Untraditional Out-of-Town Lodgingby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 09 Nov 2007 07:12 PM There's a saying: "You have to spend money to make money." (Lottery ticket, anyone?) And I have a feeling it's a line used pretty often by the owner of a unique Florida hotel. The property is situated in Gainesville near the University of Florida's football stadium and does brisk business during the fall season. So brisk, in fact, that it began selling--not renting--its rooms. Some call it the perfect answer for those special event weekends (like football games) when hotel rooms are practically non-existent. You buy a hotel condominium for a guaranteed place to stay and let the hotel rent your room when you don't need it. The Place, which was formerly a Ramada Inn, was purchased by a single investor who then began marketing it to potential buyers right before football season rolled around. It soon became a home away from home for University of Florida alumni on game-day weekends. (The hotel offers an onsite tailgate party and shuttles to the stadium on football Saturdays.) The 119-room structure is also highly desired by businesses and medical professionals who regularly need a corporate apartment for visitors or who want to use the adjacent Holiday Inn Conference Center. For about $135,000 you can pick a room and reserve it whenever you want. The rest of the time the hotel rents out your room to other short-term guests. The hotel's owner says by investing in a room you eliminate the need to make hotel reservations months in advance for big events like football games, graduation, or holidays. What's more, with the current arrangement you get access to all of the hotel's services and amenities and you are not responsible for maintenance. And you also have the added bonus of offseting the cost of ownership by allowing the hotel to rent out your room when you aren't using it. The program has been such a success that similar developments are popping up in other cities, including Columbia, South Carolina; Athens, Georgia; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Blacksburg, Virginia, home of Virginia Tech. Given that Virginia Tech's football stadium has 66,000 seats in a town with 650 hotel rooms you can understand why the hotel condo deal is an attractive offer. Would you consider buying one? Related Articles: Family Friendly Attractions In Miami Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevanttravel tags User Comments  QueenAngie Central Illinois, USA |
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