Meet Robert Dunlap of CottageOnTheBend

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Dunlap

Hi Robert, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a semi-retired engineer who also has a retail sales/management background. Until I was in my 30s, I was always either going to school while working full-time or working both as an Engineer and a salesperson/manager in retail. My vacation time consisted mainly of traveling from my home state of Ohio to various locations in Michigan for any time I had off or weekends. This also included my childhood years as my parents always vacationed in Michigan (primarily in the UP). When I was able to visit other states (primarily associated with work trips) I always compared them to Michigan and they typically fell short. I am an avid fisherman and Michigan’s thousands of lakes and streams were the answer to my desire to fish while the natural environment is very difficult to top.

Later in life, my wife and I started utilizing a RV for camping and as happens to many RVers, we kept getting a bigger rig until it finally became a chore to camp (due to the size of the camper and the associated packing for trips, it was becoming less fun to camp). At that point we (my wife and I) decided that we would like to find a cabin that we could outfit for weekend trips and all we would have to do is to drive to it and enjoy it. In addition, we were looking forward to retirement and wanted to find a place that would fit into those future plans. Of course, we chose Michigan as our location.

The more time we spent in Michigan, the more we realized how great the state is. Relatives and friends would visit us and always comment on how beautiful an area we chose. I had always mentioned to my wife how I would like to own a cabin resort similar to the ones my parents took our family to and later, I took my family to. When a nearby property became available we took a leap of faith and decided to open a short-term rental for something to occupy my time with during my upcoming retirement. Although it is not a multi-unit resort (one unit only), it fulfills my passion for Michigan and allows the guests to experience the great state I love.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Having never operated a short-term rental before, everything was an exciting new adventure. The property required minor freshening up but was overall sound. It was time for us to put on our thinking hats as to what we would like to see if we were guests. My affinity for fishing meant we needed to be on or near water. We are on a trout stream and there are many lakes within 15 miles of our location. The stream also offers the opportunity to kayak and tube. We are nestled in woods that support a variety of Michigan’s wildlife and birds. Michigan is blessed with being a four season state and we are in an area that affords many activities in each of the seasons from skiing and snowmobiling in the Winter, Spring mushroom hunting, Summer swimming, fishing and general relaxation while watching the river flow then into Fall with it vibrant color show in the surrounding woods as well as the general area. As many know, Michigan is a great state, and fall is a prime hunting season. Now the question was, ‘If you build it, will they come?’ and how to facilitate this.

Luckily, I have a great family team to help me with this endeavor. My wife is my greatest cheerleader and keeps me on track when I go down a “rabbit hole” either overthinking an item or worrying about something I (we) may have missed. She provides the personal touches that many of our guests have written compliments about. My son is my marketing expert and maintains our web presence including Instagram, Facebook, including our own website, etc. We all share the goal to exceed the guest’s expectations. Without us working as a team this endeavor would not be where it is today.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Our cozy Airbnb “Cottage On The Bend” is nestled in the northern Michigan woods scenically overlooking a Trout river. With 4 bedrooms and 6 beds, our cottage comfortably sleeps up to 10 guests, offering a perfect getaway for families and friends. Located in Marion, Michigan, the cottage is centrally positioned for easy access to many outdoor adventures. For relaxing days indoors, guests can enjoy a variety of amenities, including a pool table, an arcade cabinet, board games, books, smart TV’s and an electric fireplace. For outdoor entertainment we have various yard games including disk golf, basketball, horseshoes, ladder ball, fishing, strolling through the woods and to end your day sitting around the campfire as the sun sets.

Looking back, what truly brings a smile to my face is the unforgettable memories our guests have made here. We’ve been fortunate to welcome amazing visitors from across the United States, some who return year after year. Seeing the joy our cottage brings to others makes all the hard work worthwhile.

We’d love for you to experience Cottage On The Bend for yourself! Visit www.CottageOnTheBend.com to learn more and book your stay. We look forward to welcoming many more wonderful guests in the years to come!

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
To me, success means having happy guests who discover the Michigan I have always loved. Almost anyone can offer a place to stay but it is the memories of a great stay that we want to provide. From providing a relaxing environment for those whose goal is to meld with nature to the more energetic guest who embraces trail riding on ATVs or snowmobiles, as well as those who are in between and enjoy a good game of horseshoes or later in the evening sitting around the campfire overlooking the river as the sun goes down.

In addition, our goal is to provide an asset to the community we live within. Michigan’s distribution of population is not extremely uniform. There are many great cities in Michigan but there are also many large rural/rustic areas with minimal population. These areas are not serviced by hotels/motels and short term rentals (STR) can fill the gap for a place to stay to be near family and events that are nearby. We have had many guests who have utilized our STR for such a purpose including to celebrate an important event with family (holiday, wedding, graduation, etc.) or to just simply reunite with loved ones for a family vacation. We are also servicing the growing businesses in our nearby town(s) which have struggled to grow and stay in business due to lack of other supporting businesses.

Of course, another metric of success is year over year growth. While we are fairly new to this endeavor, we have seen significant growth. But again, our primary goal is providing a great experience for our guests.

We would love to have you visit our STR – Cottage on the Bend which can be found at CottageontheBend.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cottageonthebend.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cottageonthebend/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CottageOnTheBend
• Other: https://www.vrbo.com/3445948