SROA's January Aquatics Update

We're happy to report that the three owner workshops held in Portland, Eugene, and Sunriver mid-January were deemed a huge success by the majority of the more than 200 homeowners who attended. The purpose of these sessions was to allow the Group Mackenzie design team to share their initial vision for aquatics and Amphitheater site design, ask specific questions of owners, and have homeowners share their views of what would be best for Sunriver in terms of the site's development.

Attendees were asked to complete detailed questionnaires which Group Mackenzie collected and then tabulated and analyzed the results. They are using this data along with the wealth of information already available to them, to create refined amenity options and plans for the site. Group Mackenzie will present their work to date at another owners workshop at the Great Hall in Sunriver on Saturday, February 6 from 4 to 7 p.m.

This is not the end of the process. We will be using our Web site to keep you up to date on the progress and provide an ongoing opportunity for you to comment. Group Mackenzie will continue to refine their proposal during February and March, and present a conceptual plan for the 22-acre site and amenity construction cost estimates at the March 20 SROA Board of Directors meeting. The board will then have about one month to prepare the ballot measure for the 2010 annual election.

If you attended one of the January workshops, thank you. Your participation is essential to achieve what is best for Sunriver. We hope you continue to be engaged in this development process and look forward to seeing you at future owner forums and workshops.

John Salzer (Aquatics/Amphitheater Communications Task Force)

Dynamic Pricing: It's Here! Are You Ready?

As today's world of e-commerce continues to evolve and grow, it has become clear that variable, dynamic pricing is a key factor to success. Consumers are quickly getting accustomed to negotiating prices or finding the best-price using various search engines that have sky-rocketed in popularity for purchasing hotel rooms, airline tickets, etc. Gone are the days of buyers passively accepting what is posted as "the price". Our new reality is a more savvy, price-conscious consumer looking for the best deal possible. Don't we all want a good deal these days?

How does this translate to the world of vacation rental properties? With the economy down, the trend in dynamic pricing and flexibility with terms has increased. There is been a noticeable increase in the number of guests who can only afford a 3 or 4 day summer vacation, instead of the 5-7+ day period we expected in past years. Some guests are nervous about their employment status and concerned about the financial commitment to a vacation if their job future is unclear. Moreover, vacationers (like everyone) are trying to do more with less. We have seen a marked increase in people booking at the last minute, agreeing to take what is left over in hopes they will receive a major price reduction. This has always been a component in our industry during the winter, as ski season conditions can fluctuate from day to day, week to week. But this trend is spilling into the summer and holiday periods as well.

Our close industry cousin, the Hotel/Motel industry, has been quick to accept this new reality and have embraced the use of various search engines to tabulate truly dynamic pricing. The vacation rental industry has been slower to respond to this popular trend. However, it is becoming increasing obvious that the time has come to give this topic more attention and continue to make pricing changes to the homes in our rental pool, as needed. The goal is simple: maximize the number of nights booked. Gene Bennington uses the analogy of shoes. If a retail store has a pair of shoes for sale and they don't sell on Monday, the store still has the product to try and sell on Tuesday or Wednesday, etc. However, if a vacation rental or hotel room doesn't sell on Monday, then it is over and there is no way to recapture that night's revenue ever again.

In an effort to address this clearly emerging trend, we have spent more and more time contacting our homeowners and floating proposed reservations that do not meet the nightly rate minimum, with the understanding that "something is usually better than nothing". Most owners really appreciate this effort and graciously accept the proposed rate reduction. Time is of the essence when trying to land a booking. Our goal is to convert every inquiry call into a booking and when we stop and contact owners for permission it can sometimes translate into a delay that results in losing a prospective rental. The more autonomy owners allow us to exercise in the reservations department, the quicker and more responsive our service.

Everyone is getting acclimated to the new economy and here at Bennington Properties we want to be on the cutting edge and earn every dollar possible for you. Some owners agree with this in philosophy yet have had some challenges in keeping track of the actual revenue since there is now more variation in the pricing. To see the actual revenue associated with each booking, owners can go in their Bennington Owner's web page and click "Rentals". In that page, click "View Rentals" to see the actual prices, including gross rent, commission and charges associated with that rental, and net to owner.

Please take some time and let us know your thoughts on this. We can make notes in your Owner file granting authorization to do what we see is best and that can help save time and gain in nights booked for your home. Contact Deb Nikita (deb@benningtonproperties.com) or Robert Bennington (robert@benningtonproperties.com) for more on this.

Valentine Dinner & Concert - Music Festival

VALENTINE DINNER & CONCERT – Sunriver Music Festival will hold its annual Valentine Dinner & Concert Sunday, Feb 14th, at 6 pm in Sunriver Resort’s Great Hall. The Tom Grant Jazz Trio will perform romantic love songs along with some upbeat jazz pieces, some of which are original compositions. A 3-course dinner will be offered by Sunriver Resort’s chefs & will include a complimentary beverage from the bar. $75 per person. Info & reservations – 541-593-9310.

2010 Events at Sunriver Nature Center

January 15 – 6:30 pm
Darwin’s Puzzles: The Evolution of Sex and Death
Sunriver Nature Center, Sunriver. Part of the Darwin’s Legacy Series. Tickets required in advance or at the door. Click here for more info.

January 16, 30 & February 13, 27
Saturdays 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
SNOWSHOE NATURE WALKS *
Meet at the Nature Center. Carpool with other guests to local snow parks and explore winter in the forest with a naturalist. Bring snacks, water and your own snowshoes. Call for Reservations 593-4394 Max. group = 15 $7 Adults $4 Children Members: $3 Adults $2 Children

February 12 – 6:30 pm
Genetics and the Origin of the Species
Sunriver Nature Center, Sunriver. Part of the Darwin’s Legacy Series. Tickets required in advance or at the door. Click here for more info.

February 13 Saturday
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
BALD EAGLES in OREGON
Join us for a slideshow presentation about one of Sunriver’s largest predators. Program included with NC admission. $3 Adults Children $1 Members Free

March 12– 6:30 pm
Each of us is a Galapagos: the wonderful and bizarre world of microbial evolution?
Sunriver Nature Center, Sunriver. Part of the Darwin’s Legacy Series. Tickets required in advance or at the door. Click here for more info.

March 20 Saturday
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Spring Equinox
Join us for day of exploring how the natural world rejuvenates itself after the long winter season for this year’s Spring Equinox. $3 Adults Children $2 Members Free

March 26 Friday
7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m
Tales of Mystery & Imagination: EARTH
How significant is our planet in the Universe? Find out how Earth compares with our neighbors in our solar system and beyond. What we know today will surprise you $9 Adults, $6 Children, Members Free

Spring Break Kids’ Classes
*March 24 Wednesday 10:00 a.m. - noon
Young Explorers = Ages 4-6 Topic: Tracks
Junior Explorers = Ages 7-10 Topic: Reptiles Cost: $15 /Members $13.50

*March 25 Thursday 10:00 a.m. - noon
Rocketeers must be ages 8 & up Topic: Rocket Science Cost: $20 /Members $18

*March 26 Friday 10:00 a.m. - noon Young Explorers = Ages 4-6 Topic: Dinosaurs
Junior Explorers = Ages 7-10 Topic: Mammals Cost: $15 /Members $13.50

April 16 – 6:30 pm
Evolution of Complexity: Inside Darwin’s Black Box
Sunriver Nature Center, Sunriver. Part of the Darwin’s Legacy Series. Tickets required in advance or at the door. Click here for more info.

April 3, 10, 17, & 24 Thursdays
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
SPRING FAMILY FORAYS
For pre-schoolers, parents and grandparents.
All ages are encouraged to join a naturalist for a nature walk exploring the wonders of early Spring in Sunriver. $3 Adults $2 Children (ages 2-5) Members Free

June 17 – 6:30 pm
Evolution and Religion: Is There Room for Both?
Wille Hall, COCC Campus, Bend. Part of the Darwin’s Legacy Series. Tickets required in advance or at the door. Click here for more info.

October 8 – 6:30 pm
Evolution of Human and Primate Behavior
Sunriver Nature Center, Sunriver. Part of the Darwin’s Legacy Series. Tickets required in advance or at the door. Click here for more info.

November 18 – 6:30
What does it All Mean?
Wille Hall, COCC Campus, Bend. Part of the Darwin’s Legacy Series. Tickets required in advance or at the door. Click here for more info.

* Preregistration required. Call (541) 593-4394

Vacation Rental Trends in Sunriver

The days of white walls, hand me down furniture, and one TV are over as far as the Vacation Rental industry is concerned. It wasn't too long ago that we were asking all of our owners to switch from VCR to DVD players. Now guests expect flat panel TVs and wireless internet. To say times are changing fast in the Vacation Rental industry would be an understatement. To help you keep your property competitive, we suggest you consider the following trends for Sunriver Vacation Properties:

1. King is King!!! When they have the option, most guests will always choose a king bed over a queen bed.

2. TV/DVD player in every room. Who doesn't watch TV in bed?

3. Warm paint colors throughout the house.

4. Update those comforters. Guests love to be spoiled in the bedroom. Bedding trends change almost as often as clothing trends. We suggest you invest in an inexpensive comforter, shams, and matching bed skirt every year or at least every other year. It helps keep your bedrooms fresh and up to date.

5. Artwork - bigger the better. Remember the days when you could fill a wall with hundreds of small framed pieces and it looked nice? Not anymore. Fill that wall space with large, nicely framed pieces. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it better look expensive.

6. Sleep what you can fit at the table. It used to be that you could get away with sleeping 12, but only having an 8 person dining room table. Today, its better to have more options for fewer people, then to try and maximize your sleeping capacity. Don't get me wrong, you still want to try and appeal to the largest number of people, but ask yourself whether the number your property "can" sleep is really the most comfortable for your guests. Consider turning a room into a bonus room with pool table, ping pong, or foosball. Or make it an entertainment room with couches and TV. Or how about that living room? Can the whole family sit and watch a movie together?

7. Got Blueprints? More and more guests are asking to see the blueprints of our properties. They want to see where the bedrooms are located compared to the living room. How many doors lead to the hot tub? Where are all the bathrooms located?

Letter from SROA re: Aquatics

We want to remind you that the Aquatics and Amphitheater Site Design Workshops with Group Mackenzie kick off tomorrow night in Portland, followed by Eugene on Thursday night and Sunriver on Saturday afternoon.

Input from owners that Group Mackenzie gathers at these workshops will influence the conceptual plans they create for new aquatic facilities and other amenities at the Amphitheater site. Their initial designs will be presented at the February 6 workshop in Sunriver. Following that workshop, the Group Mackenzie team will concentrate on refining the conceptual designs and putting together the construction cost estimates for aquatics and other components which might be included in the site development. They will present the refined design and cost estimates at the March 20 board meeting in Sunriver.

The best possible conceptual design cannot be achieved without your input. If you can't attend one of the workshops, please make a point of visiting the SROA Web site often (www.sunriverowners.org) to check the Aquatics and Amphitheater Development pages. The link is the first item under SROA News & Notices in the teal menu bar. Periodic updates will be made throughout the design process - whenever we have new information to share. And beginning tomorrow, you'll also be able to fill out and submit a comment/suggestion/question form that targets the aquatics/Amphitheater site development issue. Please share your thoughts about what's best for Sunriver by attending a workshop or through our online interface. We want to know what you think - and we're listening.

Workshop schedule:

January 13, 2010 - Wednesday, 6 to 9pm - Portland
Embassy Suites Hotel Washington Square
9000 SW Washington Square Rd., Tigard

January 14, 2010 - Thursday, 6 to 9pm - Eugene
Phoenix Inn, 850 Franklin Blvd.

January 16, 2010 - Saturday, 1 to 4pm - Sunriver
SROA Administration Building, 57455 Abbot Drive

February 6, 2010 - Saturday, 4 to 7pm - Sunriver
SROA Administration Building, 57455 Abbot Drive