After 45 years of being in business in Golden as the Golden Rim Hotel, owners Chuck Dhasi and Mike Dhami have decided to bring in the Days Inn franchise.
“We bought it in 1989, from the people who originally built it,” said Dhasi. “So it’s been the Golden Rim right from the beginning.”
The hotel has managed to stay busy over the years, but with changes in technology and tourism trends, Dhasi and Dhami decided they needed to keep up with the times, and go with a name people recognize and trust.
“We’ve been thinking about this for the last four or five years. We’ve been going back and forth on it. And we finally decided it was time to do it,” said Dhasi. “We looked at quite a few different franchises. We looked into their commissions, because all franchises charge a fee for their central reservations… and each franchise has different requirements in regards to renovations and such. We found the Days Inn was the best fit for us.”
The renovations and changes have already begun, and both Dhasi and Dhami are working hard to make sure all the upgrades are made as soon as possible.
“The pool has already been done. We’ve put new furniture and new carpet in to the rooms, new counters, new sinks, new beds, new duvet covers, new seats, we’ve painted it, so there’s lots of stuff going on right now,” said Dhasi.
“They’re hoping to put up the new sign on January 23.”
Very few changes will be made from a cost perspective. There may be a marginal raise in rates, but Dhasi says that was planned anyway, regardless of the franchise.
At the moment they haven’t needed to add any more staff, but with the changes in the computer system which will be more time consuming, Dhasi anticipates they may need to hire a few front desk staff soon.
“You need an extra person just to do the running around now. It was a lot simpler last year,” he said.
“I think people have gotten used to franchise names. You always know what to expect from one place to the other. If you stay at a Days Inn, or Ramada or Travel Lodge, you expect certain standards and qualities. It makes you feel at ease.”
