Hotel:

Seaquest Motel in South Bend, Washington

How long in the industry:

10½ years

How did you get involved in the hospitality industry? We had investment capital, and the need for an upgraded motel was timely for the area.

Are there any hidden gems that visitors to your area shouldnt miss? Kayaking and birding, King and Satsop salmon runs, the Pacific County Courthouse, the Northwest Carriage Museum, the historic Raymond Theatre, the Rails to Trails trail, the state Fish & Wildlife wetlands viewing station south of South Bend, the Tokeland area for birding, Rhodesia beach stumps in Willapa Bay that are more than 300 years old, the petrified forest ghost forest, which is best at low tide.

What’s your favorite amusing story/encounter with a tourist? A Scottish cyclist stayed here after cycling through the Canadian Rockies. It was mid-February. He talked about how rough the weather was. He just said, in his thick accent, It was brutal, man, it was brutal. We still sometimes say that to describe tough situations: It was brutal, man, it was brutal.

While we get plenty of tourists, our customer base is: 50 percent people who are her for work-related reasons; 25 percent people who are visiting family members in the area; 25 percent tourists and half of those are from Germany, England and Australia.

Projections for the 2013 summer season: We are more optimistic than not for 2013. 

Will you be increasing your hiring for summer? Probably not

Favorite vacation spot (anywhere) and why: Our home, because of our ponies