|
Dear GullWing Unit Owners,
Greetings from Fort Myers Beach!
This year’s snow and cold weather has certainly driven
many individuals south to our warm climate. Season is
definitely upon us, and the resort is doing well. We
were able to take advantage of our slightly slower time
period prior to season to get some of our projects for
this year done so everyone could enjoy them during
season. The season months are booking up very nicely
for the resort and all signs are pointing to a good
season once again for GullWing.
In the last newsletter, I mentioned
a few projects that we had been working on and progress
has continued.
The new lounge chairs were
delivered in January, and everyone has been enjoying
them so far. In addition to the new lounge chairs, we
were working on replacing the deck boards for the gazebo
and boardwalk. Both of these projects are now complete,
and we have received many positive comments on the
upgraded appearance of both. In order to finish it off
nicely, we are going to be redoing the grill stations
and countertops in the gazebo area. Be sure to check it
out on your next visit.
The painting of the pool fence has
been put on hold until season is over. This is a very
time consuming project, and we are planning on
scheduling it while the resort is slow so we don’t
inconvenience the guests.
As I mentioned, Season is
definitely here, and the resort is full. January
continued to be a good month for the resort, and owner
distributions were comparable to last year’s record
setting distribution. February was also a good month
for the resort. Occupancy was up 3 percentage points
compared to last year, and our ADR (Average Daily Rate)
was up over $17.00 or 5%.
March is also looking very strong
this year. The resort is nearing peak occupancy for the
month. We certainly have many owner reservations
scheduled for the month as well, and I look forward to
seeing everyone while they are here.
April is the first month that is
looking slower then last year. This is primarily due to
the Easter holiday falling a week earlier this year
giving us one less week of our season rates.
Reservations are still coming in for the month so we are
still optimistic for a good month.
The beginning of our summer season
is booking slower then we like to see. We believe this
is due to various reasons. The recent trend has shown
us a shorter booking window for GullWing. In addition,
the two very active hurricane seasons have forced people
to schedule their Florida trips earlier in the summer to
avoid the peak season. We are hoping that after last
year’s quiet season, guests are not as worried about
making those early trips, and reservations will spread
out through all the summer months.
I am not sure if anyone has noticed
yet, but we recently upgraded our online reservation
site. The new reservation site is a more cost efficient
way for us to receive our online bookings, allows us the
opportunity to provide additional services that guest
can purchase while they are making their reservations,
and allows us additional options for maximizing the
resorts revenue. If you have not seen it recently,
please visit
www.GullWingFL.com to see it for yourself.
As you can see, we have definitely
had a couple very busy months, and we know the next
couple will be even busier. I know several owners have
booked their spring trip, and I look forward to seeing
you while you are enjoying the warm weather. Please
feel free to stop by and say hi especially if I have not
had the opportunity to meet you yet.
As always, I invite you to contact
me with any questions, concerns, or suggestions that you
may have. You can contact me by phone at (239) 765-4300
or by email at
CurtB@SunStream.com.
I hope you have a wonderful spring,
and look forward to seeing you soon.
Sincerely,
Curt Brenner
General Manager
|
