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Buying A Condo-Hotel In Daytona Beach Area. Will I Get Screwed?

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408

Buying A Condo-Hotel In Daytona Beach Area. Will I Get Screwed?

I recently interviewed James Dion (Buying a Condo-Hotel in Daytona Beach Area. Interview With GM), the GM at Oceanside Inn in Daytona Beach Shores. I still get questions about it, so I went to James again, and since I am in the same building with him (we opened our branch office in the lobby of Oceanside Inn) it is very easy to do. I asked him to explain how the rotation works. He invited me behind his desk, put his best business look on the face, typed something on the keyboard, so that I could see the units in the resort with all the reservations and other info.

James DionThen he showed me what happens when the guest comes to the Front Desk in Oceanside Inn. How the hotel rep is using the software, that determines which unit the system will show on the screen. This is based solely on the rental income generated by this unit. Not by the number of days it was rented, but by the income it generated. Makes sense to me. And so easy. Is it, really?

Not so fast. It would have been easy, if all rooms were identical in terms of set-up (king-size bed and a sofa or two double beds, kitchenette or just coffee-maker), view (city, ocean or oceanfront), size (studio, double unit, or triple unit), location in the building (south-side, north side, east side), height (low or high), special accommodation (handicap)...

Besides categories, they deal with people. Just a few minutes ago we watched how the guest came with a reservation and was assigned room 905. He then came back, said there was water on the floor of the bathroom, refused the idea of sending the cleaning person to wipe it out, and demanded another unit. he took a key from the next unit in line, then came back and said he did not like the location, then took the key from the 3rd unit, which was a handicap unit and he came back and asked the key from unit 905, which was the first unit he rejected.

Obviously the view won, and he even did not care now about the water in the bathroom. This is not something very unusual, it happens more often than not. Remember, we all want the best for as little money as possible. And we all learning the value on the fly.

Anyway, they have a lot of categories. But the beauty of the system is that while you pick the category, and narrow your parameters, each time it will show you the list of units starting with those that have generated the least income.

It still does not mean that the system is bulletproof as there is no such system thatOceanside Inn, Daytona Beach Shores humans can't abuse. So, keep your eyes open and question the management if you find something that seems strange to you. They can always look at the records and figure out why some unit may or may not been rented in a particular period of time (maintenance issues, repairs, replacement of AC units, etc.), and they can spot an abuse if you alert them, but it is not that they are sitting every morning and going through the records trying to find the culprit. There is a reason for it and it is that so far there was not an instance of someone trying to manipulate the rentals.

Thanks, James

P.S. If you are interested in the Daytona Beach Area in general, in condos, in condo-hotels, and in Oceanside Inn in Daytona Beach Shoresin particular (and you do not want to t be screwed - LOL), call me 386-405-4408 

Comments (8)

Tom Braatz Waukesha County Real Estate 262-377-1459
Coldwell Banker - Oconomowoc, WI
Waukesha County Realtor Real Estate agent. SOLD!

Jon

Sounds like james has it down and knows customer service.

Jan 30, 2010 07:32 AM
Anonymous
Ricardo

Very good to know. I was curious how it works but never asked the Front Desk people as they usually donot know things like that.

Jan 30, 2010 09:27 AM
#2
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Tom,

He sure knows his stuff. Thanks for visiting.

How's Lars doing?

Jan 30, 2010 10:07 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Ricardo,

Front desk employees are usually using the system, but they have little clue what the prameters are and what principles it is based upon.

Jan 30, 2010 10:08 AM
Inna Hardison
ha media group - Orlando, FL
Wordpress for Real Estate & Design, Print HaMedia Group

Legitimate concerns, all things considered. Of course it helps knowing that it's simply not worth the headache or the risks to try to swindle any one owner out of rental income, never mind the technical impossibilities of getting away with it. 

:-)

Jan 31, 2010 09:28 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Inna - isn't it interesting? Every time someone, who owns a unit, voices the concern that his unit could be passed for rentals, I ask them whether they tried to bribe the front desk and see hwat happens. Every time they say "no, they have never tried".

Like Nick at the Front desk laughed. He said "Not that I would do it, but nobody ever offered".

Guys, bring Nick an offer, will ya?

Jan 31, 2010 03:38 PM
Marcia Hawken
WILLIAM RAVEIS - Naples, FL
Naples Luxury Specialist

A few years ago we rented a place in Vail and this was clearly going on.  We tried to get back to our favorite unit from a year before and it "wasn't available" even though we made the reservation six months prior. The NEW addition rental which was a disaster was where we were put and had to stay.  Not a good experience and we won't go back.

Feb 02, 2010 01:19 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Marcia - was it a condo-hotel, with the owners Association, or a property where there was a Developer controlled Association?

Feb 02, 2010 03:47 AM