Many businesses like nudism need to attract younger customers

AANR, the American Association for Nude Recreation realizes for nudism to grow, it will have to reach out and attract guests in their 20's and 30's.

Here at Terra Cotta Inn, Palm Springs, California we are one of the few nudist resorts that caters to all ages from the 20's to 80's. Because we are a vacation resort and not just a weekend get away like most nudist resorts, we have all age groups come here for their vacations. Plus since we are the best value nudist vacation in the US, it also encourages all ages.

Now I have heard from people that nudism is dying off as some old nudist campgrounds and clubs are closing. That is so untrue. Here in Palm Springs, we still have one of the highest occupancy rates of ALL hotels in town. Haulover nude beach is the most popular beach in Florida.

Just like in any industry, consumers vote with their wallets. Those places people don't want to go to struggle and then go out of business. Those places people like, thrive. We still are averaging an 80% repeat guest rate which is one of the highest in the whole travel industry and are the most popular clothing optional vacation resort in Palm Springs and the western US.

Our younger employees like Patty our manager and Norma (both of whom are in their 20's) realize that to attract younger guests, you have to show younger people in your advertising too. They have both allowed us to photograph them to help promote our resort to younger guests.

Now nude recreation is not the only industry that realizes that you have to reach out to younger customers. Just this week in USA Today newspaper on May 12th, there was an article about the Preakness horse race saying how horse racing is falling out of favor with younger people. The title of the article was called "To attract young crowd, ad campaign gets a bit freaky."

The article said the attendance dropped from 100,000 to 78,850 last year and the horse race was not getting younger fans. It said "the Jockey Club and racing have been criticized for many years that their advertising and marketing campaigns are same old, same old, nothing exciting."

The article continues "the other thing we've been criticized for is when we do market, we don't target a younger demographic. In looking at this campaign, we basically wanted to target 21-to-35 year olds. So we had to speak their language." They have "received scant protest - a phone call and two e-mails - saying the campaign is 'too edgy, too risque.'"

The whole idea here is you don't abandon your bread and butter, the baby boomers as 1 out of every 3 Americans above age 21 is a baby boomer. You keep them by excellent customer service. However, you have to start attracting younger people to enjoy nude recreation for the future.

Nudism has to change as customers change if it want to be viable in the future.

Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa
palm Springs, California
For info and reservations call 1-800-786-6938
Our resort site is http://sunnyfun.com
Join our facebook page at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

Nudist colonies will never die down

Nudist colonies? How many people live in them? None? What are nudist colonies? I don't know? There are nudist clubs, nudist resorts, nudist parks, but there are NO nudist colonies.

Yet, the uninformed still insist on calling nudist resorts and clubs, nudist colonies. It would be like calling a Marriott hotel a businessman colony. It just isn't correct.

There is no such thing as a nudist colony.

Yet, when I look at what are the most popular keywords people use to find my site http://sunnyfun.com they use nudist resorts and next nudist colonies. Go figure.

Here is the story that got me going. Actually it is a cute story:

"Buck's Weird News Blog

What do nudists and penguins have in common? They both live in colonies.

You might think that's where the similarities end... except for one little penguin named Ralph, who has a unique problem.

While other penguins gradually shed and replace their feathers through molting, Ralph loses his all at once, then has to wait for weeks in the nude while they grow back.

Zookeepers.. came up with a solution: a penguin wetsuit...

For the full cute story click here

If you go to that link, you will see Ralph the penguin in his wetsuit.

Now if you want to take a fun vacation, give us a call at The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa located in sunny Palm Springs, CA.

We are the most mainstream nudist RESORT, not nudist colony in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time. You don't even have to be a nudist to vacation with us.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/nudist_resorts

Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

For nudism to grow, nudists need to support nudist resorts and organizations

Well, it happened again for the 2nd time in about a month that I know of.

We gave a tour today to a couple from Washington. They are members of Lake Bronson nudist campground in Washington and have been members there for many years they said.

They were in Palm Springs for 4 nights. They booked last minute to get out of Seattle's rain. They stayed at the Hilton.

I asked them why they stayed at the Hilton especially since this time of the year we have our special of stay 1 night, the 2nd is half priced and we are much cheaper than the Hilton. Plus there are other nudist places in Palm Springs. By staying at the Hilton, they wasted almost $375 extra compared to if they had stayed at our resort for those 4 nights.

Their answer was, "the Internet said it was going to rain. We didn't want to be at your nudist resort in the rain." Naturally weather.com was 100% WRONG as usual and we had great sunny weather this weekend. Also if it rained, you can still use our jacuzzi in the rain. And at the Hilton they had to wear bathing suits at the pool which they complained to us about. Imagine nudist club members choosing to wear bathing suits at a Hilton on vacation instead of saving money and staying at a nudist resort that was only 3 miles away.

I said to the people "wouldn't you want to support nudist businesses in Palm Springs in this economy instead Hilton which doesn't support nudism?" They got defensive again saying, "but the Internet said it was going to rain."

Do you want to know one of the biggest reasons nudism is growing so slowly or not at all in the US and why many clubs have closed or gone swinger in recent years? American nudists do not support nudist resorts or organizations enough in our own country. And these are the places that generate all the positive PR about nudism to grow the industry.

Immigrants support neighborhood businesses of their fellow countrymen. Gays stay at gay hotels and use gay businesses when practical. Nudists however are very fickle.

Now nude vacationers who do not belong to the nudist clubs or organizations like AANR support our resort. Probably 95% of our guests do not belong to nudist clubs or the nudist organizations. We work on them trying to get them to join AANR, but it is a hard sell. Because of nude vacationers, we had the 2nd highest occupancy rate of ALL hotels in Palm Springs. If we had to rely on nudist club members, we would be out of business.

Nudists that already belong to clubs should know better and support American nudism. But, many of them do not support American nudist resorts enough. Especially since American nudist resorts are such a great value.

Further like at our resort, about 10% of the revenue we take in goes to improvements at our resort to benefit guests and we don't increase the rates. We have always done that to make every ones vacation experience nicer. Last year we had an 81% occupancy rate. It would have been nicer if it was 85% and guests would have benefited more.

Many nudist club members go to the Caribbean or Mexico to vacation at resorts that are not owned by nudists. They then go back to their clubs bragging how they spent $5000-$7500 for a week vacation. These nudist club members should be supporting the American nudist resorts instead and they would save themselves thousands of dollars at the same time. What they spend on the built in travel agent commissions alone for a week long stay at these places, would pay for 3-4 nights at an American nudist resort.

Caliente in Tampa which has swinger parties said nudists did NOT support them enough and swingers do. They have bills to pay, thus they cater to swingers. Nudists have no one to blame but themselves for Caliente's policy change

I do not know how to change this thought process of the experienced nudist club member. But, just remember, every time you book at a non nudist hotel or at a nude place not owned by nudists, you forfeit your right to say "why aren't there more nudist places to go to in the US," because you are part of the reason.

Let's make 2009 the year that American nudists decide to support nudist clubs, resorts, and organizations in the US. Only vacation at American nudist resorts this year. Join the AANR and/or TNS.

For information about vacationing at The Terra Cotta Inn, call us at 800-786-6938.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

We hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!

A good resolution for 2009 - Vacation at an American nudist resort only this year

Here is the perfect nude year's resolution for 2009. Vacation only at an American nudist resort this year. Or join a nudist club or AANR.

We always hear from guests "why aren't there more nudist resorts in the US?" They then proceed to tell us how they just got back from spending $5000-$7500 going nude at a place in Mexico or the Caribbean owned by some big corporation and operated by non nudists. Some of these places are so overpriced they charge nudists an extra
$100/night for the "rights" to be on the nude side. And nudists happily pay this surcharge.

The reason there aren't more nude places in the US is American nudists don't support nudist clubs and nudist resorts enough.

Look at Caliente in Florida. They said they had low occupancy and were forced to go swinger because nudists didn't support them.

We are lucky. We have always been considered the best value nudist resort in the US and the only one in the western US that caters to vacationers, so we are doing OK. However, in talking with other owners of nudist resorts and clubs, many are really hurting financially.

So this year, instead of vacationing in Mexico or the Caribbean, vacation at an American nudist resort owned by real nudists who work their butts off to make sure you have a fun, fantastic vacation.

Support the American nudist industry. Don't spend your dollars lining the pockets of nun nudists.

If you want more information about our resort The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa, feel free calling us at 800-786-6938. Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!

Why swinger clubs pretend to be nudist clubs or nudist resorts

Many swinger clubs in the US pretend to be nudist clubs or nudist resorts. As the owner of The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa in sunny Palm Springs, CA this can be very frustrating as we have known of many first timers who accidentally went to a swinger place thinking it was a nudist place and if they had not contacted us, they would have thought all nudist places were sex clubs too.

For instance Caliente Resorts down in Florida once a month has a swinger weekend.

The problem is most local governments force swinger places to be "underground" or pretend to be wholesome nudist resorts or clubs because they don't want sex clubs to operate.

Last year a swinger club in Orange, CA was shut down by the local authorities. Now a swinger club in Connecticut is shut down. I am sure more have been shut down that I don't know about.

Here is the story:

"Connecticut police have arrested three men accused of running a swingers’ club inside a hotel bar.

E-mailed photos of risqué behavior led police to Club 91 and the Beverly Hills Suites in Windsor Locks.

They said on weekends the club would run “Swingers Groups” where men and women came to either engage in or watch sexual activity.

When police ran a sting operation last month, they said they witnessed it first hand.
On the evening of November 8, 2008, police report seeing 60 to 70 people inside the club.

All of them paid a $40 admission to get in.
Police arrested the three men who they said organized the “Swingers Groups.“

Nicholas Maulucci faces obscenity and public indecency charges while Brian True and Sharok Jacobi face criminal liability to commit those two charges.

Liquor law violations at the club included smoking inside a public building, nudity, sex acts, not serving food and improper use of a service bar..."

Personally, I think it is very dangerous to swap bodily fluids with strangers. However, to each their own. However, as long as government authorities shut down swinger clubs, then those that want to operate above board, will pretend to be nudist clubs and people need to ask questions before booking at a nudist resort.

Let the buyer beware: Not all nudist resorts are what they appear to be.

Now if you want a vacation in a true clothing optional environment where you can be nice and safe and not have to worry about being hit upon, give us The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa a call at 800-786-6938.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!