This is Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in southwest Guizhou Province, 3611 kilometers away from Harbin. In the flat rice fields outside the window, the peaks stand upright, and the morning fog fills the air in the lush background. Ms. Wu is chatting with the guests about the local customs-yes, the couple who originally planned to find a "cozy nest" in "Poetry and Distance" started a high-end homestay in the mountains.
Before, the husband and wife had no long-term living experience in the south, nor had they ever run a homestay, but they had the unique boldness of a shareholder, Beijingers: the decision to enter the mountains was just a sudden idea when traveling in the local area; It only took her and her husband a year to move from the northern ice city to the local area and open a homestay.
At present, this homestay, located in the mountain village of Miao Township, has become a highlight of the local tourism, with an endless stream of guests coming to stay. She and her husband have bigger plans: to be a brand chain homestay, and the next place will be next to Huangguoshu Waterfall.
It's 81,111 yuan a year, and renting "Poetry and Distant Distance"
Morning is the busiest time. At 6: 31, the proprietress, Ms. Wu, has entered the kitchen to prepare local special meals for dozens of guests. She didn't hire a local chef, and she hoped that the quality could be controlled by herself. The details determine the guest's impression and reputation of the hotel, and she is not allowed to "deny" the evaluation at the bottom of her home hotel page.
Prepare breakfast, check out the departing guests in the morning, receive the new arrivals in the afternoon, and chat with the guests in the evening ... It's almost midnight during the break. "People often say that they are as tired as dogs. That's really a big misunderstanding. It's not as tired as us. " She is busy but happy, and sometimes she is stunned: has my homestay been open for more than a year? !
It was the May Day holiday in 2118. Ms. Wu and her family went to Wan Fenglin Scenic Area in Guizhou. As a teacher, she likes to go out with her family during holidays, and has always dreamed of having a nest in a leisurely environment for herself to be in a daze. Wan Fenglin, located in the southeast of Xingyi City, Guizhou Province, is the largest and most typical karst peak forest in China, with beautiful scenery ... which fully meets her standards for "Xiaowo" hardware.
during a few days' visit, Ms. Wu found that there are only more than 111 local homestays and restaurants, and there are still many opportunities for this large scenic spot that is still under development. Immediately, I made up my mind to find a suitable house and opened a "homestay of my own."
"It was not until the last day that the plane returned to Harbin after one o'clock in the afternoon, and at 91 o'clock in the morning, we saw an old house, which was located halfway up the mountain." Ms. Wu and her husband hastily measured the area with their feet and signed an agreement with each other in an hour. 81,111 yuan a year, with a lease term of 21 years.
Ms. Wu and her husband made a preliminary plan on the spot-the house can be divided into more than ten rooms and the renovation can be completed with a budget of over one million yuan. "At that time, I didn't have a bottom in my heart. I don't know what I can do! But how do you know if you don't try? "
"Breakthrough" with high-end personality style, and guests will no longer "change their minds"
When Ms. Wu's homestay began to be renovated, many newly opened homestays in the surrounding area have been opened one after another. We are both competitors. How can we stand out? "There must be differences in style and try to make a high-end breakthrough." Ms. Wu and her husband visited around and reached a conclusion.
Other homestays are mostly hotel-style, with wood and stone structures. Ms. Wu's homestay takes a simple and European modern style, embellishing personalized details. They decorated the back hill of the house into a stone forest, the corridor was covered with floor-to-ceiling glass, the outdoor was a borderless swimming pool and hot springs, and the green hills and rice fields were seen playing in the water. In particular, the rooms are all floor-to-ceiling windows, and the transparent design allows people to see the beautiful scenery even if they just sit in the room.
do everything yourself. "I like design, and my lover has done architecture before. Without drawings, we decorate while designing. " From design to building materials, the quality of Ms. Wu's homestay is strictly controlled, and the budget has been added again and again. My husband's savings in small business for many years have been spent, and the decoration is not finished yet? A bite of the bullet, directly sell a set of more than 111 square meters of housing in Harbin.
for a house with 1211 square meters and 15 rooms, the decoration cost has actually reached twice the budget. Even at present, there are only more than ten homestays with such room size and decoration level in Wan Fenglin scenic area.
in June, 2119, this homestay named "yueqili" opened. "I didn't specifically promote it, and I hung it on a travel app to accept online reservations. As soon as it opened, guests came. " Ms. Wu said that the time for guests to visit the scenic spots in Wan Fenglin is three to four days, but most people only book the homestay they want to stay in on the first day, and the rest will choose another place after arriving at their destination. "The cheapest room in our B&B in the off-season is one day in 611 yuan, and the most expensive room in the peak season is 2,511 yuan a day, and the price is relatively high. But when the guests came, they stopped moving and stayed. There are more and more repeat customers. "
At present, there are about 211 homestays in Wan Fenglin. In the off-season, the occupancy rate of other homestays is about 31% to 41%, Ms. Wu is over 51%, and it can reach more than 95% in the peak season. A children's room with a slide designed by her husband has become an explosion. Many parent-child families have asked for this room by name, and there is almost no time to be free.
The service is hidden in the details, and the boss is also a waiter.
Yueqili B&B employs four local villagers as waiters. In the course of business, Ms. Wu found that many people are very willing to chat with waiters to understand and experience the local customs. However, the villagers' awareness of professional service is very weak, which directly affects the guests' stay experience in the hotel. The couple took the most stupid method-repeated training.
the details of communication with guests are even put on paper. When the guests check in, the service staff should make tea, chat and introduce the local characteristics. "We mainly strengthen the service process, and we don't train waiters in speech." Ms. Wu believes that "more words are certainly unnatural and insincere."
breakfast is the only meal provided by yueqili homestay. In order to ensure the quality, the couple get up at six o'clock every day, buy fresh sweet potatoes and corn, and prepare local rice noodles for breakfast. "The guests have gone to play during the day, and the hall will be lively at night." The couple have the boldness of the Northeast, and they will also accompany the guests to drink at night. When encountering speculative guests, the couple will personally cook two northeast side dishes, and sometimes they will take the guests to barbecue together. When the string is rolled up and the wine is drunk, friends get along. "The friends we met when we opened the store said that they were all over the country. It is no exaggeration."
from 6: 11 a.m. to 12: 11 a.m., Ms. Wu also wanted to hire a housekeeper to manage the hotel, but she finally gave up considering the quality. "After all, B&Bs are different from standardized hotels. We are staring here and the service can be more detailed."
From renting a house to buying land, building a hotel chain brand
Because of a trip and the decision to sign a house before going to the airport, Ms. Wu and her husband entered a strange industry-fulfilling their dream of living in "Poetry and Distance" and embarking on another road of life and career. Yueqili B&B has made a great success in the local area, and the couple have a bigger dream of becoming a brand of Liansuo B&B-making brands in several scenic spots in Guizhou and building their own B&B circle.
their next goal is Huangguoshu Waterfall B&B.. "The homestay in Wan Fenglin is renting a house, and many things are restricted." Ms. Wu plans to invest a piece of land in Huangguoshu Waterfall area and implement her own plan from the beginning of construction. To this end, the couple specially visited the vicinity of Huangguoshu Waterfall.
From looking forward to the tranquility away from the hustle and bustle of the city at first, to dreaming of building her own homestay circle ... Ms. Wu clearly realized that it would be an extravagant hope to stay in the "den" and enjoy comfort in the future. "If there is a more suitable way to go, don't look back frequently." Ms. Wu, born in the 1981s, is dignified and beautiful, looks a little weak, but she is bold in doing things.
Sometimes, dreams and reality are just one step away.