Stop #44: I’m pretty excited that my extended trip is allowing me to go to New Orleans. It’s definitely a place I have always wanted to go. Unfortunately, the drive from Sarasota to New Orleans is too long for me to make in one day without really pushing my comfort so I decided to stop about half way in Tallahassee. Where we stayed seemed like it was a newly developed area for the college crowd. There were a lot of new apartment buildings going up and new restaurants “Opening Soon.”
Florida is HOT. Apparently it was much cooler than it had been, but man, you sweat just standing there. In the evening, we did take advantage of the “cooler” temperatures and went for a walk to a park. Unfortunately, it was one of those parks with all the rules.
“No dogs on the grass!”
“Dogs must be on a leash at ALL times!”
“No running!”
“No laughing!”
“No fun!”
Oh well. It was beautiful anyway, even if they didn’t allow Luna to run in circles to burn off the car energy.
They have really big bugs down South. Yick…
Driving through a lot of these Southern states, I’ve noticed that hotel billboards almost exclusively use the, “Free Hot Waffles!” as their pitch to potential guests. Why is that what the American public has decided is the must have in an overnight stay? It’s seriously on almost every billboard you see. Personally, I would like “Clean, hair-free sheets!” or “Our elevators don’t smell like pee!” or “Seriously, there is not smoking in our hotel so your room won’t smell like and ashtray..promise!” or “We don’t cater to corporate conferences, so you don’t have to worry about sleazy married men trying to hit on you to cheat on their wives while you are trying to order dinner at the bar!” Just some thoughts on ways they could differentiate themselves in advertising.
If we are looking at just breakfast items, I still think there is room for some differentiation. I would like a nice crepe or made to order omelette. Perhaps fresh croissants or artisan bagels. NOT a crappy waffle that I have to wait in line to make for myself from a pre-measured batter cup that’s been sitting on the counter for hours. Blech. Maybe it’s because I wouldn’t choose waffles off a menu…ever. Just seems strange that waffles are the item we choose to have hotels compete over for our business. I digress…
Off to New Orleans tomorrow!! I bet they have more than just waffles.
Lesson of the Day: Be creative in your advertising. Waffles are soooo Motel 6.
L&K Take America 