Vacation Spots You Could Own
Americans love to travel. International travelers seem to love visiting the U.S.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, spending in the U.S. among domestic and international travelers now tops $1.1 trillion. And those travelers need a place to stay.
A lot choose the standard hotels. But others want something different, a getaway that offers adventure or a unique experience. There are plenty of options for investors or those looking to trade their day jobs for a life in hospitality.
Perhaps the hunt leads to an old gold mining town, the foot of the Rocky Mountains, an island in the Gulf of Mexico or an early American town with presidential history.
Here’s a sample of the possibilities in hospitality:
Dao House, 6120 S. Highway 7, Estes Park, Colorado: $10 million
Built in 1915, the resort and conference center sits next to Rocky Mountain National Park and other national forests. Estes Park is about 65 miles northwest of Denver.
Taoist priest Yun Xiang Tseng bought the property in 2012 for $2.6 million and changed the name from Aspen Lodge Resort & Spa.
The main lodge, which is touted as the largest log structure in the state, has 36 rooms. There are 23 cabins on the 83 acres.
Dao House has stables, an athletic club, a restaurant and an outdoor pool. Guests can have a chuckwagon dinner after a tai chi class or aromatherapy.
The Palms Resort & Café on the Beach, 3616 Gulf Blvd., South Padre Island, Texas: $5.9 million
South Padre is a popular resort destination on the barrier islands off Brownsville, Texas. More than 4 million people visit the island each year.
The Palms, a resort and cafe built in 1972, is on the Gulf of Mexico side of the island and has direct beach access.
According to the listing, the hotel had $2.3 million in revenue last year and nearly $600,000 in profit. But the restaurant generates three quarters of that.
The hotel portion apparently has room for improvement, which would add to the bottom line.
Imperial Hotel, 14202 S. State Highway 49, Amador City, California: $1.85 million
It’s a small hotel in one of the smallest cities in the state. Amador City’s land area measures just 0.31 square miles and has a population of about 190 people.
The nine-room hotel has been standing since 1879 in a town established during the mid-19th century California gold rush. Amador City is a short distance off the Golden Chain Highway, a north-south highway that runs through the state's historic gold mining towns.
Many old buildings still exist in Amador. They are filled with antique shops and other retail. There are also wineries nearby.
Imperial House has a full-service restaurant, a saloon and a back patio that has hosted a lot of weddings.
Kennebunk Inn, 45 Main St., Kennebunk, Maine: $1.5 million
The inn started as somebody’s house in 1799. It didn’t become a hotel until the late 1920s. The town's roots start in the 1600s.
In addition to 23 rooms, the owners, Brian and Shanna O'Hea, who also are chefs, established a top-notch restaurant named Academe in the 16 years they have owned it. The restaurant draws a local crowd as well as summer vacationers. The O'Heas have been guest chefs of several different Food Network shows.
The inn is a short distance from Kennebunkport, which is where the late President George H.W. Bush and his family spent summer vacations at their estate. The Bush family still owns the property.
