Hotelier Looking For Some Advice

[John Rusholme]

Hey everyone! I'm not exactly in this world, but thought you guys would be great to ask. I recently purchased a hotel near a major truckstop. It was quite run down, and I've put quite a bit of money in bringing it up to date. I'm trying to put it together specifically for truckers and pilot care drivers (focus on basic amenities and keep price down).

My question for you guys would be, what's the best way for me to go about having your companies send drivers over to us for direct billed rooms. What's going to be the best way for me to get my foot in the door and find out what companies pay for their drivers' rooms, and what should I be focusing on to get their attention.

Also, for you drivers that pay for lodging out of your own pocket; Describe for me the breakfast bar that you'd expect for a room at $40/night CDL rate? Want to see how close I can get to making this happen.

Thanks for any and all help guys. This place seems to be quite active and I may just lurk around here.

 

[LDB]

I've been off the road a few years. I'm sure some things have changed. Most of the members here are independent contractors. The carriers don't provide rooms. It is all personal choice and personal pay. If you haven't already done so you might look into the Check In Direct card. I have no idea how it works from the hotelier's side of things but a number of members use one.

As to breakfast, cereal and toast would be a bare bones but acceptable and filling breakfast. Be sure you don't have only one type of cereals as in sugared or bran or whatever. Something like a raisin bran, a cheerios and a fruit loops or some variation giving 3 distinct choices would be good. A loaf of white bread and a loaf of wheat bread and small jelly/jam packets. Coffee, milk for the cereal and maybe orange and apple juice.

Good luck and let us know where your hotel is so members can check it out.

 

[John Rusholme]

Thanks LDB! Yeah, I've already upped the breakfast from coffee, orange juice, and toast to coffee, 2 juices, 2 types of toast/bread, and two cereals. I'm thinking I can afford to put out some instant oatmeal packets as well.

As for the Check Inn card, not to go too off topic, but they are TERRIBLE for hotels. At another property of mine in the northeast, we accepted the CLC card for about 5 years. We never got paid on time, they disputed EVERY charge. Once, back when they had their own terminal, our clerk accidentally entered in 37.99, instead of 37.89...they disputed it and we never got paid for that rental. Even after agreeing to eat the....10 cents!

Not only that, I don't know what other benefits drivers have with the CLC, but in terms of lodging rates, its better just to pay cash at the hotel. For us it was at least. For example, our walk in rate for 40 + tax. CLC rate was 36.xx + tax. So sure, the rate is cheaper, but I've heard the cardholder gets charged a flat $3-9 fee everytime they use it. At which point, just paying us directly is better for everyone.

Anyway, thanks for the response! I'm glad our breakfast changes are on par with that could be expected.

 

[LDB]

I'm sure it's a huge challenge. Good luck and let us know where you are as some members may want to stay with you sometime.

 

[Moot]

My question for you guys would be, what's the best way for me to go about having your companies send drivers over to us for direct billed rooms. What's going to be the best way for me to get my foot in the door and find out what companies pay for their drivers' rooms, and what should I be focusing on to get their attention.

Company drivers most likely to use your would be LTL drivers from companies like YRC, Holland, ABF etc. Do you have any LTL truck terminals in your neighborhood? Also auto transport drivers use motels. Are there any large heavy duty truck repair or truck dealerships nearby. Drivers getting a truck repaired would need lodging.

Will you have enough parking for a tractors with trailers? In northern states electrical outlets for block heaters are a plus.

Also, for you drivers that pay for lodging out of your own pocket; Describe for me the breakfast bar that you'd expect for a room at $40/night CDL rate? Want to see how close I can get to making this happen.

At $40/night you will be attracting expedite cargo van drivers, an unsavory bunch. At that price for a breakfast bar I would think the basics would suffice. Decent HOT coffee, pastries, doughnuts, muffins, instant oatmeal, toast etc. Personally when I stay at a motel I pass on the novelty poached eggs. These eggs look like they came from a joke shop where fake turds and novelty vomit are sold or perhaps a Mexican rubber goods store.

 

[cannedmeat27]

Company drivers most likely to use your would be LTL drivers from companies like YRC, Holland, ABF etc. Do you have any LTL truck terminals in your neighborhood? Also auto transport drivers use motels. Are there any large heavy duty truck repair or truck dealerships nearby. Drivers getting a truck repaired would need lodging.

Will you have enough parking for a tractors with trailers? In northern states electrical outlets for block heaters are a plus.



At $40/night you will be attracting expedite cargo van drivers, an unsavory bunch. At that price for a breakfast bar I would think the basics would suffice. Decent HOT coffee, pastries, doughnuts, muffins, instant oatmeal, toast etc. Personally when I stay at a motel I pass on the novelty poached eggs. These eggs look like they came from a joke shop where fake turds and novelty vomit are sold or perhaps a Mexican rubber goods store.

Excuse me. I'm a cargo van driver and not unsavory.

 

[Moot]

Yeah, right. I've heard that before. Cargo van drivers are a scourge in this industry. Ban the van!

 

[Ragman]

Excuse me. I'm a cargo van driver and not unsavory.

Come on admit it!

 

[cannedmeat27]

Come on admit it!

I will never admit to something I'm not.

 

[greasytshirt]

http://i.imgur.com/axJmn.gif

 

[xmudman]

Excuse me. I'm a cargo van driver and not unsavory.

I'm unsavory; too much gristle.

Seriously, though, we don't want the OP to get the wrong idea. Cargo van drivers usually just want the luxury of being able to stretch out in bed once in a while. Being able to just stumble into the bathroom naked at 3:30am to pee, instead of having to get fully dressed and walk across a cold/rainy/etc parking lot is a big bonus

 

[xiggi]

You mentioned a cdl rate. I just wanted to make you aware many van expediters do not hold a cdl so just make sure your staff is aware they are still over the road drivers. Personally I rarely partake in the breakfast so it's not important to me. A good selection of tv channels and strong WiFi is higher on my list. I am often disappointed at the slow to the point of useless WiFi at many places.

 

[John Rusholme]

You mentioned a cdl rate. I just wanted to make you aware many van expediters do not hold a cdl so just make sure your staff is aware they are still over the road drivers. Personally I rarely partake in the breakfast so it's not important to me. A good selection of tv channels and strong WiFi is higher on my list. I am often disappointed at the slow to the point of useless WiFi at many places.

Ah, that's good to know. Wasn't aware that van drivers don't hold CDLs.

Yep, just got 4 new ESPN channels added in today! Wifi is acceptable here.

So, all in all I think I'm good shape once I the bedding in the rooms and fix some drywall and bathroom finishing. I think, I'm going to send out a flyer and some emails to some trucking companies to see if they want to set up some direct billing for their drivers at a discounted rate. If you guys have any advice on that front, that would be great.

Thanks for the responses guys, definitely has validated what I've been doing.

I don't want to say the location of the property to avoid Google showing it in search results. Not a huge deal, but whatever.

Thanks again.

 

[paullud]

Yep, just got 4 new ESPN channels added in today! Wifi is acceptable here.

Have you checked into adding Fox Sports 1 which has MMA fights?

So, all in all I think I'm good shape once I the bedding in the rooms and fix some drywall and bathroom finishing. I think, I'm going to send out a flyer and some emails to some trucking companies to see if they want to set up some direct billing for their drivers at a discounted rate. If you guys have any advice on that front, that would be great.

I would check with the LTL companies Moot mentioned because companies like UPS and FedEx do send drivers out in day cabs and they need to get a room. Car haulers are another good one to target.

 

[paulnstef39]

Kudos to the OP. Coming to this site was thinking outside of the box. Good luck with your project. Biscuits and gravy - yummy.

 

[Moot]

Have you checked into adding Fox Sports 1 which has MMA fights?



I would check with the LTL companies Moot mentioned because companies like UPS and FedEx do send drivers out in day cabs and they need to get a room. Car haulers are another good one to target.

I should have noted that setting up a deal with an LTL carrier may require you to provide transportation for the drivers to and from their terminal. I do see LTL tractors parked outside hotels but I also see passenger vans shuttling the drivers back and forth. Hey, you could buy a van and I could be the driver.

 

[x06col]

Thanks LDB! Yeah, I've already upped the breakfast from coffee, orange juice, and toast to coffee, 2 juices, 2 types of toast/bread, and two cereals. I'm thinking I can afford to put out some instant oatmeal packets as well.

As for the Check Inn card, not to go too off topic, but they are TERRIBLE for hotels. At another property of mine in the northeast, we accepted the CLC card for about 5 years. We never got paid on time, they disputed EVERY charge. Once, back when they had their own terminal, our clerk accidentally entered in 37.99, instead of 37.89...they disputed it and we never got paid for that rental. Even after agreeing to eat the....10 cents!

Not only that, I don't know what other benefits drivers have with the CLC, but in terms of lodging rates, its better just to pay cash at the hotel. For us it was at least. For example, our walk in rate for 40 + tax. CLC rate was 36.xx + tax. So sure, the rate is cheaper, but I've heard the cardholder gets charged a flat $3-9 fee everytime they use it. At which point, just paying us directly is better for everyone.

Anyway, thanks for the response! I'm glad our breakfast changes are on par with that could be expected.

 

[x06col]

Thanks LDB! Yeah, I've already upped the breakfast from coffee, orange juice, and toast to coffee, 2 juices, 2 types of toast/bread, and two cereals. I'm thinking I can afford to put out some instant oatmeal packets as well.

As for the Check Inn card, not to go too off topic, but they are TERRIBLE for hotels. At another property of mine in the northeast, we accepted the CLC card for about 5 years. We never got paid on time, they disputed EVERY charge. Once, back when they had their own terminal, our clerk accidentally entered in 37.99, instead of 37.89...they disputed it and we never got paid for that rental. Even after agreeing to eat the....10 cents!

Not only that, I don't know what other benefits drivers have with the CLC, but in terms of lodging rates, its better just to pay cash at the hotel. For us it was at least. For example, our walk in rate for 40 + tax. CLC rate was 36.xx + tax. So sure, the rate is cheaper, but I've heard the cardholder gets charged a flat $3-9 fee everytime they use it. At which point, just paying us directly is better for everyone.

Anyway, thanks for the response! I'm glad our breakfast changes are on par with that could be expected.

CLC was good for Motel users when started out. And......the greed factor set in. In my original contract with them I would receive a deeply discounted rate from the Motel and pay a processing fee of $4.95. A good deal for me. 4 or 5 years into the drill they announced a "new and better" method of accounting....(a percentage of walk in savings) plus the processing fee, which of course resulted in a substantial grease increase for their pockets. I still have the original contract with them that has no expirey and I may take them to task for the over charges to me as a result of the new and better mousetrap. Many Motel operators will not give the CLC rate without going through CLC for some odd reason.....seems to me a win, win if they would.

 

[TruckingSurv]

I lived in motels a lot pre driving days and the last couple years driving, every night. The OP is on right track, but I hope his property is the exceptional $40 a night room, most in the $50-100 range are acceptable, rarely find any under $50 I would go back to and have been burned on some $100 a night places, and some $300 a night places are no better than a $100 a night room. Unfortunately also, the less expensive a hotel, the more undesirable customer that is attracted, more expensive places tend to have a certain expectation of house rules, my experience with low end places hasn't been to the same high standards, NOT saying it can't be done, BUT how much of the $40 has to get split between front desk staff, repairs, food, housekeeping, profit, bills, etc., at some point your care isn't what is going on, BUT just interest in getting rooms rented to pay tomorrows bills.

Unfortunately all of the inexpensive breakfast foods are just sugar and starch and even those with eggs, about 1 in 100 can cook them so they are edible, I usually just go for the cold hard boiled ones since at least you know what you are likely to get. Unfortunately too, customers now expect a hotel to provide a high quality breakfast, even an inexpensive hotel. You would be almost be better off to disappoint with no breakfast and good coffee service than to provide a crummy breakfast at this price point, I think there would be less complaints that way, especially if there are restaurants within walking distance.

I have had multiple conversations with hotel staff about the various rates over the last 10 years, they ALL without exception DO NOT like any of the third party billings, I have had motel managers tell me specifically that calling them direct will get as good or better rate than anything, I think the exception may be AAA and is one I do use because that is often 10% discount with no haggle.

By using a few chains and getting on their rewards cards I have earned free nights and quite often get an upgraded room due to being someone who obviously stays with the chain a lot.

Parking is a must for at least bob tail and straight trucks and properties you don't have to back into or out of are good, ones with canopy clearance over 14 feet are good, etc. If your property isn't set up to be accommodating to vehicles larger than a passenger vehicle it will be harder to cater to the commercial crowd.

If you aren't a part of a chain, folks like me would probably never stay there, because regular travelers search on a known entity, line haul drivers or folks with a regular route may once they find out you exist, but for me, I end up at the same location maybe a couple times a year, once I have a known good place to stay in an area, I do tend to be a creature of habit so if the experience is good would come back, the issue is finding you to begin with, and not wanting to share location because Google might find you isn't going to help.

I am not a big TV watcher, but know I am the exception, internet access though is a must and most motels fall woefully short in this regard, sure speed may be OK with one bed sold, BUT fill up and my phone is usually way faster. There is communication needed every day and I depend on being able to connect at a hotel if I am staying there.

 

[cheri1122]

One of the most attractive features of the CLC/Check Inn program for me is the 24 hr stay. Unlike other travelers, drivers often require a room because of a repair that takes more than one day, and we really appreciate not having to check out at 11 or 12, when the truck won't be ready for hours. The "drivers lounge" in repair shops is rarely a place to be productive or even comfortable, in my experience.
A very late [or flexible] checkout is a good selling point, IMO, that may well outweigh the breakfast bar. Which, for $40, isn't going to be anything beyond basic, anyway. [Those looking for an elaborate buffet will find a $300 room, with higher "quality" clientele, as mentioned.]