Bates Hotel

This case study is set in 1962 in rural Vermont. The Bates Hotel is an old, but well-maintained property that has changed ownership several times over the years. It has no restaurant or bar. It is positioned as a mild-price, good quality destination resort hotel.

The Bates Hotel is open only during the skiing season. It opens on December 2 and closes the last day of March. The Ski mountain it serves operates on a permit from the state which allows only 120 days of operation per year. Each of the 50 rooms in the east wing rents for $15 for single occupancy or $20 for double occupancy. The west sing of the hotel has 30 rooms, all of which have spectacular views of the skiing slopes, the mountains, and the village. Rooms in this wing rent for $20 and $25 for single or double occupancy, respectively. The average occupancy rate during the season is about 80% (typically, the hotel is full on weekends and averages 50-60 rooms occupied on week nights.

Operating results for the last fiscal year are shown in Exhibit 1. Mr. Kacheck, the manager of the hotel is concerned about the off-season months, which show losses each month and reduce the high profits reported during the season. He has suggested to the owners, who acquired this hotel only at the end of the 1961 season, that to reduce the off-season losses, they should agree to keep the west wing of the hotel operating year-round. He estimates the average occupancy rate for the off-season to be between 20% and 40% occupancy rate for the 30 rooms during the off-season would be much more likely if the owners would commit $4,000 for advertising each year ($500 for each 8 months). There is no evidence to indicate that the 2:8 ratio of single vs. doubles would be different during the remainder of the year or in the future. Rates, however, would have to be drastically reduced. Present plans are to reduce them to $10 and $15 for singles and doubles.

The mangers salary is paid over 12 months. He acts as a caretaker of the facilities during the off-season and contracts most of the repair and maintenance work during that time. Using the west wing would not interfere with this work but would cause an estimated additional $2,000 per year for repair and maintenance.

Mrs. Kacheck is paid $20 a day for supervising the maids and helping with check-in. During the season she works 7 days a week. The regular desk clerk and each maid are paid on a daily basis at the rate of $24 and $15 respectively. The payroll taxes and other fringe benefits are about 20% of the payroll. Although depreciation and property taxes would not be affected by the decision to keep the west wing open. Insurance would increase by $500 for the year.

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During the off-season, it is estimate the Mr. and Mrs. Kacheck could handle the front desk without an additional person. Mrs. Kacheck would, however, be paid for 5 days a week.

The cleaning supplies and half of the miscellaneous expenses (room supplies) are considered direct function of the number of rooms occupies. The other of the miscellaneous expenses are fixed and would not change with 12-month operations. Linen is rented from a supply house and the cost also depends on the number of rooms occupied, but is twice as much on average, for double occupancy as for single occupancy. The utilities include two items: telephone and electricity.

There is no electricity expense with the motel closed. With the motel operating electricity expense is a function of the number of room available to the public. Room must either be heated or air-conditioned. Th telephone bills for each of the four seasonal months were as follows.

80 Telephones @ $3.00/month $240 Basic Service Charge 50 $250

During the off-season, only the basic service charge is paid. The monthly charge of $3 is applicable only to active telephones.

An additional aspect of Mr. Kachecks proposal is that a covered and heated swimming pool be added to the hotel. Mr. Kacheck believes that this would increase the probability that the off-season occupancy rate would be about 30%. Precise estimates are impossible. It is felt that although the winter occupancy rate will not be greatly affected by adding an indoor pool, eventually such a poll will have to be built to stay even with the competition. The cost of such a pool is estimated to be $40,000. This amount could be depreciated over 5 years with no salvage value (15,000 of the $40,00 is for a plastic bubble and the hearing units, which would be used nine months of the year). The only other costs associated with the swimming pool are $400 per month for a lifeguard, required by law during the busy hours; additional insurance and taxes, estimated to be $1,200; heating cost of $1,000; and a yearly maintenance cost of $1,800. If the pool is covered, a guard would be needed for 12 months. If it is not covered, a guard would be needed only for 3 summer months (from 15 June to 15 September, the warmest period of the year), and there would be no heating expense.

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EXHIBIT 1 Bates Hotel Operating Statement, For the Fiscal Year ended 3/31/62

Revenues

Expenses Salaries

Manager Managers Wife Desk Clerk Maids (four)

Payroll Taxes and Fringe Benefits Depreciation (15 year life) Property Taxes Insurance

Repairs and Maintenance Cleaning Supplies Utilities Linen Service

Interest on Mortgage (5%interest rate)

Miscellaneous Expenses Total Expenses Profit before Federal Income Taxes Federal Income Taxes (48%) Net Profit

$160,000

$15,000 2,400 2,880 7,200

$27,480 5,496 30,000

4,000

3,000 17,204 1,920 6,360 13,920 21,716 7,314

138,410 $22,390 10,747

$11, 643

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Questions

1. On average, how many rooms must be rented each night in season for the hotel to breakeven?

2. The hotel is full on weekends in the ski season. If all room rated were raised $5 on weekend nights, but occupancy fell to 72 rooms instead of 80, what is the revised profit before taxes for the year, per Exhibit 1?

3. What is the proposed incremental contribution margin per occupied room/day during the off-season?

4. For each alternative in the case, list the annual expenses that are incremental to the decision alternative but are not related to the room/days occupied.

5. For each decision alternative calculate the occupancy rate necessary to break even on the incremental annual expenses.

6. What alternative do you recommend? Why?

7. Evaluate the profitability of the Hotel as an investment for its owners. Does this affect you answer to question 6?