|
Post by brian874 on Aug 25, 2006 5:14:51 GMT -5
Fuzzyscorpio, I enjoyed reading your commentary on my post. I actually wasn't specifically referring to my experience at the El Coronado per se...I posted a review here which you can all read www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46932-d271436-r5564325-El_Coronado_Resort-Wildwood_Crest_New_Jersey.htmlMy post was titled "very good for the Wildwoods." But it's interesting that I would have to preface it "...for the Wildwoods." The implication, of course, is that we should come to expect lower quality for the wildwoods. I actually had a good time there because I had lowered my expectations. As far as the linens go, I actually meant more the towels -- the thin, scrapy excuses for towels that is. With so many choices for accommodations (motels, hotels, condos) and travel destinations (and quite honestly, for the price of a Wildwood vacation you can go to an all inclusive in the Dominican Republic, if that's your thing), they really need to do more to stay competitive!
|
|
|
Post by thelastresort on Aug 25, 2006 8:37:00 GMT -5
Honestly, I think it's like a car without air conditioning, power steering and power brakes. Even as recently as 25 years ago, they were "options". But now, who would "opt out" of those options for a new car? That's why they are now standard.
I think the philosophy is similar with motels. Even an average Motel 6 or budget motel you would find along the highway has central air, clean linens and towels, and a bathroom that you can turn around in without hitting your fanny on the sink. So this is at least a minimum people expect when ponying up maybe $1500 for a week at the shore.
|
|
|
Post by wildre on Aug 25, 2006 12:21:11 GMT -5
Owning a Motel in WW or anywhere I guess is not for the faint of heart. It's grueling non stop work from April/May to end of September. Often weeks without ever leaving your property, no beach......no boardwalk. Managing guests/complaints/parking issues can be never ending. Your reward is October till April but a great Motel owner is always thinking of how you can improve this or that for next season. It's like being married to a very, very demanding spouse.
Those that allow their properties to stagnant are left scratching their heads wondering why they aren't booked or why they attract the clientele they do. It's amazing how many of these golden oldies have pictures from 10-20 years ago, it's been that long since they made any renovations or upgrades. The vacationers today are more savvy and want the best they can afford, often things they don't have at home.
re
|
|
|
Post by nance on Aug 26, 2006 3:27:41 GMT -5
I used to clean motels and I remember having to arrange the towels a certain way and "fold" the washclothes, like was pictured here. When I worked there, management was VERY particular and stressed neatness and cleanliness. Went back to the same place years later and I couldn't believe how the place looked! The carpets were worn, the towels were just folded on a pile; well, they were under new management. The price of the rooms really went up but the interiors really deteriorated.
|
|
|
Post by Rob Ascough on Aug 28, 2006 16:08:19 GMT -5
I agree, people are basically looking for a good room.
When my fiancee and I travel, we try to find reasonably-priced hotel rooms. We want neat, clean and nicely decorated but not a lot of frills that add to the cost. After all, when going to a place like Orlando, how often are you in your hotel room? Wildwood (or any beach resort for that matter) is a bit different because you use the room to shower during the way, usually after a few hours on the beach. As the family takes turns in the bathroom, it's likely you'll spend a few hours at a motel in Wildwood that you wouldn't spend at a hotel elsewhere.
As I've been saying since I first came to this board, the government needs to make low-interest loans available to motel owners to upgrade their properties. The size of the rooms themselves cannot be changed (unless you turn two rooms into one large room, but that will certainly eat into profits) but what's inside the rooms can be changed. How about DVD players to keep entertained while you wait for your turn in the bathroom? Wireless internet connectivity to check office email or surf the net to check out restaurant menus? Kitchens with modern fridges and microwaves? Air conditioners that cool the ENTIRE room and not just the area around the air conditioning unit? Phones with voicemail?
While motels like the Cape Cod Inn are in a good position because their rooms are pretty big (designed to be efficiencies), even the older motels with smaller rooms could probably do things to make guests a little more comfortable. I'm not talking about the removal of everything Doo Wop, I'm talking about simple things that people have expected of regular hotels for the past five years.
|
|
helen
Junior Member
Posts: 62
|
Post by helen on Aug 28, 2006 20:42:24 GMT -5
The "New" Hotel always gets the attention until you go and are disappointed because it is not clean. It is amazing how worn the hotels can get in one year. The clean motels get my vote! They don't have to be fancy, just clean the hairs in the bathroom, have clean sheets, keep the baseboard clean and no stains on the towels! I rather stay at a smaller motel that is clean than a larger hotel that is dirty.
|
|
|
Post by nance on Aug 29, 2006 3:30:34 GMT -5
I like a nice and clean room, but I think my main concern is price. Who wants to spend half or three-quarters of their vacation money just for a place to sleep? Now I wouldn't stay in a "dump," but I certainly wouldn't pay top-dollar for a room, either.
|
|
|
Post by thelastresort on Sept 14, 2006 22:29:57 GMT -5
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.htmlThe reviews of the Eden Roc on this site are a must read. Funny stuff. Some guy even wrote some poetry. Has the Eden Roc turned a corner? www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46931-d121354-r5790106-Eden_Roc_Motel-Wildwood_New_Jersey.htmlIt's looked pretty bad last weekend when I drove past it. But these last 3 posters give it rave reviews. I mean, how could it be a "dump" up until Aug 12, and then we hear "the truth" on Aug 14 about how wonderful it is? I wonder if they are written by the owner or friends of the owner, or by some kind of hillbillies who are used to staying in a pig sty?
|
|
|
Post by nance on Sept 15, 2006 3:40:01 GMT -5
Well, if you're driving around looking for a room, what are you really looking at? You're looking at how nice the place is from the outside, right? What place shows you your room BEFORE you pay??
|
|
|
Post by FlyinGN on Sept 15, 2006 5:31:27 GMT -5
A hotel stay can vary widely from person to person. Everybody has different expectations. Everybody has different standards. What may be nice to someone is a dump to another..
|
|
|
Post by thelastresort on Sept 15, 2006 6:21:20 GMT -5
I hoel stay can vary widely from person to person. Everybody has different expectations. Everybody has different standards. What may be nice to someone is a dump to another.. agree totally, but the miraculous turnaround just sounds fishy to me. I think they are writing their own reviews. Remember the saying "the best defense is a good offense", right?
|
|
|
Post by FlyinGN on Sept 15, 2006 7:33:36 GMT -5
that quite possible, thats for sure..
|
|
JIMD
Full Member
Posts: 221
|
Post by JIMD on Sept 15, 2006 17:51:48 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure the people who own the Singapore wrote a review or two on the TripAdvisor site. The place is better now (or at least the room I stayed in was) but still far from great
|
|
|
Post by hulk007 on Sept 16, 2006 16:23:44 GMT -5
I stayed at the Singapore 6 years ago and it was frightening how bad the place was kept. I would hop they have gotten their act together by now.
|
|
|
Post by nance on Sept 17, 2006 3:34:50 GMT -5
That bad?? You mean not clean?
|
|