By Kristine Thomas
Five – is the number of years it has been open; 103 is the number of rooms it has; 318 is the number of weddings held there in the past five years and 199,466 is the number of guests who have stayed there from October 2008 through August 2013.
Yet those numbers don’t begin to convey the impact the Oregon Garden Resort has had on Silverton and surrounding communities since opening in October 2008.
To celebrate its fifth anniversary, the community is invited to a celebration Friday, Oct. 4, 8 to 11 p.m. at the Fireside Lounge. A band made of employees from The Oregon Garden and The Oregon Garden Resort, Dead Wood Standing, will provide the music, said Brittney Hatteberg, the marketing manager of both venues.
The Oregon Garden Resort is owned and managed by Moonstone Hotel Properties.
One of six garden-themed inns in California and Oregon under the banner of Moonstone Hotel Properties, the Oregon Garden Resort is considered the crown jewel of the company’s West Coast hotels.
“As a gardening enthusiast, The Oregon Garden was already a special place for me. Being able to create a space where a visit to the garden could become an overnight destination took it to the next level. Five years later, we are so pleased with the success of this property, which offers a serene and relaxing getaway to guests who enjoy the beauty of nature,” resort owner Dirk Winter said.
The Oregon Garden is a nonprofit, overseen by the Oregon Garden Foundation and managed by Moonstone Garden Management. Moonstone Hotel Properties does not own The Oregon Garden.
“We have worked really hard to establish the Garden, the Resort and Silverton, as a place where people should come and spend their vacation,” said Christine Diacetis, general manager for both venues. “We have so much to offer people in this area, and we are really excited about the possibilities and potential.”
Visitors from Austria to Portland have shared how much they enjoy visiting Silverton and Mount Angel and see the area as a charming community. Diacetis said both the resort and the garden need the other to be successful, adding Moonstone Hotel Properties has paid approximatley $350,000 toward garden operations each year.
“The garden has had a challenging past and is still faced with a large amount of debt. However, visitation and interest are increasing,” Diacetis said. “When people visited the garden after its opening, they may have been less than impressed, because it takes time for gardens to grow. People who visit now, after 13 years, say they are blown away by the beauty and are impressed by what the garden has become. We are optimistic about the garden’s future.”
Having a resort adjacent to a destination like the garden is an ideal situation, because it increases visitation to both properties, she said, adding, the resort has enabled the garden to become a true tourist destination.
“Over the past five years, the resort and garden have both grown dramatically. We have done some key things to increase visitation, such as more public events throughout the year, focusing on bringing guests into town in the off-season,” Diacetis said. “We have created overnight resort packages that highlight the area, sending guests to local wineries and breweries, farms and area events to expose them to Silverton. I think if you talk to some of the local businesses, you will find that the resort has benefited the garden, as well as Silverton as a whole. We are really proud of that.”
Diacetis said the number of visitors to The Oregon Garden has doubled since opening the Oregon Garden Resort.
“I am very proud of our accomplishments these past five years. It is our future goal to work closely with The Oregon Garden Foundation to bring new attractions to the garden and continue to grow public events that expose people to our region,” she said.
Upcoming events at the resort include a Thanksgiving Dinner and a murder-mystery New Year’s Eve Party and events at the garden include Scarecrows in the Garden and Barn Dance & Pig Roast in October and Christmas in the Garden in December.
“I think a lot of people in the area don’t necessarily know what we have to offer at the resort – our spa, restaurant, lounge, live music each night, space for family parties. You don’t have to stay the night here to take advantage of all we have to offer,” Diacetis said. “The garden has grown into something spectacular over the past decade. ”
