Had no phone? Did they ever say why? Or no TV eaither.

The Shady Rest was in a very secluded location. There wasn't even a road to get there. You could only get there by train. There was no telephone line anywhere close to the Hotel so therefore no telephone at the Shady Rest. The only way to get TV reception there would have been with an antenna. The girls probably couldn't have put one up themselves and Uncle Joe was too lazy to do it! Besides running a hotel was so much work they wouldn't have had time to watch TV!