SL Wrote: The good news about the last one is that it hasn't been worked enough to generate ANY TA reviews so at least I wouldn't have to overcome bad publicity, just no publicity!
There is always "change the name of the business" so you get a fresh start on TA and every place else! It is not always detrimental to change the name when there is a history of a place online and reputation you want to freshen up.
Trust me when I say sometimes the baggage of a prev owner can bug you each and every day you run YOUR business. TURN-KEY is not always what it is crackedf up to be. Many so-called turn-key have to start from scratch in ALL aspects down to website design.
Like a house being bought by a new person and always being referred to as Dr Jones' house. No it is MY HOUSE NOW, sorry it will always be Dr Jones' house..
The one with good sales and bad TA has a dumb name that says nothing about the area or property so I'd change it in a heartbeat! Change the horrific decor and start fresh. It seems to have great "bones". Has a big stand alone building with a kitchen, and 3 suites. All 3 suites have their own sitting room. Has two cabins with kitchenettes, another with just a frig and coffeemaker, a cute fully stocked 2 bedroom Victorian house that rents for $350. a night, a separate innkeeper's home with office, a new pool with spa. All rooms have satellite TV and WiFi. Current setup is a hot buffet breakfast on weekends, continental during the week. All on about 3 acres, priced less than 1M with all furnishings and supplies.
Issues in reviews are innkeeper attitude and stupid reviewers, as in reviewers complaining about clearly stated refund policies, nothing to do except sit by the pool (what did they expect????), the usual food complaints, no daily maid service when it's stated that there won't be any daily maid service, and so on. I feel that these are issues that would not even be addressed if the innkeeper attitude wasn't so bad judging by other reviews. They are seemingly overprotective owners warning about towel placement on outside railings and minor trash, an inaccessible innkeeper when there are problems (she has a full time job but they don't know that, she recently lost her husband but they don't know that...and I know from experience how hard it is to run the Mom and Pop business now that Pop is gone). She's ready to move on and I know how that feels - you just don't want to be there anymore. The accommodations themselves get good reviews.
The other property with no 3rd and 4th qtr. sales is being marketed as a business so I don't think there was any thought of dodging taxes by being closed. I've heard that the owners have a teenage daughter who is active in school activities and they live elsewhere and are not interested in working the property anymore.
This is still my first choice property and when the time comes I'll make a low offer based strictly on property value and if they don't take it I'll walk away. There's so much on the market right now that getting emotionally involved in one property is a mistake.
I'm going to look at 3 on Wednesday, maybe 4. I'm working with a realtor who specializes in hospitality properties and WHAT a difference that makes!!!
