Grand Hotel Bristol Merano Travel Brochure – 1930's

Vintage photographic advertising booklet for the Grand Hotel Bristol in Merano, South Tyrol, with a textured cover bearing an embossed heraldic crest and bold black lettering. Its restrained typography and finely ruled photographic layouts evoke the elegance of Belle Époque hotel advertising.

The 24-page booklet combines hotel and destination photography with practical details for prospective guests. Views of the grand hotel and its mountain setting accompany an elaborate dining-room interior, a panorama of Meran and a scene from the “Andreas Hofer” performances of the Meraner Volksschauspiele. German, French and English text appears in parallel columns, describing amenities and accommodation, including 140 rooms and 15 apartments.

Particularly engaging details include hotel floor plans and an international telegraphic code for reserving rooms, with code words for room arrangements, arrival times and lengths of stay. A recommendation page names I. Schorn as director and refers to his earlier association with St. Moritz. The printer's imprint reads Buch- und Kunstdruckerei S. Pötzelberger, Meran.

Provisionally dated to circa the 1930s, following the seller's estimate; the exact publication year is unconfirmed. The text includes an earlier reference to tourism figures for the 1910/11 season, which is not treated as the publication date.

A richly detailed addition to collections of historic luxury-hotel advertising, South Tyrolean tourism and travel ephemera. The combination of embossed cover decoration, photographic views, floor plans and booking codes offers several different ways to explore the hotel's presentation to international guests.

• Type: Photographic hotel advertising booklet
• Condition: Good Plus (G+), with a light central fold, cover rubbing, mottled discolouration and spotting, and edge and corner wear. Some light marks and creasing are visible on the interior pages. Please examine all photographs for details.
• Size: 20.5 × 13.5 cm (8.07 × 5.31 inches)
• Style: Belle Époque-style hotel advertising / restrained Jugendstil-influenced typography
• Location: Merano (Meran), South Tyrol, Italy
• Date: Circa 1930s (seller's estimate; exact year unconfirmed)
• Hotel: Grand Hotel Bristol
• Director: I. Schorn, as named in the booklet
• Pages: 24
• Language: German, French and English; Italian place names on the cover
• Cover: Embossed heraldic crest
• Printer: Buch- und Kunstdruckerei S. Pötzelberger, Meran

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