|
|
Chance Inner circle 1385 Posts |
I don't have a specific direction in mind for this thread, so feel free to think out loud.
I have the chance to lease-to-own a 12 acre resort on the Atlantic side of the country, in the Talamanca district. The terms are very flexible and generous on many levels; the seller is highly motivated, as they say. The resort itself has been extensively upgraded and remodeled and is basically "turn key" at this point. It's located in the middle of a nature reserve just a short walk to the beaches. Hardly any of the land has been used so far and there is lots of room for expansion. So far so good. On the negative side is that it only has 20 beds right now, and it's a mile or more from the nearest village, where about 30 other budget hotels are located right there in the center. Bookings have been off due to all the remodeling, so I won't have an active customer base to work from; I'll be going in cold and will have to generate all my own sales from scratch. The seller has compensated by offering various consessions, but in the end it's the sales that matter most: no matter how little it takes to get in, I still need to generate a steady income or it's a complete waste of time and effort. I'm hoping the brain trust here will offer their ususal brilliant insight and advise. Free holiday packages to whom ever I deem the most helpful! Have at it boys! |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
The fact that it is isolated from the "pack", as well as its smaller size makes it potentially more exclusive, and attractive to a higher income clientele. Use the money you save in the intial costs to upgrade to a level that attracts such a clientele (seed money for funding a killer ammenities package),including shuttle service to town, on site perks, etc.
On the other hand, I know NOTHING about running a resort! Good luck with this.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
abc Inner circle South African in Taiwan 1081 Posts |
Havong travelled quite a bit and with a variety of people, I can tell you only what I would look at from the perspective of travelling with people with different ideas about a good vacation.
If it isn't in the city I expect it to be quiet and tranquil. I also know that my wife or mom or mother in law wants to go to the shops every day and they need to get there. A shuttle bus is a great idea and it needs to run quite often. I love to go out at night and party (this to me means watch sports on TV and consume alcohol) and it is a big mission to get back at night. The two best places I have ever lived at was one in Bali and one in Sepang in Malaysia. They had a hotel taxi that you could phone at any time and they would meet you anywhere in the nearby town. We didn't have to rent a car and we could go anywhere at anytime at a price cheaper than a normal taxi. Some people want Internet access some don't. I don't but it is good tohave it for those who do. I want to spend the entire day at one place so I need massages, entertainment in the form of water sports or whatever and a place that has some books or magazines. Foreign travellers who want to spend some money can not always speak the local language or English. Preparing communication cards that predict any possible problem makes conversation much easier. I have never had to use it (lucky me) because between my wife and myself we can get by in Afrikaans, Dutch, English, Portuguese, Chinese, Taiwanese, French and Japanese and maybe a little Spanish or German. Many other people speak only one or two languages. Predicting which languages you may need this for prepare cards for food, Checking in and out, Laundry, travelling, entertainment ect that allows pretty much pointing to question and answers. The taxi service in Bali had this in many languages and there was a couple from I think France that spend there entire vacation having massages or sitting in the spa and then going out at night and getting picked up when they were done by pointing to sentences on a card. No-one needs to speak the language the traveller just needs to be sure that in most situations he or she would be able to get what they want or need without worrying about communication. Start a blog and have it translated into as many Asian languages as you can. You will be surprized how many vacations are booked in Asia by people my age (over 30 not yeet 40) who look for there next vacation on the Internet and a blog carries some form of authority that a travel agent just doesn't have. Arrange airport pickup and if you have a website have all Visa requirements and currency calculations available because it is very annoying if you have to search on three or four different websites for information. Arrange tours because then we can stay in a quiet place away from the noise of the city but still have the opportunity to see special places and things. Have a babysitter or nursery or playroom where we can drop our kids of if we decide to spend some time alone in the room or have a massage. Charge for all of the above because when I go on vacation I want everyone to be happy and we only have one or two vacations a year and I don't care what it costs. I just want to relax and make sure everyone is happy. I know most of the places that we frequent have people that rent the opportunity to entertain (Jetski's or surfing) massage space etc. I am sure this covers a portion of the rent. There have also been some places that rent the restaurant space for the evening restaurant or the pub on the condition that the service is good and it has always been of a high standard. that way you may earn less but there are more people paying towards the overheads. I am sure that there are many peole with many better ideas and I am not too interested in having a free vacation but I hope this helps at least a little. Summary would be: Go half or whatever on taxi fees and have someone who is always available. Rent space out on entertainment and beauty care. Arrange tours. even if you add 10% or whatever over what it should be we are not going to calculate every penny because it is about convenience. Get a blog going and have it translated and supported in Asia. 3 Billion people live here and we are dying to not always go to Japan, Korea or Bali. None of us go to Phuket. We leave that dump for the foreigners. |
abc Inner circle South African in Taiwan 1081 Posts |
I just spoke to my wife (An asian lady) and she said that if you want to sell vacations then arranging some form of cooperation between you and some travel agents in Asia may not be a bad idea since backpackers from here are not necesarily budget travelers.
She also suggested having a facebook account since it is easy for the facebook generation to refer friends and people and ther are more likely to frequently go there if they see it all the time and they see facebook all the time. The facebookers are not all poor teenagers! I don't have an account though and I use my wife's to chat to my friends. I was also scolded for pushing Asian travelers and she said that the majority of your customers would come from the US and Canada. I disagree and I think the majority of travelers from the US or Canada would go to the budget places but someone who pays more than 1000 USD for a ticket somewhere has planned it and they are not going to spend all there money on a plane ticket. Then they would rather go to Vietnam or Cambodia. Marketed correctly there is a lot of opportunity and Asian people like to travel. Heck my sister in law goes abroad 6 times a year and she has a fulltime job. Don't ask. This is the only country (Taiwan) where I know people who would quite there jobs to go on vacation and do itagain in a years time. |
Chance Inner circle 1385 Posts |
Interesting stuff! And thanks for the PM's too guys. Anybody else? Jump in, the water's fine....
|
RJE Inner circle 1848 Posts |
Hi Chance,
I've been fortunate enought to get to Costa Rica twice in the last number of years. Also, a full time magician friend owned property there for a while. based on that, here are my impressions. The friend tried to buy an investment property (near Jaco Beach), but I don't think he had much success in renting it out and that is why he sold it. I could be wrong about that, but I am pretty sure that is what the problem was. Next, again I could be wrong, but this is from my personal experiences, the Pacific Coast seems to have more tourist trade currently than the Atlantic. I have never visited the Atlantic Coast while in Costa Rica. My visits always stuck to the Pacific. As to infrastructure, it is REALLY poor in Costa Rica. Bridges with wide open gaping holes are not uncommon. Main roads of dirt and large holes and erosion are sometimes the only route (at least according to our bus drivers). Traveling by car or bus can be a very trying and slow experience there. So, is the area of your resort in a well marketed area and is there decent access from the nearest airport? For a number of years, I also organized and led student tours, some to Costa Rica. These tours usually consisted of groups larger than 20 people. If you could increase the number of beds and become a recognized destination for these types of tours, you will find it beneficial. One such company is EF Tours, the largest student tour company in the world. Being one of their resorts could insure a good amount of business. Costa Rica has a lot to offer from its great beaches to its natural beauty. The people are friendly and the country is trying really hard to represent itself as an Eco Holiday Destination. Things that are popular there, besides the usual Carribean type experiences that exist as well, are the more adventurous offerings. Zip lining is very popular. Hot springs and volcanoes are popular. White water rafting and hiking through rain forests are popular. Wildlife tourism is popular (howler monkeys, spider monkeys, gators or crocs, scorpions and tarantulas, lizards of all sorts, hermit crabs, birds and so on). Native crafts are extremely popular and inexpensive. Coffee is huge in Costa Rica. If you can tie into any of these things, they also sell well. Good luck with whatever your decision is. |
MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
That is a beautiful part of Costa Rica. Did they say how far from Limon? The people are nice and well educated and it is a rain forest legit. There is very good fishing in the area as well. Unlike RJE I've always stuck with the Atlantic side.
|
balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-08-26 08:55, Chance wrote: Is this something you would operate yourself, or would you source that out? A friend of mine took a leave of absence (she was smart not to quit outright) from her job in order to purchase and operate a small bed and breakfast resort on an island. After a few months, she remembered that she hated dealing with other people's petty concerns and couldn't for the life of her imagine what possessed her to get into a line of business that is all about doing other people's cooking and laundry and making their beds and so on. She sold the resort soon after ... fortunately only at a small financial loss.
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
|
balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
So, have you made a move one way or the other on this?
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
|
Big Jeff Loyal user 300 Posts |
If the fishing is good, hook up with a local and charter his boat. MAKE SURE his only priority is helping your guests catch fish. Make an exculsive offer with him that you are his only client or buy a boat and hire a captain.
A bad fishing trip can ruin a vacation. Not catching fish is ok as long as the guide trys and doesn't just sit in 1 place all day. Scuba diving is good if the water is clear. Good luck. |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Not very magical, still... » » Costa Rican resort (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.05 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |