We're back in Gatlinburg, but we can't post pictures because my poor old 10-year-old laptop won't cooperate. But we'll give you a quick update:
All Decked Out - the tree is off the deck and there is no structural damage. We had a structural engineer look at it yesterday and he said all is well. We have very minimal damage to repair but everything (including the hot tub) is still working.
Smoky Mountain Tower - we did it! We moved the hide-a-bed yesterday, and we even were able to get a good deal on a new queen bed set for the Bonus Room. Wait til you see how we moved the hide-a-bed!
We stayed an extra day in Gatlinburg because we thought we'd be snowed in this morning. Turns out that we only got a dusting. But we're using the extra day to get a bunch of stuff done on the new Bonus Bedroom - like painting the room.
Check back later this week for all the details!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
A preview of next week in Gatlinburg
We had hoped to post a message a couple of days ago from Gatlinburg. We were only there for 24 hours, primarily to take down Christmas decorations. There is news! But a couple of things have stopped me from posting. So, rather than go any more days without a message, I'll give you a preview of what we hope to be able to show you next week.
First, All Decked Out has been REALLY "all decked out" - with a 70-foot tree on the deck. They had high winds in Gatlinburg a couple of weeks ago and we just found out that God deposited one of His trees on the lower deck. Here's the tree while it was still standing (the one on the right with the red arrow pointing to it:
The tree has now been removed and we hope to be able to show you pictures next week of both the tree on the deck and the removal process. There's quite a story associated with this, so stay tuned.............
Secondly, Smoky Mountain Tower. We're going back to Gatlinburg tomorrow (Sunday, 1/24). If everything works out, we plan to move the sofa-sleeper from the Bonus Room up to the Tower Room. If you've ever moved a sofa-sleeper, you know it's not an easy task. We have some strong guys coming to help, so please pray for safety for everybody - and for a successful move.
If it works, we then plan to make the Bonus Room into a bedroom. That means Smoky Mountain Tower will sleep 8 people - a 25% increase in sleeping space. Somebody will have to share a bathroom, but we know our guests will work that out.
We plan to post pictures of everything next Tuesday night or Wednesday, so please check back to find out what happened.
First, All Decked Out has been REALLY "all decked out" - with a 70-foot tree on the deck. They had high winds in Gatlinburg a couple of weeks ago and we just found out that God deposited one of His trees on the lower deck. Here's the tree while it was still standing (the one on the right with the red arrow pointing to it:
The tree has now been removed and we hope to be able to show you pictures next week of both the tree on the deck and the removal process. There's quite a story associated with this, so stay tuned.............
Secondly, Smoky Mountain Tower. We're going back to Gatlinburg tomorrow (Sunday, 1/24). If everything works out, we plan to move the sofa-sleeper from the Bonus Room up to the Tower Room. If you've ever moved a sofa-sleeper, you know it's not an easy task. We have some strong guys coming to help, so please pray for safety for everybody - and for a successful move.
If it works, we then plan to make the Bonus Room into a bedroom. That means Smoky Mountain Tower will sleep 8 people - a 25% increase in sleeping space. Somebody will have to share a bathroom, but we know our guests will work that out.
We plan to post pictures of everything next Tuesday night or Wednesday, so please check back to find out what happened.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Snow at All Decked Out
There has been quite a bit of snow in the mountains over Gatlinburg this winter. Traveling conditions aren't always the best when it snows, but roads are usually cleared pretty quickly. And when the sun comes out, it's a spectacular winter wonderland. So we thought you might like to see how beautiful it is around All Decked Out after a snowfall. Take a look!
Here's All Decked Out in the snow and sunshine.
The trees from the back deck are really beautiful.
This is across the street in front of our neighbors, Mike and Sally West.
As you can see, it's quite a sight. We hope you'll join us at All Decked Out this winter for great scenes like these. You can book your winter vacation at www.SmokiesRentDirect.com/availability.
Here's All Decked Out in the snow and sunshine.
The trees from the back deck are really beautiful.
This is across the street in front of our neighbors, Mike and Sally West.
As you can see, it's quite a sight. We hope you'll join us at All Decked Out this winter for great scenes like these. You can book your winter vacation at www.SmokiesRentDirect.com/availability.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Tower Room at Smoky Mountain Tower
We're still trying to figure out the best use of the Tower Room at Smoky Mountain Tower. These are our latest photos.
This view looks west, toward Ober Gatlinburg. You can see the exercise machine on the left, a little rolling table and the washer/dryer area.
Moving to the right, you can see the washer and dryer, plus the half bath and sink area. On the far right are the steps coming up from downstairs.
Keep on moving right. You can see a little closet door - that's the Tower Room heat pump. Then there's the TV, the door out to the deck, and our "Gazelle" exercise machine.
I'll tell you what we're thinking, but we don't know if it's possible. We'd like to move the queen sofa-sleeper from the Bonus Room up to the Tower Room. If we can do it (it's really heavy), we would then put a queen bed in the Bonus Room, and put vertical blinds over the doorway for privacy. That would provide room for 2 more people to sleep, although they'd have to share a bathroom.
What do you think? We'd love to hear from you about this - just write to Dave@SmokyMountainTower.com. Thanks!
This view looks west, toward Ober Gatlinburg. You can see the exercise machine on the left, a little rolling table and the washer/dryer area.
Moving to the right, you can see the washer and dryer, plus the half bath and sink area. On the far right are the steps coming up from downstairs.
Keep on moving right. You can see a little closet door - that's the Tower Room heat pump. Then there's the TV, the door out to the deck, and our "Gazelle" exercise machine.
I'll tell you what we're thinking, but we don't know if it's possible. We'd like to move the queen sofa-sleeper from the Bonus Room up to the Tower Room. If we can do it (it's really heavy), we would then put a queen bed in the Bonus Room, and put vertical blinds over the doorway for privacy. That would provide room for 2 more people to sleep, although they'd have to share a bathroom.
What do you think? We'd love to hear from you about this - just write to Dave@SmokyMountainTower.com. Thanks!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
All Decked Out Family Room
In case you haven't checked out our All Decked Out Web site recently, we've made a few changes in the Family Room on the lower level.
-We moved the queen sofa-sleeper to the wall next to the steps. As you can see, the pool table and Reader's Digest book collection are still there.
-We've also added a nice table and chairs, and a whole collection of board games (on the shelves behind the table).
So now our Family Room is also a Game Room, where the whole group can enjoy being together - playing pool, reading, playing games, or just enjoying some conversation. And there's no TV in this room - on purpose! Of course, the hot tub is just through the door to the lower deck. And there's a TV (and a phone and a bathroom) in the lower level bedroom.
We hope you will truly be able to relax in our Family Game Room at All Decked Out! You'll find all the information for making your reservations at our Web site - www.SmokiesRentDirect.com/All-Decked-Out.
-We moved the queen sofa-sleeper to the wall next to the steps. As you can see, the pool table and Reader's Digest book collection are still there.
-We've also added a nice table and chairs, and a whole collection of board games (on the shelves behind the table).
So now our Family Room is also a Game Room, where the whole group can enjoy being together - playing pool, reading, playing games, or just enjoying some conversation. And there's no TV in this room - on purpose! Of course, the hot tub is just through the door to the lower deck. And there's a TV (and a phone and a bathroom) in the lower level bedroom.
We hope you will truly be able to relax in our Family Game Room at All Decked Out! You'll find all the information for making your reservations at our Web site - www.SmokiesRentDirect.com/All-Decked-Out.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Big news for 2010
Happy New Year!
We promised you big news and here it is - a double blast!
First, we're putting All Decked Out back on overnight rental. This gives more flexibility for those who want 3 bedrooms. You can find all the information and book online at www.SmokiesRentDirect.com/All-Decked-Out.
Second, we want more people to stay with us at Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out. So we are cutting our rates by 14% (in case you're checking, the average rate cut for lodging was 9%). Our current nightly rate is only $129 - which is the lowest regular rate we've ever offered.
But our guests can now save even more if you stay before March 31, 2010. Check out these deals:
-Stay 3 nights for only $349 ($116.33 per night)
-Stay 4 nights for only $449 ($112.25 per night)
-Stay 5 nights for only $549 ($109.80 per night)
-Stay 6 nights for only $649 ($108.17 per night)
Do you see a pattern developing here? So you think 7 nights is $749?
WRONG!
This is our BEST DEAL EVER! Stay 7 nights and you only pay the 6-night rate of $649. That works out to only $92.71 per night! And that really is our lowest every rate - in more than 13 years of renting our cabins.
There are no catches: no cleaning fees, no registration fees, no security deposit when you pay by credit card. You can find the coupon codes for these rates on our Web sites under "Specials." But hurry - we expect the available dates to be snapped up very quickly!
We hope all this news truly will make your New Year happy!
We promised you big news and here it is - a double blast!
First, we're putting All Decked Out back on overnight rental. This gives more flexibility for those who want 3 bedrooms. You can find all the information and book online at www.SmokiesRentDirect.com/All-Decked-Out.
Second, we want more people to stay with us at Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out. So we are cutting our rates by 14% (in case you're checking, the average rate cut for lodging was 9%). Our current nightly rate is only $129 - which is the lowest regular rate we've ever offered.
But our guests can now save even more if you stay before March 31, 2010. Check out these deals:
-Stay 3 nights for only $349 ($116.33 per night)
-Stay 4 nights for only $449 ($112.25 per night)
-Stay 5 nights for only $549 ($109.80 per night)
-Stay 6 nights for only $649 ($108.17 per night)
Do you see a pattern developing here? So you think 7 nights is $749?
WRONG!
This is our BEST DEAL EVER! Stay 7 nights and you only pay the 6-night rate of $649. That works out to only $92.71 per night! And that really is our lowest every rate - in more than 13 years of renting our cabins.
There are no catches: no cleaning fees, no registration fees, no security deposit when you pay by credit card. You can find the coupon codes for these rates on our Web sites under "Specials." But hurry - we expect the available dates to be snapped up very quickly!
We hope all this news truly will make your New Year happy!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Good news and bad news...
First, the bad news:
-There are a lot of really nice folks who would like to spent the New Year's weekend in Gatlinburg. But they have waited until the last minute to start looking for a cabin to rent. We could probably have rented 25 cabins, if we had them to rent. We're still getting inquiries for people who want to arrive tomorrow afternoon! We've done our best to help folks by contacting the other owners in our Yahoo group, by checking literally hundreds of properties for availability, and even by checking for space among the better rental management companies. There's just nothing out there - at any price.
Now, the good news:
-The economy must be improving. We haven't had this many inquiries for a holiday period for over two years. We can all be thankful that folks are beginning to travel more.
But people have become used to being able to contact rental property owners at the last minute and finding open dates. Folks, that is changing. We can remember when Thanksgiving and Christmas would be booked by January 15. We're probably not at that point yet, but it's obvious that you can't wait until the last minute any longer.
Bottom line:
-Don't wait til the last minute, hoping to get a deal. More than likely, you'll save money all right - because you'll be spending your vacation at home!
Happy New Year. We've got great news coming, so please check back soon.
-There are a lot of really nice folks who would like to spent the New Year's weekend in Gatlinburg. But they have waited until the last minute to start looking for a cabin to rent. We could probably have rented 25 cabins, if we had them to rent. We're still getting inquiries for people who want to arrive tomorrow afternoon! We've done our best to help folks by contacting the other owners in our Yahoo group, by checking literally hundreds of properties for availability, and even by checking for space among the better rental management companies. There's just nothing out there - at any price.
Now, the good news:
-The economy must be improving. We haven't had this many inquiries for a holiday period for over two years. We can all be thankful that folks are beginning to travel more.
But people have become used to being able to contact rental property owners at the last minute and finding open dates. Folks, that is changing. We can remember when Thanksgiving and Christmas would be booked by January 15. We're probably not at that point yet, but it's obvious that you can't wait until the last minute any longer.
Bottom line:
-Don't wait til the last minute, hoping to get a deal. More than likely, you'll save money all right - because you'll be spending your vacation at home!
Happy New Year. We've got great news coming, so please check back soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
