Shower Facility
 

We need your help!

Would you ladies (and gentleman) be gracious enough to look at this facility and answer the questions. Is this something you could use while out on the road. www.watermarksuites.com

This facility provides showers, private offices (rented by hour) and exercise room. This is not a hotel!

This reeks of spam.



But, I'll bite (even though I didn't take the survey). I think that this service will flop, because most drivers do not have the time for something like this. If they did, they would just rent a hotel room.

Most drivers aren't paying for showers anyway - they get free showers when they fuel.

If I am getting a "theraputic" jacuzzi, it had better be in a hotel room, and I better have it for the entire night.

We appreciate your input! We don't expect to make every driver a customer, but we think some of the drivers would use this facility.

As far as finding a hotel that provides the amenties we provide (other than a bed), its going to cost a minimum of $ 175/night. Our facility would be $ 15.00 - $ 20.00.

Again, we know its not for everybody, but there's millions of drivers on the road and if we can be of service to 1% , then we would be happy.

$175 a night? You are delusional if you think that a hotel room would cost me that. :roll:

A "minimum" of 175 a night! Where are we staying? Manhattan? A suite in Atlantic City? But I guess people who pay 175 for a hotel room will have no problem paying 20 bucks for a shower.

"If I am getting a "theraputic" jacuzzi, it had better be in a hotel room, and I better have it for the entire night."

..........Please let us know the name of hotel with ALL the same facilities we are showing that is less than $ 175.00/ night.

I spend $100 at most when I am laying over in somewhere really nice (ie Holiday Inn-Clearwater FL) with everything I need.

On the road, all I need in a room is cable with like 18 channels, GOOD wifi, and a clean room and I never spend more than $55 for that.

But, free showers with fuel keep me on the road. I spend more nights in motels than a majority of the drivers here due to the HHG business.

That's just it - most drivers don't have the time for your "facilities", nor do they have a use for them.

A clean shower, a comfortable bed, and peace and quiet. Anything else is overkill.

I can rent a hotel room with a jaccuzi (and a bed) for a little over $100 if I wanted to. But there is no need.

Trust the drivers on this - your service is pointless. If I want a jaccuzi, I am gonna spring for the hotel room with it in.

damn-I think that's more expensive than the Tundra Hotel in GB

if i wanted a jacuzzi, i wouldnt be a trucker, i'll just stay home

This business will fail miserably.

miserably isn't the word for it. if i'm going to take the time and trouble to get that clean, comfortable, and relaxed, there better be a bed real close by. :wink:

goodluck
 

goodluck

Thanks for everyones input thus far - positive or negative!

Since Sunday we've had 175 visitors to the site and 50 folks have taken the survey (thank you).

Thus far, the answers have been as follows: 78% would use from 6- Midnight,50% would spend $ 15 (35% = $ 20), 43% would use 4 times/month (78% would use more than twice/month).

Again, thank you very much for the input, good or bad, keep it coming ladies.

P.S. We've had such a good response from the ladies, could you see this being a LADIES only facility???? Last reports says there are 300,000 females drivers on the road!

300,000 seems a bit high

Of the three million drivers on the road, less than 5% are female (so half that 300k to 150k) and many of those are driving with their husbands or a male partner which makes it even less feasible, overall, and especially is you make it female only when the majority of females aren't driving alone.

And me, personally, being a solo female driver, I agree with what everyone else says. If I am going to pay for a shower, period, it's going to be in a hotel and for the night. Otherwise, I can wait to soak when I get home and hang with the free shower w/ fuel until then.

Some other things to consider:

Your survey is really lacking. I'll give you examples:

There is only one real answer to this question, which isn't an option in your survey. That answer is: It varies, depending upon the time available, and where the driver happens to be when the time becomes available. Usually this time becomes available when they are fueling at a truckstop, hence the fact that they use truckstop showers.

You give three options: $15, $20, and $25. Where is $0? Where is $10? It also doesn't say how long you get this "theraputic shower/jacuzzi tub" at that rate.

Again - where is 0 in the choices?



I would love to see where you came up with that number.


This is a ridiculous service. Truck drivers don't usually have the time for this kind of thing, and if they do, they will likely just get a hotel room. I hope that if you have investors on this venture, they did more research into the industry than you did. :wink:

From the posts I can see that you are starting out well. People who are not interested in your service will be the majority. Your niche is the minority that will look forward to your offerings. Cater to the minority who will value this service and use it regularly. That way you are bound to succeed. Great idea, good luck!

I don't drive, but my husband does. I read the forums fairly regularly. This would have to be along someones route for it to be even feasible. You could have 5% of the truckers interested, but at what % would actually be able to stop and take their 10?

I think this idea would be much more feasible to turn it into a luxury truck stop with fuel, a place to eat, and a free shower. The gym equipment would be good for those who do want to execrise. A small fee could be paid to use gym equipment and jacuzzi tub.

If you are gearing this towards luxury and women, you really have to think security. Only letting in trucks and motorists that check in at the front gate, and exit gate with both being monitored by someone. A gated fence around the entire area. Also think of having roaming security on the lot just to make sure everything is on the up and up.

The lot will have to be large enough to hold a fair amount of trucks. I suggest not being skimpy on the isles. I regular parking lot will not do at all. There has to be enough room for trucks to turn. The more the better.

You would be missing on some money to be made by not offering rooms and comfortable beds with private showers for the entire night or even at 10 hours at a time long enough for a trucker to get in their 10 hour sleep/break. Some may would just like to crash for two hours on a bed for a change.

With roaming security, there may be more truckers willing to leave their truck and sleep on the bed since the trucks will be in a more secure area. bums and lot lizards should have a hard time getting in let alone trying to do any business or anything mischievous with all the security around. Include security cameras also. Heck you could even have a special gated parking area where only the drivers of the truck staying in the rooms to be allowed in and out of that area. Have at least two security guards for that area alone. One at the entrance/exit, and one roaming.

I guess to me luxury really does equal safety. Don't believe me, then read all the threads about women who want to get into trucking, but are concerned for their safety and well being.

If geared towards women, have call boxes in various places in the parking lot. The lot itself will be huge, just because the trucks are so big. This way women truckers can possibly use the call boxes to ask for a security escort to the rest rooms and/or facilities late at night to feel safer.

Did you ever think about how many 10 dollar showers you would have to sell to cover the amout of overhead you suggested?

Like previously stated, with what you would have to pay to provide these services, prices would escalate so high that noone would use them. Good luck anyway!

I personally think you may be on to something but I'd think most travelers/truckers would be more inclined to visit a place where they could get some healthy meals, good coffee, maybe some fruit drinks (smoothys) and while there get a clean, hot quick shower. I see it like this:

Park your rig, use the restroom, go in, order a nice turkey sandwich, lettuce, tomatoe, etc.. the real stuff here, a side salad, and a grande mocha all to go. Hit the shower for 15 minutes, in the mean time the sandwich is being made FRESH, have that ready for me in a to go container, and I'll pay for it just before the door hits me in the ass as I'm heading back to my rig.

I'm not driving yet but that's what I think I'd like to see. Hell, I'd stop in there doing a road trip in my car. The key would be quick, clean, affordable, and quick. Did I say quick?

That MY 2 cents.

You just described a truckstop (or at least what they are SUPPOSED to be)

Oh wow...

As a truck driver, and a commerce student... I would suggest this would probably fail.

Your target market *is not* "all truck drivers in the United States/North America/Canada/whatever." Your target market is "all truck drivers passing through our location who want elegant facilities."

I'm sure you'd get some use of the facility... however, by and large, truckers are on the road to... truck. When they aren't driving, they are sleeping, fueling, pre-tripping, loading, unloading, etc. They are busy, and generally want to get wherever they are going sooner than they possibly can - to either make more money, or to get back to their families. You'll get some use of the facility - some people will want it, it sounds nice, etc. Personally, I would never use it. It wouldn't be too relaxing, because I would be cutting out an hour or two of sleep I could be getting. What is nice is a nice warm shower, and that's already provided. Some will use it, but not anywhere near enough to pay for it.

Now, let's say you did set this up close enough to a truck stop that truckers could visit it... and by a miracle you were profitable! The truck stop would probably install a jacuzzi, and charge people ~$10-12 to use it, undercutting you, taking the customers, and driving you out of business.

I would not invest in this.

I hate to say it, but it is true. Truckers are the underbelly of the underbelly. They squeek over a penny, but would not know what to do with a bazillion of them. Get my drift? Ain't no money in the run of the mill truck driver. Because I know what they make. Sad, but true.

But that is our own fault as an industry, again, sad but true. :cry:

$15 -$20 for your service, compared to the motel 6 sign down the street advertising 39.99 for the night. Which one do you think I am going to pick? The majority of drivers don't pay for their showers now. So many of us barely get paid enough to survive, so what makes you think they are going to start paying now. I'm not even trying to be bitchy. I am just stating a fact.