Hostel in Franklin,NC
Would a hostel in Franklin,NC be suitable?
No, stick with the hotel format. Capitalism plus kindness. Hostels, IMO, carry with them certain expectations from thrus that might turn out to be a pain in the ass for you and your staff. As it stands, you run the finest hiker hotel on the trail, why mess?
Yahtzee
At $20 a night I don't see how your going to make any money.
Panzer
For the budgeteer or if the inn starts to overflow badly, it might be good. But with the BI already, it would be overkill.Originally Posted by Ron Haven
If get a place closer to the trail, then maybe.
''Tennessee Viking'
Mountains to Sea Trail Hiker & Maintainer
Former TEHCC (AT) Maintainer
ron, i think you are the one that has to answer that question, is the demand there? you are the expert since its your town
Gaiter
homepage.mac.com/thickredhair
web.mac.com/thickredhair/AT_Fall_07
damn i need to pay my donation again so i can edit...
well not 'your town', but the town you live in
Gaiter
homepage.mac.com/thickredhair
web.mac.com/thickredhair/AT_Fall_07
sure, as long as it's run properly. get paid up front and set some firm rules.
12 bunks x $20
And enforce the rules. Personally, I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it, what you have going now in Franklin for hikers seems to be working well. But if expanding your services is your idea, then go for it. Try it for a season and see how it goes, if not, don't sweat it and go back to just the Budget and Sapphire.
"If you play a Nicleback song backwards, you'll hear messages from the devil. Even worse, if you play it forward, you'll hear Nickleback." - Dave Grohl
Unless you have a location that's a walk in from the trail I'd say stick with what you have. Seems as if the big bump lasts about 75 days. What would you be doing with the hostel the rest of the time.
A pity Rainbow Springs got away.
Dyslexics Untie!
If you want to do it, do it.....
Yes...but it's only going to be filled to capacity for 2 months per year.
ahhhh. not really
yes....but there's lots of section hikers all summer and fall
The property is still there and is for sale again. The store and the wash house are still there. I couldn't see if the bunkhouse was still there, but who would miss the stalag? All the cabins are gone though. In the right hands, this could be a very good site to operate. Hikers and motorcycle campers.A pity Rainbow Springs got away.
Very true. I've run into the problem of hostels closing up right after thru-hiker season, especially in the south. Granted it's foolish to count on them, but it is still disappointing when, as a section hiker, you cannot find accommodations - left a bad taste in the mouth a couple of times. That's probably undeserved, but is still a fact.
As far as Ron and Franklin. I agree, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unless the hikers are causing some kind of problem for your motel business, I would leave it as is. You already do so much for hikers. My stay at the Budget Inn (and also the Hiawassee Inn) was an excellent experiences. You went out of your way to serve the hikers and it was very much appreciated. Keeping the services Motel based will eliminate the situation in my first paragraph.
20 bucks a person for a hostel or 40ish for two in your hotel. It makes sense to stay in the hotel. Might work for overflow. It would be nice if there was something close to the trail.
I would suggest something like a poll. I would probably prefer to stay at one of your motels.
It would be nice you're a single and you can't afford $40 for a motel and it has kitchen facilities, common room etc.
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