There is software akin to a board game, that helps a group of investors to get loans for the development of:
- shopping centers
- motels / hotels
- old folks homes
Notice in the story:
Hall’s president, Mike Jaynes, said at the time that the Tempe hotel’s “premier location in this market” and Westin and Marriott’s loyalty program made the project “a great fit for our loan program.”
Basically, the investor group (not the lender) enters numbers in the game, and the game projects cash flows --- about which, the group always gains, no matter the fate of the property.
The lender usually, also gains. But the lender usually, also has people in charge of lending, who know the game, and know that participation looks good on the lender's books.
What has changed, is that the quality of management of the property, and the quality of some employees. Such that, the physical plant is not maintained, and the staff (esp. the employees who try to take care of the place) are not able to maintain the necessary quality of experience and service that satisfies the label (and its managers).
Usually in the case of a crumbling hotel, in the management level just above the hotel manager, there are a lot of positive words aimed uphill to their bosses, but in contrast, a lot of negative words aimed downhill at the hotel staff. The middle management, thereby attempting to preserve their jobs.
Such that, there is a lot of staff rotation below the level of middle-management, and increasing neglect of the physical plant - maintenance requirements, being ignored.
Hotels have complex computer systems - usually Windows OS computers - that are vulnerable to neglect. Plastic keys and electronic locks for the hotel doors - instead of metal, old-fashioned door keys and locks. The maintenance of the new-edge stuff, requires skill.
The upper management (above the hotel), offer job pay that assumes there is a line of potential staff . . . out the door and all the way past the southern border of the U.S.A. "We can get anybody for peanuts."
But "anybody" means that personnel problems (esp. risk, given backgrounds of abuse, drugs, some jail time) climbs sharply - meaning that managment of employees, becomes a major cost that is not clearly revealed in the books.
So the hotel errodes, and that can happen within a few years - given the cheap construction of the physical plant, and exhaustion of un-maintained equipment (esp. the laundry). Combined with, word gets out that "the management stinks."
Also, guests who would like to stay there, notice that the elevators are still not working, the TV does not work, the bathtub does not drain, the outer door of the hotel - it was jammed 4 months ago and still does not work. And most of the lights have died out, in the big sign aimed toward the highway interchange.
People whom you would think are "in the hotel business," are no longer hotel people. But there are exceptions; there are still some families who own the property and they take care of their assets.
Travel tips: Look for hotels that are concrete and steel. When you check in, and at your room, flush the toilet and run some bath water - testing drainage. Move the pillows aside, pull the bed sheets back, loose, and verify that the bedding is to your liking. Look all around the perimeter of the floor. If anything moves, and you wonder, "What was that?" then get another room.
Important, if you absolutely want to stay at a certain hotel, and do not want to have to go out into the night and find another hotel, and will likely arrive late in the day . . . then:
Call your destination hotel in order to make reservations. If they are busy, call the national reservation system. With a reservation, call back to the hotel, give them your reservation number and tell them, that you will keep them abreast of your travel situation. And DO SO - keep them advised. DO NOT use a third party travel reservation system for a hotel of specific interest to you, when arriving late.
Because hotels routinely over-book, and third party reservations have lowest priority.
The reason for writing so much, above, is because America is not the country it was 25 years ago. There is treachery, and potential for you to not have a safe roof over your head.
Awesome. Thanks!
Thank you for that informative post. It will be of utility to me to keep it in mind as I plan some upcoming travel.
Things used to work in this country. It is more apparent each day, that “working” is becoming more and more spotty.
Thanks for the post.
Testing your hotel room door
When you get to your hotel room door, and you open the door, be prepared to park something - a piece of luggage, for example - in the doorway, so the door will not close.
Make sure that one of your plastic door keys, is in a pocket on you.
The door lock mechanism should work, with the door open. Test the lock mechanism, using the other plastic key.
There are often, 1 or 2 lights that blink on the outside lock mechanism housing. YELLOW usually means: No Entry - Bad Key OR Un-Authorized. If entry is allowed, usually 1 GREEN, but an additional RED may also blink. RED blink only - Un-Authorized.
If RED and GREEN alternate their blinking, it can mean that the door lock battery pack energy is low, and the battery pack needs to be changed. If RED and GREEN blink at the same time, not a problem.
List of what may be connected to the hotel computer systems:
- all hotel doors
- infrared sensor detects presence of a person in the room - intended as a check/test for heating and A/C
- room thermostat
- room heating A/C unit
- TV, phone, alarm clock
- a portion of fire alarm system - signal
Some rooms have a safe - routinely neglected by hotel maintenance. Test, before trusting. The emergency key that maintenance would use to open the safe, is sometimes on the floor of a former hotel maintenance man's truck - somewhere not near the hotel.