I get it all the time.
People know I’m in the hotel biz…
…and they tell me they have a property and are thinking about putting a hotel in Cuenca.
But truth is, I would NOT put a hotel in Cuenca, except for one type.
You see, Cuenca is already loaded with good hotels, and they’re cheap!
An acceptable option at $10-15 per person per night can be found quite quickly.
The type of hotel I’d put in Cuenca is an apart-hotel.
The difference is the rooms will often be mini-apartments with at least two different ambiances, a living/cooking area and the bedroom.
Unlike normal hotels the rooms have a kitchen or place to cook as most people would get tired of eating in the street for weeks on end.
And they are meant for longer stays.
Usually a few weeks, maybe a few months at a time with of course special weekly and monthly rates.
And they often serve as a “half-way” home for folks who recently arrive in Cuenca and begin the search for their permanent home.
An apart-hotel is a great option for people because agreeing to rent something long-term before they arrive and see it is a big mistake.
Best to look around once here.
And at least initially its nice to take advantage of a few of the services of a hotel like an attentive, knowledgable front desk staff, laundry service and WIFI Internet from day one yet still be able to cook for yourself and enjoy the privacy of your own place as you get your feet wet in a new country.
You could even sell off the individual suites to private owners and continue to manage them and rent them out in a property-manager-type role.
The really neat thing is you could promote it as both a hotel and a condo rental.
There are already a few of these type hotels that exist in Cuenca, but I’ve seen the demand in the area to justify another well-located good one.
More so by far than anywhere else in Ecuador, a lot of expats are moving to Cuenca.
That’s the hospitality niche I’d attack in Cuenca.
Any takers?
You can count me in.
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