Bonfire Snowshoe Events this week.

Wanderlust Tours is holding its Bonfire on the Snow events on Wednesday & Thursday (New Year’s Eve), Dec 30th & 31st. New Year’s Eve event is $85 per person, 9 pm to 1 am, & geared to adults. Wednesday event is $75 per person & includes transportation, snowshoes, guide, drinks & catered desserts. Kids 8 & older are welcome. Begins at 7 pm & reservations are required. Info & reservations – 541-389-8359 or http://www.wanderlusttours.com/

Area code dialing required starting 1/10/2010

Starting Jan 10th, all Oregonians in the 541 area code must dial all ten digits of the phone number (including area code) to make a local call. This change is being made in conjunction with the use of the new 458 area code. Residents and businesses should verify that their phone equipment can complete calls to the new 458 area code. To test your equipment’s capability, call the Bend test number at 458-333-8373. Info – 800-522-2404.

Ad for Central Oregon on TripAdvisor

This year, when travelers visit the TripAdvisor website for advice and reviews on where they should vacation, Central Oregon will be showcased as a possibility.

The Central Oregon Visitors Association (COVA) is promoting the natural beauty and recreational opportunities of the region in a "Spotlight Destination Ad" to the over 25 million monthly unique visitors who visit the popular user generated travel advice website.

This free online destination marketing feature is a fantastic opportunity to interest travelers in learning more about Central Oregon. To view the ad, click here.

All Bennington Properties' homes have been featured on TripAdvisor since 2008. Combine that with COVA's new ad and our properties have great exposure going into 2010.

Christmas in Sunriver

CHRISTMAS EVE MENU AT THE TROUT HOUSE – The Trout House restaurant at the Marina will offer a special Christmas Eve menu that is sure to add to your holiday cheer! Entrees include Slow Roasted Prime Rib of Beef, Veal Ossobuco, and Oven Roasted Pacific Steelhead. The Trout House also has a new dinner menu available. Info & reservations – 541-593-8880.

CHRISTMAS EVE CHURCH SERVICES – The Community Bible Church of Sunriver invites area residents and visitors to join its congregation for two Christmas Eve services at 5 and 6:30 pm. Services will feature carol singing, special music & a meaningful message. Located at Beaver & Theatre Drives in Sunriver. Info – 541-593-8342 or http://www.cbchurchsr.org/

MUSIC FESTIVAL OFFERS GIFT IDEAS – Sunriver Music Festival is selling festival posters, note cards, travel mugs, wine glasses & selected wines from Duck Pond and Eola Hills Winery . . . all to benefit the Festival’s music program. Located in building #25 in The Village at Sunriver. Info – 541-593-1084.

Triplet Update

The triplets are all doing great. The babies took their first trip to Sunriver to stay at Grandma and Grandpa Bennington's for Thanksgiving! Unfortunately, the girls each had to get FIVE shots the day before, so they weren't feeling too good and were pretty fussy but they still managed to have fun playing with Grandma and Grandpa (thank goodness for Tylenol!). Audrey started standing up, first on people's laps and then whenever and wherever she could! She still needs some hand-holding to stay up, but once up, she locks her little legs in place and just smiles and smiles. All three babies got weighed this week, and are definitely growing at their own paces! Audrey (the happy medium) was just under 15lbs, little Gracie was just about 10lbs, and Oliver was a whopping 17.4lbs!!! Grandpa must have been slipping him some turkey during Thanksgiving dinner! For more frequent photos and updates about the triplets, please visit our personal blog at http://benningtonsinbend.blogspot.com

All dressed up for the Oregon State Football game.

Audrey, Grace, and Oliver Bennington.

Mr. Bennington Junior

Gene Bennington (grandpa) with Oliver.

Penny Bennington (grandma) feeding Audrey.

Daddy and Grace (our littlest)

The Benningtons (I still can't believe we have three children).

Kelly Riley-Jones joins the Bennington team

We are thrilled to announce the addition of Kelly Riley-Jones to the Bennington Team. Kelly and her husband Rick had their home, 6 Wallowa Lane, on our vacation rental program for many years before they decided to move to Sunriver permanently in early 2009. In May of this year, Kelly joined our team to assist our reservations department at the front desk. Kelly loves Sunriver and it is apparent in everything that she does. We were flattered to find out that the only place Kelly would consider working in Sunriver is at Bennington Properties. Kelly has quickly become a valuable member of the Bennington Team and we feel very fortunate to have her with us. Next time you are in Sunriver please stop by and meet a fellow property owner turned employee.

kelly@benningtonproperties.com

Ideas to Increase Revenue

1. Price reduction - often a simple price reduction can increase the yearly revenue on a property considerably (see details below).

2. Advertise to co-workers, friends, and relatives. For every referral you send us for your property, we will reduce the commission on that booking to 25% (28.5% discount).

3. Add amenities - ping pong tables, foosball, pool tables, TVs, DVD players

4. Update furnishings - It doesn’t have to be anything too expensive. Sometimes just new bed spreads and a fresh coat of paint can make a huge difference on how the photos of your property look online.

There are many ways to develop and maintain a successful vacation rental. Three key factors continue to be the most important elements to reach success. First, attractive, themed and contemporary rentals continue to rise and become top producers. They photograph well and those images are the primary factor that guests rely upon when booking their vacation. Second, pricing is very important, especially in this new economy. Some owners have opted to try a price reduction, some are offering a free 4th night (often through our “Hot Deals” program), and some are offering other goodies, such as pre-paid gift cards. Third, homes with additional special features, such as foosball, ping pong, pool, etc tend to do well because these options offer fun for a wide variety of ages.

Please take a close look at your property’s webpage and see how it compares with the competition. If you want to improve your bookings, consider how the furnishings, floor plan and pricing look against other homes in a similar bracket. We have helped improve bookings and revenue for many owners over the years and are here to help if you are interested. We can help you prioritize where you are likely to get the most “bang for the buck”.

Our goal has been to try and be responsive to the different reservation patterns that have been emerging. We continue to have a higher booking average over our competition, but, like with all things in life, there is room for continued improvement. As you see various options being offered, ask yourself if this is something you would like to try, in an effort to increase your bookings. We welcome your input and appreciate having your eyes on the webpage to make sure we are maximizing your potential for bookings. For web and photo requests, please contact Daniel Nikita at Daniel_nikita@msn.com.

Kerri Kurtz joins the Bennington team.

We are excited to announce the addition of Kerri Kurtz to our reservations team. Kerri is a 2008 graduate of the University of Oregon where she majored in General Social Science and minored in Business and Trampoline - yes that is the trampoline you jump on (you will have to ask her about that). Kerri and her family have lived in the Sunriver area for over 12 years. Kerri joined us in October after spending the last 4 summers running the golf course beverage cart for Sunriver Resort. Kerri is an outdoor enthusiast and she brings with her a deep knowledge of Central Oregon along with a strong desire to serve her customers. We feel very fortunate to have found such a well educated, conscientious, and bright young lady to join our team.
kerri@benningtonproperties.com

Village at Sunriver Holiday Events

SANTA & HIS ELF HELP PROMOTE VILLAGE – Village at Sunriver has scheduled a number of holiday festivities & events that will take place Dec 19th thru 24th in the Village. These include Shop With Santa visits & Holiday Craft Time with Santa’s Elf that can be held in Village stores & offices for their customers.

VILLAGE AT SUNRIVER HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES – Bldg #10 (previously Sun Country Tours) will be transformed into the North Pole beginning Saturday, Dec 19th, with Santa & his Elf on hand for photos with kids. Hours to follow. Bend High School’s Dynamics Elite Jazz Choir will bring caroling cheer to various locations in the Village Dec 19th thru 24th. Locations & schedule will be available by Dec 19th. Info – 541-633-9600.

Dates set for owner workshops

To facilitate direct access between owners and the design team selected for the development of the amphitheater site, SROA has scheduled four workshops in January and early February. Further details on the workshop locations will come to you by e-mail and postcard later this month. But be sure to mark your calendars now. This is the main opportunity within the design process for Sunriver owners to influence the character of the facilities that are included in the proposed amphitheater development.

January 13, 2010 - Wednesday, 6 to 9pm, Portland

January 14, 2010 - Thursday, 6 to 9pm, Eugene

January 16, 2010 - Saturday, 1 to 4pm, Sunriver
This workshop follows the January board meeting

February 6, 2010 - Saturday afternoon, Sunriver