Rodeway Inn Re-opens in Brevard NC

Rodeway Inn Back Open For Business
Mark Todd, Staff Writer 23.FEB.10
Marc Rosenbalm, the new general manager of the Rodeway Inn in Brevard, is happy to be in town and looking to bring one of Transylvania County’s largest lodging facilities back to good health.

The inn on Asheville Highway was closed for about 18 months, but has reopened under new ownership and management.

Rosenbalm, Lisa Lunsford, and Nicole Ferrell are the new owners of the inn, which originally opened in 1963 and for years was Brevard’s only large motel or hotel.

They purchased the inn from Asheville Savings Bank in a foreclosure sale.
Until recent years, the property was known as the Imperial Motor Lodge.
Later, the name was changed to the Rodeway Inn and a prior ownership group made major renovations to the property in 2007.

Rosenbalm’s group is also associated with two Rodeway Inn properties in Asheville, and he has been the general manager of a Rodeway location near Biltmore Square Mall.

Brutal winter weather since mid-December has been bad for the hotel and motel business, he said.

He has lived in the Asheville area since 1986 and said the only winter that compares with this one in that time was 1992-1993.

Rosenbalm said the new owners plan to reopen the pub and swimming pool at the site in Brevard this spring and have already done some additional upgrades, including new 32-inch LCD flat screen televisions for the motel rooms and new mattresses for beds.

He said despite the fact that the property closed and went into foreclosure, the new owners found the facility to be in excellent condition.

“It is a very well built building, constructed of brick,” he said. “It is true, they don’t build them like they used to. I like the curb appeal of the motel. It’s nostalgic.”

He said the style of the hotel, with expansive grounds and 67 units spread out horizontally over several acres, all with parking in front of the rooms and single story construction, reminds him of the places he used to stay as a younger man.

New hotels and motels these days are often built with interior corridors and are several stories high, which some people say makes them feel safer.
Rosenbalm said there is traditionally a high turnover rate in the hotel industry, but his company values its employees, treats them well, and has some workers who have been with the company for 15 years.

“They can find a home with us,” he said. “We are a little different than most hotel companies.”

Rosenbalm said the company strives for excellence, since nowadays visitors can easily slam a hotel if they have an unpleasant stay by posting something on web sites such as tripadviser.com.

“The Internet can be harsh,” he said. “What used to be word of mouth is now on the Internet for everyone to see.”

Unfortunately for hotel owners, he said, people who are mad about something are much more likely to make comments than people who are pleased.

He isn’t worried about competition from other hotels in Brevard such as the Hampton Inn and the Holiday Inn Express, he said.

The Rodeway prices itself lower than those properties and is described as an “economy” class facility.

Thirty of the 67 units on site have been made available, with others to be added later in the spring, he said.


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Posted on 2/25/2010 12:37:54 PM