Skybank Business Loans, a small-business funding service in Wausau, Wisconsin, explains hotel and motel funding for Marathon County properties beyond the mortgage: room renovations, furniture, fixtures and equipment, property systems and working capital. The county had 36 traveler accommodation employers in 2023 (CBP).
At a glance
- Hotels and motels with employees, Marathon County, WI
36 (CBP 2023)
- Hotel and motel employees
502 (CBP 2023)
- Annual payroll
$11.2 million (CBP 2023)
Marathon County, WI hotels and motels: staff and payroll
Hotel loans in Marathon County serve a defined group: the county had 36 traveler accommodation employers in 2023, with 502 employees and $11.2 million in annual payroll (CBP, NAICS 7211). 15 of them had fewer than five employees, and 4 had an address in ZIP 54403 (ZBP 2023). By our arithmetic, payroll came to about $22,301 per employee.
Nonemployer Statistics counted 27 traveler accommodation businesses without paid employees in 2024, a separate program that includes small inns and rentals run by their owners.
Hotel lenders: what Wausau, WI owners should know
Hotel lenders split into two worlds. Property lenders finance the land and building; that is mortgage lending and is not covered here. Business lenders finance what the hotel buys and operates: room furniture, mattresses, televisions, HVAC units, laundry equipment, property management systems, and the cash to run between busy and quiet periods. Skybank Business Loans matches your request with funding partners, who review it and make their own decision.
Motel loans for Wausau, WI lodging owners
Motels with exterior corridors and smaller staffs carry the same cost categories at a smaller scale: room refreshes, roof-mounted or through-wall HVAC units, signage, parking lot work and laundry equipment. A motel request is read on occupancy and deposits, the same as a larger hotel's.
Hotel renovation financing in Wausau, WI without refinancing the property
Renovation financing without touching the mortgage is a term loan or equipment financing question. A partner may secure it with the furniture and equipment themselves, with a general lien on business assets, or with a junior position behind the mortgage, which needs the first lender's consent. Ask your mortgage lender what your loan documents allow before you request anything.
The hotel renovation article walks through renovations, FF&E and the off-season in more detail.
FF&E for a room refresh: worked through
Illustration only, invented figures: a 40-room property budgets $4,500 per room for new beds, case goods, carpet and televisions, $180,000 in total. In this invented example, financed over 84 months at an assumed annual rate of 9.5%, the payment comes to about $2,942 a month.
In this invented example, that is about $74 per room per month, which the owner compares with the rate increase or occupancy gain the refresh is meant to bring.
Business loans for hotels for Marathon County, WI businesses
Business loans for hotels also cover working capital: payroll and supplies in months when occupancy falls, a property tax installment, or a franchise-required upgrade with a deadline. A line of credit drawn in quiet months and repaid in busy ones fits that pattern. Bring at least a year of monthly revenue so the partner can see the cycle.
Hotel business loans for Marathon County, WI owners
- Monthly revenue and occupancy for the last 12 to 24 months
- Business tax returns and current financial statements
- The franchise agreement and any required improvement plan
- Mortgage statement and the lender's consent requirements
- Vendor quotes for furniture, fixtures and equipment
A business loan for a hotel, explained for Wausau, WI owners
A business loan for a hotel is reviewed on cash flow after the mortgage payment. Partners read revenue per available room, payroll, franchise fees and existing debts. A property with steady deposits across a full year gives a partner more to work with than one with a single strong quarter. See the working capital page for short gaps.
Laundry, HVAC and property systems: smaller hotel equipment requests
Not every hotel request is a full renovation. Commercial washers and dryers, packaged terminal air conditioners for guest rooms, a new property management system, door locks, or a breakfast-area refresh can each be financed on its own as equipment. Smaller requests bring the same records as larger ones, but the vendor quote carries more of the weight, so make sure it lists every unit and any installation charges.
Buying an existing hotel business
Buying a hotel can mean buying the real estate as well, which brings in property lending outside this page's scope. Where a buyer acquires an operating business in a leased building, or buys the FF&E and franchise rights separately, a term loan or equipment financing can play a part. Get the seller's monthly revenue, occupancy, franchise status and capital needs list before setting a price.
Other hospitality pages near Wausau, WI
Restaurants and bars inside hotels are covered on the restaurant loans page and the bar business loans page. Every industry is on the industries page; county figures are on the Wausau, WI page.
By Skybank Business Loans ยท Updated
