Indie Motels Rock Economic Recovery

I cannot make heads or tails of the City of Yuma's general development plan. I sometimes wonder if there is one. Why would the City approve 900 or so new hotel and motel units when the city already has so many - that run about 50% occupancy during 8 months out of the year? It is slightly annoying to this existing, long time lodging property owner. Well, I suppose more than slightly annoying, but I tend to loathe people with negative outlooks, so I will try to analyze this from a positive angle.

• YC TRAVEL TIP: Don't be afraid to stay with an independent hotel or motel, especially if they are AAA approved. They can offer better service and a unique experience for much, much less!
  

On a recent visit I drove around town, all the way to the recent Cocopah development to the Hilton site on the riverfront, in order to assess all the massive new development approved in Yuma. Aside from the new mall, it appears that most of the development is in the form of new hotels.

What struck me the most was the seemingly senseless mass of hotels being built or already built, as the economy slowly collapses. It may appear to some that the little guy is getting crushed on all sides, and odds are against us. We were finally recovering from 9/11 when the economy collapses. Travel once again goes on the back burner for most. Then swine flu hits, with travel warnings to avoid Mexico, and here we are on the Mexican border. Meanwhile, the government planning in Yuma includes a massive increase in hotel lodging units! How much can we take? (Oops! I promised to be positive!)

All this does not bode well for "mom and pop" family owned motels and hotels, like me. Or, does it? The little guy has to try harder I suppose. We have to strive to be number one in something or several things. Here's our plan to rise from the ashes of 2008 and 2009 and outshine the competition, despite the government shun:

(1) We have personality and we boast it! Our bones might be older, but they still shine. Did you know we are the only hotel with balconies in all of Yuma? From curbside I think we are pretty appealing, with lots of landscaping, and well, cuteness. All the new hotels are cut from the same cloth, and look like the same old drab architecture, with no unique design features. I personally think all the new hotels resemble military barracks. (Oops, that's not nice!)

(2) We learn your name and treat you like family. We guarantee your satisfaction and go that extra mile to make you smile!

(3) We offer the best prices in all of Yuma and will beat our competition at least by $1.00 every time. (For details, pop on over to our Price Beat Guarantee). You won't believe the value until you see it. We are not strapped by high construction loans, and hefty chain pay outs, so we can undercut anyone in Yuma.

(4) We're independent. We can do things for you that a chain can't, because we are not laden with their rules. We make our own! Our new website is a perfect example of how we can be creative, and even better than the standardized, institutionalized, predictable, wholly owned competition.

I'm just sayin'! Given a chance, I think indie motels are going to rock the economic recovery!

The YC is Eco-Friendly!

by Melissa Crawford

The Yuma Cabana Motel has joined the green bandwagon, and slowly but surely, is doing things to make the business and your lodging experience more environmentally friendly.

I was motivated by Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia and author of a riveting business book entitled "Let My People Go Surfing." I am fascinated by his business model. He is not out to be the "biggest" and make the most money, and yet his company does tremendously well. He is most significantly a pioneer in green business making, and the world should follow suit. One question I asked him was, "You speak about how operating a "green" business saves money, but becoming green for an existing company can be quite expensive. How do I turn green without going broke?" He said, 'Don't go broke going green." His message was to do it little by little, as each small step makes a big difference.

The Green Plan
We asked our employees and got their suggestions. Here's what we have come up with so far: (1) A Recycling and Re-Use program for the Front Desk, Maintenance and Housekeeping departments; (2) Creating overall less waste; (3) Call on our guests to help us use less water in the laundry by posting in all the rooms a request that you hang your towels for re-use, and drop on the floor if you want us to launder them; (4) The YC only uses fluorescent light bulbs.

• YC TRAVELTIP: Do your part to help the environment and save water and electricity when traveling. Hang your towels up that you can use again, and turn off the lights!

Swim in Soft Water
Probably the most noticeable effort so far is the swimming pool. We have done away with harsh chemicals and are now using salt to purify the pool. We have implemented a natural process whereby table salt is converted to chlorine. The health department approves this wholeheartedly. A "saltwater" pool is not chlorine-free, it's just that the germ/bacteria killing agent is produced naturally, without superficial chemicals. Better for you, better for the environment. I think we are the only salt-water pool in Yuma, and definitely the first!

• YC TRAVEL TIP: Look for hotels that have salt water pools. They are environmentally friendly, feel better to swim in, and kill bacteria just like chlorinated pools.

You know that feeling after swimming in a chlorinated pool of wanting to wash it off your skin right away, and you smell, well, bleachy? During my recent I had such a wonderful dip in the pool, and swam laps. I haven't gone swimming in the YC pool in a long time because I do not like the chlorine. This was a wonderful experience. My skin and hair felt soft, and it was a great way to exercise. This is the method that all the expensive spas and hotels are now using in their pools. So, you get a $400 per night experience for as little as $37! Beat that!