ONCE UPON A TIME…
Picture this: A guest settles into a comfy chair in the hotel library to read. Delighted to see an elegant,
alligator-skin footstool has been provided for added comfort, the guest puts her feet up. Then, things get
weird. Suddenly, the footstool moves and begins to make its way toward the door. The horrified woman is
stunned to discover that the luxurious ottoman was actually a live alligator.
True story. From 1901 until 1948, the regal Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, holder of both Forbes
Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond ratings, housed live alligators in their Palm Court fountains as a way to
create a memorable guest experience. While wayward reptiles may not be the ideal amenity for the modern
traveler, The Jefferson Hotel gets high marks for what was, at the time, forward-thinking innovation. They were
definitely thinking in the right direction.
…
ILHA 95