For the Group Leader
You have a huge job, one many only do once in a life time, the rest end up medicated
after a few rounds; we want to make the accommodation and utility part of your job easier so we built this page to give you
a detailed outline of what we offer as far as amenities, a heads-up on some pitfalls and areas to consider. We host
over 800 guests a year and the majority of those guests are our reunioin groups. "Reunion Season" for
us is May 15 to Sept 31, however you are welcome anytime. Our average group size during this time is 20, so our rates
are based on a 20 person headcount. This comes from our experience withour own groups and with guest feedback.
Prioritize:
You may have already decided
on us, maybe not, here are some ideas to help you in making the best decision for your group:
There are a few things to think about and know as you search for a cabin;
Cabins with open calendars are that way for a reason; cabins that book a lot are usually worth
planning ahead and getting in to.
Cabins with no photos
are a red flag. Why isn't there a picture of the "top end cooks kitchen".... hmmmmmm.
Cabins with no guest comments: this may or may not be bad; it is a time laden
process to get them on to a site.
If
you find a place you love plan at the reunion to return while everyone is together. It may save you
100 emails and hours on the phone.
Duration: Most of the trips we have taken involve half a day packing, travel time, a couple hours
getting settled and then the reverse on the other end. If we are only staying two nights we find it not really worth
all of the hassle; adding a few extra days has always paid great dividends.
Acuracy: Come listings have truth stretching going on; speak
to the owner or someone who KNOWS the cabin concering the sticking points for your group. Get the real scoop. Recently
we booked a place in Hawaii and we traveled with a newborn... we specifically needed to be able to walk with the baby to the
beach and back while the other kids played. The listing said it was 300 feet to the beach, it was over half a mile.
The owner's apology for his 'oversight' did not change the fact that we spent a week in the wrong place.
Top priority: What is most important
to your group? price, dates, amenities, proximity to your group members, setting... getting what you want will be remembered.
Rate the above list,
your parameters and then prioritize... then be wise. -you may find a super deal and get there and realized you got a
cheap nightmare. DO YOUR RESEARCH!
Headcount:
We count all people, even kiddos; everyone has their own for of impact... adults use
utilities, babys secrete, launch and project bodily fluids, kids do that and more. Show me a 16mo old who eats
without making a mess and I'll rethink our headcount policy:)
Sleeping:
We have 4 bedrooms and a kids loft, two of those bedrooms are master bedrooms. The masters have one
queen or king and then floor space for kiddos. The upper master has several floor mattresses stored behind the headboard
and sleeping bags in the bench. I do not guarantee the cleanliness of the sleeping bags, if you use them please launder
them. We recommend getting two cabins if your group is over 25, though we have accommodated several more than that it
does get cozy. The ideal number in my opinion is 22, thus we have beds, pullouts and mattresses in the kids loft
for that very number. I have stayed with groups of 20, 22, and 26. We poll guests and friends and it seems that
at 22 you don't feel crowded, but it is full. This is for families, I do not recommend move than 18 adults. Some
of our summer reunion groups want to camp, we only recommend camping on the deck as we have many deer and moose etc in the
'yard' and would hate for someone to be stepped on or worse. please no ground camping.
Families:
We
have 4 private rooms and then two additional pullouts in the great room (queens) and then another pullout queen in the rec
room the max family count you will want is 6, unless you have some that want to do deck camping! We do also have the loft
but logistics make that preferential to just having older kiddos sleep there.
RVs:
There is space to pull an RV into our
parking area, though it will clog up the round-about but if you don't mind that you should be fine. We have pulled a
26ft trailer into the area (pulled by 4x4) and been okay, but it does get tight then. There are 2 parking lots that
may be available with a permit from the gate guard if needed, they are on the way in and are 1 and 1.5 miles away from the
cabin.
Kitchen:
Below is a full photo set of the kitchen, there are A LOT of cooking utensils.
Larger groups have told us plastic and paper make things easier, we do have tons of plates, we only have silverware for one
setting for about 20 guests, same with glasses, though about the same in plastic cups. We only have a standard sized fridge
though we plan to add an additional fridge in the spring of 2010. We have things like crock pot, waffle iron, mixers, etc.
If you have a special item you need please bring it. Please do not rely on ANY of the items in the photos to be there,
things do lose service or are used up without notice. These photos are to give you an idea of how we run things.
We ask that you leave more than you take and you always consider those coming after you.
Food:
Depending on group size you may want a few coolers to store food, and town is 15 mintues away... that said it always
seems to turn into a 90 minute venture to go into town and get something from the store... check your list before you head
up to the cabin! We plan to add an additional refrigerator in May for the 2010 summer season. Most groups now bring
a few coolers if they are bringing it all up at once. In my experience it is best to hold two days of food at a time and then
make a trip, for groups areound 20 we can easliy hold two days of food without 'FrostKing benches' everywhere.
Laundry:
We have full service laundry, high efficiency machines with all soaps included.
Games:
We have over 40 board games, we have a wii, couple xbox and xbox 360 consoles and games, though
our best games and gear are reserved for our VIP members and are locked up. So have your group bring any games
they are looking forward to, we have some but the best is reserved for our seasoned VIPs whom we know will care for the expensive
gear and games. We have over 40 DVDs and about 20 VHS movies.
Table Games:
We have pool, ping pong, Foosball,
chess, checkers..... the gamut.
Outdoor games:
a big outdoor game is usually fun, we have a huge deck that will seat over 20, we have many chairs
for this very reason. We have a few out door games; we though we have to tread carefully so we don't get sued.
So our horseshoes are light plastic, not the real deal. We have tetherball too, some swings and have vests for squirt
gun games that fill up with water as you get hit. We do not provide squirt guns though, they break too easily.
There is flat ground for games though there are a lot of picker plants, FYI. Despite how much abatement we do they keep
coming back.
Deck:
As mentioned, we have a 12x20ft deck, it is great for getting everyone together outside without
dealing with prickly mountain ground. It is Trex, so no splinters, though it can get hot on the surface; it is mostly
in the shade by lunch so plan accordingly. It is a great place for breakfast! We do have a few portable tables though
we have yet to find a good solution for these as they keep being broken.
Greatroom:
You can get 30 people seated
in the greatroom, though not in one big happy circle, they are together in one room. The dining room table seats 12,
the bar 4 and couches and bench for another 14-16. That furniture is in the room and does not need to be moved to pull it
off.
Reviews:
I have to give you the lowdown on guest reviews... so it amazes me what people say about cabins;
we can have 5 groups booked back to back, everyone having the same cabin, same experience, similar weather and same everything
and 4 will have the time of their lives and then the one group who just are never happy. So no one ever leaves bad stuff
in our guest book, but we get feedback from guests directly and we track this and make adjustments to be the best. With
that in mind I want to tell you what I have learned about people: If you are high maintenance, require surgical cleanliness
and everything must be perfect you probably don't want to do your reunion at a cabin, a hotel may suit you best. We
are, according to seasoned cabin guests, the cleanest, the best stocked, the cabin with the best entertainment, games, amenities,
things for babies, things for kids, operations, staff, communication and systems that you will find in a cabin. We have
been told this dozens of times by guests who frequent cabins. We have also on occasion been told that things were dirty,
entertainment was only "ok" and that they would never return by guests; these were almost entirely people who had
never stayed in a cabin before. So if you are used to the Ritz Carlton and your family will ONLY stay at 5 stars
I will steer you away from us and all reunion cabins as I don't know that you will find what you will be happy with.
We have so many guests that pour praise over us that we have realized we will never please everyone, only 92% of everyone.
