The Terra Cotta Inn Clothing Optional Resort, Palm Springs, CA is Selected as best:

[NakedGary]

The Terra Cotta Inn Clothing Optional Resort, Palm Springs, CA is Selected as One of the Top Places in the World to Go Nude Sunbathing

http://www.pr.com/press-release/59738


http://www.pr.com/upload/pressrelease_10418_1194506096.jpg

[Wcstflyer]

While my wife and I are not nearly as familiar with the Terra Cotta Inn as we are with the larger Desert Shadows, Tom Mulhall and his wife Mary Clare have built a large and loyal fan base for their intimate (17 room) nudist resort on Racquet Club Dr. Recently with all the financial woes be-falling DS we wonder why we haven't visited the Terra Cotta more often. Was it the lack of nudist tennis courts, no large restaurant/bar or simply the size and number of swimming pools and hot tubs at DS that made it more appealing?

Certainly scale may have played a part. A few short years ago when the Baxendall Bridge was dedicated, who would have thought events would have played out as they have? (But then again, who would have believed Notre Dame would be 1-9 in football thus far this season.) Little Terra Cotta Inn survives and seemingly thrives thanks to the able hands-on business model of the Mulhalls. People I've spoken with all say this is not a remote operation of some invisible owner from Chicago; the Mulhalls are given rave reviews.

I'll go one step further. Tom has an up-to-date blog at his website and an uncanny ability to get the Terra Cotta in the mainstream news. Couples huddled in an igloo in Barrow, Alaska read of a magical place in Palm Springs where the sun shines 360+ days a year and folks can soak up the rays au natural. And while you and your wife are doing that you can taste a bit of history: One of the rooms at the Terra Cotta is where Marilyn Monroe and Jack Kennedy enjoyed a number of trysts. Heck that is a way better visual than Britney Spears and K-Fed.

Gary- you're right. The Terra Cotta Inn deserves a mention here.

[Fuzzy Nuts]

Hey lets not build up Terra Cotta too much or it is going to get more and more difficult to get a reservation!!!

[DenitaLC]

Hubby and I just enjoyed our first visit to Terra Cotta Inn in October. We didn't miss the larger grounds of DSI where we'd stayed the past three visits to Palm Springs. All of the recommendations I got from people regarding TCI were right on, this is a great clothing optional couples' resort. The Mulhall's do a wonderful job making their guests feel at home. We've already booked for a second visit at the end of March. :)

[banude]

But I'd also caution against talking about the "financial woes" of Desert Shadows since that's not an accurate representation of the situation there. The bankruptcy filing is irrelevant to anybody except the holder of the mortgage note.

Does anybody else find this a bit funny besides me?:)

[wiz]

I don't see Terra Cotta and Desert Shadows as competitors. There's a very large difference in "feel" between a facility with 17 rooms and one with around 60. I suspect most people who like Terra Cotta will not like Desert Shadows and vice versa.

My visit to Desert Shadows was a long time ago and I've never been to Terra Cotta but I don't think that matters. The reality is that what is acceptable at any give moment with respect to a nudist resort is variable. By that I mean I can spend the day at a down right rustic resort and be perfectly happy. If I want to go somewhere for a week though different facilities are in order.


From an economic perspective, there's also a huge difference. It's not hard to run a 17-room facility and do well. Indeed, it's the larger and/or fancier naturist resorts (Desert Shadows, Paradise Lakes, Caliente, Eden Bay) that are having problems with profitability.

In the case of desert shadows though is it a case of profitability or just expanding to fast and not being able to cover obligations? This is a bit like asking if it is a case of managerial mistakes.


The vast majority of naturist places are either smaller (e.g., Terra Cotta) or have simple facilities (e.g., SunSport) and they are doing fine.

I think that within the phrase "have simple facilities" is a bit of gold. Don't get me wrong I'm not against resorts getting bigger and adding to the physical plant but they must do so in a way that the customers can support. Once room rates start to climb people look else where.


But I'd also caution against talking about the "financial woes" of Desert Shadows since that's not an accurate representation of the situation there. The bankruptcy filing is irrelevant to anybody except the holder of the mortgage note.

Well that all depends on what the holder of the note decides to do. A place such as Desert Shadows is still marketable.

Yes, the resort lost money this year, but most of that is due to non-recurring expenses to improve the facility and the inevitable disruptions due to to change in ownership: in previous years, they came very close to breaking even.
Breaking even isn't really a business either. A little profit could have smoothed out many a bump in the road.

dave

[Zorro]

Hubby and I just enjoyed our first visit to Terra Cotta Inn in October. We didn't miss the larger grounds of DSI where we'd stayed the past three visits to Palm Springs. All of the recommendations I got from people regarding TCI were right on, this is a great clothing optional couples' resort. The Mulhall's do a wonderful job making their guests feel at home. We've already booked for a second visit at the end of March. :)
Good to know... I'll have to take my girlfriend there soon then... :)

[1Ace]

I reccomend TCI, can't say the same for Desert Shadows...

[Alii]

I don't see Terra Cotta and Desert Shadows as competitors.

I disagree. While I have never visited Desert Shadows, I am a regular visitor to the Terra Cotta. I have talked with several folks at the TC who also have stayed at the DS. Some alternate between places. Some have a favorite, but still visit both. I also think that there are times that the DC benefits from the TC being small. Many times I have been told by people that they have gone to the DS because they could not get into the TC. I believe that they qualify as "competitors" since each would benefit from the demise of the other. Each are selling a similar product. Most likely if there were no more TC, their clients would migrant to the DS (and visa versa).

[Alii]

Perhaps some would, but I disagree that each would benefit from the demise of the other. It's quite possible TC would benefit from the demise of DS just because it's small enough that even a small percentage of people migrating towards them would make a big difference.

But I don't think the opposite is true. Numerically, if TC went away and 1/3 of their guests went to DS instead, that would, at most, be a 10% increase in occupancy at DS. But the downside is significant: by having two resorts with different styles, you're not in a situation where either has to feel they have to be "everything for everyone" and when you try to do that you often end up accomodating nobody well.

My feeling is that in some sense, every naturist resort competes with every other, since all are trying to get money from the same supply of naturists. But in another sense, each complements each other by providing a variety of different experiences and allowing each to develop a strong and loyal "niche" market that's important to the overall viability of each.

I also think that competition is good for business. I just disagreed with your earlier statement that the TC and DS were not competitors. They are both "selling" their product to a very small percentage of the population, people seeking out nudist destinations. Speaking for myself and my wife, we are perfectly happy with the TC and have never felt the need to try the DS. If there were no TC we most likely would switch our 3 times a year trips to the DS. That is, assuming we like the DS. This same thing could be said for a supermarket. We are very loyal to a certain brand/location, but if it didn't exist one of their competitors would pick up our business.

Assuming that the bulk of the customers from either TC or DS would wish to continue their visits to a clothes free resort in the desert should one of the resorts not exist, I think that the remaining clothes free resorts in the area would pick up the bulk of the business. Even the larger DS could use the 34 people that are at the TC most weekends. The primary attraction of both resorts is the clothing free aspect. There are many textile resorts in the area that are superior resorts with many more amentities at the same cost, but obviously you can't be nude at the textile resorts.

I think that if either were to go out of business, the other might pick up a much higher percentage of the others business than 1/3. I want both to survive. Competition is good.
Having a choice is good for consumers.

[studentdoctor]

We've wanted to check this place out but haven't had a chance to. Our of curiousity, how come nobody makes it a big deal that Terra Cotta is couples only and no kids - and Desert Shadows became such a huge deal when they implemented this?

[wiz]

We've wanted to check this place out but haven't had a chance to. Our of curiousity, how come nobody makes it a big deal that Terra Cotta is couples only and no kids - and Desert Shadows became such a huge deal when they implemented this?

This is a rough guess but I'd have to say that Desert Shadows has the same problem as any other business that changes policy mid stream. People that have come to do business with you under one set of terms feel taken advantage of if the term change in a way out of favor to them.

The other thing is that the resort did have the seal of approval so to speak which for some makes the place legitimate. In other words it gave people the feeling that the place was maintained to certain expectations.

As far as I know Terra Cotta never attempted to do anything other than what it advertised.

Dave

[NakedGary]

Back to the original thread post:
<O:p
<O:p</O:p
The Terra Cotta Inn Clothing Optional Resort, Selected as One of the Top Places in the World to Go Nude Sunbathing.

http://www.pr.com/press-release/59738 (http://www.pr.com/press-release/59738)

<O:p
If you really read the referenced article and link at the bottom of the page; its a bunch of slick advertising, marketing, and kick back schemes for those who make up and submit "Self promoting Press Releases" for them selves to a web site/Company and become affiliates for commissions for a company who is marketing kick back % for hits on their domain & business derived from those hits tracked by the so called "Press Release" site re: www.pr.com (http://www.pr.com/).

I believe the banned "Sea Mountain Inn & Spa" also did their own press releases through this same or similar self promoting questionable "Press Release" splashes on-line. <O:p

To me, if Terra Cotta Inn and Spa has such a high [75%+] repeat business as quoted would pages of self made press releases through a questionable advertising kick back scheme be necessary?

http://www.pr.com/company-profile/press-releases/10418 (http://www.pr.com/company-profile/press-releases/10418)

I think in a city that been highly competetive & famous for "Spa's" 50+ or more now, for over a hundred years; [many of which are "Clothing Optional"] it's an attempt to address or advertise to a niche market of all nudist adult couples, affiliated or not who actually put them on the market when previously they promoted for, and targeted "AANR affiliated" customers.

<O:pTerra Cotta Inn and Spa does not have a "AANR" banner/link to AANR anymore on their web pages, but do have a links to "TANR"& "AANR" on the "Airlines, info" button where many links are for airlines, Palm Springs Information, and a couple of other links are.

<O:pIf self promoting /questionable press releases pushed by an affiliate member pay back/commision scheme works for them, fine, but I would take with a grain of salt that "TheTerra Cotta Inn Clothing Optional Resort and Spa" was selected by a credible source as being one of the best places in the world to go nude sunbathing at.

[NakedGary]

Richard Kenner

I don't see that Terra Cotta did anything wrong here. Can you be more specific as to what you see wrong?

I didn't say Terra Cotta did anything wrong. In the last paragraph I more or less said "If a self promoting scheme works for them, fine " I think Terra Cotta use to quote 85-95% return rate, and I have heard nothing but positive remarks on how friendly, relaxed,and how people enjoy their visits there."

I met & spoke with Tom Mulhall the owner of the Terra Cotta at a TANR convention last fall when the president of TANR asked me to do a presentation named "Checking in on nudist on-line forums" when CFI couldn't make it due to on location taping. One of main points I brought up was how so called nudist resorts were fronting, tagging and targeting AANR, TNS, and affiliated ligament resorts and their members in the search engine rankings, and on-line ads and web pages to attract nudists to their adult swinger resorts, and how organizations, and resorts can track and get demographics of hits on web sites.

I only have positive things to say about the owners, and reputation of the Terra Cotta Inn & Clothing Optional Spa.

The Terra Cotta Inn & Clothing Optional Spa has changed direction in many ways, and now is a C/O facility welcoming and targeting any Adult Couples, Tourists, Vacationers, or people from the public who would like to visit a C/O facility for the first time or anyone wanting to participate in their spa facilities.

I didn't' have positive things to mention about press release part of www.pr.com (http://www.pr.com) as all I have seen from them is sensational or headline [Philadelphia Inquirer] type splashes for Sea Mountain [And similar], and less than reputable regular, and nudist want-to-be sites, facilities, and businesses.

On casual observance to the public the www.pr.com (http://www.pr.com) splash and press release looks positive, and the place to be, but in no way is a professional or well written press release.

I can commend Terra Cotta for dropping the AANR banner in their updated web site, and new marketing direction; Unlike Desert Shadows has.

[Alii]

I can commend Terra Cotta for dropping the AANR banner in their updated web site, and new marketing direction; Unlike Desert Shadows has.

I don't know why the Terra Cotta should not be allowed to refer to the AANR on their website. AANR West lists the Terra Cotta as a "participating business" on their website.