A big "THANK YOU" for 2012!

With less than 5 more hours remaining in 2012, we want to take a minute to send out a big THANK YOU to everyone who had a part in another great year at Smoky Mountain Tower and All Decked Out.

Our first THANK YOU goes to our guests.  We estimate that we had about 750 people stay with us during 2012.  Thank you for spending your Smokies vacation with us.  Thank you for taking such good care of our cabins, and for the many encouraging notes you left in our Guest Books.  Thank you to many of you for coming back for repeat visits.  It gives us great pleasure when you have such enjoyable times with family and friends. 

We wish we could meet each one of you and hear your stories in person about your time in Gatlinburg and the Smokies.  YOU are the reason we bought All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower in the first place.  It wasn't to make money.  It was to provide a place where people could relax, refresh and enjoy some time away from the pressures of daily life.  Based on your comments, it appears that we have accomplished our goal!

Of course, it wouldn't be possible for guests to enjoy themselves if it weren't for all the people who care for our cabins.  So we want to send a huge THANK YOU to Ingrid and Bob Nelson and their girls.  It's not easy to clean cabins as large as ours - especially when we have guests leaving and arriving the same day.  But Ingrid and her family do a spectacular job - draining and cleaning the hot tubs after every guest, checking and changing burnt-out light bulbs, scrubbing the kitchens and bathrooms (on their hands and knees - the right way!), making the beds, doing all the laundry, and vacuuming and dusting every square inch.  They also take care of extras that help to make our guests' visit more trouble-free - including hauling away all the trash.  But here's one you might not expect: Ingrid cuts the grass in the summer and blows away the leaves in the fall at Smoky Mountain Tower.

How's THAT for service.

While Ingrid and her family handle all the regular work at our cabins, we still need maintenance work done.  For that, we send out a big THANK YOU to Mark Kalinowski.  In 2012, Mark did everything from totally renovating the garage at Smoky Mountain Tower, to putting up light fixtures at All Decked Out.

It's because of Mark, as well as several other people (like Darren and Joyce, who live next door to All Decked Out and are always willing to help in an emergency), that our guests almost always find everything in perfect working order.

And the reason guests are even able to be there in the first place is because of the work that our daughter, Marcia, does to answer all our inquiries, keep our online calendars up to date, and provide directions to our guests.  THANK YOU, Marcia - and grandson Nathan who does research for us - and daughter Angie who helps keep our websites working.

There are lots of other people on our team - like Joe and the folks at ivacationonline, who provide our reservation links, and the folks at Raymond's Pest Control who provide monthly service, and Tamie and the folks at the Chalet Village Club Houses (where guests swim in the summer and play tennis all year round), and all our neighbors who help keep an eye on things and provide assistance to guests when needed.

The list goes on and on.  But most importantly, we are thankful to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, who control everything and who have so faithfully answered our prayers for guests, for safety, and for direction in all we do.  We are trusting God to provide more guests and more good times at All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower in 2013, and hope you will be a part of it!

Our guests come from all over the world!

Whenever we go over to Gatlinburg to work on our cabins, one of the first things we do is read through the comments in our Guest Books.  

On a recent trip, you can imagine our surprise when we saw this page in the Guest Book at All Decked Out.
This was written by a family who now lives in Georgia.  But they obviously have come from somewhere else.  I think they may originally be from Taiwan, so the language is probably either Mandarin Chinese or Taiwanese.  Can anybody tell us for sure?  If so, please post a comment.  Fortunately, they included some English words, too.  Thank you, folks, for your comments - in different languages! 

We are always grateful for the comments left in our Guest Books, and we post as many of them as possible on our websites.  I'm a little behind, but hope to have the October and November comments posted before the end of the year.

If you have stayed at Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out and have left a note in our Guest Book, you can probably find it in the "Guest Comments" section of our website.

And if you haven't been there yet, you should check out what others have said.  It might encourage you to stay with us in 2013!

Merry Christmas!

We hope your Christmas is joyful (and maybe even restful), and filled with love and the remembrance of Christ our Savior, whose birth we celebrate today.  Think of it:  "Immanuel" - God WITH us!  Christmas is so much more than presents or trees.  So we take a moment this morning to share with you a Christmas poem written this year by my best friend, George Toles:

GOD IN YOUR ARMS

Nazareth girl, you’re so innocent, so pure.

Of all women on earth, how honored you are.

Why would God not choose one more mature?

Just a teen, with precious, holy Seed from afar.

There in your arms, this God-Child so dear,

Do you wonder what He’s thinking now?

Is He dreaming of the day we all would fear?

Who will tell Him what He’ll face, and how?

But in this hallowed moment you will wait

And cherish the rare privacy of His youth.

Soon a silvery traitor leads troops to the gate

As greed betrays The Way, The Life, The Truth.

This is your time; look deep into the eyes

Of this Babe who bled and died for you.

What will you say, when will you realize

That His gift of forgiving you’s all true?

Just straw, no fancy wrapping for this Gift.

Clothed in rags, far from home, in a stable.

One day soon in clouds He’ll come to lift

Us up.  Are you ready, willing and able?

More sky beauty - in the east

In my last post, I showed you the view from the Tower deck at Smoky Mountain Tower looking west.  After taking that picture, I turned around (to the east) to go back inside.  This is what greeted me, coming up through the trees:

Okay, it wasn't really that close.  But it was that beautiful!  I listened carefully to see if I could hear any howling.  But all I heard was the sound of a very gentle breeze blowing through the trees.

This picture of the moon - and our 'afterglow' picture before - are just two examples of the beauty we find all around us in Gatlinburg.  That's why we love going there, and why we want to share it with all our friends.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a beautiful moonlit night.

Beauty in the skies of Gatlinburg

When we were in Gatlinburg a couple of weeks ago to do our Christmas decorating, we just happened to go up to the Tower deck at Smoky Mountain Tower at the right time.  This is what we saw:

This is the view looking west toward Ober Gatlinburg.  Isn't it amazing how God used two planes flying at high altitude to put a cross in the sky?!

No doubt about it - Gatlinburg is sure a beautiful place.  In our next post, we'll show you what we found when we looked the other direction.

We gave away almost $800 yesterday!

Our 12-12-12 sale is over and we've tallied up the numbers.  Based on the discounts we offered yesterday, the guests who booked saved $796.00 on their upcoming vacation stays at All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower.

No, we weren't overwhelmed with bookings.  But we had two right off the bat just after midnight!  Those folks knew what they wanted and they got it!

So we just want to say "Thank You!" to everybody who participated, and to all of you who have put up with our "advertising" about the sale.  That's our last sale of the year.  We'll decide what to do about 2013 in a couple of weeks, when Angie, Marcia, Nathan and the whole family will be here for Christmas.

Just remember that January to March is a great time to visit the Smokies.  It's not crowded, and our rates are lower than Summer and Fall.  We hope you can join us for a few days of rest after the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

What's half of 12?

SIX

(of course)

My clock is showing just a few minutes before 6:00 pm (Eastern time).  So there are only 6 more hours until our big 12-12-12 sale starts.

I took a nap this afternoon, so I am all ready for your reservation tonight at midnight.  Remember, the rate is only $121.00 per night (plus tax) for all open dates between January 2 and June 30, 2013.

Oh, did you see our last post with the "sale-inside-a-sale" information?  Tomorrow, from 12:12 pm to 2:04 pm, the rate drops to $112.00 per night - but you have to book a minimum of 3 nights.

As always, just go to our websites and click "Book Online Now."  All the information you need is on our websites:

   Smoky Mountain Tower - www.SmokyMountainTower.com
   All Decked Out - www.SmokiesRentDirect.com/All-Decked-Out

If you have a question not answered on our websites, write me at Dave@SmokiesRentDirect.com.  If we have time, we'll post again tomorrow to let you know how things are going.  Hurry and make your plans, and we'll watch for your reservation tomorrow. 

You're gonna LOVE the number 12!

(You'll be sorry if you don't read this entire post!)

You already know that it's just 3 days (that's 1+2 - 12) until our big one-day sale.  On Wednesday, 12-12-12, we're cutting the nightly rate to just $121.00 (plus tax) for all open dates between January 2 and June 30, 2013.  The rate will go into effect at 12:01 am EST and end at 11:59 pm EST.  All you have to do is go to our websites (we'll list them below), click "Book Online Now," and make your reservation.  You will only pay $150.00 down, and the rest is due 30 days before arrival.

But I told you in my last post that we have an EVEN BETTER IDEA.  So here it is:

On Wednesday, 12-12-12, at 12:12 pm EST (just after noon), we're going to lower the nightly rate even more - to $112.00 (plus tax).  That rate will be available for 112 minutes - or until 2:04 pm EST (times are approximate because I can't change rates that fast.  But I promise you that this deal will be available at least between 12:12 pm and 2:04 pm).  So mark your calendar, because you'll save all day long.  But you'll save even more on Wednesday afternoon.  Remember, if you're in the central time zone, the times are from 11:12 am to 1:04 pm.

Oh, there's a small catch for the $112.00 rate.  You have to stay a minimum of three nights instead of our normal two-night minimum.

Now, before somebody asks why we didn't lower the rate to $12.00 a night for just 12 minutes, I'll tell you.  I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid!  If I only charged you $12.00 a night, you'd have to stay more than two weeks just for me to cover the cleaning fee! 

So again, here's all you have to do:

1. Decide now on your dates and which cabin you want to stay in.
2. Mark your calendar so you won't forget to make your reservation this coming Wednesday, 12-12-12.
3. Go to the website for the cabin you want to reserve.                                                                        Smoky Mountain Tower - www.SmokyMountainTower.com        All Decked Out - www.SmokiesRentDirect.com/All-Decked-Out
4. Click the "Book Online Now" button, which takes you to our reservation site.
5. Enter your arrival and departure dates, then click "Review & Book."  Be sure the year is showing 2013.
6. Enter the information requested, follow the prompts, and you'll be all set!

If you need help, click "How to Reserve" on either of our websites.  You can always write to me at Dave@SmokiesRentDirect.  Or if you're REALLY stuck, call me at 828-244-5579.

We'll keep you posted during the day via our blog and Facebook about how reservations are coming in.  Remember, the calendars on our websites are always up-to-the-minute, because they're tied to the reservation system.

See you Wednesday.  Meanwhile, remember...

 12!

I hate it when that happens!

It's 9:45 pm on Friday night, December 7.

Somebody just missed staying in Smoky Mountain Tower AND All Decked Out for the last full open weekend of 2012.

Some family missed the Gatlinburg Christmas Parade, on an absolutely beautiful night.

Some group is missing a fantastic weather weekend, when the temperatures are supposed to be in the high 60s.

But that's okay.  We still have a few nights left before Christmas, if you want to get some last-minute Christmas shopping done at the Pigeon Forge outlet malls.

We still have our November/December deal in place.  When we had 6 or more consecutive nights available, you could have saved 25% off our already-low rates.  Now, we're down to 15% off for a 2 or 3 night stay, or 20% off for a 4 or 5 night stay.

But hey - you know what?  It's Christmas.  So if you'll write to me at Dave@SmokiesRentDirect.com and ask me for my best Christmas deal, I just might be able to do better on the prices.  This is your last chance for 2012.  I'm only listing this offer here - not even on our websites.  And I'm not going to say anything more about 2012 deals ever again!  It's going off all our advertising sites tomorrow, so we can concentrate on our big one-day sale on 12-12-12.

We've already told you that we're cutting all our prices for the first half of 2013 on 12-12-12 to just $121.00 a night (plus tax).  But we came up with an even better idea, which we will tell you about next week.  You're gonna be REALLY GLAD you read our Blog or follow us on Facebook, because this is the only place you're going to find out about our better idea.  So keep checking - I'll get it posted as soon as I can!

10 - 9 - 8 ... The Countdown Begins!

We're at 7.  Just 7 days - one week - until our biggest sale for 2013.  Remember, on 12-12-12, we're lowering the prices for all stays from January 2 through June 30 at either All Decked Out or Smoky Mountain Tower to just

$121.00 per night 

 (plus tax).

That's a savings of $38.00 per night - which works out to a discount of almost 24%.  We have already heard from folks who are making their plans to reserve their stays at 12:01 am on December 12.  And we are getting inquiries for dates during this time period.  So we hope you will contact your family and friends and choose your dates.

Meanwhile, just in case you are a last-minute person, we still have both cabins open for this weekend, as well as some other dates this month.  And we still have our November/December deal in place.  So it's not too late for a little Christmas shopping at the Pigeon Forge Outlet Malls, and some fun in the process!

You can get all the information on the Specials page at our websites:

   Smoky Mountain Tower - www.SmokyMountainTower.com/Specials

   All Decked Out - www.SmokiesRentDirect.com/All-Decked-Out/Specials 

Remember, you need a coupon code for any stays this month - you'll find it on the Specials pages.  But you need to hurry, so we can make sure to be all ready for you.  No coupon codes will be needed on 12-12-12.

Whether you're coming to Gatlinburg this year or next, we're ready for you. 

Leah won!

That's right.  Leah and her family from Georgia just booked Smoky Mountain Tower for Christmas.  And we're getting daily inquiries for other open dates this month at both All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower.  Another Georgia family booked the weekend after next at Smoky Mountain Tower - and got a really good deal!

But our current special deal won't last.  Time is moving on.  You can still save up to 25% this month at either cabin if you make your reservation now and complete your stay by December 21.  Details are on the Specials pages on our websites.  Here are the open dates (and you can always check our online calendars for up-to-the-minutes availability):

Smoky Mountain Tower:

• Dec 2-13
• Dec 16-21

All Decked Out:

• Dec 2-13
• Dec 20 & 21

If you can't come until next year, don't forget our 12-12-12 one-day sale, when all open dates from January 2 through June 30, 2013, will be on sale for only $121.00 per night, plus tax.  That's a savings of $38.00 per night - even more when you figure in the tax savings.  Again, all the details are on the Specials pages on our websites.

Smoky Mountain Tower is ready for Christmas

Good news!  The Christmas tree is up at Smoky Mountain Tower - along with some other decorations.  I just took this picture 10 minutes ago.  So it's all ready for your family Christmas.

Better news!  We told you in our last post about the Christmas cancellation we had at Smoky Mountain Tower.  We've had quite a few inquiries about the dates, but as of this minute (Wednesday, 11/28 at 1:23 pm), it's still available for you.  You can book directly from our website - just go to www.SmokyMountainTower.com and click "Book Online Now."

Somebody is going to spend Christmas at Smoky Mountain Tower.  We hope it's you!

A Christmas deal at Smoky Mountain Tower!

I have so much to talk about! 

But the most urgent news is that we just had a very unfortunate and rare cancellation for Christmas at Smoky Mountain Tower, due to illness in the guests' family.

Phyllis and I are leaving in the next hour to drive to Gatlinburg so we can decorate both Smoky Mountain Tower and All Decked Out for Christmas.  That means Smoky Mountain Tower will be all ready for your family Christmas celebration!  We'll post pictures in a couple of days.

Meanwhile, this would be a VERY good time to make your reservation for Christmas at Smoky Mountain Tower.  Why?  Because of our 2012 year-end deal, that saves you up to 25% off all available nights.  Due to getting ready for our trip, we don't have time to change that deal to exclude Christmas.  But we WILL be able to do that either tomorrow or Wednesday.

So if you want to spend Christmas in Gatlinburg and save a bundle, you need to make your reservation right away!  All we ask is that you stay a minimum of 4 nights (which is normal for Christmas).  And you can't arrive or leave on Christmas Day.  Please see our Policies for further details.

If you can only stay 4 or 5 nights, use coupon code NovDec45 - you'll save 20%. 
If you can stay 6 or more nights, use coupon code NovDec6plus - you'll save 25%!

If you need help, write to me at Dave@SmokyMountainTower.com.  But hurry!  Marcia and I will be talking about this tomorrow and may eliminate our Christmas dates from this deal.

Meanwhile, there are still some great dates available at up to 25% off for your pre-Christmas shopping and fun trip to Gatlinburg.  And don't forget our 12-12-12 one-day sale, when all prices will be lowered to just $121.00 per night (plus tax) for dates available from January 2 through June 30, 2013.  We have never run two sale announcements at once.  So this is definitely the best time to save at All Decked Out or Smoky Mountain Tower.

On this Thanksgiving Day...

...we are counting our blessings, and you are among them!

We are thankful for all of you who read our blog and Facebook posts so faithfully, 'like' our posts, and write back with comments.

We are thankful for the many guests who have enjoyed staying at All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower this year and through all the past years.

We are thankful for our daughters, Marcia and Angie, who take care of reservations and keep our websites running.

We are thankful for Ingrid and Bob and their girls, and for Mark, Darren & Joyce who take such good care of our cabins, keeping them clean and well-maintained.

We are thankful for Joe, Gail and John and all the folks at ivacationonline for their great reservation system.

We are thankful for our many friends on the Smokies Yahoo group who give us such great ideas, share leads, and keep us informed on what's going on in the vacation rental business.

And mostly, we are thankful to God for sending His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins, and for the way our Savior leads us and cares for us in every part of our lives.

We sincerely trust that your Thanksgiving Day is a special time with family and friends.  If you get a minute while reading this post, please tell us what you are most thankful for at this wonderful time of year.

Our Christmas gift for your family

 

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift?  How about a family vacation!  Think of the reaction of your family on Christmas morning when you tell everybody, "We're going to Gatlinburg!"

Now, we're going to help you make that family vacation possible with our gift to you.  As you can see, we've already wrapped up Smoky Mountain Tower and All Decked Out for you.  Just copy the appropriate picture and make your own Christmas "gift card."

But that's just the beginning!  Remember last year when we ran our "11-11-11" special deal?  Well, get ready - because we're doing the same kind of thing again - just in time for Christmas.

Announcing our "12-12-12" one-day sale!

Starting at 12:01 am, on Wednesday, December 12, we will lower all prices for all available nights from January 2 through June 30, 2012 to only $121.00 a night (plus tax). At 11:59 pm on December 12, all the prices will go back to their regular amounts.  But if you make your reservation on 12-12-12, you will save $38.00 per night, which works out to 24% off our regular rates! 

We’re telling you about this special deal now – more than 3 weeks in advance – so you won't spend all your money on Black Friday or Cyber Monday (although you only have to put $150 down when you make your reservation).  Pass the word to your friends, too, and get ready to make your reservations on December 12. Since 12-12-12 will never happen again in our lifetime, this is a one-time event. You may never be able to book our cabins at a rate this low again!

We'll post all the details on our websites before Thanksgiving.  And we're going to publicize this very special sale on all our advertising websites.  But we're letting you know about it here - first!

Of course, if you can't wait, we are still running our November-December special, where you can save up to 25% on any open dates this year.  Check the Specials page on our websites right now for details.  As always, please contact us with any questions at Dave@SmokiesRentDirect.com.

Anything happening in Gatlinburg?

Are you kidding?

This is one of the best times of the year!  Here's a quick list of just a few of the major things going on between now and the end of the year: 

• Now through January 26, 2013 - Trolley Ride of Lights
• Now through February 28, 2013 - Gatlinburg Winter Magic
• November 20-24 - Festival of Trees
• November 21-25 - Thanksgiving Arts and Crafts Show
• November 23-24 - Nutcracker "Sweet" show
• November 23-December 22 - Winter Magic Tunes & Tales
• November 26-December 2 - Christmas Arts and Crafts Show
• Christmas On Ice - December 1-2 (Ober Gatlinburg) 

And here's the biggie - December 7 at 7:30 pm - the famous Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade through downtown Gatlinburg. 

For more details, check out the Gatlinburg winter events website at http://www.gatlinburg.com/events/winter.aspx.

Now, you want the really good news?  We have dates available at Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out for the events listed above in red.  Even better, we've discounted the rate up to 25%, depending on how many nights you stay.   Just go to www.SmokiesRentDirect.com and click on the cabin picture where you want to stay.  You'll find all the details.  You can make your reservation online, right from our websites.

We hope to see you in the Winter Wonderland of Gatlinburg!

Change of plans...

Three days from today, we were planning to go to Gatlinburg and decorate All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower for Christmas.

Marcia and her boys were going to meet us there.  Last year, they did ALL the decorating for us because Phyllis was so sick that we couldn't leave home.

But four very nice ladies changed our plans.  Early this morning, they decided to stay at All Decked Out all next week.  They took advantage of our November/December special and saved more than $300 on their vacation!  We're so glad they're able to stay with us.  And that is letting us stay home next week to get some other things done.

We originally planned our decorating trip for the week after Thanksgiving - but Phyllis has been called for jury duty, so that may change, too.  We actually want to do more than decorate.  We want to take advantage of all the great sales at the outlet malls!

You might want to think about that, too.  Between the savings of up to 25% off in our November/December special and the money you can save at places like Tanger Outlet Center - with more than 100 true outlet stores, you can just about pay for your trip to Gatlinburg.  Click here for more information about shopping in Pigeon Forge - just 15 minutes from either Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out.

If you have questions about the shopping in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, please write to me at Dave@SmokiesRentDirect.com.  I'll ask Phyllis - she has a black belt in shopping!

The deal is on - up to 25% off the rest of the year

Five days ago, we gave you a bit of a head start on our year-end deal - up to 25% off all open dates between now and December 31.

Now, the word is out.  We've posted the information on our own websites, and on all our big advertising sites.  So if you're thinking about it, we urge you not to wait.  We're still getting inquiries for these dates and people are starting to book.

To make it easy, here are our calendars, correct as of 5:00 pm EST on November 5.  First, here is the calendar for All Decked Out:














And here's the calendar for Smoky Mountain Tower:











The dates shown in green are still available.

Remember the deal:
   -Book 2 or 3 nights and save 15% - use coupon code NovDec23
   -Book 4 or 5 nights and save 20% - use coupon code NovDec45
   -Book 6 or more nights and save 25% - use coupon code NovDec6plus

Details are on our websites, or write to us at dave@SmokiesRentDirect.com.  Please don't wait - we hate having to turn people away!