Nearly 10 years ago, when Courtney Ludeman and her husband, Chad, ventured into the boutique hotel business, their priorities were to create a cozy, comfortable, and luxurious experience for every guest.
Today, they proudly nurture three hotels: Lokal Hotel Fishtown, Lokal Hotel Old City, and Lokal Hotel Cape May, and two vacation rentals in Southern New Jersey (Dorchester and Egg Harbor City), through their family-owned management company, Stay Lokal.
Chad is the developer who comes up with creative, innovative, and stylish designs, with modern amenities, furniture, and other décor for the properties, while Courtney is the hands-on owner and operator, an organized businesswoman who enjoys pampering her guests.
Before the hotels, the couple owned a real-estate development firm called Postgreen Homes, with an eye on designing and building environmentally friendly housing for as little as $100,000 in construction costs.
As experienced travelers, Courtney and Chad always seek to stay at boutique hotels and look for alluring and well-appointed properties with extremely positive vibes.
In fact, the impetus for the Lokal Hotel came during a romantic getaway to the South of Spain, where they stayed at Vivood, described as a landscape hotel that was designed and built by architects.
Inspired by this memorable vacation, they made a commitment to create a new hospitality brand.
“We wanted to meld our idea of a beautiful family-friendly place that has everything you want to live like a local,” Courtney explained. “So, you can pretend you live in Philadelphia or Cape May for a couple of days, and we are here to always make it a luxurious and comfortable experience.” As a result, their hotels and vacation rentals attract many repeat guests.
One way that Courtney and Andrea Simione, the hotel general manager, accomplish this is to provide “invisible service” for guests staying at their thoughtfully designed properties. This means that guests can text Courtney or Andrea and get a quick response, without a concierge standing at the front desk.
“We take surveys before guests check in so that the room is set up for them in the exact way that they want,” she said. “We make sure they have everything they have requested beforehand, and we go a step above this just to make them feel like we really care about them being there, because we do.”
Among the extra touches at the apartment-style Lokal Hotel Fishtown, as well as their other properties, is a “digital field guide” that Courtney and her staff provide for their guests. Instead of providing details about typical tourist places, they share their personal favorite local spots.
“This goes beyond looking it up on your favorite search engine. We want to make it more about what we personally like. I love to hear feedback that a guest tried the bar, restaurant, or other venue, the food and service were great, and they were treated well.”
Currently, vacationing guests stay for many reasons: date nights, local weddings or other special occasions, parents visiting their adult children who live in Fishtown, concertgoers, girls’ and guys’ trips, and more.
A lot of guests simply want a hotel “that’s homier than a typical chain,” Courtney said. “They want a place where they can make coffee, enjoy some takeout, and take a night off.”
Naturally, guests stay at Lokal when they’re attending sporting events, and Courtney is looking forward to hosting many travelers at her properties who come to the two big Philadelphia events this summer — The FIFA World Cup and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Some guests have already booked their summer dates before they sell out.
Knowing how to create a family feel for the guests comes naturally to Courtney and Chad, who are the parents of two sons, Teague, 16, and Riker, 14. Both boys are seasoned travelers who enjoy participating in the family business.
When they were little, Teague and Riker were always on-site helping at the properties. “My older son painted the fence in Cape May during the pandemic, and my younger son was a pool guard (who helped guests with towels and other needs and kept non-guests away) at the same property in the summer,” she said. “They’ve always been helpful.” She said that from the time they were young, they were trained in the hospitality business.
“We love that people come back month after month or year after year, and say that they would never stay anywhere else,” Courtney said.
“I want everyone who comes to each of the Lokal properties to feel like they are our friend or family member,” she added, “and to understand that we are invested in them having a top-notch experience.”
