GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE —
Jeannette Petrolia, general manager of the Lodge and Conference Center at Geneva-on-the-Lake, treated staff to doughnuts earlier this week.
The occasion was reaching a new landmark for the county-owned lodge: Room rentals for July surpassed the $500,000 mark.
“We’ve never done that before,” Petrolia told the Convention Facilities Authority on Friday.
Occupancy during July is at 97 percent and the “average daily rate is going crazy,” Petrolia said. When demand for rooms is strong, the lodge can command a higher rate.
A strong rate and good occupancy in June also helped put it on a profitable track for the first six months. The 2012 financial plan projected that the lodge would still be operating in the red at the end of June, but rather it posted a $32,649 gross operating profit for the first six months. Last year, the lodge ended the first six months $108,276 in the red.
“The month of June was extremely good,” Petrolia said.
The average daily rate for a room is $9.86 higher than the original 2012 plan, and revenue per available room is up $4.28 to plan.
Overall, the lodge’s revenue for the first six months was $268,000 higher than in 2011 and its net income is up $140,000.
The plan is for the lodge to make $197,090 for the county. The figure does not include debt service.
“We feel pretty good; our numbers are looking good,” she said.
Performance has been strong across the board, with the exception of food costs, which rose because of clearing out some old stock. Petrolia said that as of July 2, the lodge increased its summer pricing for the buffet to $14.95, and the increase did not seem to reduce demand.
She said the public and groups alike have embraced the shuttle service, which did very well in June. Wedding business is also strong — there were three weddings at the lodge Friday and two scheduled for today.
The lodge rolled out a free wine club, Crush, earlier this year and it has attracted 957 members. The club’s first event at the lodge has been set for Nov. 10.
To further encourage visitors in the fall shoulder season, the lodge is offering a bounce-back promotion to summer guests who book a fall harvest bed and breakfast special. The rate starts at $119 through Sept. 13 to Nov. 17, with rates increasing on Friday and Saturday.
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