Topic: Diamond Joes
started by: bulldog
Posted by bulldog on Sep. 01 2010,9:21 am
I see they are building another motel at Diamond JOESword is they are calling it Tuttle Towers
Posted by hairhertz on Sep. 01 2010,10:05 am
Will it have a Harig Suite?
Posted by MADDOG on Sep. 01 2010,11:18 am
I hate to tell you this, but I was told that the motel was to come to Albert Lea, but the CVB drove them away.I'd be interested to know what Susie has to say on that one.
Now there's another $50,000+ salary waste.
Posted by canvasback on Sep. 01 2010,11:21 am
I think all you have to do is look at the ownership group for any of the hotels, specifically Country Inn and Suites here in town, and you will see who pulls her strings.
Posted by Glad I Left on Sep. 01 2010,11:24 am
A.L. already has a HI Express. I can't see Holiday Inn putting another one in a town the size of A.L.Not trying to discredit you or your source MD as you would be in the know WAY before I would, but it seems a little suspect.
Posted by just the facts on Sep. 01 2010,11:35 am
FYI: There is no Holiday Inn Express in Albert Lea. It is now the Best Western.
Posted by MADDOG on Sep. 01 2010,11:41 am
(canvasback @ Sep. 01 2010,11:21 am)
QUOTE
I think all you have to do is look at the ownership group for any of the hotels, specifically Country Inn and Suites here in town, and you will see who pulls her strings.
Funny you should specifically name them.
GIL, my source is an extremely reliable one on this.
Posted by canvasback on Sep. 01 2010,11:57 am
Well, it seems pretty obvious. Pardon my ignorance...but GIL?? acronym or ??
Posted by ICU812 on Sep. 01 2010,12:05 pm
Glad I Left.
Posted by MADDOG on Sep. 01 2010,12:13 pm
(ICU812 @ Sep. 01 2010,12:05 pm)
QUOTE
Glad I Left.
Coming back soon?
Posted by Bluehosta on Sep. 01 2010,12:22 pm
ICU812 My dad said thats Ed Gein's phone number. Had to look him up. Good one.
Posted by Glad I Left on Sep. 01 2010,2:21 pm
(MADDOG @ Sep. 01 2010,12:13 pm)
QUOTE
(ICU812 @ Sep. 01 2010,12:05 pm)
QUOTE
Glad I Left.
Coming back soon?
Good one!
When did that change to a Best Western? Wow, I should get out that way more often when I visit the parents. Or not. I am GIL after all!
Posted by MADDOG on Sep. 01 2010,3:21 pm
It must have been about a year ago or better when Holiday was looking to rebuilt about a 66-70 room motel. They were coming. Then they turned suddenly to Northwood instead. 
I can't say with certainty whether the "hospitality" coming from the new general manager of the CountryInn Suites had anything to do with it or not.
Posted by Alfy Packer on Sep. 01 2010,4:37 pm
The reason the old Holiday Inn Express is now a Best Western has to do with the franchise demanding a rather large expansion and remodle that the owners were hard pressed to see how the new investment would pay back. I think the owners concerns were well thought out but one does not argue with the franchise once they have made up their mind. Once the change over to Best Western was done, the owners found that Holiday Inn Express was still persuing a hotel on the scale of what they wanted this group to have after the remodeling they were demanding.I don't know about you, but it does seem to me that much of the year Albert Lea has more that enough hotel/motel beds going begging. Bigger isn't always better, and if the CVB is concerned about it's members, what is the harm it that.
Posted by MADDOG on Sep. 01 2010,9:21 pm
From what I understand, the old HIE was in need of a required update. I'm not sure about the expansion. I'm not sure that all the owners were together 100% on spending the money. There was also the desire of some to move their motel expansion westward.I don't know how they could think that if they refused the franchise requirements that Holiday would just go away. I'm not sure that one of the duties of the CVB is to discourage other businesses to move into Albert Lea. In fact I'm pretty darn sure that it's reasons such as this that has kept this town from growing.
Posted by Alfy Packer on Sep. 02 2010,8:03 am
Aw growth! Where a cheap pice of ticky tacky comes in and an old venue falls into disrepair, fails, and goes out of business. There is an economic model we can all relate to.You know there is not a single new Mazda car sold in this town today. That is not because you didn't sell one hell of a lot of them back in the day. What happened? Did the dealership requirements change? Did those requirements coming down from on high no longer make any sense in this market? Do more hotel rooms currently make sense in this market? If not, how is this growth? Build it and they will come only works in the movies.
Posted by ALAngst on Sep. 02 2010,1:49 pm
(Alfy Packer @ Sep. 01 2010,4:37 pm)
QUOTE
The reason the old Holiday Inn Express is now a Best Western has to do with the franchise demanding a rather large expansion and remodle that the owners were hard pressed to see how the new investment would pay back. I think the owners concerns were well thought out but one does not argue with the franchise once they have made up their mind. Once the change over to Best Western was done, the owners found that Holiday Inn Express was still persuing a hotel on the scale of what they wanted this group to have after the remodeling they were demanding.
Not true. They were never told or asked to expand.
Posted by MADDOG on Sep. 02 2010,2:45 pm
(Alfy Packer @ Sep. 02 2010,8:03 am)
QUOTE
Aw growth! Where a cheap pice of ticky tacky comes in and an old venue falls into disrepair, fails, and goes out of business. There is an economic model we can all relate to.
You know there is not a single new Mazda car sold in this town today. That is not because you didn't sell one hell of a lot of them back in the day. What happened? Did the dealership requirements change? Did those requirements coming down from on high no longer make any sense in this market? Do more hotel rooms currently make sense in this market? If not, how is this growth? Build it and they will come only works in the movies.
You know there is not a single new Mazda car sold in this town today. That is not because you didn't sell one hell of a lot of them back in the day. What happened? Did the dealership requirements change? Did those requirements coming down from on high no longer make any sense in this market? Do more hotel rooms currently make sense in this market? If not, how is this growth? Build it and they will come only works in the movies.
I'm not sure where you were trying to go with this?
Yeah, we sold a lot of Mazdas. (Bob Adams Imports) What happened? I don't think the main reason had too much to do with them. If you want to know the main reason, you will have to ask him. I will not disclose that. Have the requirements changed? Probably more than two or three times since then.
Franchises tend to throw or impose restrictions and changes on businesses often. They can force you to comply or push you out. Look at KFC and how long they were gone. Do I like it? Not particularly, but it's all a part of doing business with a franchise. I think they were aware of the possibilities.
Are more rooms necessary in our climate and location? I certainly don't know. Perhaps it was done on forecasts. Perhaps they had minimum standards.
Build it and they will come is not part of my philosophy either.
Posted by grassman on Sep. 03 2010,6:51 am
The rooms are way overpriced.
Posted by ALAngst on Sep. 03 2010,3:18 pm
(grassman @ Sep. 03 2010,6:51 am)
QUOTE
The rooms are way overpriced.
A couple of weeks I was in town for a reunion. Since it was a Saturday night, I thought about staying and I checked Best Western. They wanted $140 for standard room. I told them they were crazy and they were way too high. They tried telling me that was normal for the area, and I asked who else was even close. They said next door at AmericInn. Every other place was around $100, but they were sold out (Country and Comfort). They tried saying they were "almost" a brand new hotel. I told them they were a new brand hotel. I've stayed there before.
Anyway I passed, and decided to go up the Cities because I was going there the next day. When I left that night, I drove out Bridge to get onto I-90. The parking lot for both hotels were about half full. I called Best Western from the interstat, asked if they had any more rooms and they said yes, I asked if they could hold one and they asked how far away I was and I said a half hour. They said they had plenty of rooms so just stop by.
I told my wife about it. She couldn't believe $140 a night, especially since I asked for both Saturday and Sunday night (and the rate was the same). They lowered the rate, and I looked at Labor Day weekend as well, because I was coming to town then too. Now they're asking $120 a night. And no it wasn't Sturgis.
So if you ask me a new hotel in Albert Lea would go over well. Same rates but far newer. I'd stay there instead.
Posted by MADDOG on Sep. 03 2010,4:34 pm
More competition might lower the rates too. It's like the gas prices. I was in town last night and see unleaded is $2.69 a gallon. In the smaller towns of Lake Mills and Forest City, $2.51. Albert Lea rapes motorists on holiday weekends. If you're heading south, wait to buy gas.
Posted by Montyman on Sep. 03 2010,6:22 pm
(ALAngst @ Sep. 03 2010,3:18 pm)
QUOTE
(grassman @ Sep. 03 2010,6:51 am)
QUOTE
The rooms are way overpriced.
A couple of weeks I was in town for a reunion. Since it was a Saturday night, I thought about staying and I checked Best Western. They wanted $140 for standard room. I told them they were crazy and they were way too high. They tried telling me that was normal for the area, and I asked who else was even close. They said next door at AmericInn. Every other place was around $100, but they were sold out (Country and Comfort). They tried saying they were "almost" a brand new hotel. I told them they were a new brand hotel. I've stayed there before.
Anyway I passed, and decided to go up the Cities because I was going there the next day. When I left that night, I drove out Bridge to get onto I-90. The parking lot for both hotels were about half full. I called Best Western from the interstat, asked if they had any more rooms and they said yes, I asked if they could hold one and they asked how far away I was and I said a half hour. They said they had plenty of rooms so just stop by.
I told my wife about it. She couldn't believe $140 a night, especially since I asked for both Saturday and Sunday night (and the rate was the same). They lowered the rate, and I looked at Labor Day weekend as well, because I was coming to town then too. Now they're asking $120 a night. And no it wasn't Sturgis.
So if you ask me a new hotel in Albert Lea would go over well. Same rates but far newer. I'd stay there instead.
Maybe we could use a new hotel, I don't know...
But have you seen the paint job on the one on east main?
WOW!!!
Posted by canvasback on Sep. 03 2010,6:27 pm
That paint job makes it look like the corporate headquarters for Taco Johns.
Posted by grassman on Sep. 04 2010,9:22 am
Tuesdays, 3 rooms for a buck? 
Posted by Santorini on Sep. 05 2010,8:57 pm
Heard that the partner with the guy who bought the newly, painted "colorful" hotel decided on the color.But WOW is right.
That is quite possibly the worst color I've seen in my life for a hotel
Posted by gijoeman on Sep. 05 2010,9:42 pm
pics?
Posted by Wolfie on Sep. 06 2010,12:34 am
The co owner is indian (with a dot not feather) or pakistani correct? That could explain it.