Inside versus Outside

[thelastresort]

Maybe this has been discussed before, or at least touched upon, but I think another significant reason that the motels may have trouble surviving and are getting demolished (other than the money, of course) is not "anti doo wop" per se, but more "pro-convenience".

I think most folks these days are happy as long as the outside of the place they stay at looks clean, has a nice pool, etc., but mainly base their decision on what the inside is like. Many of the older motels have very small rooms, air conditioners that are so-so, bathrooms with no counter space, and on and on. In the 50's and 60's, most if not all places were like this, so it didn't matter. But now there are choices and people are used to staying at better places in general, for business and otherwise, so only a small niche wants to stay in antiquated rooms with no conveniences.

I think, however, that if an effort is made to "upgrade" an older place, ala the Caribbean, then it stands a chance. But to leave a place limp around year after year (we all can name a few of these), is just sealing its fate. So the solution is to take 10 steps forward with major upgrades and continue with the effort of running it, or one simple step back, which is dump it for condos.

I guess, to use an outdated term, it's like "blockbusting" in reverse. Instead of a place going down the tubes, and then everyone selling because they don't want to be the last one out of the "bad" neighborhood, it is the reverse. A new snazzy condo comes into the neighborhood, and motel owners don't want to have to try to compete with that new place, so they start selling. I always noticed that block surrounding the Eden Roc when we're driving back and forth to the Crest. Look at all those condos that have popped up, on almost every corner, and the Eden Roc is still there, as a sad eyesore, but the season has passed and the owners are left holding the bag until the market comes around again, if it ever does.



Now this, of course, does not fully explain why certain projects got rejected, like the proposed doo wop satellite design. In that case, the owners/developers probably just didn't want to make the effort due to complexity, expense or both, for the outside, or maybe they just didn't like the design.

[hulk007]

Major upgrades are needed in some places. But if I am only going to be in the room to sleep a so-so place serves me fine.

[jet]

I'm with you, a so so place does us just fine.

[wildwanderer]

I can't agree with this so-so stuff. If I am paying good money I want amenities, space, cleanliness and convenience. Some of the old couldn't handle what people are looking for today. There are still people that need more than a "room to sleep in". I want an enjoyable vacation. I remember those tight rooms with 4 or 5 family members in and the craziness especially with one bathroom. I am a mature person now who wants what we didn't have then. Don't get me wrong I would love WW to stay the same and to keep as much Doo Wop history alive but let's bring it to the new milenium. Build new but keep the neon, fun, colorful atmosphere that WW always had. Don't drown it with the pop-up condos that are so blah today.

[cutietnj]

I agree - I don't want a so-so place. Which is why we chose the Shalimar this year. I told my husband that we are too old for a crappy cheap place. Not that at 32 I am old by any stretch of the imagination but we aren't coming home drunk from a night at the bars and just needing a place to crash. I wanted someplace CLEAN. And I got that and more there.

[fuzzyscorpio]

The main problem with the older motels is space, IMO. In many of them the rooms really are very small for a family. Other problems can be addressed through renovations, but [edit for brain cramp ] it's got to be very difficult to increase room size without adversely affecting profitability, which is fragile enough as things stand.

As far as cleanliness is concerned, I've seen a lot of complaints about that on Trip Advisor for various motels, but I've never had a problem at any of the several places I've tried over the decade or so since I stopped going to the Reges. I guess you have to have luck on your side when you choose a motel, or get some solid recommendations, but you don't have to pay top dollar or stay at a place that's been radically overhauled. You just need a motel where the owners are true professionals. The Lu Fran, where I stayed over the August 12th weekend, is value-priced and was clean as a whistle. I think it's safe to say that both management and staff are taking housekeeping fairly seriously when the employees in maintenance are trained and willing to do this with washcloths...

[donnabelle]

Hm -- well I tend to prefer the 'older' 'smaller' rooms because I live on a budget and can't afford a lot of the bigger newer places out there -- My mother's term for this kind of motel is "salty" (I think it's a nice descriptive term!). So we stay at the "Salty places with our three, almost 4 kids and still have money left over to eat pizza and hoagies, ride rides and such --

This year we're staying at the Florentine and I THINK I'll really like their biggest room, they basically stick two rooms together with a door that swings between -- I thought that was a great, cheap way to renovate a motel with smaller rooms when a lot of people want 2-3 room suites to accomodate families.

We'll see how it looks inside when we get there

We stayed at the Cara Mara this past spring and that room was nice as well, I guess I'm just not hard to please!!

[hulk007]

Let's face it, you are not going to find any places in ww the caliber of the Ritz-Carlton or Marriott. Wildwood is a summer community and not an island resort. If a place is half way decent its fine by me.

[thelastresort]

hulk007 said:

Let's face it, you are not going to find any places in ww the caliber of the Ritz-Carlton or Marriott. Wildwood is a summer community and not an island resort. If a place is half way decent its fine by me.

True, but I don't think most folks, especially here in the mid-Atlantic, are looking for the Ritz when they go "down the shore" for a week. Nevertheless, the trend is to want convenience, even if the price is a little more. It seems that if the place looks great on the outside but is replete with flaws on the inside, or marginal at best, people will be disappointed and look elsewhere. Where with a 3 year old condo, I think people look at that as a "sure thing".

And reviews like this don't help the island any. Sure, some people are impossible to please, and virtually any place is going to get the occasional negative review, but when you see places that have 5 or 10 bad reviews, geeze.

www.tripadvisor.com/AllReviews-g46931-or10-Wildwood_New_Jersey.html

[Doowopper]

4/5 star places don't normally appear in a small summer town where there is not a full year of beach time. There is also no need for one in the Wildwoods, it's not a playground for the rich like some exotic tropical islands (even though you can stay at an exotic tropical motel )

I agree with thelastresort, people want convenience. That's somthing that motel owners will need to push.

They also don't want to be tricked into reserving a crapola room in a run down motel, that looked good in a brochure, or from the outside. I'm sure running a motel is not easy, I'm sure at times it's just damn hard. However, it seems that many motel owners complain of not getting good profits, yet, when you look at many of the motels, they are crap. If someones motel is clean, modern, the service genuinely kind, and the profits are just not coming in, I will feel bad for the person.

However, if a motel owner complains about profits, yet runs a dump with service as kind as a bear with a sore tooth, and is having trouble bringing in money, I blame the owner and conclude "you killed your own buissiness". It's obvious a clean updated motel can thrive in the Wildwoods, they are several examples. So why let your place turn into the dumps? Even if you cannot afford a million dollar renovation, keeping the rooms spotless and service good will keep plenty of people happy, and maybe over time you can start upgrading.

[thelastresort]

I've said this before and I'll say it again, I still can't understand why the local government cannot impose some kind of daily fine (something heavy, like $1000 per day) or sanction for owners that practice these type of shenanigans and fail to keep their places up to even a decent standard. Especially like in the last few years, where some were just letting their places rot while being romanced by condo developers.

Apparently, this will remain a mystery. I can't believe I am the only one who has had this thought cross my mind. The only thing I can assume about the local govt. is -- no cajones.

And as to your point Doowopper --"they also don't want to be tricked into reserving a crapola room in a run down motel, that looked good in a brochure, or from the outside", I agree, and I think that is the worst possible thing to do to a tourist, trick them out of their money. Some people plan for a year and get one vacation. The last thing WW needs is having people thinking they were "had" when they leave, since it will be a cold day in hell before they return, not to mention the collateral damage due to all the badmouthing they will give the town to all their friends, etc.

[brian874]

I think this is a great topic! I have traveled a lot due to my job, and have gotten to see a lot of places and hotels. Now, granted, it was not always this way. Growing up, each and every year we would head to the Crest and go to the Lampliter. After 25+ years, my parents still go there every year.

My wife and I went to WW Crest this past summer and stayed at El Coronado. I hadn't been to the WWs in years, as I really wanted to explore...Aruba, St Lucia, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Hawaii, etc. This year, with my wife being pregnant, we decided to go down the shore. I really do love the Wildwoods and Cape May, and look forward to going more frequently with my children. That being said, given my extensive travel experience, these motels/hotels really could learn a lot.

I think what has set in is a sense of complacency because owners were used to people not having very high expectations and high demand. With people in all economic classes being more able to travel further, with so many options available to us (both in the WWs and outside of WW), and with consumers just expecting more convenience in general, the owners really need to face reality and give the consumer some value for their dollars.

There is NO EXCUSE for: dirty rooms, shoddy carpeting, broken A/C, mold/mildew, not enough washcloths/towels, bad attitudes among staff, etc. In this day and age, the following are standard even in the most basic of motels: shampoo (don't know why Wildwood motels provide soap but no shampoo), irons/ironing boards, decent towels. (The Wildwood Linen Service should be ASHAMED of itself with the linens and towels they provide!!!)

Above all, we expect to be treated with respect, and not as if everything we ask is this huge favor. We also don't need to be nickled and dimed to death. I think many people would gladly pay a few bucks extra for better amenities and exceptional service. Those owners that "get it" will continue to prosper and thrive and be booked solid. Those that don't will bellyache, keep treating customers like trash, keep having customers not respect the property, which will fall further and further into disrepair.

It really and truly is in the owner's hands....

[fuzzyscorpio]

brian874 said:

I think this is a great topic! I have traveled a lot due to my job, and have gotten to see a lot of places and hotels. Now, granted, it was not always this way. Growing up, each and every year we would head to the Crest and go to the Lampliter. After 25+ years, my parents still go there every year.

My wife and I went to WW Crest this past summer and stayed at El Coronado. I hadn't been to the WWs in years, as I really wanted to explore...Aruba, St Lucia, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Hawaii, etc. This year, with my wife being pregnant, we decided to go down the shore. I really do love the Wildwoods and Cape May, and look forward to going more frequently with my children. That being said, given my extensive travel experience, these motels/hotels really could learn a lot.

I think what has set in is a sense of complacency because owners were used to people not having very high expectations and high demand. With people in all economic classes being more able to travel further, with so many options available to us (both in the WWs and outside of WW), and with consumers just expecting more convenience in general, the owners really need to face reality and give the consumer some value for their dollars.

There is NO EXCUSE for: dirty rooms, shoddy carpeting, broken A/C, mold/mildew, not enough washcloths/towels, bad attitudes among staff, etc. In this day and age, the following are standard even in the most basic of motels: shampoo (don't know why Wildwood motels provide soap but no shampoo), irons/ironing boards, decent towels. (The Wildwood Linen Service should be ASHAMED of itself with the linens and towels they provide!!!)

Interesting post, Brian. Re: your parents' Lampliter tradition, good for them, they sound like my kind of people!

For what it's worth, I worked in the travel trade press for 16 years, and experienced a fair amount of both domestic and international travel (sometimes to great places, but more often to places that needed publicity to pump up tourist or convention business) during those years. Honestly, I think the need for "amenities" and "services" in the Wildwoods that you and many others have talked about may be a bit prone to being overstated. For business travel, most of us do want the utmost in comfort and convenience, if only to cushion the stress and hassle of doing business on the fly and hardship of being away from home. And when people travel recreationally to play sports, or attend special events, or see specific attractions, I think their expectations about lodging are also fairly high.

But this is the Wildwoods... this is the beach and the boards and the big sky, period. You don't need fancy clothes. You hardly need clothes at all ;D It's always been the simple life--that's one of the biggest reasons people go there, to get away from all of their complicated routines and just kick back and enjoy being alive. What else do you really need other than a pleasant, clean room big enough for your family or companions that has been kept in good basic repair, so you don't have troubles with plumbing, climate control, lighting or appliances?

Re: linens... I never have high hopes for those In all my years of traveling to various locations the linens, especially the bedding, were garbage just about everywhere except the true luxury hotels. Those polyester "flannel" blankets--ugh, I get goosebumps of revulsion thinking about them...

As for your recent experience, you gave me an excuse to mention one of the few positive things on the lodging scene that I noted during my trip two weekends ago (besides the fact that I did enjoy staying at the Lu Fran): the outward appearance of El Coronado. I always thought that place looked kind of cheesy, for such an expensive joint. Well, when I drove by it this last time my jaw dropped. Hardly recognized it. Gone was its original cluttered appearance and '70s-'80s brown tones. It's been painted a gorgeous muted shade of light-medium blue, with white trim. Very classy looking.

But most of the reviews of El Coronado on Tripadvisor.com are pretty scathing. I wasn't too happy with my experience at the Acacia last year--another condo conversion--and I suspect thelastresort was right when he said that condos are condos and motels are motels... So, I'm curious, were you referring specifically to El Coronado in your criticism of Wildwood accommodations? How was your stay?

Above all, we expect to be treated with respect, and not as if everything we ask is this huge favor.

On that point, I must regretfully and emphatically agree. I will never go back to the Water's Edge for that reason, much as I love their rooms. And I think many proprietors of lodging facilities on the island need to curb their tendency to get cranky toward the end of the season. I know running a motel is extremely arduous, but you can't let the guest see that. It's called professionalism.

Those owners that "get it" will continue to prosper and thrive and be booked solid.

Right. The only classic motels left standing in five to 10 years--and I fear they will be few--will be the ones run by artists, athletes and geniuses of the hospitality business, the ones whose owners possess the truly superior talent and drive it takes to squeeze maximum joy out of an aging facility week after week and year after year in the face of ever-growing competition (not locally, where competition is reduced for the time being, but globally). That is, unless local officials intervene, and since--to quote thelastresort again--they seem to be short on cojones, I'm not holding my breath.

[Crippled_Visions]

thelastresort said:

hulk007 said:

Let's face it, you are not going to find any places in ww the caliber of the Ritz-Carlton or Marriott. Wildwood is a summer community and not an island resort. If a place is half way decent its fine by me.

True, but I don't think most folks, especially here in the mid-Atlantic, are looking for the Ritz when they go "down the shore" for a week. Nevertheless, the trend is to want convenience, even if the price is a little more. It seems that if the place looks great on the outside but is replete with flaws on the inside, or marginal at best, people will be disappointed and look elsewhere. Where with a 3 year old condo, I think people look at that as a "sure thing".

And reviews like this don't help the island any. Sure, some people are impossible to please, and virtually any place is going to get the occasional negative review, but when you see places that have 5 or 10 bad reviews, geeze.

www.tripadvisor.com/AllReviews-g46931-or10-Wildwood_New_Jersey.html

The reviews of the Eden Roc on this site are a must read. Funny stuff. Some guy even wrote some poetry.

[thelastresort]

crippledvisions said:

thelastresort said:

True, but I don't think most folks, especially here in the mid-Atlantic, are looking for the Ritz when they go "down the shore" for a week. Nevertheless, the trend is to want convenience, even if the price is a little more. It seems that if the place looks great on the outside but is replete with flaws on the inside, or marginal at best, people will be disappointed and look elsewhere. Where with a 3 year old condo, I think people look at that as a "sure thing".

And reviews like this don't help the island any. Sure, some people are impossible to please, and virtually any place is going to get the occasional negative review, but when you see places that have 5 or 10 bad reviews, geeze.

www.tripadvisor.com/AllReviews-g46931-or10-Wildwood_New_Jersey.html

The reviews of the Eden Roc on this site are a must read. Funny stuff. Some guy even wrote some poetry.

True, I laughed my a-- off, titles like "Eden Roc was the Devil's Roc" from August 2005. The guy who wrote the poem must have been so incensed he even spelled ode wrong (owed). And I think "The Truth!" review was written by the owners, since it is so inconsistent with the previous 15 reviews, I can't believe the place had a miraculous turnaround in the last 2 weeks.