I was so excited to write this post last night, its been on my mind for a while and I really wanted to give you all an update. Several people have expressed interest in the project even before I made this more clear post about where we are headed, and its only fair that I update them and keep them in the loop!
I immediately started to receive some feedback, much of which was helpful.
The first thing that was noticed was the word 'hostel', which has since been removed and replaced with 'Resort Getaway'. Hostel, while a common word down here, actually has a few meaning, and some of them not so good. The most recent selfie that I posted, buying a chainsaw, made perfect sense in my head, as I am headed down to the land today to clear a spot for an entrance way so that we can get the electrical installations started. (pictures to come) But that wasn't as clear in everyone elses mind....
I honestly should probably not post this, but I laughed so hard and seriously continue to giggle when seeing this image. So this is definitely not the branding we want to go for, so we are going to avoid the word 'hostel'.
Based on some discussion, something in the neighborhood of
Colombian Jungle Paradise Vacation Getaway Resort and Casino
just a working title.
On to a more serious note, some people were concerned about security, and we had some talk about travelling in Colombia, which is most definitely safer than people imagine, but still carries risks especially for those who do not speak spanish.
The clear and obvious solution would be to offer a shuttle directly from the airport to our resort, this is pretty easy to do and I have worked with a number of private drivers in the past.
Travelling in Colombia is easy and cheap, as long as you know how to do it and speak spanish. For everyone else, we'll pick you up.
Another discussion came up about rooms. 'Hostel' is perceived as dingy and cheap, and that is definitely not what we are going for. While we will have a large room for several bunk beds, we want to have a range of private rooms as well, in this case it could easily be a Hotel or Resort, with a communal living option.
The group rooms, bunk bed style, is a cash flow model, it is common here as many local people travel on the cheap to visit their country. I would expect most VIPs would come to stay in a private room, and there was a lot of talk about what benefits we can offer to VIPs while they are here.
We can also accept crypto - HIVE, LTC, or even select HIVE-ENGINE tokens could be used to pay for room and board. This opens up a real possibility that by blogging about the experience, which is really marketing for the project, visitors could earn enough tokens to pay for part or all of their experience.
What other suggestions might you offer me? Thoughts, comments, concerns or questions? Let me know by leaving me a reply!