Bill's Bountiful Blog

Marine Link Tours - Lodging Newsletter September 30, 2023

By Wm, May
Published: 09/30/23 Topics: Boats Comments: 0

Travel comes in many forms. Tourism is a subgroup, including enjoyment, learning, observing. And specialty lodging has its own niche, starting with vacation rentals but including inns, resorts and now even freight boats offering one of a kind experiences.

Marine Link Tours delivers all kinds of freight up and down the Salish Sea in British Columbia from Campbell River to Port Hardy and Seymour Inlet. There may be stops in Loughborough Inlet, Kelsey Bay, Broughton Archipelago, Port McNeil, Powell Lake and whatever other stop needs delivery.

They even take along travelers searching for the unusual. These are not passengers going from stop to stop, but inquisitive folks on a 5-day trip longing for an out-of-the-ordinary thrill.

Years ago, the ship owners acquired a barge-like boat, flat bottomed, extended it and added six state rooms for those travelers willing to pay a pretty penny to get the unusual.

Traveling at a whopping 7 knots (8 miles per hour) the captain nestles the boat up long and winding inlets, which in Norway would be called fjords, going miles without sight of houses, cabins or boats. Delivering to logging camps, fish farms, small communities and First Nations' villages.

The Marine Link trip is nothing like what passengers experience on the huge cruise ships that may pass silently speeding to Alaska. There are no cabarets, no night clubs, no water slides, no gambling. But the freighter does provide gourmet meals from the live-onboard chef, an attentive steward, and a visit in the wheel house with a captain who has spent 37 years visiting every corner of the sea.

It all comes with peace and quiet as humpback whales, orcas and porpoises swim around and alongside. Grizzly bears lounge in meadows and mountains thousands of feet directly above the boat. Deep in Knight Inlet, a waterfall plunges over 800 feet directly into the sea on this longest and most spectacular coastal fjord. The captain grins as he noses the boat directly under the waterfall.

In our small world of vacation rentals, we are reminded that every guest who visits us hopes for a unique, intriguing and memorable experience. It is also our job to deliver.

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As summer wanes, we take time to be thankful. In case you don't spend day and night following the lodging industry - like we do - here is a summary of some recent travel industry and market developments.

SEASONALITY - Around the country and in drive-to destinations like the Northwest, occupancy now mimics seasonality as it was before Covid.

FIRES - Luckily, our markets have not had rampant fires, even though smoke has and may continue to lessen travel enthusiasm. Sorry to say, but a half-dozen times over the years we have learned how to deal with these interruptions when they arise. The goal is to build guest satisfaction and retain rents for owners.

ADVANCE - Over several decades the amount of time in advance that guests book dates has ranged from a year down to days or weeks, when bookings resumed after Covid. Early summer was slower and now bookings are occurring in a more normal timeframe.

RATES - Rates have been depressed because so many competitors panicked and plummeted rates in a "race for the bottom" on prices. It is necessary to compromise to get bookings. But last minute bookings are filling dates and we can hope that continues as usual into September.

PRICING - Our rates experts evaluate rates up to 13 months in advance and make changes most days based on current market volatility. The AI telemetry we buy for our S2D2 algorithm may lower rates on a last minute basis, then real humans intervene to raise rates at every opportunity. Their success has beat industry trends.

CHANNELS - AirBnB, VRBO and other advertising websites are saying business is good, but they achieve that by expanding the number of rentals between 10 and 20%. Contrary to their crowing, that doesn't mean more income for each individual owner.

ONSITE - A giant shout out to all of our wonderful market managers, housekeepers and maintenance staff who have toiled 7 days a week, weekends, holidays and sometimes well into the evening. Most have been part of the team for years and every property owner should give them kudos. We certainly do.

TECHNOLOGY - Working behind the scenes are a whole group of software, advertising, marketing, photography, graphics and other tech experts. They too work overtime in summer to adjust to market conditions that are changing faster than ever before.

HISTORY - As the vacation rental industry has grown for decades, we have always advised owners to only buy a second home for the best of reasons. Our competitors lure in owners with a pitch that owning a vacation rental is a "Get Rich Quick" success.

History says that over years homes usually appreciate, producing profits when they are sold. But today, operating a rental has become a time consuming and intricate undertaking which can be expensive and exasperating if done innocently.

Most homes don't make a cash-on-cash return annually, but with our skilled vacation rental management owners can get maximum income with minimum fuss.

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Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0966 – 09/30/23

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

The Genius Truck Mechanic

By William May
Published: 11/11/15 Topics: Boats, Self Improvement Comments: 0

 

At the age of 15, I was very sure that Mr. Stearns - a mechanic in the log truck shop my father managed - was a genius.
 
Although his first name was Jim, I would never have called him that because he was my father’s age, he had a regal bearing and he was a legend in the industry. It’s not disrespectful to say he was the only genius in the shop, because everyone who worked there knew it.

Repairing big rigs is not a simple job. Diagnosing such a large machine with so many parts and systems requires comprehension of physics, hydraulics, engineering, pneumatics, electronics, and internal combustion.

Before the advent of computers, I marveled at the incredible precision which engineers and part manufacturers made things. How did they do it?

MECHANICAL ARTS.

Many people are able to master basic mechanic skills with school training, on the job experience, and mentoring. (In those days, use of the word "mentoring" would have made everyone chuckle.)

Among mechanics there are echelons of knowledge. No one knows it all, and everyone must consult manuals and colleagues occasionally. Everyone except Mr. Stearns.

If you have ever visited a repair shop, you would have noticed something odd about Mr. Stearns’ space. Unlike other mechanics, his area was immaculately organized. It was the only space that was never dirty, and every tool and part was just as it should be.

While other mechanics hustled about, Mr. Stearns seemed to  move slowly. While others became dirty and grimy crawling in, around and under trucks, Mr. Stearns coveralls remained neat and pressed just as if they had came off an ironing board.

FINANCIAL MODEL

Truck shops make money by charging a standard hourly shop rate for each of the mechanics. Today that fee often exceeds $100 per hour.

There are manuals that specify the numbers of hours that should be required to undertake many common repairs. Even major engine overhauls have a specific set of hours assigned. Jobs can take an hour, many days or even weeks.

Mr. Stearns never looked at those budgets and did not want to know what they were. Although there was a kind of hierarchy, he was left to his own devices - but the time he took for jobs was consistently half of the allocated time. The shop made lots of money allowing him to set his own pace.  

FOCUS SOLVES PROBLEMS

When my water-ski boat sunk (don’t ask), he volunteered to take apart the submerged motor that everyone knew would never run again. The engine was so antiquated that to put the boat in reverse required stopping the motor, and restarting it in reverse so that the crank shaft actually went in the opposite direction.

It was a morass of double electronics that would have perplexed Nikola Tesla. Mr. Stearns said he knew very little about boat motors but, one night after work he carefully took it apart piece by piece.

After removing the convoluted electronics, he unbolted the cylinder head, carefully extracted the pistons, bearings, and valves, taking time to carefully clean and place every piece on clean white rags atop his tool chest. The pistons and valves were arranged together in order. Each piece was lined up perfectly with the other. It was like a work of art.

Just as carefully, he put all the pieces back into the motor block. Then, just as carefully, cleaned and put every tool back into the chest high tool chest. It was almost midnight now.

"Do you think it will ever run again?" I asked.

"Of course it will run. I put it back together perfectly, didn’t I?" he murmured.

He turned the switch and the 75 horsepower behemoth roared to life.

LET PROFESSIONALS PERFORM

As he turned off the motor, he turned and faced me square. "Because you are young and interested, I am violating the secret to my success. I have allowed you to help."

I was perplexed, so he continued. "See that sign?" 

I looked above his work bench.

- Shop Labor $30 per hour
- If you watch  $40 per hour
- If you help     $50 per hour

"You see young William (he always called me young William) talk can be a good thing. But customers need to allow experts to work, and to get the hell out of the way." 

OLD FASHIONED SMARTS

Today’s concepts of co-working, team-building and the sharing economy can help people achieve and succeed.  But there is much to be said for personal focus, study and concentration.

Over the years, I have  seen similar signs and I follow their wisdom. I remind myself to not watch, not help and to allow that person to go about doing their best work for me.

I can only wish that clients would follow the same advice. Some feel that they can become experts overnight. Some have nothing better to do. Others just cant help but stir the soup.

Wise clients allow experts they hire to do their magic, to spend their time serving them instead of justifying their work. Wise clients judge only the outcome, not the methods.

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Author: William May, MayPartners
Blog #: 0460 – 11/11/15

Sponsor: MayPartners – Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, Sales and Other Stuff. Call today. Make your Sales go up today. Not tomorrow. – MayParrtners.com