Plans for 2011

Since we're five days into the New Year, we want to announce some plans for our Gatlinburg cabins in 2011.

First, the bad news. To help minimize the effect of increases in our costs for both repairs and upkeep, we have to raise our rental rates. So between February 20 and March 1, we will change all the prices on our reservation Web site (IVacationOnLine) to reflect a $10.00 increase in the nightly rates. This will cover all rates except our Holiday rates, which will remain at $179.00 per night.

Here's how it will look:
March 1 to May 26 - old price = $129; new price = $139
May 27 to June 30 - old price = $139; new price = $149
July 1 to Nov 22 - old price = $149; new price = $159
Nov 23-27 - old price = $179; new price = $179
Nov 28 to Dec 15 - old price = $149; new price = $159
Dec 16 to Jan 2, 2012 - old price = $179; new price = $179

Now the good news - and those of you who can plan ahead will really like this! If you make your reservation before we enter the price changes - for any dates this year - you will pay the current (old) price. And because you're a Blog/Facebook reader, we'll even beat that deal by giving you another 10% on all reservations made between now and February 15 - for anytime this year. Just enter the coupon code Blog10 on our reservation site (on the page that opens after you enter your dates). Remember, coupon codes are case-sensitive, so you must enter it exactly as shown.

We will have more to say about some other registration enhancements when we make our "official" announcement about prices. By the way, these prices are still lower than the prices we were charging in 2008 and before.

So if you book your 2011 vacation before February 15 at either Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out, you will save up to 16% off the regular (increased) rates.

What else are we doing? The major work will be done at All Decked Out. We are going to repaint all the main areas (the ones that are yellow now), and we HOPE to be able to afford to replace ALL the carpeting! We also want to replace some of the furniture (especially the leather sectional in the main room). And here's where YOU can help. If there are things you think we should do at All Decked Out, NOW is the time to tell us. Just email us - but do it quickly. We're going to start on this work before the month is out.

At Smoky Mountain Tower, we're going to try to open up the award-winning view some more. That depends somewhat on the willingness of our neighbors to let us top off a few trees, but we'll do everything we can. Of course, both cabins will get a thorough cleaning and maintenance check during January and February. That's when we get fire extinguishers tested and we replace all the batteries in smoke alarms, TV remotes, etc.

As always, we value your comments. Again, just email us. And watch for more news later this month or early next month.