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  1. JimBoone

    Newbie Question: Why would they stay at $175-$200 a night inn when they can stay in entire AirBNB apartment for $110 a night?

    Old guys thoughts: Over the years I have reinvented ourselves at least several times, changing prices and style as I grew, aged and changed over time. You lose some guests initially yet gain more/better in time. If the place is doing business now, get your feet on the ground first and adapt to...
  2. JimBoone

    New request. Have you heard this one?

    My networks are broadcast as "guest" and "private" with the business name, hopefully guests can identify vs neighbor's networks. Guest network is initially open, but takes the guest to a "splash screen" where they agree to terms of use and enter a password. Occasionally a guest will have an old...
  3. JimBoone

    Is it endless hard work? Feel like a constant burden to keep up with?

    It can be whatever YOU choose. In the beginning I thought I needed to be available, I answered the phone by my bed at all hours and in time learned that those were not the guests I wanted. In those days bedtime was 11PM, weekend skiers might arrive in the wee hours and I took it in stride. Time...
  4. JimBoone

    A first in almost 25 years

    Arks some of us aren't as organized, although today electronics help. Best to say I'm not well travelled. Between jobs in 1965 I withdrew my $100 life savings, borrowed dad's gas card and we made our first trip from coastal Georgia to the North Carolina mountains, at that time anyway it never...
  5. JimBoone

    A first in almost 25 years

    Arks, I'm afraid you wouldn't approve of me. No problem on that wealthy part, just ain't going to happen, but on those rare occasions when we travelled for fun there was no plan other than a general direction, stopping when we got tired or found something interesting, and yes, I've visited a few...
  6. JimBoone

    Is it endless hard work? Feel like a constant burden to keep up with?

    People: I think we need a bit of a "servant personality" where we enjoy providing a pleasant experience for our guests. People we don't want to visit again, less than one a year, people you don't enjoy, a few but no big deal. Price point: to me somewhere in the middle, too low seems to attract...
  7. JimBoone

    Is it endless hard work? Feel like a constant burden to keep up with?

    We have an 8 room motel, a plus that there is no cooking, but there are two beds per room. We started late 40's with me expecting to work an outside job. My wife did the cleaning and laundry, I was the extra help and handyman, maybe we were blessed to not be too busy at all times, we soon...
  8. JimBoone

    Road Trip!!!

    Have fun and enjoy your trip, be safe, time passes too quickly before we reach the point where we dream about trips we won't likely get to take.
  9. JimBoone

    Due Diligence: What did you miss?

    Expect negotiation depends on the needs of the buyer and seller. As a buyer sometimes favorable terms have been more important to me than actual price. As a seller I expect it depends on the seller's position and next activity. When I listed property for sale to purchase this business I got all...
  10. JimBoone

    Due Diligence: What did you miss?

    I'm the odd duck with an 8 room motel but I think the real secret is creating a life that makes you happy long term. Don't get so deep in debt that the business runs you, being happy is worth more than money. Do you need 90% occupancy to be happy (and get the bills paid)? I wasn't smart enough...
  11. JimBoone

    Due Diligence: What did you miss?

    What are your thoughts on why some innkeepers would see the business as a mistake? Too confining, too much business, too much work or too much debt, too little business, over their heads?
  12. JimBoone

    Hospitality background

    Truth is I didn't have a business plan and expect I did everything wrong. I had photocopies of a spiral notebook showing rooms rented for the prior year an idea of what taxes, insurance and utilities would cost and a strong desire to make it happen. Financing, borrowed about 40% against home and...
  13. JimBoone

    I would never...

    Many of these comments could easily apply to groups in general, not just wedding groups. When you have a group booking you have placed all of your eggs in one basket, a full weekend can become an empty weekend quickly, more difficult to recover that loss than the loss of a single reservation...
  14. JimBoone

    Hospitality background

    Slightly different from most here on the forum, we operate an 8 unit motel. Prior experience, I'd stayed in a motel as a guest, jumped in and started with no training. About 30 years in and still enjoy the life. To me it all comes down to money, if you have enough or the business produces...
  15. JimBoone

    10+10+10+10=9

    Arks, I'm puzzled, why wouldn't you want to share information with a host about an issue or am I misunderstanding the purpose of their contact? To me a complaint is an important part of my education, how do I prevent that issue in the future, unfortunately guest reviews are not always clear...
  16. JimBoone

    Help with bedding

    We have 14 queen beds and 2 twin beds, 4 pillows on each queen and 2 on each twin. I have a few loose spares and a case of 12 in reserve at this time. Old pillows get tossed as necessary, I may order another case each year for replacements.
  17. JimBoone

    Two In A Room

    Based on a Facebook group that I follow it does not seem to be only an American thing to desire to slip in extra guests.
  18. JimBoone

    Two In A Room

    Isn't it usually all about money with folks? I can understand an extra toddler that sleeps with mom and dad. System will allow an extra for a fee but most wouldn't like the fee for an extra adult. I guess I got old and grumpy, my place, my rules, hard for someone to argue
  19. JimBoone

    Whip it, whip it good

    As a motel we don't serve food, I escape the fun or problems with that feature, but my one BnB visit as a guest probably spoiled me as it would be difficult to beat in my eyes. About 30 of us at one long table, ranging in age from toddlers to old folks like us. Menu wasn't exact everyday but...
  20. JimBoone

    Updating Cleaning Fee and Security/Damage Deposits ---

    Difficult to offer advice, we live onsite and normally wouldn't have a guest to remain for that length of time. Also don't know how those amounts differ from your current policy. I also see cleaning and damage as different items. Cleaning, if I rented 4 plus rooms for six weeks un attended I...
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