Silvanus Lodge * 518.325.3000 * email contact
The Mission, some results and other plans...
Yes, we have a MISSION. Sounds rather strange for a motel - but this little project has become an interesting adventure. The objective is to build a better business. We do this slowly and conservatively.
And how do we define a "better business"? That would be a place for people to escape... a simple, clean, comfortable place that makes the guest feel like they "own" a little part of the country - all for an "affordable" price. Our goal is to be fair both to the guest as well as to the business. We reinvest almost every dollar into the property and thereby make constant improvements to the product. We'd rather have more guests and charge less (thereby making the same $$). We want the city dweller that enjoys a country adventure - or the kind of guest that wants a quiet distraction from everyday pressures of life. We want to attract the guest that is more interested in nature than pretense.
GREEN ~ We don't ever want to waste money or resources. In fact, we detest any sort of waste. It is more about "appreciation" than it is about being cheap. We love to talk about how we carefully spend the money you pay to stay here.
And we love the earth for MANY GREEN reasons... (both the tree kind of green as well as the CASH kind of green!). Over the last 7 years, we've cut oil use in half by investing a better heating system with individual controls in the room... we can cool them down pretty good in the winter when some of the rooms are vacant. We recycle all the trash we can... ONE because recycle is free, and the second reason is it just feels right. Our A/C's are top rated for efficiency. The first year after we got our new units, we saved as much on the power bill as the cost of the A/Cs themselves!!! All of this makes the earth a better place - AND it is the reason we have not raised our rates in SEVEN years. We've shared the savings with our guests! I still have a beat-up old truck that is a waste of gas... but I only drive 5,000 miles a year... and I need MY truck! We are still looking for other ways to be responsible.
Finally, our goal is to delve into the "imagination". We want to offer something that meets and exceeds expectations. We want to offer something colorful and inspiring... we want to be the kind of business that opens the mind to dreams. That takes some doing, but that is what we are after. I suppose that would be the "vision".
Now, this is where is gets fun!
We love feedback. Even bad feedback - and we HAVE a few people that hate us. We are not proud of that, but it is how we learn. Generally repeat guests make up over 70% of our annual business. That has got to say something... we are not the cheapest place, and certainly not the most expensive. We like to think our rates are just right.
For some fun reviews, TripAdvisor.com has some interesting feedback. One lady really hated us. BAD chemistry, and we've had our share of screw-ups that we've learned from. There are lots of good reviews too - mostly accurate in our opinion! Also MerchantCircle.com has some cool reviews as well, although so far almost too positive (which is still fun...). We welcome your feedback...
It has been a labor of love -one just short of bringing the Titanic up from the bottom of the ocean. The motel was purchased in May of 2001; a great time to buy a motel in New York? On top of that, the building was in need of substantial repairs including the following: heating system ($16,500); Carpets ($6,500); parking lot repairs ($5,500); pool ($12,000); well & septic system ($9,700); bathroom improvements ($19,700); door locks ($3,200); phone system ($4,200); soft goods for the rooms ($8,900); new roof ($20,000); thermal windows for the lobby ($5,000) and about $45,000 in general repairs. The total bill in 5 years is about $200,000. That is a hefty price tag when the annual income is about $100,000.
In the last few years we have made some nice little improvements. We love our beds. We have added a roof overhang so that you can get into the room without fighting the snow or the rain ($5,000) and we've bought a new zero-turn lawn-mower ($5,000) - an absolute necessity with five acres of grass. We also managed to get a new pool liner too ($5,000). It looks beautiful and it was finished just in time to cover it up for the winter (bummer). New black-out drapes are in the works along with new windows, doors and case goods!!! These projects should be done by September 2008.
So, as of yet, the motel has yet to net a profit; such is the life of a small business. But running your own business is more than just money; it is a pleasant way of life with the hope of someday getting ahead of the repair game. But hey, the to-do list is 30% of what it once was.
We have some favorite stories that we love to share! We'll tell one or two from time to time - AND we hope you won't be reading about yourself!
ROACHES: We had one lady that came to visit the property with her infant daughter and her nanny. She was not our typical guest. She was "high maintenance" (which we don't really mind), however she actually believed she was easy going. Oy. To be fair, she was very pregnant - I think she was actually a good soul, but maybe not this particular weekend.
At any rate, she called the first morning after check in and let us know that she found a roach in her room. Well, we have lots of wildlife out in the woods, but frankly we NEVER saw a roach. So, we told her we'd do some investigating and do what we could. Typically we like to avoid pesticide, but we certainly would use it if needed.
We could not find a roach. She was very hurt and immediately felt like we accused her of lying. Well, that wasn't the case... but we were not sure what to do. The next morning she burst into the lobby when about six other guests were enjoying a very lively discussion while having a cup of coffee. She had a zip lock bag... and she was shaking it in my face. "HERE IS YOUR ROACH". Horrified that this incident was happening so publicly, I spontaneously grabbed the zip-lock out of her hand. I'm not sure what I was doing... maybe HIDING the evidence??? But I flipped the bag around so I could see it, and what she had captured in the zip-lock bag was a tiny green grass hopper...? Without thinking I said... "This is a grasshopper!". The guests in the lobby roared in laughter and this poor woman made a quick exit.
She did try to re-book... and it is not that we didn't like her, but we gave her a nice list of places we were certain that she'd like better! We hope she is doing very well...
DEAD GRANDMOTHER: We have a very strict cancelation policy and at least once a year, it is a problem. The reason for our policy is that we are small. We can't really afford to hold a room for a guest if they do not promise to keep the reservation. With a more relaxed policy, rates would need to be increased to cover costs associated with the less decisive guests. We think it works well for both the business and the guests.
However on one occasion, it was a particularly difficult situation. A gentleman called and explained that his wife's mother had died and that they would need to cancel. I recorded the information on the file and attempted to resell the room. I should note, if we resell the room, we release the guest from their obligation... Well, it was a late cancelation and we could not rebook. We ended up charging the gentleman. He called to complain. He said that we were heartless... and I suppose we are a little. It was a peak weekend and we turned many people away because we had held this room for this gentleman. While we do care, the death of his wife's mother would be very costly to us. We always wonder if people give hundreds of dollars to their friends when relatives die... because that is certainly what people expect us to do... and we are just a business trying to survive. ANYWAY...
I thought about it for a while and called this man up to offer him a complimentary night during and off-peak travel period... we wanted to do something to make him feel better. We ended up speaking to his wife and immediately expressed condolences for the death of her mother... and to our sincere surprise, she did not know what we were talking about. Her mother was fine and she didn't know anything about a reservation for a room at our motel... her husband was out of town on business during the week in question.
Well, we quickly ended that call stating that we must have had the wrong number... I'm not sure that marriage lasted much longer than that telephone call. Jeepers. And yes, this is TRUE!
SNAKE: Okay, one more cool story for now. We ARE in the county and hence we have some interesting visitors from time to time. Occasionally we see deer, fox and once a wolf. There was a black bear down the road, and once a neighbors ostrich got loose. One such visitor has been more permanent. He is a HUGE grass snake... completely harmless, but really big for this kind of snake. We'd see him when we mowed the lawn and would have to get off the mower and chase him off... once I literally picked him up and had to sling him into the bushes.
He also liked to sun himself one the concrete in front of the little studio apartment. One guest called as she needed some toilet paper. When I got to the room, the door was open and the snake was enjoying the morning sun just in front of the step. I felt like maybe the guest had not seen the snake and in a panic... I thought I should move him quick before the guest got a look at him... so, I reached down and in one sweeping move - slung him off to the side of the building... JUST as the guest came to the door.
It turned out the guest had been watching him and they were afraid to come out... so they saw my secret act to dismiss my snake friend. The guest nearly passed out! But she still visits here to this day and now I have a picture of the snake in lobby so guests will know what to look for. Another guest saw him by the pool and gave an ultimatum... the snake or them... I told her she could start packing. This guest too decided to stay, although when she goes out to the pool... she walks VERY quickly!