Treetops Resort Remodeled, Offers Winter Events
By Edward Cardenas
SOUTHFIELD (CBS Detroit) - New carpet has been laid, ceiling panels have been replaced and all signs of damage caused by fraternities and sororities from the University of Michigan have been removed at Treetops Resort near Gaylord.
The general manager of Treetops Resort said Tuesday that crews worked quickly to repair the more than $100,000 in damages from a weekend of parties at the northern Michigan resort.
Barry Owens, Treetops general manager, said the damaged area only represented 20 percent of the resort's room inventory.
"It is very, very disappointing to see that amount. I have been in this business for almost 30 years and I have never seen anything even close to it,"said Owens during a visit to the WWJ studios where he described the extent of the damage. "We've been fortunate. We've got a great staff and we've got some great contractors in the area that have assisted us."
Within a week, one-third of the repairs were completed with the balance completed this past week. Owens added that the damage was confined to a small amount of the room inventory at the resort, and didn't have a major impact on business.
The fraternity apologized and admitted they made mistakes, Owens said, and said have sent a good faith payment. A final bill will still be presented to the fraternity.
With the repairs to the resort complete, Treetops is highlighting the many offerings of the resort including skiing, snowboarding, tubing and culinary events.
Treetops is offering a 6K cross-country ski Skiable Feast with five trailside buffets featuring unique meals paired with Michigan beers and wines on the next three Saturdays, and starting a week from Sunday, the resort will have a Wilderness Sleigh ride Dinner.
The romantic ride takes eight couple on a horse-drawn sleigh ride to a wilderness cabin for a five-course meal with entertainment.
Owens said the resort is a three-hour drive on I-75 from the Detroit area, and only eight minutes off the freeway.
"It's like you are a world away from I-75, but it is very convenient to get to," said Owens, who added the resort offers fat tire biking, skating, spas and pools. "It's nice when we see the snow down here. People realize there's snow up north. People should get outside and have some fun."
