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“I’m saying you’re not listening and that’s going to bite you in the ass one day.”
“Why reinvent the wheel?” he shrugs. “It’s gotten us to where we are now.”
“But now, smaller businesses like Seaside are aware and on guard against executives like us who want to buy up and throw our name on their properties.
We won’t be able to keep doing things the way we have once more private properties catch on. Then what? Dad’s book is completely thrown out and we have to shift gears…
“Wait a minute,” I say with a pause, the lightbulb finally flickering on in my head. “How many private hotels have turned down contracts for buyouts recently?”
Troy presses his lips together, his eyes suddenly looking anywhere but at me or Lillian. He has a ‘tell’ too, just like Meg.
Bingo. “Things are already changing for the business now,” I realize. “You can’t keep doing things by the book anymore and you’re freaking out about it.”
“It’s always worked before,” he insists. “But…five properties have turned us down and Seaside is looking to be number six.”
“Then we readjust and look at a different way of doing things,” Lillian reminds him. “Luckily, you have a brother who is already on top of that.”
Troy rubs the back of his neck before letting out a deep breath. He leans his forearms on his desk and looks up at me once more. “Okay, let’s hear the rest of your pitch.”
“I’ve heard guests say they come to Seaside to escape the hotel franchises that they see all the time. People enjoy small towns that make them feel like they’re experiencing something new.”
“They’re getting away from the cold world of corporate America,” I explain. It’s a hard truth to admit but it’s one Troy needs to hear. Some optimism returns to me when he starts scribbling things down on a legal pad.
“The place is already doing great on its own so investing in some improvements and getting a cut of the rewards can make everyone happy. We can be part of adding life to a place rather than stripping it down to make it into the same basic hotel over and over again. It will improve our reputation and give us a new way to get people on board. This is a deal I think, no, I know, I can get the owner to sign.”
After my closing argument, I watch as Troy jots down some more notes on the legal pad that’s suddenly filled with numbers and figures. Lillian types into her laptop, making notes and plans as she usually does during meetings.
The silence is deafening as I wait for their reactions, their thoughts, and if they can at least consider the possibility of doing something different. Finally, I clear my throat and end the silence.
“So, what do you think?” I ask.
Troy speaks first, his eyes still glued to the legal pad. “It’s different. We’ve never done anything like this.”
“But,” Lillian adds, “It would add some warmth back to the family business.”
“Excuse me?” Troy asks her.
“Oh, come on. Like you haven’t heard other businesses and hotels say the same thing about how we treat hotels when we buy them?” she asks. “Just because you ignore it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
“I’m not saying I haven’t heard it,” Troy admits, before shifting his gaze back to me. “Depending on percentages, this could work.”
“Mona agrees it’s a great idea,” Lillian says, as she looks up from her emails. “I think we should do it.”
“But a total buyout,” Troy tries to argue again.
“They won’t go for it,” Lillian reminds him. “Deal with it. Either we go with Drew’s plan or we miss out on another stream of revenue altogether.”
I can’t help but lean back and smile, knowing I’ve already won. Knowing Troy, he’ll try arguing everything he can in favor of a buyout but I have Meg’s counterpoints at the ready. I’d be lying if I said it isn’t amusing to see him slowly deflating as he realizes he won’t win this time.
“The hotel already has returning guests who refer their friends all the time,” I add. “When they see the improvements we make, I think we’ll be turning people away for lack of vacancies.”
“It’s either this or Seaside becomes another lost property,” Lillian says, as she shuts her laptop. “Are you a boss or a leader, Troy?”
He sighs. “Okay. Let’s get Finance in on this and start putting some figures together,” he says. “Can you really get the owner to sign?”
“It won’t be a problem,” I say, with the most confidence I’ve felt in days. And Troy is actually grinning as he tells me: “Okay, go get ‘em.”
Chapter twenty-nine
