[Assam] HOJO

[Krishnendu Chakraborty]

>>Proves what I heard about HOJO -- that it is  not
>>something a 
>>discerning traveler would patronize. Obviously the
>>jokes I heard when 
>>we moved to St. Louis in 1975 had merit.

Or the Days Inn
http://www.totalfrance.com/days_inn/days_inn_nightmare.html

Or Travelodge --
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/travelodge.html

Or the endless list of budget hotels in US.

And many of these rated by AAA with its Diamond
rating.

>>So when a  desi H1B, highly skilled in information
collection , 
>>knowing 'tripadvisor' like the palm of one's hand,
raking in high 
>>wages, go zero in on a HOJO as a BRAND NAME to
trust, something tells 
>>me there is a problem here, of expectations, at the
>>very least. 

Hmm..  not as high wage as you Sir ... sitting in a
luxury bunglow and advising Indians.
So I should discount HOJO as brand name,  Days Inn as
brand name ... can you suggest something which I
should consider.

And BTW,  why do the NRAs who can afford bunglows and
Gas Guzzlers go for cheap hotels in India (and then
use their experience as a benchmark against Indian
Hotel industry).
Though you have learned all about my wage, I am not
exactly sure about your wage but from some bits and
pieces of info I have accumulated,  it will be safe to
assume that you can afford 5 stars during your short
stays in India .

>>There could be other problems too that one can
>>speculate on. But that 
>>I will leave to the imagination of readers :-).


>>How does it stay in business?

>>ONE answer would be that it has a sales weapon.
>>Perhaps cost.  There 

Why not apply the same logic to the Dumdum hotel.


>>are people who cannot afford any better and are
>>forced to take what 
>>is offered. Like the low cost grocery stores where
>>they sell 
>>sub-standard and wilted or slightly rotting but
>>still edible produce. 
>>Or the slum dwellings in ghettos.  Or the used car
>>bought for $ 500. 
>>So on and so forth.


>>Those of us who went thru the  immigrant experience
>>and had no money 
>>when we arrived in the country, should know. The
>>search for a motel 
>>under $10.00 per night  before darkness falls in
>>our weekend forays 
>>into the heartland and backwoods of California is
>>still fresh in my 
>>memory. Fortunately though we always did find a
>>clean and safe place. 
>>Took a little doing, but one was always available,
>>somewhere.


>>ANOTHER could be that these HOJO s are facilities in
certain 
>>locations, exceptions to the norm.  I am not
familiar with New York 

Excuse and more excuse.
BTW,  any explanation why such HOJOs are rated by AAA
with its diamond rating which "lives upto its
reputation". 

Actually I can suggest you an easier excuse.  Just
blame all these complaints against Desis suffering
from inferiority complex. 


>>City, but 34th street does not ring a bell as a
destination spot. So, 
>>while HOJO at 34th street may  be like  a Dum Dum
airport three star 
>>facility or the one at Orlando is like a dharamsala
at Mathura, 
others might be just fine and up to standard as
>>anything that could 
be expected.


>>Therefore  boils down to  doing one's due
>>diligence. Because there 
>>ARE plenty of good, reliable and reasonably priced
>>motels and hotels 
>>across the USA, in small towns and big cities.  I am
not that well 
>>traveled, but from the little I have seen, US hotels
and motels are 
>>the best VALUES

There are CHOICES everywhere just the way you found in
Calcutta or Delhi

I have travelled extensively in India (particularly
South India) and there are definitely decent budget
hotels.

But anyway,  just by seeing one or two hotels in one
or two locations of India, you seem to be the expert
:-) .... you know "I know better" thing


>> and most easily available in the world. Just like 
>>food.

>>On the other hand, are there such choices at Dum
>>Dum? Or at Guahati?

>>That IS the issue, the point of the debate.








At 7:03 AM -0800 1/13/08, Krishnendu Chakraborty
wrote:
>Just a few complaints on HOJOs. There are tonns of
>such complaints on HOJO and other budget hotels if
you
>search the net .
>
>   Food for thought for  some HArvard MBA on how HOJO
>(and other budgest hotels)  are still in business
>
>http://www.talkingtree.com/blog/index.cfm/2003/10/25/HoJo
>
>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60887-d123704-Reviews-Howard_Johnson_Inn_Suites_Springfield-Springfield_Illinois.html
>



      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Be a better friend, newshound, and 
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now.  http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ