Thinking of Opening an inn in Marion,Va - Thoughts on the area and needs

[DamascusBound]

I have been thinking for a while about opening an inn or bed and breakfast type place for over a year now.
I was originally thinking about Damascus as it is a great town, I was just there for Trail Days this year,
although the places that were for sale that were big enough were a bit out of my price point, and it seems they have quite a few lodging options, so I have further expanded my search and thought that the marion,va area would be nice.
I would appreciate anyone's feedback as far as the needs for the area and if an inn there would make sense.
It seems this year they are promoting an vent called the Hiker Homecoming , much like a trail days.
I look forward to everyone's responses.
Thanks.
Steve

[bigcranky]

Marion has a small upscale downtown hotel, and a few low-end chain motels plus the independent hiker hotel (now called the Travel Inn.) I've not looked for a B&B in Marion, so I don't know what sort of competition you would have.

Are you looking to open a hiker-oriented hostel? Or a more upscale B&B? Marion is about 10 miles off the trail, but there is somewhat easy access from the Partnership Shelter via the local transit authority, and of course one can hitch from the trail crossing at US 11 in Groseclose. But you won't have all the hikers walking right past your establishment as you would in Damascus. My personal feeling is that in order for hikers to make up the bulk of your revenue, any hostel/inn needs to be very close to the trail, if not right on it. But that may limit your appeal to the general B&B market depending on where you end up.

We've done a lot of touring and talking to locals in that area of VA in the last couple of years, and it's not doing well economically. I'd talk to some folks who own similar properties (maybe the Dutch Haus in Montebello) and see how they are able to balance it.

Being closer to the trail in the Groseclose/Atkins area might be something to consider, too.

Good luck.

[DamascusBound]

Hey Big Cranky,
I appreciate your response back. I would aim to be a middle of the road bed and breakfast price wise. I realize that the thru hiking season of guest would be short, so I plan to appeal to section hikers and weekend hikers , as well as people just trying to get away for a weekend. The house I am looking at is a 3br 3 bath house with hot tub and outdoor entertaining space, every bedroom has their own bathroom so that would be nice. You are correct the upscale hotel downtown, and in my research I have found 3 other bed and breakfast in town, so there might be a bit of competition, although there prices seem on the higher end of the spectrum.
I loved that Damascus the trail comes right through town,and also has the support of people wanting to ride the Creeper Trail, but prices were just too much for what I was looking for.

[bigcranky]

Cool. I don't have any experience with what you want to do, so the only advice I would offer is to massively over-analyze and plan. Given the state of the economy and tourism in SW Virginia in general, I'm not sure you can over-think this. I suspect there's a lot of general info on "so you want to open a B&B" out there in Googleland.

[Uncle Cranky]

The appeal of your establishment to hikers might be blunted by the fact that Partnership shelter is located on the At just behind the Mt Rogers Rec Area Offices/Visitor Center about 6 miles from Marion. It has just about anything a hiker would desire. The shelter is large (sleeps 16-18), clean and well maintained, has a free hot shower, a nice picnic area, large grassy area in front for lounging or play, clothesline and sink for washing clothes/dishes etc. Plumbing, flush toilets, sinks w' running hot water, and local phone service are available a short walk away at the Visitor Center. Also, pizza, and other restaurant food delivered from town w/ pick-up at the Visitor Center parking area, on week days there is inexpensive county shuttle bus service available from the Visitor Center into town or a relatively easy hitch to town for any of the civilized extras including grocery stores, fast food or sit down down service. The only think of importance to a hiker Partnership shelter lacks is the presence of alcohol. The shelter is located on Federal property and the presence or use of adult beverages is prohibited on site on pain of incurring a $10,000 fine. You might consider applying for a beer and wine license or allow a BYOB rule as a draw.

[Mushroom_Mouse]

I appreciate your response back. I would aim to be a middle of the road bed and breakfast price wise. I realize that the thru hiking season of guest would be short, so I plan to appeal to section hikers and weekend hikers , as well as people just trying to get away for a weekend. The house I am looking at is a 3br 3 bath house with hot tub and outdoor entertaining space, every bedroom has their own bathroom so that would be nice. You are correct the upscale hotel downtown, and in my research I have found 3 other bed and breakfast in town, so there might be a bit of competition, although there prices seem on the higher end of the spectrum.
I loved that Damascus the trail comes right through town,and also has the support of people wanting to ride the Creeper Trail, but prices were just too much for what I was looking for.

My wife and I ran a Bed and Breakfast in Lexington, VA and had a special rate (including free shuttle to/from the AT)for hikers. Nearly all of them were really interesting and polite people but all of them had an enormous appetite. Whereas the average Bed and Breakfast guest would turn down seconds, hikers routinely requested thirds (and fourths). We really enjoyed hosting them. One town that for sure needs a middle of the road priced Bed and Breakfast is Pearisburg, VA. When I tried to find accommodation for my upcoming section hike, all that Pearisburg had to offer was a couple of low-end motels and a pricey Bed and Breakfast. If we can be of any assistance, please give me a shout.

[bigcranky]

One town that for sure needs a middle of the road priced Bed and Breakfast is Pearisburg, VA. When I tried to find accommodation for my upcoming section hike, all that Pearisburg had to offer was a couple of low-end motels and a pricey Bed and Breakfast. If we can be of any assistance, please give me a shout.

Not to hijack this thread, but please, please do yourself a favor and stay at Woods Hole Hostel, just 10 miles south of Pearisburg. I wish I had known to just resupply in Pearisbirg and keep hiking. The motels there are okay, for hiker motels, but Woods Hole is truly special.

[Mushroom_Mouse]

please do yourself a favor and stay at Woods Hole Hostel, just 10 miles south of Pearisburg. I wish I had known to just resupply in Pearisbirg and keep hiking. The motels there are okay, for hiker motels, but Woods Hole is truly special.

Thanks for the advice, Ken. Just made my reservation at Woods Hole Hostel. Will resupply in Pearisburg and hike on.

[bigcranky]

Thanks for the advice, Ken. Just made my reservation at Woods Hole Hostel. Will resupply in Pearisburg and hike on.

Cool. I think the stay includes breakfast, which is awesome. They also offer dinner for an extra fee, which is totally worth paying. The meals are a highlight, both for the food and the company. You can also order a loaf of homemade bread the night before, and she'll bake it in the morning for you to take on the trail.

[tiptoe]

Breakfast is $8, dinner is $13. Breakfast comes with rental of a room in the main house, not with a hostel stay.
See http://www.woodsholehostel.com/ for details.
And yes, Woods Hole is an awesome place to stay, especially during an extended period of rain.

[Uncle Cranky]

Big Cranky makes some good points but I don't think distance is necessarily a killer. Two examples would be the motels run by Ron Havens in Hiawassee, GA (11 miles from the AT) and Franklin (10 miles from the AT). Havens has been very successful in those locations because of service, service, and service. His hotels are rather seedy but his policies and prices are reasonable. Another key to his success is shuttle service which brings the customer to him rather than passively waiting for the customer to make his own arrangements and come to him.


Last year I did a three month section from Springer to the Roanoke area and stopped in both towns and stayed in a Havens motel. In Hiawassee, the guy they had at the front desk was an unresponsive cold fish and should be replaced. But, on the whole the overnight stay there was still good. In Franklin, the lady at the front desk was very pleasant and easy to deal with and the stay there was also good.


While on the Trail I did notice that there would be an opportunity for a decent and inexpensive hostel in Daleville. The only places to stay are relatively expensive motels on the noisy 4 lane highway not far from where the AT crosses it.

On the way north out of town the Trail passed through woods, fields and a residential area of older well spaced houses. About a half mile from the busy highway, within sight of the Trail, I passed a house on the left with a For Sale sign. There was a nice grassy yard and some shade trees and a relatively large free standing garage. I thought to myself that would be a nice location for a hostel with the garage as the bunk house.


Who knows maybe the sign is still there.

[Jim Lynch]

Is Woods Hole in any of the AT guides?

[bigcranky]

Is Woods Hole in any of the AT guides?

Yes, it should be in all the guidebooks. It's certainly in my copy of the Companion.

[12TH Man]

Hi there DamascusBound, Thought I'd throw my 2cents in. Personally, Marion is a great town, but too far from the trail for a hostile.
Marion does have great access to great motorcycle rides. Marion has a very good advertising campaign ongoing in biker magazines.
I'm a hiker and a biker. Every year my black lab, Snap and I spend Christmas eve in Marion and then sit on the hill at Grayson Highlands on Christmas morning. There are quite a few inexpensive but good rooms available for both hiking and biking in Marion.
I would much rather spend money at a motel or hotel than a hostile or B&B.
My advise is to buy for you, not for hikers.

[hikehunter]

Sounds like a big adventure if you go ahead. The best things in life can come from blood, sweat, and tears. Running a hostel or b&b sounds like a 4 letter word..........WORK.
If it is what you want.....go for it. good luck

[Jeff]

More hikers report going into Marion every year, especially with the bus service available from the Mt Rogers Visitors Center. AWOL has added a town map of Marion in the AT Guide.

[Traveler]

I have been thinking for a while about opening an inn or bed and breakfast type place for over a year now.
I was originally thinking about Damascus as it is a great town, I was just there for Trail Days this year,
although the places that were for sale that were big enough were a bit out of my price point, and it seems they have quite a few lodging options, so I have further expanded my search and thought that the marion,va area would be nice.
I would appreciate anyone's feedback as far as the needs for the area and if an inn there would make sense.
It seems this year they are promoting an vent called the Hiker Homecoming , much like a trail days.
I look forward to everyone's responses.
Thanks.
Steve

A serious venture to be sure, one that you can augment your income with, or will financially ruin you. So the operative word here is research. I'm sure you have deeper research planned. You should assemble a business plan as a first step. Research the various costs you can expect for labor, property, maintenance, marketing, food, and other services you may want to offer like transportation. The bank issuing the mortgage will likely want to see a business plan if your intent is to open a B&B (many banks will not offer a standard mortgage for property used for income). Much depends on how many rooms you will have to rent out, four or less probably will not allow you to make a living with just the Inn though you can subsidize your income that way. The price of the real estate will probably be the chief factor in how profitable you can be overall.

The hiker market is spotty and will likely not materialize unless you put a lot of thought and money into attracting hikers who may not know of your presence in town. If you can find the rates for five local B&Bs in the area, average the nightly rate between them along with meals and see if you can survive in that pricing with the costs of mortgage, food, labor (housekeeping, grounds, etc), cooking/dining costs, and other related costs of the operation like insurance. That rule of thumb is pretty conservative, so if it is a close call you should perhaps think of another market or a different idea. Keep in mind if you purchase a house with many rooms and turn it into a B&B that serves food, you will have a significant cost in kitchen upgrades, fire protection, and food management.

As a sobering figure (based on national averages), for B&Bs that have been in operation for many years its considered good to have 362 room rentals per year (not for each room but in total) based on roughly 8 rooms. Given the averages in rates charged at $60 per night x 362 =$21,720 per year in gross revenues. Out of this comes all your operating costs. This is based on national averages, if you can get more than $60 per night in Marion VA, then you can see how the dollars work out.

That said, making an Inn a destination as opposed to an "as needed service" which relies on the passer by (hikers, drive by people, etc) is perhaps the better overarching goal. For example, you can partner with local vintners and/or micro breweries and offer tours of these places in package deals. This may also help in marketing cost sharing and other logistical elements that may be beyond you (small shuttle bus, etc). The obvious hiking weekend package would be another good idea. A few of these ideas rotated through the year may keep you at 50% occupancy, which is pretty standard for that industry, and may be near the break even point depending on the costs involved. Marketing and advertising will be expensive. You should find out where people who visit the area come from, if you can determine that demographic you have a good idea of where to advertise for guests who will make the trip to stay with you for a few days.

Ambition tempered with preparedness is the recipe for success. Ambition unbridled can be the recipe for disaster.

[wornoutboots]

I haven't stayed here & I don't know if they're still up & running, but I hope they are because I've heard great things about them. Maybe you could reach out to them & pick their brains? They seem to be loved by the long distance community.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...llow-Atkins-VA