the city center and was one of the most luxury in terms of comfort, it had central heating, telephone connection in every room as well as hot and cold water. There were 32 suites with indi- vidual bathrooms and an elevator. There was the ser- vice of personal belongings storage. The hotel had its own restaurant, which was famous even abroad for its special cuisine. The hall paved with marble hosted concerts every evening. There were separate rooms for business meetings (similar to the modern conference-halls). Correspondence was held in Pol- ish, German, French, English and Russian. “Bristol” and “New-York” hotels The hotels were situated not far from each other on Legioniv Street. The owner was Z. Zehnegut. Both hotels were established in 1894 in the central part of the city. At that time they were 1st category hotels. They were using innovational technologies – tele- phone connection in the rooms and individual bath- rooms. The location of the hotels made them the venue of the international fairs. The hotels provided Tab. 2. Information and statistics about the hospitality establishments of Lviv in 1930–1931 Name of hotel, guest house, resort Address H – h o te l G – g u es th o u se R – re so rt Owner To ta l n u m b er o f r o o m s To ta l c ap ac it y Price of room Pr ic e o f a ro o m w it h b at h Price of guest house O p en S - s ea so n A ll ye ar - Y Availability 1 b ed 2 b ed s Pr ic e d u ri n g s ea so n Pr ic e n o t d u ri n g t h e se as o n ce n tr al h ea ti n g b at h el ec tr ic al li g h t ra d io te le p h o n e h o t an d c o ld w at er in t h e ro o m s g ar ag e Astoria Kazymyrivska, 15 H Dr. Mayer i Ska 42 51 5–8 8–11 Y • • • • Bristol Legioniv, 21 H Zehngut Zyg. 47 62 8–9 11–13 Y • • • City–Depend Syxtynska, 4 H Fabian Henryk 20 27 6–8 9–12 Y • • Elite Legioniv, 27 H Reich i Perlmutter 19 28 6–7 8–10 Y • • Europejski Mariatska square, 4 H Uwiera Antoni 65 88 6–10 9–14 Y • • • Georgé Mariatska square, 1 H Borowski Stan. 90 122 8–13 19–21 20 Y • • • • • Imperial The 3rd of May, 3 H Ganz Filip 54 75 7–13 15–18 Y • • • Krakowski Bernardynska square H 100 124 6–14 19–25 22 Y • • • • • Metropol Pilsudskoho H Melle Natan 30 45 5–6 9 Y • • Monopol Legioniv, 25 H Horowitz Br. 14 22 5–7 6–8 Y • • Narodna Hostynnycia Kostiushka, 1 H Tow. Spoldzieleze 43 55 6–9 10–13 Y • • • New-York Legioniv, 45 H Zehngut Zyg. 43 56 7–9 11–13 Y • • • Polonja Batoria, 34 G Sokolowska M. 10 15 12–15 Y • • • • Salus R Spka z ogr. odp. 20 20 20–40 Y • • • • • Sanat. Czerw. Krzyża Lychakivska, 107 R P. Czerw. Krzyż 39 39 15–40 Y • • • • • • Saski Batoria, 20 H Münzer Ozjasz 19 25 5*50–6 9 Y • • Savoy Sobeskoho, 7 H Przeporski Ant. 30 45 4–7 7–9 Y • • Warszawski Bernardynska square H Moskowicz Fr. 49 65 8–11 15–28 22 Y • • • • • Vita Lystopada, 22 R Schramm i Dr. Schwarc 30 40 16–35 Y • • • • • • • Zacisze Zyblikevycha, 52 G Chorośnicka M. 12 16 11–14 Y • • • Source: Skorowidz hotelowy…, 1930–1931. The development of Lviv hotel business in the interwar period (1919–1939) 81 unobtrusive and diligent service, which contributed to the positive reputation and to meeting all the needs of the clients. Another advantage was close- ness to the tram network, which connected the ho- tels with the main railway station, and almost with any other part of the city. According to the reviews the first-class cuisine was also worth praise. Corre- spondence was carried out in Polish, German and French (Polski przemysł i handel, 1930). Another publication of that time “Skorowidz ho- telowy Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej 1930–1931” gives quite detailed information about the hospitality establishments in many cities of that state. Among other data are given the type of the establishment, the price of stay and additional services, there are also included the number of rooms and capacity, which adds to the informativeness (Skorowidz ho- telowy, 1930–1931) (tab. 2.). Taking into consideration the information load of the given above table, we can build several diagrams by the main indicators (fig. 1., fig. 2., fig. 3.). Fig. 1. Total numbers of rooms in 1930 Source: Skorowidz hotelowy…, 1930–1931. Fig. 2. Total amounts of beds in 1930 Source: Skorowidz hotelowy…, 1930–1931. 82 Taras Zavadovsky, Dmytro Kadnichansky In 1936 the categorization of accommodation establishments changed. So the categories were (Ilustrowany przewodnik…, 1934) (tab. 3.). Tab. 3. Categorization of hotels in Lviv in 1936 Luxury hotels Second-class hotels George Amerykanski Krakowski Angielski Warsazawski Continental Category “A” hotels Grunberg Bristol Metropole Europejski Podolski Grand Polonja Imperial Reunion Narodna Hostynnycia Rojal New-York Saski Category “B” hotels Pod Trzema Murzynami Astoria Wenecki Belweder Zipper Elite Sans- Sousi Source: Ilustrowany przewodnik…, 1934. The category of second-class hotels was at that time the most numerous one and constituted 60% of all the accommodation establishments. The least popular were the guest houses – there were 8% of them (Lwów z lotu ptaka…, 1938) (fig. 4). Another guidebook “Lwów z lotu ptaka inform- ator-przewodnik Związku Popierania Turystyki m. Lwowa” gives such information (tab. 4.). Apart from these hotels there were also a lot of smaller ones, which are not mentioned in the guidebook. This guidebook to hotels mentions an economic innovation. A tax of 20% was imposed on hotels. Guest houses: • “Kasztelanka” – The 3rd of May street, 12 • “Zacisze” – Zublikevycha street, 52 Short-term suites (pl. kwatery dla wycieczek): • “Szkolne schronisko” – Virmenska street, 4 • “Dom Emigracyjny” – Vyshnevetskykh street, 4 • “Bursa Grunwaldzka” – Sobinskoho street, 15 • “II-gi Dom Techników” – Abramovychiv street, 5 • “Dom Akademicki” – Lozynskoho street,6 • “Dom Studentek” – Torosevycha street, 36 • “Klasztoe SS. Sakramentek” – Sakramentok street, 11 • “Dom Z. Z. K.” – Kotrynskoho street, 56. Another guidebook to Lviv “Ilustrowany informator miasta Lwowa: ze spisem miejscowości wojewódz- twa lwowskiego” (1939), gives a slightly different information about accommodation establishments. In the guidebook these establishments are also di- vided into four categories, but according to different criteria: first-class luxury, first-class, second-class and guest houses. It should be noted that all first-class luxury and first-class hotels were situated in the city-center. Second-class hotels and guest houses were located a bit further from the downtown. This guidebook mentions an important convenience – the availability in each hotel or guest house of own telephone number, which at that time increased the hotel service. Thus to the first-class luxury hotels belonged only four hotels: “Bristol”, “George”, “Eu- ropejski” and “Warszawski”, of which “Warszawski” belonged to second class as early as 1894, while “Bristol” was not mentioned at all, “George” and “Europejski” confirmed their luxury category. To the first-class belonged also four hotels: “Grand”, “Impe- rial”, “Narodna Hostynnycia” and “New-York”. In this category situation was a bit different, “Grand” and “Imperial” stayed in their category, while the rest two had not been mentioned in the previous edition (Lwów z lotu ptaka…, 1938). In the end of the second period in 1939 largely increased the number of second-class hotels in Lviv, there were fifteen of them. Among them only “An- gielski” stayed in its category, respectively hotels “Wiktoria” and “Metropole” lowered their rating, all the rest twelve hotels: “Astoria”, “City–Depend”, “Con- tinental”, “Edison”, “Palas”, “Patria”, “Podolski”, “Reun- ion”, “Saski”, “Savoy”, “Splendid”, “Wenecki” were men- tioned in this publication for the first time. There Fig. 3. Percet correlation of establishments of placing is on 1925 Source: Skorowidz hotelowy…, 1930–1931. The development of Lviv hotel business in the interwar period (1919–1939) 83 historical conditions and events on the quantitative and qualitative indexes of the hotel infrastructure of the city. References Ilustrowany informator miasta Lwowa: ze spisem miejscowości województwa lwowskiego, 1939, wyd. Zdzisław Jaśkiewicz, Juliusz Brunelik, Lwów. Ilustrowany przewodnik po Lwowie : z wykazem ulic i planem orjentacyjnym miasta, 1936, „Sztuka” Lwów . Lwów z lotu ptaka informator-przewodnik Związku Popierania Turystyki m. Lwowa, 1938, Drukarnia Polska, Lwów. Orłowicz M., 1919, Przewodnik po Galicyi, Skład Główny „Książnica Polska”, Lwów. Orłowicz M., 1925, Przewodnik po Lwowie, Atlas, Lwów. Polski przemysł i handel, 1930, Izba Przemysłowo-Handlowa, Warszawa. Skorowidz hotelowy Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej 1930–1931, 1930– 1931, nakł. Towarzystwa Wydawniczego „Polski Znicz”, Kraków. Ганич Н.М., 2013, Історико-географічні особливості ста- новлення та розвитку готельної сфери Львова, Вісник Львівського університету. Серія географічна, 42, 53–63. Любіцева О.О., Бабарицька В.К., 1995, Туристична сфера, готельне господарство та форми їх організації у світі, КДТЕУ, Київ. Мальська М.П., Пандяк І.Г., 2009, Готельний бізнес: теорія та практика, Центр учбової літератури, Київ. Мальська М.П., Пандяк І.Г., Занько Ю.С., 2011, Організація готельного обслуговування, Знання, Київ. were only two typical guest houses in 1939: “Kaszte- lanka” and “Zacisze” (Ilustrowany informator miasta Lwowa…, 1939). 3. Conclusions Thus we may state, that very popular in Lviv at the beginning of the 20th century were guest houses – furnished apartment-like rooms of Western Euro- pean type, which were used for long-term stay of the guests. Already in 1910, in Lviv provided services 4 guest house. Guest houses were smaller than hotels, and were aimed at the family-style recreation, they had a separate room for relaxing, and the dining room and living room were shared. The guest hous- es in the early 20th century set the perspective of es- tablishing in the Eastern Galicia of hotel-apartments. For example, in 1913 there were 11 guest houses in Lviv. However with the fall of Austro-Hungarian Em- pire and inclusion of Galicia into the Polish Republic the guest houses lost their popularity. Their number in the range of 1931–1939 years there were only two units. And with the advent of the Soviet power they dis- appear absolutely as a separate category of hospital- ity establishments. The analysis of the development of accommoda- tion establishments development in Lviv in various time periods enables us to evaluate the influence of Fig. 4. Percet correlation of establishments of placing is on 1925 Source: Lwów z lotu ptaka…, 1938. Tab. 4. Price List of hotels in Lviv in 1938 Name Location Note George Mariinska square, 1 single room from 6 to 9 zlotys, double room from 13 to 16 zlotys Krakowski Bernardyniv square, 8 single room from 5 to 8 zlotys, double room from 8.80 to 14 zlotys Europejski Mariinska square, 4 single room from 6,50 to 9 zlotys, double room from 11 to 14 zlotys Warszawski Bernardyniv square, 5 single room from 4 to 6,50 zlotys, double room from 7 to 10 zlotys Bristol Legioniv street, 2 single room from 5 to 7.50 zlotys, double room from 8.50 to 10 zlotys New-York Legioniv street, 45 single room from 3.75 to 5 zlotys, double room from 6.50 to 7.50 zlotys Source: from Lwów z lotu ptaka…, 1938.