Thousands of people stay in Value
Places across the country every night.Some stay with us for business, some for vacation and others because
they are in the middle of a move and need a temporary place to stay before
settling into their new home or community.
We are privileged to have
the opportunity to meet and hear the stories
of so many interesting people.
We'd like to hear your story,
too.If you've ever stayed at a Value Place, leave a comment and tell us why
you stayed with us and the city where you stayed.
Posted by vpfsnews on September 30, 2009 at 10:25 AM
I meet
people all the time who have an interesting Value
Place story to tell.
Case in
point:I was talking to my new neighbor, Barry,
the other day.He recently moved to Wichita, KS from Indianapolis
for a new job.His wife and kids stayed
in Indy to finalize the sale of their house, while he started his job and took
on the task of finding and buying the perfect new house for his family.
He didn't
want to rent an apartment, because he didn't want a long-term lease
commitment.He didn't want to be stuck
in a high-priced hotel for several weeks, either, especially since he was
footing the bill for his stay!
One of Barry's
co-workers recommended Value Place.The
price was right, and the room had a kitchen.He checked in and stayed for about 6 weeks
until he and his family were able to move into their new house.
I asked him
what he thought
about his stay, and he said, "It was perfect for me.It was cleaner than any other hotel I've ever
stayed in, I could make food, relax at night after work and the hotel staff was
great with helping me get acquainted with the city."
I asked Barry
if he'd stay at a Value Place
again.His answer, "I've already told my wife that if we ever move again, it will have to
be to a city where there is a Value
Place, because it's the only place I'd ever stay for
an extended stay."I'll take that as
a yes!
Have you
made a move to a new city
lately?Did you stay at a Value Place?We'd like to hear your story.Please leave a comment and share with us.
Posted by vpfsnews on September 21, 2009 at 9:11 AM
Traveling
this fall, or thinking about escaping the cold for the entire winter?No matter the reason for your trip, we invite
you to check out Value Place.We have nearly 160 properties open in 26
states, and several more will open through the year's end in the following
cities:
Late
September Openings:
Sacramento, CA
October
Openings:
Columbus, OH (third location in this area)
Norfolk, VA
- Chesapeake
Midland - Odessa, TX
Baton Rouge, LA
December
Openings:
Richmond, VA
- Colonial Heights
Greensboro, NC
- Thomasville
Raleigh, NC - Garner
WashingtonD.C.
- Gainesville, VA
Baton Rouge, LA - Harells Ferry
Charlotte, NC
- Gastonia
Cleveland, OH
- Avon
Keep up to
date on latest property openings by visiting the locations section on ValuePlace.com.We hope to see you in one of our properties
soon!
If you do plan to stay with us, leave a comment and let us know the reason for your trip. We'd enjoy hearing from you!
Posted by vpfsnews on September 18, 2009 at 11:01 AM
As reported in a feature
story in the Monticello Express, spiraling gas prices prompted Iowa snowbirds Harold
and Mae Luers to sell their motor home.But rather than putting the brakes on their winter travel plans, they
found a more affordable way to escape the cold -- Value Place.
Take it from the Luers, Value Place is a
perfect option for retirees who are looking to leave the ice and snow behind.Have you been considering a winter
getaway?We hope you'll consider Value Place.Just think...with prices starting at $169 per
week, you can afford to stay all season.Leave a comment below, and we'll happily answer your questions.
Since his retirement in 1984, Harold Luers
and his wife, Mae, had always left their home in Monticello
to spend the cold-weather months in either Arizona,
Texas or Florida.
They travel by motor home.It was comfortable for Harold and Mae, who
are both 84 years old.They would set up
base and visit friends and family while escaping the harsh Midwest
winters.In 2007, however, the Luers
sold their Winnebago
-- one of three motor homes they had owned over the 23-year span -- because it
had simply gotten too expensive to drive.
"The
motor home had two gas tanks," said Harold."One was a 50-gallon tank and the other held 40 gallons.I was getting six miles per gallon.If gas was $2.50 a gallon, it cost $225 to
fill both tanks.It was costing me 42
cents a mile to drive it."
It was while visiting their son in the
Dallas-FortWorth area that the Luers first saw a Value Place being constructed in Trophy
Club, a fast-growing upstart community.
Founded in 2002, Value Place in an economy, extended stay
lodging brand that features remarkably affordable weekly rates, rigorous
cleanliness standards and secure lodging with an unparalleled commitment to the
comfort, privacy and peace of mind of each guest.Within a week of its grand opening in
September 2007, the Luers were guests at the Value Place in Trophy Club and for two
years now, they have called Value
Place properties in Texas their home for six months during the
fall and winter.
"I
like everything about Value Place.They are fantastic," said Harold."The managers remember us by name."
Dallas-based Quanah Properties, LP, developed and owns the
Value Place in Trophy Club.Formed in
September 2004 to identify, acquire and develop promising real estate
opportunities, Quanah joined forces with Value Place in December 2004.Quanah has built six other Value Place
properties which are all managed by Value Place Property Management Company in
Rockwall, Forest Hill and Fossil Creek (all in the Dallas-Fort Worth area); El
Paso, TX; Albuquerque, NM; and Jacksonville, FL.
Value Place was designed with the
small-business traveler and consultant in mind; professionals who often foot
their own bill for lodging and other travel expenses or are traveling on a
strict per diem budget.However, Value Place also
serves a wide range of other guests including vacationers like the Luers who
are looking to stretch their travel dollars, families and individuals who are
on the move to a new job assignment, relocating to a new community, building or
renovating a new home or visiting for important family events and many
others.All Value Place lodging is based on a weekly
rate that starts from $169.
Value Place chairman and founder Jack
DeBoer likes to say his properties are "crazy clean" and, indeed, Value Place
has arguably some of the most stringent cleanliness standards in the
industry.Mandatory "deep clean"
maintenance is done after every checkout.Comforters, blankets and shower curtains are all washed and the carpet
shampooed every time.
Each Value Place property offers three room
plans:a studio, studio sleeper and
studio double.Services included in the
weekly rate include a full kitchen with towels and linens, expanded cable
network and premium movie channel and bi-weekly studio cleaning.Additional cleaning and linen service,
Internet access, dishes and other kitchen supplies are available for a nominal
fee.There is also onsite laundry and
vending.
While Harold and Mae feel right at home at
Value Place,
they also bring a little bit of their household to their Value Place home.
"In
the trunk of our Mercury Marquis, we have our favorite coffee maker, toaster, a
small George Forman grill and some kitchen utensils," Harold said."Those items are very compatible with the Value Place kitchen.The folks at Value Place really have it all put
together for travelers and extended stay guests."
While his knee replacement surgery a few
years ago put a crimp in Harold's golf game (Mae was a voracious bridge player,
confides her husband), the Luers have no plans to curtail their traveling
anytime soon.
We continue to hear that Value Place is becoming an extended stay
hotel of choice for families who have to travel to receive specialized medical
care.Our guests Sandra and her husband
who stayed in our Kalamazoo,
MI, Value Place, stayed with us for that reason.Here's what they have to say about their
stay:
"We are an older couple who came from out-of-state
for medical treatment. Stayed in the Kalamazoo
Value Place for 10 days. It met all our
expectations. It was very clean, relatively quiet (except for door slamming),
had adequate lighting in bathroom, fine kitchen facilities, good shower, nice
fridge, and the hotel staff were easy to work with. We travel in an RV, so we
had necessary kitchen supplies and utensils. Otherwise, the kitchen would have
been of no use w/o investing in things like coffee maker, toaster, pots and
pans, silverware. We would stay at Value
Place again!"
Have you stayed with us
while a family member received medical treatment?Leave a comment and let us know.
Keep us in mind anytime you
need an extended stay hotel.
When was
the last time you took the extra time to fill out a comment card after having a
positive experience in a hotel, restaurant or store?
I've been
thinking a lot about comment cards lately.Why it is that we're so quick to comment when we have a not-so-positive
experience, but often, we don't say a thing when we experience something great.I'm guilty of this, are you?
Case in
point:I had a great experience in the
grocery store the other day, but I didn't even think about filling out a card
to let the managers know how great I thought their employee, Ann, was.
"I wanted to take a moment to let
you know about my stay in your Colorado Springs Value Place Hotel. I had
to find temporary lodging for approximately three months for my stay in
CS. With being new to the town and not really knowing many people there
it was a stressful time for me, however, due to the folks on staff at Value
Place, it made my stay much more pleasant and relaxed then it could have been,
and it was greatly appreciated.
I value good customer support and
treating others with respect and kindness.That was displayed over and over again from your staff there.
Arlene made me feel at home and took very good care of what my needs were and
greeting me every day with a smile and sometimes a joke to help ease the day's
stress. Terry was always efficient and prompt and the person who I referred to
as #500, Julio, was always available if there was anything that was needed with
a smile and helpful attitude. This isn't always found and I thought that
you should know that you have a good team there.
Thank you for your time, and I would
certainly recommend an extended stay there to anyone passing through or in need
of a short term place.
Heather C.
This really
made all of us at Value Place
feel great!We work extremely hard to
deliver the cleanest, safest, most affordable extended stay hotel to our
guests, and it's nice to hear that we're meeting their expectations.
So, after I
read our guest's comment card, I went back to that store where I had my
positive experience, and I filled out one of
those little cards. I wanted to let the store know how much I appreciated Ann's
assistance.I really hope they share my
card with her.
I'm going to make an effort to fill
out those cards more often.Will you
join me?
If you've had a positive experience
at any of our 150+
Value Place extended stay hotels, we'd love tohear about it.Please leave a
comment to let us know!
If you're
like the thousands of other Americans who entered the Value Place $50K Refer-A-Stay Giveaway
sweepstakes, you've been anxiously awaiting this announcement.Our $50,000 grand prize winner has been
randomly selected, and to our delight, we discovered that he is a guest in our Liberty, MO,
property.
Watch the excitement unfold, and see
Value Place
staff surprise the winner with a $50,000 check during a suspense-filled, "American
Idol"-style awards event.Click here to view the video.
For those
of you who didn't watch the video, the $50,000 winner is...
Albert
Stubbs of Virginia!Congratulations!!
More than
50 guests, including Liberty's
mayor and Chamber of Commerce
members, gathered at the Value
Place on April 2nd to find out who the
winner was.Albert was absolutely
overwhelmed and shocked when his name was called.Really... if you didn't watch the video,
you're missing out!
About our Winner
Albert has
been an Army man for 22 years, and is touted by our property staff as one of
the nicest and smartest people you'll ever meet.He's been staying with us since September, 2008,
when he accepted an installation food program manager position at Fort Leavenworth.
We thought
you'd be interested in knowing that Albert left our property for a five-week
military assignment the day after receiving the $50K prize.However, he likes his Value Place studio so much that he's
paying to keep it while he's gone.
"It's hard
to find a place that has everything you need, so when I found this room at Value Place, I knew I didn't
want to give it up," said Albert. "My
colleagues used to question why I stayed at Value Place versus an apartment
closer to the base, but after I explained that out of all the places I've
traveled to and stayed in the past, I felt the safest, most comfortable and
most at home at Value Place, it all made sense to them," Albert said.
Cashing In
So, you may
be wondering what Albert plans to do with the cash.Though he initially joked he'd use the winnings
for a big spending spree, Albert actually plans to put most of it toward
education.His wife is currently earning
her degree, and his 15-year-old daughter is starting to look at colleges. He also plans to do some work on his home in
New Kent.
Value
Place is honored to have Albert as our guest and winner, and we thank him for serving
our country.What a great feeling to
award the grand prize to such a great American!
Times are tough right now for a lot of people, which makes
this story even more endearing.
A few weeks ago, a Value
Place manager, with the help of WREG Channel 3 News in Memphis, provided a ray of light to one of
our guests during a very dark time.
Hit hard by the recession and down on her luck, Sandra, Value Place guest
and home healthcare nurse, recently lost her job and has been struggling to make
ends meet.Over the past few weeks, Value Place's manager Joel has gotten to know Sandra and her
situation and really wanted to help her out. That's when he contacted News Channel 3.
For several months, the station has been running a promotion
called "Pass it On," where reporters award $300 cash to individuals that
viewers deem worthy of recognition and a helping hand.Joel nominated Sandra, and was pleasantly
surprised when Channel 3 showed up in the Value Place office with the cash and
cameras rolling.As you can imagine,
Sandra was even more surprised.In fact,
she was speechless.
Watch the video titled "Pass it On: 3/24/2009" and see
Joel deliver the $300 to a shocked and grateful Sandra.(Note: click on the video title in order to
watch the clip; it won't automatically play).
Thanks, Joel, for helping a friend in need!
Have you "passed it on" lately?Or, maybe you're like Sandra and have been on
the receiving end?Either way, we'd love
to hear your stories.Please leave a
comment and share with us.
