"Thomas Jefferson said a democracy is dependent on an informed citizenry. I don't care whether it sounds corny or not. It's the truth." -Jim Lehrer
Carefree Truth
Issue #1023, May 20, 2022
Issue #1023, May 20, 2022
Todd Cooley, the General Manager of the Hampton Inn by Hilton, wanted to answer any questions the Mayor and Council might have about the economic impacts this year that he saw coming based on bookings revenue. He wanted to thank everyone but particularly the Town staff members Steve, Stacey, Mark, and Gary.
It's been a struggle, but it has been a labor of love. There is now wallpaper on the walls, the mirrors are up, there are blankets on the beds, there are stools made out of cow hide, draft beer is being installed, and there is great wine in the coolers, so they are on the verge of opening the hotel shortly. The goal is to open in June.
If they open in the first week of June, that gives them 207 days left in the year to do business. There are 97 rooms. If you take potentially 50% of that at an average of $185 per room, it's $1,800,000-$1,900,000. At the 3% tax rate that goes to Carefree, that's a significant economic impact.
They have a full staff employed at $18 per hour, which is about $38,000 a year plus tips, depending on the service. He's meeting with the Cave Creek Unified School District Supervisor Dr. Cort to see if they can start a hospitality program, so students can come right out of high school into the hospitality industry, which is a great profession.
Mayor Les Peterson said they have been eagerly awaiting the opening of the hotel, and look for it to lead the revitalization of the downtown, bringing in people for the restaurants and shops. The opening date has been his most frequently encountered question. Mr. Cooley said when he was hired, the expectation of the ownership was that it would open in August. Next year, the first quarter pre-bookings are wonderful. He is expecting it to be huge. There are enormous amounts of group business. Business travel is down, but this isn't really a business traveler market, it's a destination market. There are massive groups, massive weddings, enormous amounts of family get-togethers coming out of Desert Mountain. It pleasantly surprised Mr. Cooley. Pre-bookings are very strong.
The projected proforma from 2-1/2 years ago by the feasibility people was low, but the ownership wanted to do the right thing and provide people with affordable rates, not getting too crazy. The other Hilton partner is the Boulders at $500-$600 a night.
They made a conscious decision in the early days not to go with a full liquor license. They will have great beer and wine, but will purposely not compete against the rest of the community in order to be a good neighbor.
The local artists guild wants to be part of the hotel, so he met with them and offered them the opportunity to put some signature pieces in the courtyard, as was done in Spanish Village, and some art inside the hotel. This is the community's hotel, and he wants to make sure everyone has a part in it.
Councilman Vince D'Aliesio asked if there would be an opportunity for residents to take a tour of the hotel. Mr. Cooley noted that there will be a beer and wine bar and an eatery with small types of food that are open to the community. If anyone wants to stop in, he is giving tours every day. It's in the finishing stages right now, but it's beautiful and he thinks people will be proud of what they built. The owners are in Nebraska, and it will be a Nebraska bar, home of the Corn Huskers.
Vice Mayor John Crane thought it was great how they pulled in the community, including the artists, and that the folks they've hired have been relatively local. They support the Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis, and the business will be run the same way. "That's commendable." Mr. Cooley said he appreciated that, and noted that of the 20 people who have been hired, 18 are Carefree or Cave Creek residents. Only one had hotel experience. He cared about the Carefree heart and way of life over the hotel experience. "That's why we live up here." It's also advantageous to have people who live close-by if problems arise. They are still looking for housekeepers. They are sharing some refugee employees with Spirit in the Desert, which is working well.
Vice Mayor Crane asked Mr. Cooley to talk about some of the features that make the hotel unique, like the different rooms and its location relative to the sundial. Mr. Cooley explained that there are 18 different types of rooms. There are king size bed rooms and rooms with 2 queen size beds. There are sunrise rooms and sunset rooms. The sunset rooms have balconies.
Because of the shape of the hotel, the property is a one-of-a-kind Hampton. It will have massive coverage from the Hilton Hotels because it is very unique. Typically, a Hampton Inn is located by an interstate, costing $125-$150 for Hilton members. This is the opposite of that. It's not going for the business traveler. It is a destination property with destination rates. The rooms are oversized. The higher you get, the more expensive the rooms get because the view is incredible.
When the Town approved the project, the hotel positioned everything on the northwest side. When you look out of the window, you can tell the time of day by looking at the sundial. They will market that, telling the story of Carefree and of the sundial and how sundials go back to the time of Egypt.
He invited everyone to come over to see the sunrises or sunsets. There's a specific entertainment patio area where the door rolls up and the windows open. You can get drinks and sit at the bar or at the seating area that is positioned around the artwork. It's a great place for pictures and fond memories to take home.
The pool is completely fenced off. There are 4 rooms on the ground floor that go out directly to an entertainment area that will be used a lot for VIP executive business meetings. He had the pleasure of booking every award meeting in Cave Creek and had the displeasure of cancelling all of them because they haven't met their opening goal, but it demonstrated that everyone wants to be there. Mr. Cooley felt that it will be an economic boon with an amazing ripple effect. He again invited the Council and the public to take a tour of the hotel. He wants Carefree to lead the economic drive.
Councilman Stephen Hatcher commented that it was an excellent idea to work with the school Superintendent on the hospitality program. Mr. Cooley added that he tried to work with every leadership program. He recently went onto the Board of the Foothills Caring Corps, and thanked them for their contribution to the community.
Mayor Peterson welcomed him to Carefree and thanked him for his presentation. Vice Mayor Crane added his thanks as well.
https://vimeo.com/706612865
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Copyrighted
Visit our website at www.carefreetruth2.com If you know anyone who would like to be added to the Carefree Truth email list, please have them contact me. Feel free to share Carefree Truth with others on your list.
Visit www.carefreeazbusinesses.com to see more info about businesses in Carefree. Please support our merchants.
It's been a struggle, but it has been a labor of love. There is now wallpaper on the walls, the mirrors are up, there are blankets on the beds, there are stools made out of cow hide, draft beer is being installed, and there is great wine in the coolers, so they are on the verge of opening the hotel shortly. The goal is to open in June.
If they open in the first week of June, that gives them 207 days left in the year to do business. There are 97 rooms. If you take potentially 50% of that at an average of $185 per room, it's $1,800,000-$1,900,000. At the 3% tax rate that goes to Carefree, that's a significant economic impact.
They have a full staff employed at $18 per hour, which is about $38,000 a year plus tips, depending on the service. He's meeting with the Cave Creek Unified School District Supervisor Dr. Cort to see if they can start a hospitality program, so students can come right out of high school into the hospitality industry, which is a great profession.
Mayor Les Peterson said they have been eagerly awaiting the opening of the hotel, and look for it to lead the revitalization of the downtown, bringing in people for the restaurants and shops. The opening date has been his most frequently encountered question. Mr. Cooley said when he was hired, the expectation of the ownership was that it would open in August. Next year, the first quarter pre-bookings are wonderful. He is expecting it to be huge. There are enormous amounts of group business. Business travel is down, but this isn't really a business traveler market, it's a destination market. There are massive groups, massive weddings, enormous amounts of family get-togethers coming out of Desert Mountain. It pleasantly surprised Mr. Cooley. Pre-bookings are very strong.
The projected proforma from 2-1/2 years ago by the feasibility people was low, but the ownership wanted to do the right thing and provide people with affordable rates, not getting too crazy. The other Hilton partner is the Boulders at $500-$600 a night.
They made a conscious decision in the early days not to go with a full liquor license. They will have great beer and wine, but will purposely not compete against the rest of the community in order to be a good neighbor.
The local artists guild wants to be part of the hotel, so he met with them and offered them the opportunity to put some signature pieces in the courtyard, as was done in Spanish Village, and some art inside the hotel. This is the community's hotel, and he wants to make sure everyone has a part in it.
Councilman Vince D'Aliesio asked if there would be an opportunity for residents to take a tour of the hotel. Mr. Cooley noted that there will be a beer and wine bar and an eatery with small types of food that are open to the community. If anyone wants to stop in, he is giving tours every day. It's in the finishing stages right now, but it's beautiful and he thinks people will be proud of what they built. The owners are in Nebraska, and it will be a Nebraska bar, home of the Corn Huskers.
Vice Mayor John Crane thought it was great how they pulled in the community, including the artists, and that the folks they've hired have been relatively local. They support the Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis, and the business will be run the same way. "That's commendable." Mr. Cooley said he appreciated that, and noted that of the 20 people who have been hired, 18 are Carefree or Cave Creek residents. Only one had hotel experience. He cared about the Carefree heart and way of life over the hotel experience. "That's why we live up here." It's also advantageous to have people who live close-by if problems arise. They are still looking for housekeepers. They are sharing some refugee employees with Spirit in the Desert, which is working well.
Vice Mayor Crane asked Mr. Cooley to talk about some of the features that make the hotel unique, like the different rooms and its location relative to the sundial. Mr. Cooley explained that there are 18 different types of rooms. There are king size bed rooms and rooms with 2 queen size beds. There are sunrise rooms and sunset rooms. The sunset rooms have balconies.
Because of the shape of the hotel, the property is a one-of-a-kind Hampton. It will have massive coverage from the Hilton Hotels because it is very unique. Typically, a Hampton Inn is located by an interstate, costing $125-$150 for Hilton members. This is the opposite of that. It's not going for the business traveler. It is a destination property with destination rates. The rooms are oversized. The higher you get, the more expensive the rooms get because the view is incredible.
When the Town approved the project, the hotel positioned everything on the northwest side. When you look out of the window, you can tell the time of day by looking at the sundial. They will market that, telling the story of Carefree and of the sundial and how sundials go back to the time of Egypt.
He invited everyone to come over to see the sunrises or sunsets. There's a specific entertainment patio area where the door rolls up and the windows open. You can get drinks and sit at the bar or at the seating area that is positioned around the artwork. It's a great place for pictures and fond memories to take home.
The pool is completely fenced off. There are 4 rooms on the ground floor that go out directly to an entertainment area that will be used a lot for VIP executive business meetings. He had the pleasure of booking every award meeting in Cave Creek and had the displeasure of cancelling all of them because they haven't met their opening goal, but it demonstrated that everyone wants to be there. Mr. Cooley felt that it will be an economic boon with an amazing ripple effect. He again invited the Council and the public to take a tour of the hotel. He wants Carefree to lead the economic drive.
Councilman Stephen Hatcher commented that it was an excellent idea to work with the school Superintendent on the hospitality program. Mr. Cooley added that he tried to work with every leadership program. He recently went onto the Board of the Foothills Caring Corps, and thanked them for their contribution to the community.
Mayor Peterson welcomed him to Carefree and thanked him for his presentation. Vice Mayor Crane added his thanks as well.
https://vimeo.com/706612865
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Copyrighted
Visit our website at www.carefreetruth2.com If you know anyone who would like to be added to the Carefree Truth email list, please have them contact me. Feel free to share Carefree Truth with others on your list.
Visit www.carefreeazbusinesses.com to see more info about businesses in Carefree. Please support our merchants.