The postcard was an obvious choice for hotel owners to publicise their charms. Guests could be relied upon to make use of a supply of free postcards featuring the charms of the hotel and spread the word far and wide. While some hotels relied upon the more modern medium of photography, many chose to feature hand drawn and painted imagery to add prestige to their offer. Typically the scale and opulence of the hotel would be grossly exaggerated while luxury limousines would be lined up at the entrance – the standard of artwork was not notably high except for the Italian examples that display a certain panache. Some of the American hotels have a truly forbidding air – a night at the Sheraton in Pittsburgh could be an experience best forgotten if the austere and implacable appearance is anything to go by. A short break at the Hotel Petrograd in Nice looks a much better prospect especially if use of one of the splendid passing limos is part of the package. Despite the name it doesn’t look like the first choice for vacationing commissars on the Côte d’Azur.
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