Isaac French - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 5

2 min

Airport Bathrooms to Mexican Cantinas…

🎧 In Mexico, unexpected harmonies were found in unlikely places: the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, usually a symbol of ugliness, and a restroom where a janitor cared deeply for his work. Despite the negative expectations, a birthday song and a janitor's smile created warmth. Later, arriving at a grungy parking lot in a third-world city, the author's experience was transformed by warm mariachi music inside a 120-year-old log cabin restaurant, where the owner's hospitality shone.

1 min

World’s Most Terrifying Hotel?

🏕 Nardo and Luis, highline enthusiasts, launched OVO Patagonia after a three-year effort involving architects, engineers, and mountain experts. Four 200-square-foot pods, constructed in Buenos Aires, were transported 1,400 miles to their cliffside location. The installation included a three-stage elevator system for transferring the pods, capable of operating in 10ºF temperatures and 70 mph winds. The pods' safety system boasts two tensile structures with 9 anchor points each, tested to 35 tons, ensuring a 126× safety margin.

1 min

Why I Planted 200 Fruit Trees

🌳 The Nook philosophy emphasizes creating spaces that inspire creation, integrating nature as a fundamental element. The article advocates for planting fruit trees, suggesting an investment of $30 per sapling, highlighting the value in the experience of nurturing, the beauty of seasonal growth, and the joy of harvesting the fruit.

2 min

The Art of Finding Hidden Treasures

🏬 A barn transformed into one of the country's most stunning wedding venues and a near-collapse gristmill in rural Maine restored to become a world-renowned farm-to-table restaurant with 60,000 annual reservation attempts for 1,500 seats. These examples showcase the potential of repurposing historic or overlooked sites into extraordinary, sought-after destinations. The message: Act now, seek out hidden gems, and create beauty through craft and creativity.

1 min

A Carpenter’s $1M Secret

🚨 Chris's wife, while pregnant, survived a car accident caused by a drunk driver, leading to a settlement that allowed them to buy 5 acres of land in upstate New York, near Remsen, for $28,000. Using the land, Chris built an A-frame cabin over three years, handling all the construction himself to minimize expenses, aiming to create a unique stay that could generate passive income. He navigated rural permitting with relative ease, benefiting from a straightforward process and the value of personal relationships with local officials.

2 min

Hospitality is the Ultimate Craft

🛠 Craft in hospitality emphasizes care, transforming ordinary experiences into extraordinary ones by not scaling but focusing on thoughtful details. It reshapes both guest and host, fostering human connections and spreading care. Hospitality, seen as a craft, creates impactful stories in guests' lives. The challenge posed is to infuse more care into crafted experiences, elevating details to resonate on a deep, human level. —Isaac.

2 min

Why We Sold Live Oak Lake

🏡 Initially listed without a year of operating history and a non-specialist broker, the property was pulled from the market. In early 2023, broker David du Menil from The Intrepid Group relisted it at $7.3M. Under contract at $6.5M, the nonrefundable earnest money was set at $15,000. A buyer's funding fell through days before closing, costing nearly the amount of earnest money in attorney fees. A new $7M offer with $200,000 earnest money was nearly lost when an investor withdrew, but the sale completed after an additional six-week wait.

2 min

Design Matters More Than Ever

🔥 Every Saturday, a newsletter, 'Differentiated Design' by Hans Lorei, is read; recent California fires have impacted the content's resonance. On Tuesday, when the LA fires started, Hans was leaving the city. He reflects on the loss of homes, not just as structures, but as life and refuge. Hans, who has grown popular on Instagram, shares design insights that shape readers' perspectives, emphasizing observation, taste, and travel to better design and create.

1 min

The Remarkable Story of the Dunlap Hollow A-frame & Cave

🏡 Amy, a stay-at-home mom with 3 kids and Bryant, an unsatisfied engineer, bought 34 acres in Hocking Hills in 2018 for top dollar at $10,000/acre. They renovated a 1920s cottage on the property within four months at a cost of $120,000. They now rent it out to cover the mortgage, financed by a local community bank.

2 min

A Denim Adventure (and lessons from experiential retail)

👕 After purchasing unwashed denim jeans at imogene + willie, a customer experienced significant shrinkage post-wash, resulting in jeans 2” shorter. The store director, Liz, offered a replacement pair, demonstrating exceptional customer service. The brand emphasizes craftsmanship, core values, passionate staff, and unique physical spaces to communicate values.

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