Gator Jim's Musings of a New Hotelier

After the first 30 days of owning the Chaz hotel, my wife Janice laughed at me because I was complaining that this is the hardest I’ve worked in a very long time.  She said, it’s been like 4 weeks, you’re doing a lot, and you had gotten conspicuously lazy. 

I’ve had the opportunity to ask myself, many times, why the heck did I sign up for this?  I had a comfortable life, a good job, two cars, a happy family, friends when I want them.  And rather than bore you with the rest of that story, that’s the story.  It’s too safe, it’s too small, and it’s not enough fun. 

The Chaz is like a portrait in my brain that is straining to make it on the canvas.  I have the artists anguish and that periodic dive into a futility that will serve as the foundation of who I am and what I make of it over the next 10 years.  The property has an instant appeal, with a rich history, and quality construction, in an ideal setting.  It transports you to Savannah, Georgia before it became a tourist trap and hippy magnet. You can paddle miles up the Chaz river and only see a few fish camps and docks here and there tucked in wild raw Florida. You’re really away from it all and only 2 miles from US19.  It makes no sense.

I look forward to making the Chaz more accessible by boosting our responsiveness, amenities, and adding services.  We recently acquired a small, ragtag fugitive fleet of seaworthy kayaks and they are wildly popular.  For years I rode my bicycle 70 miles up the Suncoast Trail to stay here, only to turnaround and go home the next day.  A couple years ago, I finally stayed an extra day and visited the Spring in a kayak and wondered what in the world I was thinking not doing this before.  It’s an easy sell after each subsequent visit I added a day just to hit the river. 

Janice and I are going to continue adding value at every turn to make this place great. Stay tuned as we update this blog with interesting musings, updates, and or adventure stories from both ourselves and guests.  I can’t imagine staying at a cookie cutter hotel unless I’m desperately tired on the highway.  There is so much character here, so many stories yet to unfold and it’s too random to ever become boring.  It’s the Chaz way.  Arduous, delightful, and engaging. 

Later,

Gator