Why should you join us? Commercial Lodging in Big Bear is suffering the lowest occupancies and rates relative to other prices since I began operating my first lodge in 1980. We are under attack from nearly every side. We are being supported by virtually nobody. We are being told the commercial lodging in Big Bear is a vanishing market and that visitors want to rent homes instead. All of those in power from the City Council to the Resort Association and Chamber of Commerce leaders agree with this.

In 1980 I was a 22 year old amateur entrepreneur. I joined the chamber of commerce where I met a small group of lodge owners who really helped me get started. Because the chamber at that time didn’t really care about our industry, we soon formed the Big Bear Lodging Association. By 1990 I was operating hundreds of cabins, motel rooms and private homes. My occupancy rates were about 65% in the cabins and motels and 35% in my rental homes. Many of our friends did the same. We were full on every holiday and every busy weekend, full on Saturday and almost full on Friday. We would call around on weekend nights to see who still had a room open. We required a two-night minimum on most weekends and 3-5 night minimums on holidays.

1998 was my best year. It was also the beginning of the slide. By 2004 I was down everywhere by 30%. During the snows of 2005 and 2006, my lodges continued to drop. My occupancy rates for last year were 44% at Sleepy Forest and 34% at Cathy’s Cottages. I had already sold my other lodge at a loss. I let some great long-time employees go and we run the place as a family again. Commercial lodges in Big Bear can no longer fill up on any night of the year except during New Years week.

Contrary to some recent statements from the private home rental industry, there are way too many beds in Big Bear to sustain anyone’s business. In most cities the lodging industry maintains an equilibrium controlled by costs and revenue. In our city, a housing boom and 5 or 6 thousand completely uncontrolled private home rentals have ruined the equilibrium. The last new lodging units were begun at Robin Hood Inn 7 years ago. Since then NO new units have been built (that I know of) yet many units such as Lakeview Lodge and part of Stagecoach Lodge, have been converted to permanent housing. We are already reducing units, and yet no lodge can sustain itself in this environment. Even North Woods cannot be doing well after it sold for a loss that badly hurt its investors. Even the private homes themselves now suffer extremely low occupancy rates. The leaders of the city, the chamber and the resort association don't care. They are afraid of anything that might reduce the number of travelers coming to our valley. They are happy that our visitors are saving money by overcrowding poorly managed private homes. They all believe this is the future for Big Bear. The quality of lodging (and life) in Big Bear suffers and this has only just begun. If these leaders get their way, Big Bear may be reduced to a few shabby, cheap motels and neighborhoods full of poorly maintained, cheaply rented, and packed out private homes. Nobody, no lodge owners, no homeowners, no rental agencies, no realtors, no restaurants, no city services, nobody will make money in this environment.

Please join us.

Bob Pool