Hotelier as an ambassador
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by Chris Drum Berkaya
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 25, 2009 00:00
BODRUM - It can be said that some foreign expatriates living in Turkey can act as unofficial ambassadors to this country. At least that is the case with Patrick Hembrough.
Hembrough, who moved to Bodrum from Boston, Massachusetts, eight years ago, runs The Butterfly hotel in a tourist town in the western city of Muğla. His will to connect different cultures is evident in a small but nice anecdote.
Recounting an example of two American ladies who said they wanted to join an iftar (evening breaking of the fast) meal during Ramadan, Hembrough said he organized for them to go to a village, where four generations of one family shared the meal with them.
No payment was accepted, but the ladies noticed that village kids were playing soccer with very old balls, so next day they bought new regulation balls, which were taken to the village as a gesture of thanks.
Doing well
Of course, besides trying to connect cultures, seeing his hotel do well is important for Hembrough as well.
"My motivation to run the hotel is twofold," he said. "First, I wanted to open my home and share a wonderful place and Bodrum with visitors. Second, I wanted to run it on a business model that brings an income that affords me a comfortable lifestyle."
He said feels his dedication has paid off. "I am succeeding in these aims, as since 2002 the hotel has doubled its income each year," he said. "Small scale can be profitable."
Another sign that he is successful at what he does is that his small eight-bedroom hotel in Bodrum was included in the January issue of the prestigious Travel + Leisure Magazine’s "Best of 2008" list. He is also expecting the hotel to be included in another influential travel magazine, Cond Nast Traveller.
Recounting an example of two American ladies who said they wanted to join an iftar (evening breaking of the fast) meal during Ramadan, Hembrough said he organized for them to go to a village, where four generations of one family shared the meal with them.
No payment was accepted, but the ladies noticed that village kids were playing soccer with very old balls, so next day they bought new regulation balls, which were taken to the village as a gesture of thanks.
Doing well
Of course, besides trying to connect cultures, seeing his hotel do well is important for Hembrough as well.
"My motivation to run the hotel is twofold," he said. "First, I wanted to open my home and share a wonderful place and Bodrum with visitors. Second, I wanted to run it on a business model that brings an income that affords me a comfortable lifestyle."
He said feels his dedication has paid off. "I am succeeding in these aims, as since 2002 the hotel has doubled its income each year," he said. "Small scale can be profitable."
Another sign that he is successful at what he does is that his small eight-bedroom hotel in Bodrum was included in the January issue of the prestigious Travel + Leisure Magazine’s "Best of 2008" list. He is also expecting the hotel to be included in another influential travel magazine, Cond Nast Traveller.