Coquina Hotel - 4. Chapter 4

Ten months have passed since I signed the contract with Mr. Jones. The Hotel was finished, and now I had to hire help. I needed front desk personnel, room maids, laundry staff, kitchen staff, and dining room staff.

I also needed commercial washers, dryers, and irons for the laundry room. I needed kitchen equipment and dining room equipment.

I checked out the various culinary schools, and I was surprised when the restaurant owner’s daughter where I worked applied for a position in the kitchen. She graduated from a prestigious school in the East and was having problems working with her father. According to her, he wasn’t open to new foods or preparations. His philosophy was his clientele liked his food, so why change.

I hired her and assigned her two tasks. The first was to select the equipment for the kitchen for my review and approval. The second was to hire the kitchen staff.

Now I needed front desk staff, and for these positions, I sent an advertisement to several small colleges that had courses in the Hospitality field. I got four responses and decided to hire all four. Now I had to think about accommodations for these employees that didn’t live in town. The answer was the motel where I was staying.

I called my accountant and checked on my finances. I was surprised by what he told me. I knew I spent quite a large sum of money on the reconstruction of the Hotel and the house. So I expected he would say that I was broke or almost broke. To my surprise, the investment of my money had resulted in reinstating my reserve, which was a rather large sum.

I spoke with Mr. Burkett at the motel, and he offered to sell me the motel. “Roger, I’m almost 70, and I think it’s time for me to retire. Why don’t you buy the motel? It would be perfect for your help.”

I asked Jon what he thought. He thought it would be a good addition besides providing a place for staff. “You could use it for hotel guests or advertise it for any tourist.”

I knew I wouldn’t use it for any quest of the Hotel, but the staff and anyone who wanted to book a room would be okay, Another job for Mr. Jones. I wanted the bathrooms updated and better beds for my team. As it turned out, I updated all of the rooms and bathrooms and changed the motel’s name, La Coquina Motel.

I advertised locally for laundry help. I had one woman who said she owned a laundry but sold it when her husband died. She offered to manage the laundry, she was bored sitting home. So I hired her and gave her a catalog of commercial laundry equipment. “Pick out what you think we will need. Remember, we are looking at bed linen, restaurant table linen, napkins, and uniforms."

Eleven months after signing the contract, I was ready to open. I advertised in various travel catalogs and the magazine that initially featured the Hotel. The first month we didn’t have any reservations. That was okay as it gave us a chance to train staff and make last-minute adjustments.

I had a pier built on the beach, during this time.

I bought a limousine with the name of the Hotel on it. Jon wanted to take it for a ride, so I sent him to the airport at Acra, which was the closest to us. When I arrived initially, I flew into an international airport that was 8 hours away. Then I found a smaller, closer airport and chose that airport as the preference for anyone arriving. I also used that small airport for deliveries and outgoing mail.

While I was attending to the opening of the Hotel, Jon was attending to the reconstruction of my house. According to the plans that Jon had found, the first floor had a living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry, and larder. The second floor had four bedrooms, one bath, and a stairwell to the third floor, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. Over the kitchen, the second floor, was a bedroom, bathroom, and a door that led to a small porch. Access to this room was through the larder. I imagined this would be the servant’s quarters. But now, it would be mine when it was renovated.

The plans I approved for the house included an en suite bathroom for each room. The furniture would be the same as the Hotel. When Jon asked me why, I told him if we had a full hotel and a guest decided to stay longer, I could move them to the house. I would provide maid service from the Hotel.

When the house was finished, Jon walked me through the house. The roof was the same as the Hotel, the rooms were the same design and had the same furniture. The basement had a door that led to an underground tunnel to the Hotel. He said it connects to the basement of the Hotel and from there to the cave.

Then Jon surprised me, “You know I stay at a boarding house in town. What do you think if I stayed here and I’ll be your overall maintenance man and oversee the lawns and gardens.”

“What about you working for Mr. Jones?”

“You were the only reason he needed me. He has a small staff that he uses for small jobs.”

“Where would you stay, at the house or hotel?”

“I would stay at the house unless you built a room in the basement.”

I caught the gleam in his eyes, “And you would occupy the room in the attic?”

Smiling, “No, I think I’d like a room with a door to the outside, like a porch.”

So when the house was finished, Jon moved into my room.