Location. We emphasize in our seminars the importance of a destination location for successful Innkeeping. In a destination location, your prospective guests have already chosen to come to your area. That means half of your marketing efforts have already been done for you. You are competing for business with an audience that already has defined your area as part of their profile. Your job instead is to convince people already coming to your area to stay with you.
Typically, Inns in destination travel locations have higher occupancy rates and higher average daily room rates. This adds up to a much stronger success rate, and is one of the important aspects in valuing an Inn. And while you can work to improve amenities, service, and marketing, obviously, you can’t change a lackluster location.
How can you put your location to work for you? Build partnerships around your new community—find ways to work with and highlight your exceptional neighbors in ways that benefit you both. Take part in local business associations, like the Chamber of Commerce or tourism agency, and get their marketing efforts on your side, too. A destination location also comes with a lot of competition, so it’s equally important to cultivate qualities (your service, your breakfasts, your Inn’s personality) that give you a distinctive edge.
When considering buying an Inn, we recommend focusing your search on recognized destination travel locations. Fortunately, Inn Partners is pleased to offer Inns for sale in many of the best locations in the East and Southeast. From the Big Easy to the mountains of Vermont and all along the Atlantic coast, we offer Inns for sale in a variety of sizes, styles and maturity. All of them benefit from their location in known destinations, including:
- Savannah, Georgia
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Stowe, Vermont
- Mad River Valley/Sugarbush, Vermont (two, in fact!)
- Maine Coast / Camden
- Cooperstown, New York (a second here, too)
- Brandywine Valley, Pennsylvania
- Bucks County (PA/NJ)
- Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
- Charlottesville, Virginia
- Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
- Coastal North Carolina
We would be happy to discuss any of these Inns and provide detailed information for qualified buyers—don’t hesitate to contact us with any question, large or small.
