While new hotels can choose their surroundings, many older ones find themselves in areas that were once remote but now are in busy neighborhoods - sometimes, a neighborhood in decline. Ghost Ranch Lodge owner Richard Bristol, for example, has grappled with the urban shift on Miracle Mile. The retired Sunset Magazine executive planted a screen of trees and a fence to shield visitors from the neighboring topless bar that moved into a former dinner theater. Help on the Net Hotel owners also are turning to modern technology to find new customers. Many believe the Internet offers historic properties a global competitive edge they've never had.
Web sites are far less expensive than national ads and help small hotels compete with big chains.
Also, potential customers reluctant to stay at a nonchain property they've never seen might be persuaded by seeing photographs online. And it's paying off. Regardless of what steps older hotels take to thrive in an increasingly competitive market, many guests find their small size attractive. For 48 years, the Englewood, Colo., resident has checked into the lodge for four months and reserved the same room for the next year. She is so charmed by the lodge and grounds that she scarcely notices the nearby bar.