And That’s a Wrap on 2024
Happy Holidays everyone. Writing the year-end blog entry is something we enjoy as it gives us a chance to take a step back from the day to day and reflect on the accomplishments and experiences we’ve had over the year. While the first few years were focused primarily on updating the cottages, this year we focused a bit more on rounding out some of the service offerings at the resort.
I think the most impactful change we implemented was to introduce linens in all the cottages. We partnered with a linen supply company to provide us with laundered bed linens and towels, thereby reducing the amount of packing and laundry required when staying with us. At the same time, we also added high-quality shampoo/shower gel and conditioner in dispensers, giving another little extra added convenience to our guests. The positive feedback we’ve received from many of you on these upgrades is greatly appreciated.
We are continuing to add to our Games Library, which is now over 800 strong, giving Springwood Cottage Resort a unique value proposition over any other destination. To bring attention to this, we attended Breakout Con (which is one of Ontario’s largest board game conventions) and helped with Toronto’s CNE Boardgame Garage. This exposure has led to our first Board Game Retreat in mid January 2025, being run in conjunction with Changeling Gaming and Dining and Dragons, which we are very excited about. For details see Board Game Retreat. Stay tuned for more similar events to come!
Another aspect of the business which we have invested in this year is weddings and other similar larger events. We have now hosted several successful weddings in the late spring and early fall and have narrowed in on what works best at our resort, which seems to be what we lovingly describe as a cottage chic, weekend cottage destination wedding for approx. 60-100 people. The uptake for this offering has been quite strong, in fact we have sold out for weekends in September 2025. To extend the season and to ensue there is an “indoor” option to compliment the beach and covered deck spaces, we recently purchased a large commercial grade event tent that will be set up near the marina in the spring and fall.
This fall we also hosted our first film crew who were filming an independent full length horror movie, Greed & Gore in the area. I’m a horror movie/book junkie, so this was absolutely a thrill for me personally. There’s nothing quite like walking into a cottage to speak with a guest only to discover a “severed head” on the table or receiving “blood soaked money” as a tip. Just to clarify, the severed head was fake, Sadly, so was the money.
A few other things we focussed on this past year included upgrading the seating at our beach bonfire area to new Muskoka chairs and added several more loungers at the beach and added new signage to the marina. We have also been doing quite a bit of repairs to the decks at the cottages, which will continue into 2025.
We are also working on upgrading our website to allow us to more easily update content and eventually integrate into our booking engine, so guests can book directly online. To support this, we have had a photographer come in and take high quality pictures, video and Matterport’s of all the cottages, which will give prospective guests a better appreciation of the cottage layout and our services offered.
On a personal front, Ed and I have been working towards achieving a better work-life balance. To support this, we have a couple living onsite at the resort to help with guest inquiries and emergency services. In June, we also “swapped” our family cottage, which was about 45 minutes away for one right on Kennebec Lake, so we can be close, but have some reprise from the resort. This year was also extra special as both of our kids helped out a bit at the resort in different capacities.
As many of you know, Ed and I firmly believe in being positive contributors to our local community, which is one of the many reasons why we continue to employ several local high school students in their first jobs. This year we raised another $1,000 from “empties” which was donated to a couple of local charities and all the proceeds from the annual community garage sale which we hosted in the spring went to the Kennebec Lake Association and the local Arden Church. We also hosted this year’s community winter fun day over the Family Day weekend, which we will be continuing to do in 2025 and donated a weekend stay as school fundraiser in the Ottawa area. Ed became a Board member of the Kennebec Lake Association, and I became a Board member for Resorts of Ontario.
That pretty much wraps up 2024. Lasty, we want to thank you for supporting our family run business. We love getting to know and host each of you. It means so much to us that you entrust us to help foster your traditions, special events and holidays with friends and family at Springwood Cottage Resort. Wishing you all the best in 2025 and hope to see your smiling faces soon!
Christine and Ed