High standard
The four of them left the teahouse, first found a guesthouse in Lintao City to drop off their luggage, and then headed straight for the Lintao Furniture City.
This was precisely why Chen Donglai chose to come to Lintao for procurement instead of going to the Provincial Capital, Huichuan. Lintao's furniture industry had already formed a mature industrial chain, with complete supporting solutions for everything from furniture disassembly and assembly to transportation. The variety of furniture here was also more comprehensive, and the prices were relatively lower compared to Huichuan.
"Use up the amount needed for procurement; don't be stingy with the money," Chen Donglai instructed. Since the money had been borrowed, there was no reason not to spend it all.
He had prepared one hundred thousand yuan for this procurement. Rather than letting the borrowed money sit around and rot, it was better to properly renovate the County Guesthouse and create a big sensation.
"We guarantee mission completion!" Yang Xiaojin's excitement was almost overflowing in her tone. Shopping brought her a sense of satisfaction from the bottom of her heart.
……
"A single leather sofa is eight hundred each. There are thirty rooms, two per room, which means..." Yang Xiaojin muttered to herself.
"Forty-eight thousand is too expensive, and if we buy leather sofas, the guests definitely won't take good care of them," Wang Bingnan worried. "Buying two-hundred-yuan single cloth sofas is completely sufficient; twelve thousand can complete the task."
"Listen to Comrade Bingnan," Chen Donglai knew that Wang Bingnan had richer experience in hotel management and a deeper understanding of guest psychology. "Public property is never cherished; that is indeed common sense."
Chen Donglai sat on a leather sofa and thought for a moment, seeming to realize something. "We need to buy a pair to take back," he said, turning to Wang Bingnan and Yang Xiaojin. "The suites are different; they must be treated to the highest standard. The lobby also needs a long one added."
Chen Donglai knew that the Executive Suites in five-star hotels in every prefecture hosted important people. Not to mention the local Big Bosses staying there, every entrepreneur was currently （ or would soon ） bring substantial economic benefits to the area.
Secondly, there were some Top Leaders of counties and cities, because they were appointed alone, with their wives and children not residing in the jurisdiction, requiring them to hire people specifically for cooking, laundry, and room cleaning at home. In such cases, staying long-term in an Executive Suite at a hotel became their best choice.
Furthermore, the privacy of the hotel could cover up the VIPs in the Executive Suites engaging in some private activities. For example, meeting people they usually dared not meet, or doing things they usually dared not do...
Yang Xiaojin was also very satisfied with the cloth sofas. Before this, the guesthouse rooms did not have sofas at all. Placing two chairs was already considered treating the occupants well.
"We don't need to buy beds," Wang Bingnan felt pained for the money Chen Donglai borrowed, as he already knew that the Two Hundred Thousand was obtained by mortgaging the guesthouse's real estate. "I'll have the craftsmen in Yong'an make them later; the beds they make are new and good."
"Half the rooms will use one-point-eight-meter large beds, and the other half will have two one-point-two-meter small beds," Chen Donglai instructed. "We can buy the Simmons mattresses here. Xiaojin, go handle that."
Yang Xiaojin responded and left, leaving Chen Donglai and Wang Bingnan alone. Wang Bingnan looked worried and said to Chen Donglai, "Comrade Donglai, the interest on the two hundred thousand loan is sixteen thousand a year. Does our County seat really have that much demand?"
"Sixteen thousand in interest is enough to pay the salaries of all our staff," he lit a cigarette with a lighter and continued, "Our County seat doesn't seem capable of supporting such a High standard hotel."
"It definitely can," Chen Donglai stated concisely. "Yong'an County still doesn't have a decent hotel. And the consumption level in the Yong'an County Town is completely capable of supporting a star-rated hotel."
"The per capita disposable income for town residents in Yong'an County is 763 yuan. If we raise the room rate from the previous 5 yuan to 20 yuan—assuming 10 out of 30 rooms are fully occupied," Chen Donglai took the Yellow Crane Tower cigarette Wang Bingnan handed him, "the daily revenue would be two hundred yuan, and the monthly income would be six thousand."
Chen Donglai exhaled smoke, "You missed one point. We are the County seat closest to Shiliang Gorge. The daily visitor flow for the scenic area is at least one thousand people. If just twenty of them are willing to stay overnight in Yong'an, our expenses will be covered."
Wang Bingnan nodded. As an old Yong'an Person, he naturally understood the development of Yong'an County's tourism industry. The grandeur of Shiliang Gorge and the historical depth of Baima Pass were household names across the country, naturally attracting a large number of tourists.
However, because Yong'an not only lacked a railway but even its land transportation was not considered developed. Most tourists coming to Yong'an arrived via water transport.
Moreover, since Yong'an's Shiliang Gorge, Shennü County's Shennü Gorge, and Lintao City's Wuyang Gorge were extremely close to each other, most tourists chose to take a Cruise ship from Lintao City and spend three or four days touring all the attractions.
Because the Cruise ships were often equipped with single rooms for accommodation and even had separate dining rooms, tourists had no need to stay long in Yong'an County; they only needed to purchase Entrance Tickets for Shiliang Mountain and Baima Pass, and return to their Cruise ship after visiting.
This mode of tourism naturally had pros and cons for Yong'an County. The advantage was that Yong'an County could significantly increase its Entrance Ticket revenue through this method.
The reality was indeed so. Wang Bingnan remembered that last year, the combined Entrance Ticket revenue from Yong'an's two scenic spots reached 3.5 million yuan, accounting for one-fifth of the total County Finance revenue.
The disadvantage was more obvious. Since travelers could return to the Cruise ship for accommodation and dining, Yong'an County's hotel and catering industries benefited almost nothing from the two national 5A scenic areas.
Chen Donglai naturally understood the flaws in Yong'an County's tourism industry development. In fact, this defect was not resolved even when he died accidentally in his Previous life. But at this point in time, Chen Donglai had a viable alternative solution. "We'll offer complimentary Entrance Tickets," he said to Wang Bingnan.
"Complimentary Entrance Tickets? Complimentary Entrance Tickets for staying at the guesthouse?" Wang Bingnan was confused. "Doesn't that mean we have to be responsible for purchasing the tickets ourselves?"
He carefully considered Chen Donglai's proposal, and his thinking gradually became clear. "You mean using connections to get discounted tickets?" Wang Bingnan felt he had grasped the key point. "That could work!"
He was an old Yong'an Person, and he also had relatives working at the Shiliang Gorge and Baima Pass scenic areas, often allowing him to buy Entrance Tickets at half price. Sometimes, when meeting his relatives at the ticket gate, he didn't even need to buy a ticket at all.
"It's not about using connections," Chen Donglai smiled. He knew that in this Yong'an County Town, any irregular operation would immediately be discovered by the Luo Family and become a target for their attacks. "It's not using connections; it's signing a contract with the scenic areas."
"Sign a contract regarding visitor numbers. The guesthouse guarantees to contribute a fixed number of visitors to the two scenic areas every year, and the scenic areas provide discounted tickets to the guesthouse," Chen Donglai stated. This was a completely mutually beneficial plan that no one could easily find fault with.
"But," Wang Bingnan thought of a new problem, "isn't this stealing business from the major cruise ship companies? And how do we guarantee that tourists will definitely abandon the cruise ship and stay at the guesthouse ashore?"
"That's simple. Our conditions are better," Chen Donglai was very confident. The rudimentary Xi River Cruise ships of the 90s were incomparable to the luxury cruise liners of Later generations, which often exceeded ten thousand tons and were equipped with hundreds of Standard Rooms and a restaurant on every floor. Most riverboats didn't even have private bathrooms, and their accommodation conditions were even worse.
Third-class cabins had four beds in one room, bunk beds; only second-class cabins had double rooms, but they were cramped and narrow; only first-class felt somewhat livable.
"The twenty-yuan accommodation fee includes a ten-yuan Entrance Ticket, and the living environment is better than on the ship. I don't believe they won't take the bait," Chen Donglai patted Wang Bingnan's shoulder and then stubbed out the cigarette in his hand. "We can even rent a car and cover their transportation costs too. That will be even more attractive."