Dear Members,
Another year has passed and it is time for my annual Christmas report.
Even though occupancy of the lodge was up by more than 15% on previous years there were still very low numbers at the beginning and end of the season mainly due to concerns about the quality and quantity of the snow. A number of our guests are returning guests and are bringing more new guests. Hopefully this will translate into new members once our lease has been renewed. Thanks to another year of excellent management by our superb managers Sonya and Kane we have achieved an even better financial outcome this year and were able to achieve a much needed surplus.
I would like to thank every member of the Committee and our managers Sonya and Kane for the outstanding work they have done for the club over the last years!
2018 season rates and managers stay the same
Because of the financial outcome for the current year the Committee has agreed that the membership subscription and accommodation rates for 2018 will not be increased and will remain the same as for the 2017 season.
I am also delighted to confirm that Sonya and Kane have agreed to be our managers again next season.
Following on from the success of the early invoice and Priority Booking Period we are planning to continue along this line. It has given members and guests an opportunity to take full advantage of the early bird rates at CPV. It has also meant that we have been able to accommodate more guests this year as the public bookings open earlier.
This year the Priority Booking Period will be opening on 5 December 2017 to coincide with the issuing of the Subscription Invoices. Please note that there is no change to the due date for Subscriptions, these will be due 31 December 2017.
The Priority Booking Period will close on 7 January 2018. Please remember that bookings can only be confirmed if your membership subscriptions have been paid. As the invoices will be sent via the booking system, it will be possible to pay your invoices by EFT to the Arlberg bank account or online in the same way that you pay for accommodation bookings and this should simplify things for most members.
At this point I should remind all members that online bookings during the Priority Booking Period are not on a first come first served basis. All bookings made at any time during the period up until 7 January 2018 have the same priority and will be collated by our booking officer to determine whether any ballots need to take place. This is why during that period the online system will allow you to book a room even though another member may have already made a booking for that same room.
Once member bookings have been confirmed we will re-open the website for bookings by past guests and member referrals and then open bookings to the general public on or about 23 January 2017. This should again increase our chances of attracting new guests (new potential members!) to the lodge as we have found in the past that most people are looking to lock in their Australian ski holiday quite early in the year.
Lease Renewal Update
We have a signed extension of our lease to 30 May. We have also been invited to a meeting with CPV on 14 and 15 December to commence the new sub-lease negotiations. Peter Brooks and Karen Broad will be attending this meeting on the Club’s behalf. I am unfortunately attending a Board meeting in Germany on 14 December and unable to join them.
January Working Bee
We are planning to hold our annual working bee in the second half of January. Further details will be advised by email shortly.
2018 Annual General Meeting
The AGM will be held in Sydney on Monday, 26 February 2018. The venue has been booked and will be the same as last year, The Roseville Club – conveniently located on the Pacific Highway and close to the Roseville train station. AGM notice and specific details will follow in due course.
All that remains is for me to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2018. Let’s all pray for a bumper snow season and a new beginning for Arlberg with another 40 year sub-lease!
Paul Koenig
Club President