One of the great aspects about running a motel is the interaction with the good types of people that tend to stay with you.
I read a survey many years ago that concluded that only a very small portion of New Zealand's population regally stay in commercial accommodation. I wish I could remember the percentage - it was very low. Something like 5%.
You can break down guests that stay in commercial accommodation into into unique groups, like commercial travelers, FIT, visiting friends and family etc, however there is one factor that they all have in common - 99.9% of them are good people.
Be it business or leisure, our guests all have a purpose, are positive, generally happy to stay with us and are motivated. We have to remind ourselves that we are dealing with a very small and unique part of the population. Those that don't stay regally in commercial accommodation tend to go camping, stay with the mother-in-law or remain on the couch.
... So, it was a shock the other week when I was called for jury service and found myself in a room of 100 randomly selected members of the public. Rubbing shoulders with a snapshot of society was a very grounding experience.
To be part of a group of a seething, tattooed, i-pod wearing, sunglasses on the forehead, giggling, gormless mass made me grateful that as an accommodation operator I only deal with a select group of the population...
