Have a Happy Naked Memorial Day Everyone!

We hope everyone has a HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!

What a great Memorial Day holiday we’ve been having. Plenty of beer, hamburgers, hot dogs and naked guests.

Yep, the only way to celebrate a holiday, or any day of the week for that matter is NAKED!!!

Here in sunny Palm Springs, California we were 95F and not a cloud in the sky. Perfect, topless and nude sunbathing weather.

We’re from Chicago, from a neighborhood called Logan Square named after General Logan who created “Decoration Day” which became Memorial Day. We know the true reason for Memorial Day. It is to memorialize all the brave soldiers that have paid the ultimate price to preserve our freedom.

Yes, this weekend is a fun time of picnics, BBQ’s and skinny dipping, but also take a moment to remember all the brave young men and women past and present protecting us.

Hope everyone has a fun, safe holiday.

And if you want a fun vacation contact us at The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa in sunny Palm Springs, California.

Our site is http://sunnyfun.com

Click here for facebook resort page at: http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 if you have questions or to make reservations. We answer the phones from 8am-10pm PST.

Leisure Travelers in the US save American taxpayers $950 a year per household in taxes

Every week I normally have a few guests ask me why aren't there more nudist resorts in the US or Canada. One of the answers I tell them is enough nudists do not support our industry. These people never belong to AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation, FCN or TNS.

They never tell their non nudist friends that they like vacationing at nudist resorts.

They may go to nude beaches or a nudsit place for a short weekend, but they go to the Caribbean or Mexico and vacation at non nudist owned naked places. In short, there aren't more nudist resorts in the US and Canada because there isn't enough support for them.

The Terra Cotta Inn is the ONLY nude vacation resort in the western US. Yet, I would bet 90% of our guests do not belong to nudist organizations. If we had to rely just on card carrying nudists we would be pretty empty instead of one of the most popular of ALL hotels in Palm Springs.

Now we have been open 15 years. We know many nudist places do not deserve support as they do goofy, non business friendly things. I just read online of one place that had DJ's come to play at their nudist resort for free and then the resort charged the DJ's $10 for parking. Obviously, that really bothered the DJ's as they posted they would never do it again and were mad because they played for free and were charged for parking.

Or a few nude resorts are cheap and won't even let you bring your own bottled water to drink poolside. There are no textile resorts that I have ever known of that are that cheap.

I went looking online to try to find out the impact of tourism in the US. I found this press release put out appropriately enough on April 14th, 2010:

"Spending by Travelers Saves U.S. Taxpayers Hundreds of Dollars on Tax Day
Each American Taxpayer Would Owe $950 More in Taxes This Year without Tax Revenues from Travel Industry

According to the U.S. Travel Association, American taxpayers would have to pay an average of $950 more per household on “tax day” if not for the tax revenues generated by travel and tourism to and within the United States.

“Take a moment to extend some friendly hospitality to the tourists in your city or town today – the money they spend has saved you nearly one thousand dollars in personal taxes this year,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “The leisure or business traveler staying at the nearby hotel, eating at a local restaurant, shopping or visiting a local attraction is keeping your local economy vibrant and putting money in your pocket.”

The money travelers inject into the economy often means more money for civic development, infrastructure and state and local jobs such as teachers, firefighters and police forces. In 2009, travel spending by U.S. and international visitors resulted in more than $111 billion in tax revenue for federal, state and local government. Of that total, $77.3 billion came from leisure travel and $34.2 billion was generated by business travel, including meetings and conventions...

Travel is a $704 billion industry that generates tax revenue and jobs across the country. One in 13 American workers is employed either directly or indirectly by the travel industry. In addition to those directly employed by the industry, millions of Americans are indirectly employed as a result of the business generated by travel..."

For the full article click here

Just imagine how much nudism would blossom in the US if people stopped going to non nudist owned naked places in Mexico and the Caribbean.

We probably reinvest into our resort a higher percent of our revenue than any other nudist resort in the US for upgrades and repairs and not increasing our rates. We have not increased rates for 3 years and do not intend to do so next year.

We average a 80% occupancy rate year round. Could you imagine the upgrades we could have if we had a 90% occupancy rate.

So next time you spend money going to an over priced place in Mexico or the Caribbean, where all they care about is your money, just think of what your vacation dollars could be doing to promote nude recreation in the US and Canada.

Support nude recreation. Vacation only at places that are owned by nudists.


Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa
Resort site: http://sunnyfun.com
Friend us on facebook at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

For more information or to make reservations, call us at 800-786-6938.

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

Win up to $500 in prizes from Palm Springs tourism in their photo contest

Palm Springs tourism does a great job marketing our beautiful town. Here at Terra Cotta Inn, we have been open 15 years. In that time, we have had some mediocre tourism heads and now we have a very creative tourism department and leaders.

Our tourist department just created a photography contest where you can win up to $500 in prizes. You can use your prize money to stay at Terra Cotta Inn.

First you must join the Palm Springs tourism flickr group at:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/palmsprings

Here are the rules from the Palm Springs tourism flickr group:

"Palm Springs Photo Contest

Visit Palm Springs is a group administrator Visit Palm Springs says:

Do you have a photo that captures that iconic image expressing the beauty, history and charm of Palm Springs?

Those who visit and live in Palm Springs know that there are amazing views, attractions, historical sites and entertainment.
Both amateur and professional photographers are invited to enter the Palm Springs Photo Contest to showcase their best images of Palm Springs' attributes and attractions.

What to Enter
The Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism is seeking images that portray Palm Springs as an attractive, unique destination. Images will be judged on originality, technical excellence, overall impacts and artistic merit.

Suggested Shots
Photos of plants and wildlife
City and desert views
Interesting angles of familiar places
New and old architectural treasurers

Prizes
Winning images will be featured in Palm Springs Bureau pf Tourism marketing materials. A total of $500.00 in prize money will be distributed, including a Grand Prize.

Adding photos to the Visit Palm Springs group on Flickr and entry to the contest constitutes agreement to allow photographs to be used by the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism to promote Palm Springs as a travel destination through its print and online materials.

How To Enter

1. Join the Palm Springs Flickr Group www.flickr.com/groups/palmsprings
2. Name Digital File as follows: Photos Title by Photographer's Name (example: Sunrise in Palm Springs by John Doe)
3. Upload an image into Flickr Group. Image must be 300 dpi and high-resolution.
4. Contest ends September 30, 2010.

The photo contest is open to everyone. Photo must be original and not have been previously published in any promotional materials, websites, etc.

The Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism shall have the right to verify, in their sole judgment, winner eligibility. By submitting a photo, you agree that you have obtained all necessary rights, permissions, consents, approvals and releases from any persons and commercial entities show, involved in the creation, displayed or who does or may have any interest or rights in connection with the photograph submitted."

Good luck everyone.

Above is a picture of Patty our manager. This is a typical Palm Springs scene at our resort, Terra Cotta Inn. Our guests are completely relaxed.

You will love Palm Springs. Although I haven't had a chance to upload this story yet, Tripadvisor.com just picked Palm Springs as one of the top 4 weekend getaway destinations in the US. It's also a perfect place to take a vacation.

FYI, Terra Cotta Inn is a historic property being a midcentury modern Albert Frey building.

Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa
Resort site: http://sunnyfun.com
Friend us on facebook at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

For more information or to make reservations, call us at 800-786-6938

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

Save $25-50 on your vacation at Terra Cotta Inn this June.

Looking for a fun vacation this June? Tired of the same old boring chain hotel vacations? Want a great value?

Then you need to vacation at The Terra Cotta Inn Clothing Optional Resort in sunny Palm Springs, California. MSN picked us the best value nudist resort in the western US this November.

Palm Springs Life Magazine in their December, Best of the Best issue picked us as one of the 3 BEST of all small resorts in the whole Palm Springs area. We're the best because it is so relaxing and so much fun here.

And how can your vacation get any better? How about a $25-50 off coupon for your stay this June.

When you stay on Sunday - Thursday nights in June, you will get $25 off your bill when you stay 2 nights. You will get $50 off when you stay 4 nights.

This means if you stay Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sat nights you get $25 off because you stayed 2 midweek days. If you stay Sun and Mon only, again $25 off, etc. If you stay, Sun, Mon, Tues, and Wed you get $50. To save $50, you need to stay 4 nights Sunday - Thursday nights in June.

And what's nice about Terra Cotta Inn is our great value even without this coupon. We serve complimentary breakfast and afternoon snacks. Early check in at 10am and late check out at 5pm at no extra charge. We upgraded to a saline pool that feels wonderful on the skin. We don't have to use the harsh chemicals like typical pools. We also have a state of the art poolside cooling system, free wifi, free parking, no hidden resort or day fees, and much much more. We're such great value, our soda machine is only 50 cents a can.

Terra Cotta Inn is perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time. And of course experienced nudists and naturists love staying here too.

So for a fun June vacation at a great value, give us a call at 800-786-6938.

To learn more about Terra Cotta Inn join our Facebook fan page at: http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

Visit our website at http://sunnyfun.com

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

Desert Sun Newspaper features Terra Cotta Inn Today

The Desert Sun newspaper is the local paper for Palm Springs, CA. About a year or so ago, they started a weekly column called Small Business Snapshot where they feature successful Palm Springs small businesses.

This week we were contacted and interviewed by them.

It is a real nice article as they treat us just like any other small business in Palm Springs.

I have always said for nudism to be more accepted, you have to operate very mainstream and that is exactly what we do. Not only are we the most popular nudist resort in Palm Springs, California (Los Angeles Times), but we are one of the most popular of ALL hotels in Palm Springs with one of the highest occupancy rates.

Now is the perfect time for a fun, romantic, unique vacation experience one that you will want to repeat over and over the rest of your lives.

Never been to a clothing optional resort before? No problem. We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time as the Desert Sun newspaper reported.

I am updating this post, in the spring of 2011 The Australian newspaper, Australia's national paper picked Terra Cotta Inn as one of the 10 best nudist resorts in the world. And in October 2011, AOL Travel, UK wrote "Discover our picks of the BEST Clothing Optional resorts around the world." They recommended Terra Cotta Inn as the ONLY nude sunbathing resort in the US catering to couples. Pretty cool.

It's nice when the LA Times, or Los Angeles Magazine, or Palm Springs Life Magazine pick us as the best place to stay in Southern California, but this is even cooler when AOL Travel in England and Australia's major newspaper recognizes us also as the best place to stay.

And of course we're the best not because of being snobby. We're the best because we have the best guests. They have so much fun here and are so friendly and wonderful. First timers and experienced nudists and naturists love staying at our resort. You will too.

And AOL Travel also picked Terra Cotta Inn as the BEST VALUE nude sunbathing resort in the WORLD. No reason to overpay for a nude vacation anywhere else any more. Now you can stay at the most popular place and save money on your nude vacation too.

Finally, our massages are fantastic too as Palm Springs Life Magazine picked us as one of the top 3 places for massages in the whole Palm Springs area.

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 (toll free US and Canada) for more information or to make reservations.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Visit us on facebook at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

Win a Free night at Terra Cotta Inn this summer

Summertime is a fantastic time of the year to vacation at The Terra Cotta Inn. We have the BEST nude sunbathing weather in the US in the summer. Last year for instance we had rain in February and the next time it rained was December. Yes, NO RAIN in Palm Springs all summer and fall last year.

It's no wonder repeat guests from around the world fly here for their vacations as who wants to go to Florida, Mexico, or the Caribbean in the summer where you might be rained on everyday of your vacation.

And we now have a contest where you might win a free night at Terra Cotta Inn to be used this summer.

Just join our Facebook page here: http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage We have a drawing in June and if you are a member of the facebook page. You might win the free night.

2md and 3rd place prizes are Terra Cotta Inn hats which are made in the USA.

As with all internet drawings and contests, you have to follow rules to stay legal. So, to see the complete rules Click here

So join our facebook page and you might be the lucky winner.

No purchase necessary.

Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa
Palm Springs, California
800-786-6938
Our resort site is http://sunnyfun.com
Our facebook page is http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

It is OK to blog about this contest and to repost this.

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

Palm Springs California is picked as one of the 10 Best places to relax on vacation in the US by Tripadvisor.com

We live very stressful times. People need to de-stress and relax more than ever. And Palm Springs, California is the answer.

We've always told people that Palm Springs is one of the best places in the world to relax. And especially if you are staying at our Resort, The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa. That's one of the reasons we are one of the most popular hotels in town.

Well now we have official recognition that palm Springs is one of the best places in the US for a relaxing vacation.

Tripadvisor.com just picked Palm Springs, California as one of the Top 10 Relaxation Destinations in the world for 2010.

Here's what they wrote:

"TRIPADVISOR TRAVELERS' CHOICE DESTINATIONS AWARDS
Top 10 Relaxation & Spa Destinations in the United States

#4 Looking to relax in the sun? Palm Springs, with 354 days of sunshine per year, might be the place for you. Relax poolside or visit one of the many area spas… or tour some fantastic examples of mid-century modern architecture."

What is cool is our resort, The Terra Cotta Inn is a famous mid-century modern hotel built by the famous architect Albert Frey. Nude sunbathers get to stay at one of the coolest designed hotels in town.

Also trip advisor picked Terra Cotta Inn a couple of years ago as one of the 10 best clothing optional resorts in the world.

Now is the perfect time for a fun, romantic, unique vacation experience.

Never been to a clothing optional resort before? No problem. We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time!

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 (toll free US and Canada) for more information or to make reservations.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com
Join our facebook page at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs, California!

Hotel sites being sued - Accused of spreading false information

The internet has been fantastic for the travel industry, and especially for finding nudist resorts. It is our biggest source for new guests.

There is lots of information on the net about where to go for vacations, things to do, etc.

One of the negatives about the internet though is there is lots of misleading information. Many travel sites quote low rates and then you find out there are hidden resort fees or membership fees.

Or worse some places have phony "rack rates" so they can have even phonier sales and discounts.

Even in the nude recreation field, some nudist resorts quote lower rates and once you get there, you learn you have to pay daily membership fees, or ground fees, or whatever other creative name they have for charging guests extra money.

Here at Terra Cotta Inn we have NO hidden resort, grounds, parking or membership fees. You pay what you are quoted.

Now I know the hotel industry pretty well here in Palm Springs. There are some hotels that advertise with Expedia, Hotels.com etc that they are having 50% off "sales" from their phony "rack rates."

The funny thing is they ALWAYS have these 50% off sales. And the sad thing is some people fall for the phony sales thinking they are getting a bargain or good value. Which they're not.

We've had people come here for day use at our resort. They're from out of state, have been to nudist resorts before, (not ours), but booked at a non nude hotel here in town thinking they they were getting a deal from one of these hotel room "sales."

It gets pretty frustrating when a nudist books a textile hotel that has a 50% off sale because they think it's cheaper than staying at our resort. As an example one place in town offers 50% off sales at $119 midweek. However once you factor in parking fees, resort fees, buying breakfast and having to pay us $25 for a day fee to use our nudist resort. That bargain $119 becomes about $205. And midweek our rates are only $149. Plus you'll get free afternoon snacks here too.

MSNBC in the fall said many nudist resorts are a great value and mentioned The Terra Cotta Inn as one of the best values in the nudist industry.

Well a hotel group in France got tired of other hotel sites misleading information and is suing Experida, Hotels.com and tripadvisor.

Here's the story:


"Expedia, Hotels.com and TripAdvisor accused of spreading false information

Synhorcat, a union of French hoteliers is taking legal action against Expedia and two of its subsidiaries, TripAdvisor and Hotels.com, accusing them of unfair trade practices.

The lawsuit filed by Synhorcat at the Commercial Court in Paris last week claims that the close relationship between TripAdvisor and Expedia/Hotels.com leads to situations, where hotels that are not working with Expedia are listed on TripAdvisor with no rooms available, although they have availability.

The union calls this a “discriminatory practice”, that not only leads to false information for the consumer, but is also potentially deterring consumers from contacting the hotel directly to book a room.

In addition, the lawsuit criticizes Expedia’s promotional claim of “up to 75% discounts on hotel rates” as misleading for consumers...

According to Synhorcat, Expedia’s promotional claim also has the potential to deter consumers from booking the hotel directly, as they are made believe that the deepest discounts are available on Expedia.

“We have nothing against the Internet, in contrary,” says Didier Chenet, President of Synhorcat, “but we cannot let these practices penalize hoteliers.”

For the full story click here

The Terra Cotta inn is a fantastic deal which is why we have one of the highest occupancy rates in Palm Springs.

Now is the perfect time for a fun, romantic, unique vacation experience.

Never been to a clothing optional resort before? No problem. We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time!

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 (toll free US and Canada) for more information or to make reservations.

Join our Facebook web page at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs, California!

Join Friends of San Onofre Beach Facebook Page

I just received this and am forwarding it to everyone here.

* * * * * * * *

"Hey Friends Of San Onofre Beach (FOSOB) members!

First, we'd like to thank you all so much for joining our Facebook group. What a fun bunch so far! :)

Second, We're asking you to help us promote the group by suggesting it to all your friends who support nude beaches. And, have them suggest it to their friends, etc, etc. Pass it on, pass it on, pass it on.

The group has grown to 240 members in just a few weeks, and we're sure that the membership will grow significantly in the next few months - hopefully by summer.

Wouldn't it be nice if California's anti-nudity bureaucrats visited our Facebook page this summer and said "Holly cow! I had no idea there was that much support for a nude beach at San Onofre!" ? Well, lets make that happen.

San Onofre is the last legal nude beach in all of Southern California's Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange County coastlines. Not only is San Onofre one of the last undeveloped areas of the coastline, but the remoteness, combined with the fact that there is no pass-through beach traffic - since the clothing optional area dead ends at Camp Pendleton Military Base - makes it unique among all the other beaches along that stretch of coast. San Onofre is simply THE best place to have a clothing optional beach in southern California.

Please help us on our membership drive, so we can reach as many people as possible to help us all protect San Onofre's clothing optional area.

Here's the public link to the Friends Of San Onofre Beach (Official) group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=108983922453567&ref=mf

Thanks in advance! See you all online! Have a great day! :)

ps: Feel free to participate in the group comments."

San Onofre was a great nude beach. I hope nudists get to use it again nude.

Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa
800-786-6938

Join our Facebook web page. You might win a free night at Terra Cotta Inn this summer.

Click here to join: http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage