GLEN ARBOR, MI \u2014 Here\u2019s one election-year question to get excited about: If you could nominate your choice for the best resort you\u2019ve ever visited, what name would you write on the ballot?<\/p>\n
That was the question posed to the 222,500 readers of The Oakland Press in their 2008 \u201cBest of the Best\u201d Readers Choice Awards. After the votes were counted, The Homestead received top honors.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question was wide open. It didn\u2019t specify \u2018best resort in northern Michigan\u2019 or even Michigan in general,\u201d says Kary Archer, an advertising representative for the Pontiac- based daily serving Detroit and all of Oakland County. \u201cSo really, our readers could have named any resort they wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Reader\u2019s Choice Awards have been an annual event at The Oakland Press for the last five years, but this year\u2019s win is a first for The Homestead. \u201cBest of the Best\u201d winners were announced in a special tabloid section of The Oakland Press on Sunday, May 4th.<\/p>\n
As this year\u2019s Readers Choice winner in the category of \u201cresorts,\u201d The Homestead has exclusive rights to use the \u201c1st Place, Best of the Best \u201d logo in their advertising. But even more important is the satisfaction of knowing that the resort\u2019s spectacular accommodations have made a serious and memorable impact on the valued guests who have visited this amazing coastal retreat in the heart of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis award is a real honor because it comes from the people,\u201d says Jamie Jewell, Senior Manager at The Homestead. \u201cIt\u2019s also a validation of our commitment to delivering excellent service, programming, and facilities that are second to none.\u201d<\/p>\n
At a time when many northern Michigan resorts are scaling back their services and amenities due to trying economic times, The Homestead is actually enjoying a period of exciting growth, according to Jewell. One major reason\u2014an amazing number of repeat customers. About 80 percent of departing guests surveyed at The Homestead say that they plan to return.<\/p>\n
\u201cBookings are up forty-percent over last year at this time,\u201d say Jewell. \u201cWe\u2019ve expanded our guest services with the grand opening of our new spa and fitness center, our new wedding venues, and beautiful convention center. Plus, our Lifetime Skills Programs in tennis, golf, and fly fishing continue to be amazingly popular.\u201d<\/p>\n