{"id":37660,"date":"2022-10-26T02:02:05","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T08:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/former-durango-hotel-owners-open-new-car-wash\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:39:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:39:07","slug":"former-durango-hotel-owners-open-new-car-wash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/former-durango-hotel-owners-open-new-car-wash\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Durango hotel owners open new car wash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=5d5f37ec-314a-54a9-a21e-63443f645c19&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" alt=\"Michael and Mary Hert, owners of the new Cascade Xpress Carwash, 1455 South Camino del Rio in Durango, look on as Isaiah Evans guides a car into the wash Oct. 13. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Michael and Mary Hert, owners of the new Cascade Xpress Carwash, 1455 South Camino del Rio in Durango, look on as Isaiah Evans guides a car into the wash Oct. 13. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Michael Hert has long had an affinity for the car wash experience. But only recently did the longtime hotel owner decide to pair his business experience with his love for a clean car.<\/p>\n<p>On Aug. 15, he opened the roll-up doors of Cascade Xpress Carwash for the first time, adding another tunnel express car wash at 1455 South Camino del Rio in Durango, south of Home Depot.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"naviga-map\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/maps.google.com\/maps?q=37.219002%2C-107.853299&amp;z=15&amp;output=embed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\" style=\"border:0;\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Map\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n<p>Cascade Xpress was not the plan when Hert bought the land in 2008. He wanted to build a La Quinta Inn, but the turmoil of the Great Recession put him in a holding pattern.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe land just sat there for a while,\u201d Hert said. \u201cI\u2019ve always loved car washes. Whenever we\u2019re out of town anywhere, I drive through automated car washes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=cb8b205c-3aed-5551-985f-7fe0c922169f&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1063\" alt=\"A truck exits the Cascade Xpress Carwash located at 1455 South Camino Del Rio in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">A truck exits the Cascade Xpress Carwash located at 1455 South Camino Del Rio in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>After discussions with family members on what to do with the land, Hert decided in 2019 that he and his wife would build a car wash on the land.<\/p>\n<p>It is a different experience for the couple, who had owned hotels on north Main Avenue such as the Quality Inn and the Econo Lodge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlthough I love the hotel business, and we were reasonably good at it, the amount of employees, inventory and seasonality can be overwhelming or burdensome at times,\u201d Hert said.<\/p>\n<p>While car washes have inventory expenses of chemicals, soaps and maintenance, it does not compare to the cost of running a hotel.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=053ba103-1052-5b71-ba80-e15364eddd00&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" alt=\"A car goes through the new Cascade Xpress Carwash located at 1455 South Camino del Rio on Oct. 13 in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">A car goes through the new Cascade Xpress Carwash located at 1455 South Camino del Rio on Oct. 13 in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Despite an abundance of car washes in Durango, Hert said Cascade adds a more modern version of the tunnel express variety. The modern car wash is about 70 feet longer than its competitor Durango Rapid Wash.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the longer wash, you have more opportunity to put presoak tri-foam and bug remover in,\u201d Hert said. \u201cThe longer car wash just gives you a longer opportunity to clean the car better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cascade Xpress also reclaims up to 70% of the water used at the wash and offers 13 free vacuum stalls for users. While Hert hopes people will buy a wash, he doesn\u2019t mind if people just use the stalls to clean their car\u2019s interior.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=4e807dd1-78cd-5f40-bf66-bf4daa5154cb&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1013\" alt=\"Free vacuums are included with a wash at the new Cascade Xpress Carwash located at 1455 South Camino del Rio in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Free vacuums are included with a wash at the new Cascade Xpress Carwash located at 1455 South Camino del Rio in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Cascade Xpress also will feature a rhino-mat washer, but the car wash is dealing with shipping issues and has not received the equipment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an automated, all-inclusive mat wash in that you literally put your floor mat into the top of the machine, you push a button, it sucks the mat into the machine and then washes, scrubs, rinses and dries it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Hert said he\u2019s in a great location because of how busy Camino del Rio is.<\/p>\n<p>He is happy that he and his wife own the car wash outright rather than being a part of a franchise. While owning hotels under the Choice Hotels parent company, he would often be charged a franchise fee.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=29cf1ded-5ffe-5a12-8900-ecc469076b0e&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" alt=\"A car goes through the new Cascade Xpress Carwash located at 1455 South Camino del Rio on Oct. 13 in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">A car goes through the new Cascade Xpress Carwash located at 1455 South Camino del Rio on Oct. 13 in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Before opening, Hert studied the Durango car wash market to evaluate prices. A \u201cdeluxe unlimited\u201d wash, at $12, includes bug-prep, power dry, spot-free rinse, single-step presoak and a clear coat.<\/p>\n<p>Cascade Xpress also offers unlimited plans that cost $29, $39 and $49 a month depending the amount of detail a customer wants.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe went around and checked the other car washes in town and we\u2019re right in line with them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><em id=\"emphasis-e39e3d8442b0578df623f0137961f1e7\"><a href=\"mailto:tbrown@durangoherald.com\">tbrown@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=c3a37f42-f1e6-5903-a3d9-ad77a3f835e2&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"1250\" height=\"892\" alt=\"A pickup goes through the new Cascade Xpress Carwash located at 1455 South Camino del Rio on Oct. 13 in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">A pickup goes through the new Cascade Xpress Carwash located at 1455 South Camino del Rio on Oct. 13 in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cascade Xpress brings tunnel express wash into the modern era<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[431,28],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-37660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-business-general","tag-headlines"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37660"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83734,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37660\/revisions\/83734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37660"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=37660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}