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Belamere Suites
John Kranjec
By
Sue LaPointe |
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"We
had to come up with something completely different,
something that has a higher standard than others,”
John said.
"It
is all very personal and very private—we make
it exactly what people are looking for."
Belamere Suites owner John Kranjec’s youth was
filled with entrepreneurial education. Living with
his family in Chicago, he learned the functions of
the family laundry business, then the plumbing business
and carpet cleaning business. Although John spent
his weekends working with his mother and father, he
still found time to be involved in activities such
as soccer and baseball.
When the laundry business led his family to Michigan,
John finished high school and went to Michigan State
University, receiving a degree in industrial psychology
in 1986.
John had his first taste of the hotel industry during
high school when he worked for a hotel in Sturgis,
Michigan. Work at this hotel soon became a family
affair. “My father decided to purchase that
40-room hotel, and it was his first hotel,”
John said. “In the summertime, my parents would
go on vacation, and I got a lot of experience managing
the business all summer.”
After working for his parents at the hotel, John purchased
the hotel from them. It was marriage, however, that
led him to sell the hotel and move to Ohio, where
he purchased another hotel property. In total, John
has owned five hotels so far, including the Belamere
Suites in Perrysburg.
Over the past 30 years that John has been in the hotel
business, he has witnessed significant changes in
the industry. According to John, his family’s
first hotel charged 19 dollars per room. Yet with
all of the changes in the industry and economy over
the years, John has been able to stay in the industry
when many others have tried and failed.
“Perhaps what sets me apart is that I’ve
always been an independent person with decent ideas
and perseverance. I don’t think it matters what
kind of business you are in,” John explains.
Keeping with his independent spirit, John has stayed
away from owning franchises. ”Franchise hotels
should all be kept in great condition, and each hotel
should be almost identical, but there are nice hotels
and then there are the ones that shouldn’t be
around anymore; the franchise is too hesitant to get
rid of the bad hotels,” said John. He finished
building independently owned Belamere Suites in 2004.
“Coming up with a name is very difficult, partially
because of the Internet, so you have to get your own
domain name and it has to be trademarked, meaning
it cannot be close to another similar business name,”
John explained. “We started out with a different
name, but we finally decided on Belamere Suites.”
The hotel’s name, however, is not its only unique
aspect.
“We had to come up with something completely
different, something that has a higher standard than
others,” John said. “So we did what we
thought people wanted and developed something we could
be proud of. In fact, we wrote our own guidelines
on what to do and how to do it.” John believes
that the Belamere Suites offers exceptional service,
unsurpassed quality and quiet comfort wrapped together
with a reasonable price.
As times have changed over the years, John has noticed
a change in the way people take vacations and has
worked to accommodate those needs with Belamere Suites.
Instead of the week-long vacation, people are interested
in a one-night or brief weekend get-away, and John
says his staff and facilities provide the services
to make even a short stay memorable.
“We actually decided to build Belamere Suites
with these people in mind, people who are working
all of the time and do not have the time to take a
week off. What we have here is perfect for the type
of people who just want to get away for a night or
two to relax and be pampered and left alone and treated
like luxury.” Many parents do not want to venture
far from their children so coming here is close to
home, yet feels like a million miles away. Being alone
together with that special someone strengthens that
bond.
Each suite has unique features, including a king-sized
bed with a down comforter, the largest two-person
Jacuzzi tubs available, and a six- by eight-foot walk-in
granite shower, as well as a three-sided fireplace,
free wireless, and an attached garage. Fifteen different
restaurants deliver to our suites, and we also have
comfort food available to our clients 24 hours a day.
In addition, there are five presidential pool suites
that have an 18- by 11-foot personal swimming pool
that is 5 feet deep and heated to 92 degrees in each
suite, along with all the other fantastic amenities.
“Talk about luxury, this is where it’s
at,” John said. “We also have breakfast
delivered to their suites in the morning, so they
can just get into the robes we provide and enjoy the
suite and each other. It is all very personal and
very private—we make it exactly what people
are looking for.” Policies such as no more than
two people per suite and no children help to create
a quiet retreat away from the rest of the world.
According to John, Belamere Suites hosts many corporate
people in addition to the vacationing individual or
couple. He explains that the peaceful atmosphere is
a good place for people to get their work accomplished
while enjoying the luxury of the suite. Many different
corporations send their employees and their vendors
to his hotel. “Business people love our suites;
they are much nicer than the norm and more personal.
The company’s employees and their vendors can
understand that they are appreciated by their company
when staying at the Belamere. Business professionals
are taking advantage of their down time at hotels,
and at the Belamere, they can schedule a message therapist
or use all or some of the many other spa-quality amenities
through the concierge on duty.”
John and his wife Teresa are currently planning to
build another Belamere Suites location in Columbus,
Ohio and/or in West Palm Beach Florida in spring 2009.
BELAMERE SUITES
John Kranjec
12200 Williams Road
Perrysburg, Ohio 43551
Website: www.belameresuites.com
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