TURN KEY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
$799,999.00
The Mariposa Lodge is located in the heart of West End, Roatan. It’s hillside location behind Pura Vida resort affords it an impressive ocean view. Being back from the main street means considerably less noise and dust yet is still within a minutes walk to dive shops, restaurants shopping and Half Moon Bay Beach. There are 20 restaurants and 12 dive shops in the immediate area to serve our clientele as well as gift shops, convenience stores, car and moped rentals.
The Mariposa Lodge offers you an opportunity to get in on the biggest tourist growth sector in the Caribbean, with a turn key operation that is highly recognized and very successful. Many consider West End to be Roatan’s only viable tourist destination, outside of the three “All Inclusive” resorts.
Business outlook
Roatan has the fastest growing economy in the Caribbean. In 2003 the island grew from 40 taxi cabs to just over 400 to accommodate the increase in tourist traffic. By October of 2003 we were seeing fifty cruise ships a month resulting in over one million visitors a year. By spring of 2004, the major airlines were lining up to get a share of to increased traffic. TACA, Delta and Continental each fly direct to the island from the US. Weekly charters from Canada and Italy bolster the traffic, and ferry traffic from the mainland has doubled with a new high speed service that started in September of 2006. US Air and American are now considering direct flights, and Aero Mexico is trying to position Cancun to become the European hub for Caribbean destinations, including Roatan. 2009 saw the inaguration of a second cruise ship dock in Brick bay to accommodate the newer larger ships and in 2010 the completion of two new shopping malls.
As a result of the increased traffic, and resulting tax dollars, the government of Honduras has now started to pay attention to the islands. New roads and beatification projects abound, security is being improved and several environmental projects are well underway.
Current status
The lodge is comprised of seven rental apartments, one of which is used today as a massage studio, and the owner’s apartment on the top floor. Additionally we lease a house adjacent to our property for $320US per month. We rent the three rooms for $26 to $38 per night. Our apartments rent for $ 40 to $55 per night. And the annexed Air-conditioned rooms rent at $50 to $65 per night. The three levels of accommodation ensure income irregardless of season.
We run the Mariposa as a very hands on operation. The result is a dedicated clientele with tremendous word of mouth. We get away without any advertising and still post better than 90% occupancy numbers year round.
Staffing
In general maids, gardeners and watchmen in Honduras earn 200 Lempira per day. Approximately $10.US. Additionally, Honduran labor laws provide a 13th and 14th months pay in June and December as well as a pension that is paid when employment is terminated amounting to approximately 50% of their salary from the start date. We currently have one dusk to dawn armed watchman, and a receptionist who works 11:30 to 7:00PM to coincide with traffic from the ferry. Housekeeping represents about 2 to 4 hours work per day, so we use part time help at 200 Limps per day, when necessary.
Annual Expenses 2009
Annual
Business Permit $ 526.32
Land tax $ 300.00
Insurance $ 1578.95
Prestationes $ 894.74
Pequena rental $ 3,000.00
Total Annual expenses $ 6,300.00
Avereaged Monthly
RECO $ 289.47
Water $ 80.00
Internet $ 100.00
Phone $ 20.37
Cleaning supplies $ 45.21
Staff $ 605.20
Security $ 447.37
Maintenance * $ 377.59
Gas & Propane $ 60.13
Office supplies $ 22.61
Chamber of commerce $ 26.32
Monthly Expenses $ 2,076.82
*Includes renovations and appliance upgrades
Gross Sales by year
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
$19,776 $40,476 $52,476 $70,433 $70,649 $82,305 $86,037 $90,294
2009
$64,286 (Political Instability decimated last two quarters)
Current Business Philosophy and Management Style
The Mariposa Lodge is a mid-priced hotel oriented towards couples, and a upper scale backpacker market. Our current business position is to accept walk-in business with some reservations. This allows us to meet and select our customers as well as instruct them in how to behave while they stay with us. The Later is done via check-in sheet which outlines our mutual commitments.
Because we deal primarily with Walk-in business, we never put ourselves in a position of having to ask anyone to leave, a normal occurrence amongst those that put business before customers. While seemingly counterintuitive, this approach generates much higher occupancy allowing us to keep pricing lower.
We do not do pressure sales. Tourists arriving often feel they have already been ripped off by the airlines, ferry and taxies. If they have stopped anywhere else on their way here they will know we are offering great value. If they haven’t, we encourage them to go look and offer to store their luggage while they do. People respect truth and honesty.
Nuts and Bolts
West End Community water runs 8 to 10 hours per day. We capture and store 4,000 gallons in a concrete cistern which is pumped to the rooms. In the event of a power outage we have installed a 12Volt back up system. It’s not automatic but it can keep lights and water running for a few days if needed. Outages are rarely more than a few hours now less the once a week.
Two washing machines, a clothes dryer and several sets of all needed linens are kept in the laundry bodega. We prefer to dry linens outdoor on lines which is more environmentally friendly, but time consuming.
Rooms and bodegas are all master keyed for convenience and spare keys are cut on site as required. We also have Sentury safes in all rooms for security.
We accept credit cards processed locally in US Dollars or Lempira. We also accept Travelers checks, Paypal payments and of course cash.
2008 Chevrolet 6 Passanger CMV Van is included in full asking price
