Sent them an email saying:
Hi, we {2 people} are coming for the minis on the dragon even, at deals gap, will there be rooms? Thanks

and they replied with:

Sorry, but no. we are a hiker service and only service hikers.

This is an dumbest thing ive heard in my life!
Since the rooms at fontana are out we thought hey this is closests and we needed a place to stay so i guess nam should take if off there list!

liljack and matchbox

 

wow that is the lamest thing ive ever heard! Guess they are independently wealthy and run the place as a hobby.

 

Do they expect you to Hike from Charleston?

Anyone staying there would have to show up in some type of vehicle. Why not a MINI? How do they know how you will spend your time there, you could be going hiking.
Probably just some idiot working the front desk.

 

Did you tell them they could take a hike.

 

Maybe they have a grudge against the motorcycle and sports car crowd that also enjoys visiting their area?

Best not to stay somewhere you are not welcome!

 

Did you try Tapoco?

 

I think the Appalachian Trail is around that area. I bet that is why hikers only. Still wouldn't think they would be full around that time of year, that really sucks! Guess they aren't worried about filling up their rooms !

 

Let's make sure to buzz their tower with 300 Minis Hopefully they have a seperate in/out drive so our "Mini Dragon" can snake through for at least 30 minutes And as Sndwave suggests, everyone can yell out "Take a Hike"

 

The through hikers on the AT are on the move by then.....plus hikers are obviously who they cater to. It may be a niche for them.

 

Yes, the Appalachian Trail hikers more than deserve the special hosts who cater to them.

 

I'm sorry, I read their site and got no impression that they didn't welcome everyone, but were exclusive. I've seen the place; they have limited parking; but I didn't expect any place not to welcome us.

Mark is out of town; but I'll have him remove them from the list as soon as he returns.

Please accept my apologies and try one of the other places in the area. I don't know if the Tapoco has rooms still -- I'll give them a call tomorrow and check it out.

Hugs,
PB

 

ok, i require an explanation from a business person. it's your slow(er) time of year, whether you cater to specific group or not, shouldn't you take the business where you can get it? it's like going to a Ferrari dealership and saying "yes i'd like to order an F430" and dropping 300k on the desk. then they reply "sorry, we only sell to previous Ferrari buyers, NOT MINI buyers" makes no sense to me

 

i do my fare share of hiking and like to drive, as well

 

Man, some of you people are really close-minded and irritating. Try doing ten seconds of research before you start trashing the place. www.hike-inn.com wasn't very hard to find. And if you go there, they mention pretty early on that "The Inn is accessible only by foot over a moderate 5 mile trail which originates at the top of the falls." It's less than five miles from the southern terminus of the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, and there's a trail between the two.

They serve hikers, because you have to hike to get there. It sounds like a great place to get away from the kind of everyday ignorance and arrogance and car culture that so many of you are obviously wrapped up in.

Yeah, how dare they not build a road?

Edit: I have no idea if this is the place near the dragon or not, but I'm sure it's in the same spirit. The point is that you people are jumping to stupid conclusions.

 

Whoa buddy! before you go off and start accusations of ignorance, you should research your own arguments.

First off,
The website you linked to is in GA, not near the Dragon.
Here is the site listed in the Places to Stay info on our Dragon board

http://www.thehikeinn.netfirms.com

Very little info is given about the places as to restrictions or limited accessiblity.

2nd, about the car culture comment... this is a car enthusiasts message board and the post was relating to a national car enthusiast's event.

Given these 2 points, maybe you would like to reconsider the tone of your post.

Cheers,
Keith

 

How about the original post?

"This is an dumbest thing ive heard in my life! "

I stand by my comments. Some people really need to consider that not everyone lives their lifestyle or wants to accommodate it.

 

Yeah, I edited my post because I didn't know. It doesn't change my reaction to people's attitudes here.

 

I think that the Atlanta MINIs booked Tapoco last May before they left MOTD-2! LOL!


Clover

 

Take it easy, Chris. Are you going to the Dragon? There is a certain level of anxiety for those who haven't made their lodging reservations, yet, so let's lower the rhetoric level a tad, please.

Thanks for pointing out that it is only available by hiking in....great place for hikers!

Clover

 

Clover I think it is possible some additional rooms or cabins opened up due to some birders not returning the same weekend. Not sure about that though.

 

And yet, by your post count you can't stay away. Someone needs to take a step back off the soap box and have a beer.

 

Funny you should use this as an example - the Enzo can only be purchased through invitation from the factory. I guess they want to eliminate the riff-raff that only have $300,000 to spend!

 

I apologize for overreacting. Places like the Hike Inn (both of them) are some of my favorite places in the world, and I get very defensive when they are called stupid, lame, idiots, etc. just because they don't cater to people with cars. The main mistake here is on the part of whoever included them on some kind of NAM lodging list, but honestly, the reactions of some of you are really disappointing. The world doesn't revolve around MINIs.

 

The world doesn't revolve around Minis?!?! Shock and dismay I can't go on living now that I know the truth

 

I've done absolutely no research on this place other than what I read above but someone asked for a business perspective:

-------------------------

This inn is a niche market. A remote hotel that is surrounded by mountains, forests and wildlife (and the Dragon). They obviously have made a strategic decision to cater to hikers only. Why? Maybe Porter (of the business school 5 forces fame) will have something to say about it...

1. Pressure from consumers: One of their owners must have noticed a need in the market for a quiet place that caters to people who seek the nature aspects of the surrounding area, not the attraction of the Dragon. He/She decided to cater to the needs of these people (market segmentation). Odds are that not all motor enthusiasts (auto and motorcycle) are as quiet and thoughtful as MINI owners and some may make more noise than others (I've been in a campground when a Harley convention came to town... It was neither quiet nor peaceful nor a 'family environment'). By servicing only hikers, the owners of the inn are simply protecting the service (providing peace and quiet to hikers) that they use as a differen2tiating factor. How zealously they protect their hiking clients will determine the client's overall satisfaction and will determine how likely the hiking client is to return to the inn.

2. Pressure from suppliers: Not so much from suppliers, but from the draws to the area... Nature and the Dragon. There may be some cross-over, but people going to the area are probably have a primary draw to one or the other... How many NAM members would be going there if there was no Dragon? How many of us would know that this area even existed and have a remote interest over any other mountain/forest area nearby? This inn has segmented their market to just the nature seekers, giving them a better service in return for their regular business.

3. Pressure from current competitors: There are several hotels/inns in the area. None of them strike me as luxurious (Ritz-Carlton) or segmented in any other way. In this type of environment, low cost often becomes the competitive factor (a commodity market) and most business experts will tell you that this is generally not a good business to be in for the long term (not highly profitable). By specializing, the inn can charge a premium for what makes them special... the peace and quiet.

4. Pressure from incoming new competition: It takes bundles of cash to open a hotel and occupancy rates are key to the first few years of operations. It is doubtful that a new competitor hotel would swoop in and try to establish a 'hikers only' facility... The owners, by differentiating themselves from the rest of the hotel faciliites in the area, have just insulated themselves from the treat of a new market competitor.

5. The Math (the industry)
It is very probably that someone has done the math... Here is my very incomplete example:


Summary:



By specializing in 'hikers only' service, the inn has limited their customer base but has increased the value that each of their remaining customers receive while staying there (and increased the price they are willing to pay). This removes them from the commodity market (low cost competition) and allows them to make more profit on each room rental, even if that means that they might not rent as many rooms. The specialization increases the chance that a client will return, driving up long-term revenue and profits. Specializing has also protected them from the threat of new entrants to the market.