O.K. Time for a bit or market research.

Well folks.  I’m asking for your input again.  I get feedback from magazine adds and opinion polls and all kinds of other stuff, trying to figure out what you all want.  Your input recently has been great, but today let’s do something a bit different.

In the first week of sales, Hotel Bruce has far outsold the Union Hotel.  Would you let me know why?  Many of you bought both both and I thank you for that.

I’m wondering what makes Hotel Bruce more appealing?  Any answer is a good answer.  It could be color, style, size, whatever.

Thank you for your help.

Comments

[Dave Rarig]

I think it looks more typical of early architecture; plus Bob is a great designer. (not that Thom isn't)

[jerry]

In my eyes the Union Hotel is a little small if you mentally try to picture the inside room layout. Really like the design, but I would like it a bit bigger, or at least wider. It seems to me that the Union design should appeal to more people than the Bruce because of the more "Wild West" design, so maybe it is size?

[Bob Strom]

Dave,
For me, the style and size of the Bruce suites my time period and location. The Union has a more urban look in some ways and it's 3 floors wood look funny in a tiny saw mill village. I agree with Jerry's comments regarding the size too. I am modeling in On30 which makes me wonder about the size of the rooms and passage ways too. Both hotels are very handsome creations and a credit to CM.

Bob

[John]

Dave,

I have purchased both hotels.

The Union hotel I plan to build as a two story structure. I fell that it would then better fit into a small logging or mining town scenario.

The Bruce hotel is going to be placed into a small fishing & tourist village on my layout. I will be adding things like a skylight and water tank to the roof. Also a stairway access. Needless to say a few young ladies taking in the sun. Also I recall seeing such hotel structures in small towns in Pa. That would have been in the 50's. The Bruce hotel would fit in time periods from the 1800's and perhaps a few may still exist to this very day.

John

[jerry]

Don't get me wrong, I think the Union hotel has a lot of character. Because of the size, it may have done better if it was marketed as a small store. I'll probably purchase it & just change the sign, open up the window & display some merchandise. All in all, a great looking building. Because cardstock structures are so easy to modify, we have to train ourselves to look at signs etc. as suggestions.

[Dan H]

The Union is a great urban building, but it just doesn't look big enough to be a hotel. It doesn't appear to be wide enough to have a hallway down the middle between rooms. It looks more like a shop where the owner lives above. I'd probably kitbash it down to two stories and change the signage to make it a drycleaner's or a laundry.

The Bruce, on the other hand, looks about the right size for its function. A client has me building a very similar hotel (which I'm basing on a model from a Dover Cut & Assemble book) and the footprint and window placement look almost identical to the Bruce.

[Paul Egri]

The Hotel Bruse is a larger structure so works much better as a Hotel I do find the corner entrance interesting but the Union Hotel makes a much better retail shop than a Hotel also the brick makes it look more urban as opposed to rural and most RR are set in a rural setting to make best use of space

[Dave]

The Union is based on drawings of the classic Harry Brunk model. no intention then to be picturesque.
if we didn't creatively compress the dimensions, most structures would dominate the layout.

im looking forward to seeing your builds

[JT]

CM seems to produce two kinds of kits. The unique, and the extraordinary. To my eye, both hotels are extraordinary structures. I mean that in the literal sense of the word, "very unusual or remarkable". One looks at home in Old Sacramento, and the other only in certain northeastern cites. While they are both great kits, their extraordinary-ness may limit their use.

I subscribe to Tony Koester's idea that plausible and believable scenes are achieved by modeling the ordinary. Smitty's music shop also falls in this category - I have the kit, and may build it, but it would be out of place on my layout..

I'm drawn to CM kits because A) I like working in cardstock, and B) the structure kits are unique. With rare exception (e.g. Akron becomes Union) you can't buy a similar kit from another manufacturer.

While I have purchased perhaps 90% of the CM kits, I build the ones that are unique, without being extraordinary (again, in the literal sense). My favorites are: Jefferson Ice, Komsa tool, Hossier mama;'s, Habbakers's, and Plant #2. I'm not saying don't produce extraordinary kits. There is a real demand for them. But, you had me at unique.

[Dave]

JT an informative and enlightening view. I can live with unique and extraordinary just fine. far better than mundane and average. We are forced to compete with $700 sawmills. if your spending that kind cash you should expect something special so we give you something we think is pretty special for $10. of course we need to sell an awful lot of them to break even and sometimes we don't.
Thats why having an involved community is so important.

[Jan W]

Interesting commentary.. On our pike we have the Roger Malinowski Union Hotel kit, which was patterned after the same magazine article. The Malinowski building is much bigger, footprint is 20' x 28'; the building works well in an urban setting. I like the CM building for retail, or perhaps a B&B