It s late February as I write this and its time to ramp up for another busy and exciting year. Although you may think that it s quiet here during the winter, the crew at head office and some of our managers have been very busy. In my letter to you, I will update you as usual on What s Happening, present and future. This is a special year as it is our 25th Anniversary. Wow, a quarter of a century, how time flies! We are planning to do a number of things this year to celebrate this milestone and to thank all our members for their loyalty and support over the years. I can still recall the very first member appreciation weekend at Camperland back in 1984. It was our first year as an H.T.R. member park and I had this idea that we would put on a barbeque and pancake breakfast to introduce ourselves to the members. A letter was sent out and I stocked up on lots of food, but we only had a total of 11 members at that first barbeque. My how we ve grown! For a number of years now, we have had 5 member appreciation weekends at our different parks serving hundreds and hundreds of burgers and pancakes. There will be a number of special events happening this year on those weekends to celebrate our 25th, so plan to be at one of them. Despite the fact that more and more RV parks are closing in BC and Alberta, HTR continues to grow and at this time we have expansion projects underway at 4 of our Resorts. Mike Barker, VP of Operations, has been very busy dealing with both Local and Provincial Government agencies and the endless reams of paper work that seems to grow every time we want to do something. With respect to future expansion of additional parks, I would like to thank the members that have sent us information on parks and land that might be workable for us. I will be looking at a couple of sites in the Central Okanagan in April as well as some First Nations land in the lower mainland. You will receive updates on this and many other things at the member meetings in the spring. As I write this, another submission is being prepared to send to the Land Commission regarding our Osoyoos property. The OCP was completed some time ago and in a meeting a number of months ago with the town and Highways, we were advised by Highways that they would also send a strong letter of support for the removal of our land from the A.L.R. as the town and Highways want to build a new road on the upper part of our property from Highway #3 to Lakeshore Road. This new controlled intersection will also provide better access to the Osoyoos Indian Band and to the numerous ventures that are currently in place on their property. With no new public RV parks being built and continued closures, it is going to get more difficult for present and future RV ers to find places to camp. You have my assurance that you, the members, will always come first at our parks and as we continue to grow by signing up new members, we will continue to expand our facilities as required. On a sad note, Margot Bartsch, our VP of Business Development recently advised me that she would be leaving the company at the end of March to pursue other business ventures. In her almost 3 years with HTR, Margot was instrumental in initiating numerous positive changes that, without question, contributed to our continued growth. We at HTR wish her well in her new business ventures. The RV shows, I am advised, went very well again this year. Lots of interest in our membership sales and, year to date, we are already way ahead of 2007. RV sales remain strong in BC and Alberta and that stat looks well for continued growth of our company. At this time, I would like to wish all of you Happy Camping for the approaching camping season and, of course, will see and talk to many of you as we get together to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. Regards, Kevin Demers HTR President Resort News Spring 2008
Membership Appreciation Dates CAMPERLAND: non-retired members May 16/17/18 Sat: 2pm meeting Call in April 19 4:30-7:00pm BBQ 8:30 entertainment Sun: 8-10 pancake breakfast CEDARS: May 23/24/25 Sat: Evening dance Call in April 19 Sun: 8 am -10 am pancake breakfast 2pm meeting 4:30pm dinner CAMPERLAND: Retired Members and May 23/24/25 ones that didn t make Call in April 20 Sat: 2:30 pm meeting the previous weekend. Sun: 4:30-7:00pm BBQ 8-10 pancake breakfast DINOSAUR TRAIL May/June 30/31/1 Sat: 2:00pm meeting Call in April 15 4:30 dinner Evening entertainment Sun: 8-10 pancake breakfast BRIDGEVIEW May/June 30/31/1 Sat: 8-10 pancake breakfast Call in April 19 Sun: 2:30pm meeting 4:30 dinner COUNTRY MAPLES June 6/7/8 Sat: 2:00pm meeting Call in April 15 4:30 dinner Evening entertainment Sun: 8-10 pancake breakfast
Member s Corner Site allocation: Due to the pressure from the loss of RV parks we will be taking a more proactive role in managing our site inventory at all parks for the 2008 season. Our managers will be allocating certain inventory early in the season so we are sure that you, our members are given fair time to book and get in. At some parks we have gone so far as to not allow the public to book on summer weekends until 4 days prior. This being said, we still advise you to make your bookings in advance. Don t leave them to the last minute. Family News: Kevin and Donna s daughter Kristina, and her husband Shaun, are expecting and will have a little newborn by the time the camping season is underway. We are so excited!!! Getting Credit for Member Referrals: Note that in order to get credit for a member referral, we must have record of it at the centre prior to the tour. This can happen one of the following ways. 1. The referral contact information can be submitted by the member via our website in the member s only area. 2. The referral contact information can be submitted to the call centre by the member via our member referral form. (enclosed in this newsletter) 3. The member can call 1.800.663.2265 to give the information to our call centre. A new camper arriving for a visit at Country Maples. Gentle Reminders 1. Your valid and current membership card must be shown at check in. Even if we know you. 2. Please remember to follow pet rules as posted in the Directory and site maps. 3. Your membership must be current and up to date or your reservation may be cancelled. Thanks to Members A special thank you to all the members that have submitted referrals for tours in an effort to gain no dues for life. A very large portion of the sales we made this year came from referrals. This is fantastic because it shows that many of you are enjoying your membership and it really helps to support the development of our current resorts as well as additions like we have listed in this newsletter. A special congratulations! to those members who received referral credits. This year the following 8 members acquired the No Dues for Life status. Ball, George & Suzanne CROSMAN, PAT CROSS, GRANT & MONICA Panter, Roy & Linda Prak, John & Laurie PRIEST, RICK & PAULETTE Pym, Greg & Cheryl Rogers, Des & Catheryn
Affiliate News Resort Parks International (RPI) Holiday Trails will now be offering RPI Preferred to Holiday Trails Members. Ask a membership consultant for details. Coast to Coast In the fall newsletter we published an announced of a slight increase in rates for usage within the Coast to Coast System. This was effective January 1 and due to increased energy expenses. See chart below for new rates: **Pricing also applies to Family Benefits Certificates for Deluxe member ***Trip Points needed per night to stay at Best Parks in AmericaTM varies from park to park due to the unique nature of each of the parks in the Best Parks in America group. ****Trip Points equivalent to $10 or $15 per night for stays at Coast CampResorts or Good Neighbor Parks, respectively, as compared to the national average of $37 per night for RV stays. (Source: Recreational Vehicle Industry Association) New Staff! Bob Schmidt & Bobbi-Jean Mathweg started managing the Cedars in the fall and have been busy getting set up for the 2008 season since. Bob has a real sense of humour so watch out for him when you visit the park. Ask him to tell you the story of the freezing cat. Sallyanne Cameron has been hired as our second membership consultant at Dinosaur Trail RV Resort. We can hear John, our other membership consultant, breathing a sigh of relief. What John, you can t do 20 tours in a day?! We are sure you will enjoy meeting Sal and her husband Alec, with his dry British wit. Sheila Gibson has been working all winter on the inside operations and plan for Dinosaur Trail while getting her summer staff lined up. She has done a great job of stepping up to the plate and we are very excited about the development of this park this year. Further enhancing the operation of the resort Sheila is busy hiring support and maintenance staff. We think we have a well rounded team and look forward to visiting the park this season. Tradeshows We had a great tradeshow season and enjoyed greeting many of you at the shows. We hope you stopped by to get a pin or a new license plate for those that haven t got one yet. A number of new members purchased at the shows and look forward to joining the HTR family starting this season. Be sure to welcome our new members as you meet them in the parks. 2007 Win Your Dream Contest Winners This last year we had an online contest to give away a Holiday Trails Resorts and a Coast to Coast Deluxe Membership. The lucky winners were Evangeline and Frank Wilchewski, of Leduc Alberta. They couldn t believe that they actually won, but said, Well you gotta keep trying and never give up. You don t always win when you go to casinos either. But they won this time! They are very excited about their new membership and plan to use it this year to travel to Dinosaur Trail RV Resort, Bridgeview RV Resort, Christina Pines Campground, and Camperland RV Resort, as well as visit a couple months in Arizona. Evangeline says she loves camping in her 31ft Triple E Class A Motorhome because, you can eat whatever you want, stop wherever you want, and be in your own bed. It is a home away from home. We are happy for Evangeline and Frank and wish them an exciting year Living the Dream. Give your congratulations to them as you run across them at the resorts this year. Evangeline & Frank Wilchewski Yes people do Win Contests!!!
Park Updates Bridgeview RV Resort Work has started on the new land acquired a couple years ago next to the river. The 56 water and electrical service sites will be a wonderful addition to the Bridgeview resort. Don s shop is all finished and his tools placed. Adeline can never find him because he is always in the shop playing with his tools. A huge thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who helped on this project. Bridal Falls Camperland We have secured the crown land behind the waterslides and are working with the regional district on our development plan. While it has been a long process it is looking very favourable at this time. This area is on the east side of the waterslides and would be linked to Camperland. Ziggy has continued to work on the park through the winter so that it will be its beautiful best for the campers this season. Seal Bay: Please note that when you make your reservations at this host park you will be required to give your credit card information and that if you cancel less than one week prior you will be charged for one night stay. Over the winter Paul has added some new sites with you members in mind. Give him a big thank you! Cumberland Lake Park Campground John and Judy are back for another fun filled year. We have submitted our development proposal to the Regional District and are waiting on the process. Can you hear the tapping of our fingers? TransCanda Waterslides is now Bridal Falls Waterpark!!! We have changed the name of the waterslides to Bridal Falls Waterpark and are in the midst of some upgrades to its appearance. We look forward to a great second year and the ongoing development and rebranding of the park. We will be looking for staff so please refer people to the website which is also under development. Cedars: Sofas and a dartboard have been added to the clubhouse. It is more inviting with the pool table and comfortable seating. We hope you enjoy hanging out in a more homey area. All Parks All Parks now have wireless internet. We believe we have solved any issues, but if you have any problems please call NOMAD ISP Technical Support directly at: 1 800 853 8638. Your directory has directions on how to get access. We have also adjusted the rates to $25 for six months regardless of when you activate. Enjoy! HTR E-newsletter: We have started an HTR E-newsletter. If you are interested in getting future editions please go to the contact us page of our website and subscribe to the e-newsletter. 25th Anniversary: It is our 25th! Watch for some special celebrations at the membership appreciation weekends and special promotions for new members. We look forward to celebrating with all of you!!! Help Wanted! We still have some openings for park support staff. E-mail your resume to mike@holidaytrailsresorts.com Cactus Flats: This is an Osoyoos development that Kevin is involved in consisting of 18 townhomes with a focus on secure, enclosed storage that can accommodate RV s of up to 40 ft., large boats, classic cars or any other toys you may own. Construction should start in early spring 2008 with completion by the end of the year. If this is something you may be interested in please visit the website at www.cactusflats.ca or call our Osoyoos project representative, Vadim, at 1 800 567 6770. Please note this project is totally separate from the land we have purchased for the Holiday Trails Desert Sky Resort development.
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