Defining Foundations @ the TJ Motel!

I am T Justin Haxby, your avatar in the chaotic art of motel management. I leaped into this fire with both feet, and most of my left hand. After two hours I committed every appendage and I will tell you why - I may not be the owner here but I am the man, and I have been given the autonomy inherent to that position.

That is a double-edged sword. I run this place, and I run this place. That means that all activity here is my responsibility, and everything that needs to get done on the properties is also my responsibility.

Let us move into day 1.

A motel is your basic business model. Here at the TJ we have four buildings with 25 separate rooms that have distinct features such as one or more beds, bathtub or standing shower, table or no table, desk or no desk. The basic variety presented is enough to satisfy nearly any guest. While our distinct lack of hot tubs, swimming pool, and luxury spa adjacent can be considered a blow against the TJ our clientele are of a majority not interested in such things.

Each room runs at a rate decided on by the number of occupants and the number of beds they will be using. The preset rate starts at $42 plus tax on 20 rooms, $36 on the five economy rooms. The prices jump from there depending on people and pets.

Figure 1A:

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                        1p/1b               2p/1b               2p/2b               3p/2b               4p/2b

Room

11                    $42                  $48                  $54                  $60                  $66

20                    $36                  $42                  N/A                 N/A                 N/A

26                    $42                  $48                  $54                  $60                  $66

                        3p/3b               4p/3b               5p/3b               6p/3b

                        $66                  $72                  $78                  $84

Total plus 8% hospitality tax

Revenue resources:

Since little Thames is not much of a town the prices for lodging are very affordable. The town, however, is a curious hub. It is literally in the middle of nowhere, on a tourist thoroughfare between a world-known natural park, a huge government installation, and two of the major cities in Idaho. Thames is therefore uniquely positioned for a successful hospitality market.

The TJ clientele are an assortment of government workers, contractors, healthcare professionals who work in Thames but do not live there, tourists, construction outfits, passer-bys, and relatives of the families in town.

They do not all pay for their own rooms. Frequently TJ bills their companies or organizations for the duration of the stay. There is one annual celebration that is popular called Atomic Days, a celebration inspired by the quaint fact that Thames is one of the the first towns to be powered by nuclear energy in the United States. That celebration fills the motels to capacity for one crazy weekend.

The revenue is driven directly by renting out rooms. If your clientele and guests are comfortable, feel safe and secure, and have a unique experience they will remember your motel and return to stay again, and mention the motel to their friends, family, colleagues, and the random stranger at the mall.

Attracting guests:

A motel in this position operates on reputation and repeat business. Where it used to be owned by the proprietors and managers of the Motel the TJ recently changed hands and is now part of a broader organization spanning 6 motels around Idaho. As such, autonomy has been given to each manager to run the motel as they see fit. Dedication then becomes the primary motivation for both the upkeep and the maintenance of the motel.

Within that authority the manager must have a certain pride about the establishment that they can then apply to keeping the motel appealing to the customer. How quickly a reputation can be lost, and how quickly a building can fall down if there is no one there who really cares for it. With any loss in the image and integrity of the business it follows that there will be a loss of appeal and preference for utilizing its services. There are numerous examples of this when a business is bought by another business simply for income or tax reasons. They lose that panache.

The manager in that position must make the business after the image of his own vision, while carefully aligning that vision to the image the owners want to establish. Regardless, your own passion and dedication show through and attract the guests, providing appeal to them and granting them the desire to return and take part in your hospitality again.

To conclude, the motel is a busy place. Even if guests are not knocking down your door to get in there is always something to do. Effective management is prioritizing your tasks and assigning them to set times for basic maintenance, and special tasks for hours when guest interaction is at its lowest.