Client Spotlight: Eagle Nest Lodge

As part of our monthly client spotlight, we want to share with you how a current rezStream client has achieved success with our cloud-based reservation software.

About Eagle Nest Lodge

Eagle Nest Lodge is a quality family and fishing resort located on the north shore of Cutfoot Sioux Lake, a large bay on the northeast corner of Lake Winnibigoshish (Minnesota's 5th largest lake). Their property consists of 14 clean and comfortable housekeeping cabins with fully equipped kitchens, and options for 1 to 5 bedrooms. 

Their main season runs from mid-May through October. In spring and fall, the main attraction is fishing. From mid-June through August their focus is on family vacations. Their beach is also one of the best in the state, an activity their guests enjoy during the summer. As an added amenity, they offer a daily activity and naturalist program for visitors. Most of their guests come from the greater Twin Cities area but many come from neighboring states as well.

To learn more about how Eagle Nest Lodge achieved success with rezStream, visit their case study here.

They have 12 seasonal staff members, including dock boys, store staff/recreation directors, and housekeepers. It's a family affair too...Susie and Bryan are full time and their 2 kids, Gunnar and Anneka, work there in the summers between college years.

Bryan and Susie, the current property owners, came to Eagle Nest Lodge in the spring of 1995, when personal computers were just starting to be used in small businesses and bookkeeping and reservation management were handled manually. For them, they felt day-to-day operations could be more efficient with an online reservation system.

We asked Bryan and Susie from Eagle Nest Lodge a few questions about their experience with rezStream and how it has helped grow their business. Here is what they had to say:

Question 1 - When did you make the switch to the rezStream cloud?

Eagle Nest Lodge: “We started with the desktop software and as soon as the cloud version arrived, we jumped on the chance to move our operation over to the cloud. The program was improving, and the cloud granted us a lot more flexibility with our location, portability, mobile, and automatic backup of our data. Also, the online reservation trend was starting, and we felt that we had been on the leading edge of that trend. The bookkeeping aspect is also great, so we can easily send revenue reports to our accountant. And email communication options have given us a huge advantage over those that would have to manually generate emails.”

Question 2 - Describe your selection process and what criteria you were looking for when choosing an agency?

Eagle Nest Lodge: “There were other software options out there that we looked at. Several were single person operations, which made us nervous...if something happened to that person, what would happen to the program and support?”

“So, we needed something that was more businesslike, with support staff and a development team. It also had to be affordable. Being a small operation, we can't buy what the big guys can. Also, the fact that rezstream tries to match our website theme/color so that a potential guest sees the same thing throughout the booking process is very important.” 

“We were offered a free trial, which helps take the pressure off buying something that might not be a good fit.” – Bryan from Eagle Nest Lodge 

Question 3 - What results have you seen since implementing our product/solution?

Eagle Nest Lodge: “The biggest impact we have seen is the number of online reservations that come through. With a well-organized website and user experience, potential guests are comfortable booking our cabins. The automatically generated emails have proven to help our guests both before they arrive and after they get home. It also asks for reviews, which a lot of buyers read.  This has helped a lot!”

Question 4 - What business processes does the solution enhance, and how much does it reduce the cost and time to complete these processes?

Eagle Nest Lodge: “rezstream organizes our guest database, so we can send Christmas cards, brochures, mailings, and keep their personal and reservation information up to date. The click and drag reservation and charge input is intuitive, which makes it easier to teach staff how to use it. The POS set-up is nice, so guest charges can be pre-priced, or entered onto their invoice and the final invoice can be printed or emailed, which gives it a professional look. Those POS items are automatically entered in the bookkeeping part of the program, so sales can be tracked, and reports can be generated to stay on top of your business.”

Question 5 - What would you tell others that might be considering our product?

Eagle Nest Lodge: “We tell others to try rezstream. The free trial allows a test drive without a big commitment. While there is a learning curve and a fair time commitment getting everything set up, the support staff are very helpful and the ability to start using it right away is excellent. The monthly cost is a pretty big commitment for smaller operations, but hopefully, the added online reservation capability can generate new guests without a big investment to make it worth the price.”

“We started with the desktop software and as soon as the cloud version arrived, we jumped on the chance to move our operation over to the cloud.” – Bryan from Eagle Nest Lodge

Question 6 - Would you recommend this company’s solution to your peers?

Eagle Nest Lodge: “We do recommend rezStream to any resort owners who ask. It has been a great tool for our business, and we hope it continues to provide resort solutions as the marketplace and guest expectations change.”

Question 7 - If you had to rate us on a scale from 1 to 10 (one being the least satisfied and 10 being the most satisfied), what ranking would you give us?

Eagle Nest Lodge: 8!!!!