E.M. Statler was a revolutionary figure in the hotel industry. Between 1907 and 1927 the hotel empire that he built would set the model for both the business plan and architecture of many hotels that followed. Statler was the first to build his hotels around the idea of efficiency and economy. He was the first to provide private baths to every guestroom, no matter how small. He built his hotels with similar styles, allowing for mass purchasing of furnishings and a signature look.This thesis is a study of E.M. Statler, his ideas, the development of his hotels, and the architecture of those hotels. Although Statler's hotels would share many similarities based on his core beliefs on service, each one would be an improvement on the previous. Statler was constantly fine-tuning, and each hotel was the prototype for its successor. Through the study of their development, services, form, and layout, this thesis documents the evolution of Statler's ideas. / Department of Architecture