We’ve been listening to the public interview with The Springs Resort Marketing Director Jesse Hensle, who had applied for a vacant seat on the Pagosa Springs Area Tourism Board. Mr. Hensle had explained his fascination with data, and had raised questions about whether the Tourism Board and staff were doing the best possible job of increasing the number of tourist dollars flowing into tourism industry pockets. He noted that tourism declined slightly after 2021, although it continued to increase in other places — perhaps other place that didn’t see the tourism onslaught Pagosa experienced in 2020-2021?
He then made an argument for “making the the ball roll faster, further, and better,”
Of course, “faster” is not always “better”. Sometimes, “slower” is “better”. But maybe that’s not true in marketing?
County Commissioner Ronnie Maez asked Mr. Hensle to clarify his thoughts about the decline in tourism here.
Mr. Hensle: “I’m actually referencing an article that was in the Pagosa Springs SUN from Colorado Tourism, that said that Colorado tourism was increasing. But when we look at the actual data, at the mountains and mesas region, and Pagosa specifically, we show a different trend line, compared to the rest of Colorado. So that’s what I’m referring to.”
Commissioner Maez suggested that different regions will always see different trends.
Mr. Hensle: “Ronnie, we’re all subject to the same external factors. Labor, economy, inflation. Right? And how are we going to deal with that? The United States has all those factors. How do we, as this community, read those tea leaves? Be nimble, and create action. Stay ahead of it. So that’s what I advocate. Taking those deeper dives, and taking an article that maybe on the surface says, everything is going great, and saying, what does that actually mean for Pagosa Springs?
Another Tourism Board member asked Mr. Hensle what he saw as the biggest challenge Pagosa will be facing.
“I feel like we are an undiscovered gem. A lot of people have discovered us, but I feel like we haven’t reached that ceiling yet. And I feel like, if we don’t continue to push forward, we’re going to hit a limit. Other towns, other communities, are going to start taking the tourists from us, and bring them to their area, because they’re going to be in their face with marketing, with festivals, with more reasons and opportunities for them to visit.
“So if we don’t take action and get in front of these people, I feel like tourism will decline in the next few years.”
What did Mr. Hensle see as ways to attract new tourists?
He seemed to aim his response at Tourism Director Jennie Green.
“Great question. Love that. Number One: Jennie has been doing a lot of PR marketing. Lots of PR. We have such a cool product here; it doesn’t just fit in an app. Write an article, share an experience about somebody who goes out into the back country, takes a hot air balloon ride, eats at Alley House, then goes and soaks in the world famous hot springs.
“I can crunch all the data into an ad and put it in front of someone, but it’s these press releases, these articles, and that type of affiliation, where people have this writer, or this publication, that they give value to.
“When [the publications] support us, and say that we’re this great place to come to, [the tourists] are going to believe that even more so. So I think press and PR is an angle that we can really, really lean into here.
“Also, want to hit the nail on the head of content marketing. We have such amazing products here. I know that our product at the Springs, people click on it. They want to view our videos; they want to see this amazing, magical place that we have out here in Pagosa…”
Mr. Hensle is correct when he says we’ve been discovered (even if we’re simultaneously undiscovered.) That’s actually a problem. When a family tries to find a table at a local restaurant and is told the wait will be 45 minutes, that’s a problem. During the COVID onslaught, the Tourism Board shifted gears in response. They stopped “marketing” Pagosa Springs during the summer months — when businesses were struggling with worker shortages and ‘overtourism’ — and focused on teaching visitors how to minimize their impacts on the community and on the surrounding wilderness.
The Board was actually trying to do damage control. That didn’t sit well with certain tourist-oriented businesses, who composed a letter to the powers that be — the Pagosa Springs Town Council and the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners — demanding better access to marketing data, and limits to who would be allowed to serve on the Tourism Board, to ensure that tourist businesses controlled the majority of the votes. I wrote about that last year.
“The letter” in question was submitted on October 21, 2023, by then-Tourism Board member Anne-Marie Sukcik, representing 25 businesses, including The Springs Resort and Spa, Motel SOCO, The Riverwalk Inn, Riff Raff Brewing Company, The Neon Mallard, and several vacation rental owners. Ms. Sukcik asserted that the letter “is from all business owners who signed the letter, which collectively comprises the majority of the group that collects lodging taxes in Archuleta.”
You can download the letter here.
The letter listed 25 businesses as supporters… but some of the owners listed, owned multiple businesses.
Elk Trace Bed and Breakfast
Hillside Inn
Alpine Inn
West End Lodge
Healing Waters and Resort
Elkwood Manor Bed and Breakfast
Fireside Cabins
Motel Soco
El Camino Lounge and Grill
The Springs Resort and Spa
Riverwalk Inn
Shelly and Jason’s STR LLC
Riff Raff on the Rio
Riff Raff Brewing Co.
The Nightingale Motel
The Neon Mallard
Pagosa River Domes
High Creek Lodge
Melissa Moeller, Local STR owner
Olivia Modern, Local STR owner
Nicole and Pete Macomber, Local STR Owner
Jacque Aragon, Local STR owner
Jenifer Pitcher, Local STR owner
Angelina Waterman, Local STR owner
Michael Collins, Local STR Owner
For example, the Nightingale Motel, The Neon Mallard, Pagosa River Domes, and High Creek Lodge are all part of the same team of investors. Same with Riff Raff Brewing, Riff Raff on the Rio, and Shelly and Jason’s STR LLC; same owners. Ditto, El Camino Lounge and SOCO Motel; same owners and location.
So actually, it would appear that only 19 business groups were represented… in my humble opinion, a rather meager representation of the approximately 1,000 lodging businesses located in Archuleta County.
But as they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The BOCC and Town Council subsequently changed the composition of the Tourism Board to give the industry undisputed control.
Mr. Hensle was asked, if he were appointed to the Tourism Board, how would he deal with the part of the community that opposes tourism growth? Does Mr. Hensle see a way to collaborate with that part of the community, to get that established?
He answered:
“You’re always going to have your nay-sayers. And I think part of it too, is finding the right people to bring here.
“If we look at the conversions, and we look at bring in the right type of affluent markets, bringing in people, bring in visitors who have a higher threshold for the average daily rate at our hotels, and spending more money in the restaurants, they will probably behave more normally within the town. Throwing less parties. Less trash around the community.
“So if we start to look at those segments, and start to maximize those types of visitors, that we want in town, we can quiet that noise with all the visitors creating all the negative impact.
“If people come here, and draw more dollars in, at less volume, we’re still going to be ahead of the game. Because the Tourism Board — we’re supposed to be bringing in tax-generated revenue, into the community. So bringing in the more affluent people will help with that…”
The better-behaved, wealthy tourists. Yes, of course. We saw how that worked out for Aspen and Telluride. Everything becomes unaffordable.
But how could Mr. Hensle think otherwise? He works for a company that’s building a huge new luxury hotel.