Joining the family business in hospitality, Nick Patel bought his first “mom and pop” hotel in 2001. He now owns three Wyndham properties in Wausau, Wisconsin and utilizes Kipsu to make sure all his guests are taken care of. 

The thrill of hospitality 

Having been in the business now for over 20 years, Patel said his favorite part of the hospitality industry is that it’s “never a boring day.”

“It’s always something, my day goes so fast… I love it,” he said of the fast-paced life he leads owning three properties in central Wisconsin. “Some days people ask me, ‘What are you doing this afternoon?’ and I say, ‘I’m not sure!’” 

Wausau is a unique market: it tends to be busier in winter due to attractions such as downhill skiing at Granite Peak Ski Area, high school hockey and basketball tournaments, and the annual Badger State Games, a series of Olympic-style sporting events for amateur athletes including archery and Nordic skiing. 

And of course, the main summer months are busy too. Patel expressed being thankful for events that occur every year and bring guests to his properties, such as Chalkfest—a weekend festival where a block of the city is transformed into a vibrant display of chalk drawings. 

Taking a family business through a pandemic

After buying his first property in 2001, Patel and his wife bought a second “mom and pop” type hotel in Lodi, Wisconsin. Similar to the first property, they stayed long enough to see success at the location, then moved onto Wausau. 

Sunshine Hospitality is the management company that Patel runs with his wife. Together they run four Wausau properties—Super 8 by Wyndham Wausau, La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Wausau, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, and Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Wausau.
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“I’ve seen ups and downs, my schedule is crazy,” Patel said, of the industry even before COVID-19 racked hotels around the world. Luckily, most of his hotels were not too affected by the pandemic —he estimates that 70% of his staff has been working for his properties for 5 or more years, a rarity in the industry.

“I told them I wouldn't let them go,” he said of the time when almost all hotels came to a standstill and layoffs were prominent. “It’s hard to find good people.”

Patel expressed gratitude for federal assistance and for the trust of his team during that time. The only major challenge he and his team faced was at the La Quinta property, which was purchased right before COVID-19 hit the U.S. “All my other hotels, we were lucky to not have that many problems,” he said.

Streamlining one-on-one service 

Sunshine Hospitality just signed on with Kipsu in December 2021, and it’s going better than Patel expected— he mentioned being surprised at how well Kipsu was received by guests. 

“I thought when we started, we were going to get a lot of pushback… No one wants to give their cell phone number,” he said. But he and his staff enjoy the ability to send welcome messages and let their guests know if they need anything, they can just send a text. 

Patel estimated that 85% of their guests love using Kipsu, especially the younger generation. “It’s been working great at all of our locations,” he said. 

The only pushback is commonly from older generations, Patel explained. The exception was a veteran who came into their Super8 location, claiming he didn’t like texting and mostly tried to avoid his cell phone. But, since he was staying for a week, he decided to give it a try.

Within 30 minutes of his stay, he had texted the front desk saying that one of the office chairs in his room had broken. Patel’s team was able to respond and get him a new chair within minutes.

“He loved that he didn’t have to pick up the phone” Patel said, mentioning this guest left a “great comment” when he checked out. He’s looking forward to integrating the program with all Wyndham software in the coming months.

Learn more about Sunshine Hospitality.

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