Appearance

On the surface the appeal of a motel appears to be the outside appearance, the way it is built, the arrangement of the buildings, the landscaping, the "curb appeal." The truth is far more interesting. Too much grooming and appearance can be unappealing. After all the homes that the majority of us reside in are not manicured to perfection. A dingy dump, on the other hand, overgrown with weeds and stinking of smoke, foot and other unappealing odors by nature repels customers.

It is unsafe to assume where the line is drawn, because there is no line. Travelers are looking for a place that "looks safe." All the landscaping in the wide world will not portray that to a consumer. When it is going on evening, or darkness has fallen and you are driving around an unfamiliar town with your travel cargo, your children, your lifestyle choices, you will be drawn to an establishment that finds you in common.

Picture a well-maintained little motel in small town Thames, and within its parking lot there is one beat-up old pickup and nothing else. In the motel down the street there are a crowd of vehicles, a few bodies beating the pavement between buildings, smiles and sentiment. On the lot you see cars of all sorts, and maybe even one like yours. The office is lit, the Open sign is on and the neon reads Vacancy. Which motel do you check into?

The one with the most cars. It feels safe.

In response to that theory I generally fill the North building first. The majority of traffic is heading North, but they heading South get a healthy glimpse of my lot as they pass. If they see several cars parked before the homey buildings and they are searching for a place to stay the night they will pull into my motel. More than a few guests have commented, "I saw all the cars."

One of my buildings is on the other side of the street coming off of the main road. It has its own parking and landscaping. It is a quaint little establishment, well-lit and giving the illusion of safety. It gives off its own spirit of being well-grounded. In spite of that I do get the occasional guest that is leery of the building, and wants to be within the main campus. Again it is because there are numerous guests and cars about, which gives the illusion of safety. At night, it seems, the human race prefers to congregate in numbers. Even in this modern world we have the instinct to gather in numbers for protection.

For they who want to seal the deal a warm welcome will coax their billfold from their pocket. Once welcomed, the deal done, the customer leaves with a smile and a thank you. That is a wonderful basis for establishing a reputation that will see the business through its toughest years.