yuma cabana blog

cookie cutter hotels abound

2008-01-31T17:54:00.000-08:00

My recent visit to Yuma, as always, was interesting and illuminating.

cookies anyone?
I usually am too busy to venture out, but this time I drove around town, all the way to the recent Cocopah development to the Hilton plan-site on the riverfront, in order to assess all the massive new development approved in Yuma. Aside from the new mall, it appears that most of the development is in the form of new hotels.

What struck me more than just a seemingly senseless mass of hotels being built, was that every single new hotel looked like cookie cutter architecture, without an eye for design. They all look the same! I am not kidding. Not one of the new structures offered any personality, or difference in the overall design. Yuma Cabana remains the only property with private balconies. In the end, I concluded they all resembled army barracks!

thanks for guest comments
I want to offer a special thanks to all the guests that take time to make comments on the comment cards. I read every single one, and these are very valuable to us. Sometimes, they point out an all important maintenance item, that really you wouldn’t notice unless you are staying in the room. You are my eyes and ears when I am not at the property, and this is invaluable information. So, thank you!

The comments I am receiving have evolved to not only being very positive, but very personalized. Here are just a few from my visit:

"This motel has the most efficient and nice front desk employees and cleaning staff of any place we have ever stayed."

"The best budget priced motel we have ever stayed in."

When asked about what was nice about their stay, they said “Everything, especially Dorothy.”

"Very friendly staff. Your rooms are exceptionally clean. I will recommend your hotel to friends."

"Warm and accommodating."

traffic
A change I noticed was an increase in traffic. I know Yuma population practically triples during winter, but this year is the worst. I could hardly get to I8 via 16th avenue, and the traffic around all the new developments (“Hotel Hill”) was horrendous. I swear it was reminiscent of Los Angeles. It makes me so thankful that the Yuma Cabana is away from the freeway congestion areas, and I hope our guests appreciate that. While we have vibrant 4th Avenue traffic, it doesn’t compare to the L.A. type congestion.

pricey, pricey, pricey
In addition, I am now starting to get comments about the new higher priced hotels. For about a year and a half now, we have experienced unprecedented lodging rate hikes in Yuma. Just a couple years ago it was unfathomable to pay $100 for a room in Yuma. Now, people are paying more than $100 at the new places - and even some of the old!

We know our winter visitors are on a budget and many of you are on fixed retirement incomes, and we will always serve you for less, much less. It appears the guests are noticing the price pressure and appreciate what we have to offer:

"Great rooms, great prices. Didn’t feel ripped off by high priced hotels."

Personally, I think Yuma allowed too many hotels to be built. With this current economy crunch, we will be one of the properties able to offer unbeatable rates for value. I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that none of the other new cookie-cutter chains can give Yuma Cabana’s warmth and personalized service, where you get to know staff personally. Our business clearly does not offer the “ordinary,” and we are constantly striving to offer the best product for the best value, with the best service in Yuma. I think that’s extraordinary.

saltwater pools are supreme

2007-10-21T11:45:00.001-07:00

october, 2007

let's go green
The Yuma Cabana Motel is getting on the "green" bandwagon, and slowly but surely, we are doing things to make our business and your lodging experience more environmentally friendly. I have listened to Yvon Chouinard speak in my home town in Santa Barbara a couple times now. He is the founder of Patagonia and author of a riveting business book entitled "Let My People Go Surfing." I am fascinated by his business model. He is not out to be the "biggest" and make the most money, and yet his company does tremendously well. He is most definitely a pioneer in green business making, and we should all follow suit. One question I asked him was, "You speak about how operating a "green" business saves money, but becoming green for an existing company can be quite expensive. How do I turn green without going broke?" He said, 'Don't go broke going green." His message was to do it little by little, as each small step makes a big difference.

the green plan
So, the first thing I did was talk to our employees and get their suggestions. Here's what we have come up with so far: A Recycling and Re-Use program for the Front Desk, Maintenance and Housekeeping departments, Creating overall less waste, and a call on our guests to help us use less water in the laundry. We have posted in all the rooms a request that you hang your towels for re-use, and drop on the floor if you want us to launder them.

swimming in softer water
But the most noticeable to you will probably be the swimming pool. We have done away with harsh chemicals and are now using salt to purify the pool. We have implemented a natural process whereby table salt is converted to chlorine. The health department approves wholeheartedly. A "saltwater" pool is not chlorine-free, it's just that the germ/bacteria killing agent is produced naturally, without superficial chemicals. Better for you, better for the environment.

You know that feeling after swimming in a chlorinated pool of wanting to wash it off your skin right away, and you smell, well, bleachy? My recent visit October 15th and 16th, I had a wonderful dip in the pool, and swam laps. I haven't gone swimming in our pool in a long time because I do not like the chlorine. This was a wonderful experience. My skin and hair felt soft, and it was a great way to exercise. This is the method that all the expensive spas and hotels are now using in their pools. So, you get a $400 per night experience for as little as $40! Beat that!

Happy swimming....

the dark cell

2007-08-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

flying into yuma
I usually fly from California to Yuma, and get there in 4 hours, door-to-door. Unfortunately there are no direct flights form my home town, so I stop over in Phoenix via US Airways - at the Sky Harbor airport. I know it well. I head straight to Starbucks at Gate B7...and get a coffee and bagel. There is always turbulence landing in both Phoenix and Yuma. Something about warm air rising, but it is nothing to be afraid of; just expect a turbulent landing, especially during the hotter months.

dove season
At the end of August, Yuma is swarmed by dove hunters. Our property is booked for this special event six months earlier. If you want to get a room in town, tough luck...everyone is booked from about August 31st to September 3rd or so. Dove season opens September 1st, so scope it out the night before, then hunt until noon. Come back to home base at the Cabana, clean and cook your bird! (I am not a hunter, but it's a popular annual sporting event).

yuma territorial prison
I have three words for you: The Dark Cell.

I visited the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park in the morning. I was hoping to get there before the crowds and the heat. I was the only one there, and the heat was pretty evident. It definitely slowed me down. The weather right now is about 90 with 40% humidity, so it feels like 100 or so. I've been here in July and August when the temperature has climbed to 122, so I feel pretty lucky these last two visits. But I must say, I would not want to be in a 9' by 12' cell, shared with three other convicts during the summer in Yuma without A/C!

There was no really famous outlaw housed there, but the museum is still quite interesting. Most of the convicts were "infamous" outlaws and committed crimes like murder, manslaughter, burglary and grand larceny. Criminals were native Mexicans, Indians, cowboys, women and "the insane." A handful received the order of death, and were hanged publicly. The actual cells and walls were built from granite mined by the prisoners, right there on site, and from homemade adobe bricks. Iron was ferried in along the Colorado River, which abuts the prison.

Some prisoners smuggled in drugs. Clippings from the local newspaper indicated they used morphine, opium and marijuana. Marijuana was described as a "loco-weed" more powerful than opium. Several attempted escapes, and some prisoners died while serving their sentences....one of a snake bite! After learning that, I decided against the walk down the trail to the river when I saw the warning about dangerous insects and reptiles. Don't miss the cheesy photo op hidden in the corner of the museum building. You get to dress up like a prisoner, hold a number and shoot next to the original prison mirror with your own camera.

Touring the cells takes you back to prison life in the 1800s, but The Dark Cell is the highlight. It was used for the "incorrigible" prisoners, sort of as solitary confinement. I just walked right in, not even considering that it might creep me out and I was immediately struck by the energy of fear and the history of pain. I could almost hear the screams (seriously). I walked through the first threshold nonchalantly, and noticed the second threshold, which was very dark, and black, and it went back like a cave. I actually turned around and ran back out! I was glad no one else was there to see me make a fool of myself. I had hair standing up on end! I challenge you to walk all the way to the back of the cell...alone.

Until next time...

mexico

2007-07-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

july 2007
My most recent trip was July 9th and I stayed for a couple nights. I was expecting the weather to be super hot, but is was actually pretty nice. It was about 97 degrees, but felt like 109 because of some humidity. Usually it is very dry, and you don't feel the heat too much. Over the years I have learned to drink a lot of water. I have been trying "Smart" water and I like that the best. For some reason the electrolytes help keep me from feeling faint the first day. I notice Yumans don't drink all that much water as they are used to the heat. I highly recommend hydrating before you arrive, because the dryness and the heat do affect you as a visitor.

smoke-free
It is a pleasure for me to come to the motel now that it is 100% smoke-free. I feel like I could stay for days on end. We have central hallways which made it very difficult for us to keep the non-smoking rooms truly smoke-free, because the smoke would travel through the halls. I received so many complaints in that regard for many years. Now I feel like I can breathe, and my clothes and hair don't smell like smoke anymore when I leave. It's a great improvement. I hope my smoking guests appreciate that we had to transform the place due to the new Arizona smoke-free laws. It's not that we don't like smokers - we appreciate your business just as much! And we now have designated smoking areas outside for your pleasure.

mexico
This trip I decided to go to Mexico to get some medication. I do not like to go over the border alone, so I took my front office manager, Dorothy. She goes for dental work and knows her way around. I was smart though, and checked with border patrol before I went over, to make sure I wouldn't get in trouble as I was not carrying any prescriptions with me. They said we could get a three month supply for our own personal use of any prescription. I am not quite sure that is true. I think if you are attempting to bring a controlled substance or narcotic type of drug, you could probably get in trouble, no matter how much you bring over. Anyway, we parked the car in the Quechan parking lot (you pay $3.00 for the first hour) on the U.S. side so that we could walk over. I hadn't been in a long time, and the parking lot is all re-done. You can park on the street and walk a ways. As soon as you cross the border you are confronted with "sales" guys trying to get you to go "their" pharmacy. But we were on a mission. We wanted to go to the "purple" pharmacy as that is the one Dorothy was familiar with. Last time I went (maybe 5 years ago) my face cream was only $5.00 a tube. Now it was $11. I offered $10 and he said no. So I bought six (and planned to give Dorothy 3 to carry back!) Dorothy was looking for some inhalers for asthma and I could not believe how expensive they were. They were $5 last time I was here, and now they were up to over $30 and $40! We did not buy any as they did not have the right kind. I guess this price is cheaper than our own pharmacies if you do not have insurance. They sent us to the "orange" pharmacy around the corner to find what we needed, but they didn't have it either. But my special face cream was only $10 there! Oh well. It wasn't worth trouble to complain...but I will go to the orange pharmacy next time. I sent my mother 2 tubes of the face cream and she said she pays $90 for a smaller tube! (Have you seen Sicko yet?)

Since we were on a mission, and we had to get back to work, we did no shopping...but Los Algdodones is a cute little Mexican town (see link to the right for more info), and I spied some great silver jewelry - but did not stop. It would be more fun if you had time to shop a little for trinkets and gifts.

We came back over the border with our small bags (each with 3 tubes of cream). They never checked our bags, but did run our driver's licenses through the reader before they let us cross back. Apparently the new passport law is not in effect yet, because my California driver's license was sufficient.

new bathrooms
We are still working on bathroom remodels. Slowly but surely the whole motel will get done. Next time you are here, ask if there are any rooms available with a new bathroom. You'll like it. The new design was inspired by my dreams of someday owning a spa. There are some relaxing, zen elements. I hope you like it.

Until next time...