Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 832 The Hotel Still Has to Stay Open

Xia Maosheng said, "When we watch old movies, the old ladies in them have white hair and wrinkles all over their faces. But if you think about it carefully, look at the age of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They're not that old at all. At most, they're forty, which is the prime of their lives. It's an exaggeration."

Xiao Wei said, "You said it yourself, times are different. People aged faster back then. They were so tired, their moods were bad, their food was bad, and their nutrition was inadequate. How could they not look old?"

Liu Hongliang raised his hand: "Yu, stop. There seems to be some important business we haven't discussed yet, right? How are we going to open the hotel? The one in Fengtian is still vacant, and now a three-star hotel has opened here. I'm thinking it would be best if Xidu also had one. Xiaowei, weren't you planning to build one in Zhongjie? Should we go for it? What about Dalian? What about Andong?"

Chen Hui smoothed his hair and thought for a moment before saying, "It's really true. It would be a shame not to open a decent hotel or restaurant in these buildings. That would really elevate the class. But if we're going to open five or six, how are we going to do that? We can't just turn them all into guesthouses, can we? That's about the standard of living here."

Xia Maosheng said, "Why don't we talk to the Sheraton or Hilton or something?"

Xiao Wei said, "I thought about this a few days ago. Nowadays, the better hotel management companies are all from abroad, such as Sheraton, Hilton, and Mandarin Oriental. In China, they are all privately owned and run, and there is no chain management model yet."

But these foreign brands have one problem: they're ridiculously expensive. Four- or five-star hotels cost over a thousand a night. Who's going to stay there? How many people can afford it? In the end, are they just built and left there for people to look at and have fun with? How can they make money from that?

Liu Hongliang said, "Do you think many ordinary people stay in hotels for no reason? Even if it's cheap, can you open a small state-run roadside inn? Like the one next to the train station. Hotels are high-end places, they have to be expensive, that's what class is, so that when people come to your place they look impressive, understand? Farmers."

Xia Maosheng nodded and said, "The words may be rough, but the principle is correct. Hotels and guesthouses are indeed different. The services, equipment, and facilities are all different. Even if you are cheap, you are still expensive. Ordinary people still won't come."

Xiao Wei said, "Can't we open a hotel that ordinary people can afford? I'm not talking about all ordinary people, but at least in a family where one member is a worker, they can afford to stay there when they go out for a trip, okay? That's not too much to ask, is it?"

Chen Hui said, "That depends on how you position yourself. For a restaurant like ours, why don't you emphasize that it's affordable for ordinary people? Can everyone afford our cakes and bread? I think you're overthinking it."

Xiao Wei said, "There are plenty of restaurants, snack bars and Chinese restaurants everywhere, we don't need to make a difference if we have one cheaper one."

Xia Maosheng said, "There aren't many hotels? There are just as many small inns, guesthouses, state-run hotels, and large restaurants as snack bars. Just around Fengtian Station alone, there are dozens of them. What difference does one more make?"

Liu Hongliang said, "Those star-rated hotels don't make money from occupancy rates. They need to have all kinds of facilities, such as conference rooms, swimming pools, gyms, cafes, restaurants, bowling alleys, libraries, computer rooms, shops, billiard halls, and bathhouses. They can't just put a bed there and wait to collect money."

Chen Hui said, "That's right, these are all open to the public and they all make a lot of money."

Xia Maosheng said, "You have to go for a higher standard to earn money from rich people. If you're from a small, ordinary family, they won't even give you a second glance. Do they think they're poor and look down on others? Also, what's the point of doing government receptions if you mess it up? Do you know how much that costs in a year?"

Xiao Wei lit a cigarette, leaned back on the sofa, and pondered.

Liu Hongliang said, "Look at this room, this bed, this sofa, this environment, isn't it comfortable? We've already eaten at the restaurant, is it alright? This place is too old, it doesn't have facilities like a bathhouse or swimming pool. It has a gym, a conference center, and a shopping mall, but it lacks many things, and it's not this expensive."

Chen Hui said, "Yes, yes, I've been to the Marriott. It has all the things Hongliang mentioned. It's very comfortable. To put it another way, as long as you have money, you can live there comfortably. It has everything."

Xia Maosheng said, "This place is different from those others. This is a historical site, where founding fathers lived. Perhaps President Zhou stayed in this room back then. It's not the same concept. However, I agree with what Hongliang and Xiaohui said. If we're going to do something, we should do something top-notch, high-class. Xiaowei, you've definitely misunderstood this."

Xiao Wei said, "I'm worried we won't make any money. How much money do we have to invest? What if we don't get enough people? We'll lose money!"

Chen Hui chuckled and pointed at Xiao Wei, saying, "Just like Uncle Cheng said, your mindset isn't right. You're thinking about opening a hotel with the mindset of a farmer or a small-town resident."

Dude, there are plenty of rich people out there. If we can make money, why can't others? High-end hotels are opening one after another, and foreign brands are scrambling to enter the Chinese market. Do you think they're stupid or crazy?

Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you guys and contact foreign brands. But I still can't get over this feeling. Why can't ordinary people stay in decent but cheaper hotels? How do you calculate the cost of this stuff? Never mind, I'll think about it again once it's up and running."

Chen Hui asked, "Which company should we contact? The Sheraton is in Fengtian, but the Hilton is in Shanghai."

Liu Hongliang said, "I remember seeing a business hotel somewhere that seemed to be run by foreigners, is that not allowed?"

Xiao Wei said, "If we do it this way, we have to focus on branding. At least a lot of wealthy people will recognize it. If we spend a lot of money and then the wealthy people don't recognize it, that would be terrible. Let's go to Beijing and talk to the Mandarin Oriental and Sheraton. They've both operated in the north before, so they should be more adaptable. Let's see how it goes first, and if that doesn't work out, we can try Shanghai."

Chen Hui said, "Isn't your Xiao Hong planning to buy a courtyard house in Beijing? We can take care of that while we're at it."

Xiao Wei's face twitched, and he said, "Don't listen to her nonsense. Why buy it if we're not going to live there? Everyone lives in apartments now, and they're getting higher and higher. Won't that courtyard be demolished eventually?"

Chen Hui said, "Actually, it would be good to have a courtyard in Beijing, so we'd have a place to stay when we go there. I reckon my husband will definitely go there, and he'll be going back and forth a lot. Besides, since my husband is going, why don't we build the building and open the shop there? Wouldn't that be a waste?"

Xia Maosheng laughed and patted Chen Hui on the shoulder, saying, "That's true, but it would be a real waste to go."

Xiao Wei said, "We really don't know Beijing well. It's so big, and there are so many rich and powerful officials there. Can we really handle it? What if we run into someone we can't afford to offend? I don't want to cause Uncle Chen any unnecessary trouble."

Chen Hui said, "There are plenty of people doing business in Beijing, and millionaires are everywhere. Why don't they all do it? I've noticed you sometimes overthink things."

(End of this chapter)