‘ One weekend, we had 13 different countries represented!’
When you purchased INNduldge, was it already an existing brand?
‘ We have a long-standing reputation and repeat business from all over the world’
‘ One weekend, we had 13 different countries represented!’
Where are your visitors from? Americans, probably 40-50 %. We get 20-25 % Canadian. Another 5 % from Australia and New Zealand. Then we have a huge following in Germany and Britain. Particularly in July and August, when it’ s 60-70 % European. One weekend, we had 13 different countries represented! What’ s it like living in Palm Springs? It’ s a great. I’ ve been coming here as a visitor and a tourist since 1988. I was in college when I came out, met a group of friends with whom I’ d take road trips, either to Laguna Beach, which used to be a gay mecca, or Palm Springs. We’ d take these trips, these college kids, and stay four or five people to a room! But we’ d always have a great time. Throughout my career [ as an attorney ] I kept coming back. I have to say, I was a little worried moving here. Sometimes your favorite places to holiday aren’ t nice places to live. It is different living here than as a tourist, but it’ s amazing. There’ s a large gay community, particularly off-season. Off-season when the tourists are out of town, it’ s a very gay-dominant culture. From going to the grocery store to the doctor’ s office to wherever, it’ s very gay. It’ s welcoming. It’ s easy to be open here.
When you purchased INNduldge, was it already an existing brand?
The prior owners had started it. They’ d taken a formally straight place in 1995 and built this business with a very loyal following. We came in and kept everything the same for the first nine to 12 months. We wanted to learn the business and not do anything that might offend the regular travelers and guests. Then we proceeded over the last six to seven years to change nearly everything. But very slowly. We’ ve completely remodeled the bathrooms. There’ s been refurnishing of the rooms, landscaping changes, changes to advertising, marketing. It’ s been a slow evolution. We never wanted to alienate guests who loved it just the way it was. I like to say we changed nothing, while changing everything.
‘ We have a long-standing reputation and repeat business from all over the world’
Did the previous owners just fancy a change? They retired – they still live in Palm Springs, we see them fairly regularly. They were just at that time of life to move on. Do you live on-site? No, Sandy and I live about five minutes away. We keep our distance – we understand it’ s the guests’ vacation. So we check in on our staff every morning and make sure everything’ s OK. Then we try to disappear and let our staff do their jobs and the guests have a good time. We do all our 48 accounting and marketing off-site.