Fixing tourism in Guam

No one asked but that's why I'm here...to answer unasked questions.

Since I'm old and don't like typing, I'll keep this short.

Today, I wanted to eat lunch. That happens nearly every day. Today, I didn't have a car, bicycle, or the willingness to walk far. So, I tried going to lunch in my hotel.

I'm not saying which hotel - that's not the point.

As is common here, lunch is a buffet. I asked how much it would cost. The answer - $20 plus a 10% service charge. So the real answer - $22.

I have a news story for the hotel - I don't normally spend $22 for lunch. I think I'm normal in that respect - probably only in that respect.

Some folks then say "But these prices are for Japanese visitors". That's sad.

You see, I live in Japan. I spend lots of time here on business but I live in Japan. In Japan, the normal lunch costs 1,000 yen, or about $9. That's called the salaryman's lunch. It's almost always good to excellent in qualtity and more than adequate in quantity.

So, when the Japanese tourists come here, they expect to pay more at a resort. But, they don't expect to be ripped off. Maybe, that's part of why they don't come anymore.

A very affluent (in terms of disposable income) group of folks on Guam is the U.S. military and the civilians who work for the military. They don't spend $22 for lunch on a daily basis either.

Do you think the hotel restaurant was full?

Not hardly.

First rule of building tourism (or any other business) - offer value.

BTW - there really wasn't much left at the buffet. Most of the dishes were empty. I won't be back.