There are BAD People out there!

In the years since we first started our blog, all our posts have been positive. This one isn't.

We just went through an experience earlier this week where we found that a Web site had stolen our advertising listings for Smoky Mountain Tower and All Decked Out from one of the many sites where we advertise. The scam site - bidvacationrentals.com - took the listings from HomeAway, which is the largest company in the vacation rental business and is a legitimate advertising site. The bidvacationrentals scammers apparently posted our cabins on their site, but they listed their phone number.

Here's how the scam worked. Unsuspecting guests would call them to rent a cabin. Bidvacationrental would take the money, but wouldn't tell us (or anyone else listed on their site) about the reservation. The guest would never get any more information about directions or the check-in procedures. Thus, the guest was cheated out of their money, but would be upset with us - thinking we had cheated them!

We hope this never happens to you. Here are a few things to watch for, as it specifically relates to us:

1. We have only one site through which we take reservations and payments. It's www.ivacationonline.com. NEVER pay anyone else for a reservation at our cabins.

2. Be especially careful of sites like CraigsList. The scam sites are notorious for getting listings from CraigsList. We never knowingly advertise there, although our listings have showed up there.

3. If you're looking for a vacation rental other than Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out, we suggest you look for any particular property on Google. Try to find the owner's Web site and get information directly. If in doubt, find a phone number and call the owner.

4. Do not make a reservation or give your credit card number out over the phone. In today's world, you should be able to do everything online. When you call a listing site, you don't really know who you are talking to. Yes, we know there are many Gatlinburg management companies who only take reservations by phone. But it's just too easy today to "steal" their phone numbers and redirect them to another phone.

5. If you EVER have any questions about Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out, call us on the ONLY number we have listed - 865-325-9888. You will be connected with Marcia Russell, Angie Jones, or Dave Baseler (that's me, and I'm the owner). If you get anybody else, PLEASE contact us by email immediately - dave@smokiesrentdirect.com.

We are being more diligent than ever to look for these bogus Web sites. There ARE bad people out there. So if you have any questions or if we can help make your Gatlinburg vacation more enjoyable, please call or write to us.

It's so nice to be missed!

In our last post, we told you about our recent trip. A couple of days ago, we got the following email from Elsie, who lives in Texas. Elsie and her family stayed at Smoky Mountain Tower last year. Here's what she said:

"Dave, I missed you while you were gone. I have a habit of just checking your web site to see what is new. We stayed there last May and were so happy with the ease of renting with your family that I keep up with what you are doing. If we ever decide to stay in that area again we definitely will book one of your houses. I just wish you had a house to rent somewhere else in other states. I try to find somewhere new and interesting to go to each time. We have visited all 50 states and a number of other countries.

"We have rented quite a few homes over the past 10 or 12 years and have never had an experience of renting like we did with you. It was great. I spread the news to every one I know that might go in that direction.

"I'm glad you had a good cruise."

Thank you, Elsie. We have often said that our guests are the best - and Else just proved it again!

"Where have you been?"

Yeah, I know - it's been 11 days since we last posted. Well, we took a vacation! We actually went on a Caribbean cruise with Marcia and her family - so both of us were out of touch.

But, thankfully, our 'original Gatlinburg daughter' - Angie - took over for us and handled everything with her usual fine expertise. Almost 5 years ago, Angie got everything set up for us when we first started renting out Smoky Mountain Tower and All Decked Out ourselves. She figured out the whole process, found a credit card company for us, designed our Web sites, and took care of all our reservations (and a whole lot more) for a couple of years. But as her family started to grow, she needed to spend more time taking care of her husband and raising her two boys.

However, whenever we need to get away for a little R&R, Angie is there to step back in. So THANK YOU VERY MUCH, Angie, for your great help and service.

And lest you think our time away was all fun, we actually looked at another possible cabin for purchase just outside Cozumel, Mexico - so we could offer you some variety in your vacation plans. However, as you'll see, it's not quite up to our standards:


Okay, just kidding. These are Mayan ruins in Mexico! But seriously, Marcia and I did spend some time talking about Gatlinburg and how we can make some improvements in our service for our guests. We even bought some expensive Internet time on our ship so we could stay in touch with Angie and answer any questions that might come up.

Stay tuned - we're working on some more ideas for you. Meanwhile, if YOU have some things you'd like us to offer or some changes you think we should make, please let us know.

The BIG NEWS at Smoky Mountain Tower!

Here's the scoop. Guests who stay at Smoky Mountain Tower now have full access to the

Garage!

That's right. We have cleaned out the garage, installed a new garage door opener, put a key pad just outside the garage door, and are making it available to all our guests - at no extra charge!

Here's what the garage looks like from the driveway, right by the front door:


You can see the key pad on the right side of the door frame. There is also a door control inside the garage, right next to the door that goes into the cabin.


Our good friend, Mark Kalinowski, has made all this possible. He cleaned out all the "junk," installed some previously-used kitchen cabinets to hold the supplies and tools we need, and put up the garage door opener.


Of all the cabins in Chalet Village, there are only a handful that have garages. As far as we know, most of the others charge extra for garage use. Not us!

So, what do you think? Is this new amenity something you will find useful? We hope so! For more information, check out the special page on our Web site by clicking here.

And please let us know what you think!

Jimmy has you covered!

Earlier, we told you about the maintenance we did at Smoky Mountain Tower and All Decked Out last week. Now we can SHOW you!

One of the jobs we do every year is to change all the batteries in all the TV/DVD remotes, in all the clocks, and especially in all the smoke alarms. We actually test the alarms regularly. But we have found that, even though the batteries are still good, it's wise to change them on an annual basis.

We also bring in Rapid Fire Equipment from Sevierville and have them check all our fire extinguishers. We have a fire extinguisher on every floor at All Decked Out, and on every floor but the Queen Bonus Room at Smoky Mountain Tower.

Ever since we have owned our cabins, Jimmy has been checking the fire extinguishers every year. As you can see, he thoroughly inspects and tests the unit, then retags it for the proper year. Here he is in the kitchen at All Decked Out.


If you look carefully, you can see the white label on the cabinet door that lets you know the fire extinguisher is located under the sink.

We're very thankful to have Jimmy and his team taking good care of us - and YOU.


Jimmy is just one of a number of people who are working to make your stay at our cabins more enjoyable. He - and all of us - have you covered, in more ways than you can every imagine!

We saw the LIGHT!

Congratulations to everybody who guessed our new addition on the side of the garage at Smoky Mountain Tower. You were right! It's a new motion sensor light, mounted just above the key box. Here's a daytime picture:



Here's how it looks with the light on at night:


Now, here are two broader views. The first one is with the light off. The second one is with the light on:



Okay, now let's try an experiment. I took a short video to show how the light works. It features our great maintenance man, Mark Kalinowski, who actually installed the light. Take a look:


There is still more BIG news coming. Anybody have a guess on what it is? Keep checking!

What's NEW at Smoky Mountain Tower - part 1

If you've been reading our posts, you know I was in Gatlinburg for the past two days. Remember the list? Well, I got ALMOST everything done!

• I installed 50 new batteries, and we got all 6 fire extinguishers checked - including replacing one because it was out of date.
• The Welcome Notebooks are up to date, including new TV channel lists and new Club House pass discount lists.
• There's a new guest book at Smoky Mountain Tower.
• New phone books are in place at both cabins.

But that's just the beginning! There's new bedding at Smoky Mountain Tower on the main floor king bed. Take a look:


Even better, we now have made it easier for our guests who have to arrive after dark. I'll tell you more about this in another post, but here's a teaser:


Can you see what we've added in this night-time picture? Sent a reply if you spotted it.

That's just PART of what's new. You'll have to come back to find out more.