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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 A P R I L 4 , 2 0 1 6 from small homes with peak-season weekly rents of $900 to a waterfront estate that goes for $14,000 a week. She's already seeing an increase in bookings. "We're already up 10%, year-to-date, over 2015's bookings. So I'm thinking it's going to be a good season — better than last season by maybe 5% to 10%," Richardson says. Witham Family Partnership, one of the two largest lodging owners in Bar Harbor, has 13 lodging properties and 900 guest rooms, much of it on Mount Desert Island. Holdings include the Bar Harbor Inn, Acadia Inn, the Atlantic Oceanside, Villager Motel, Quality Inn, Best Western Acadia Park Inn, Hampton Inn and the Bar Harbor Motel, among others. Witham is seeing a 14% increase in advance bookings, said Fred Link, gen- eral manager of the Bar Harbor Inn. "Defi nitely, the centennial is creat- ing a huge buzz for visiting the park, Bar Harbor, MDI, and Ellsworth this year," says Link. "We're anticipating a very busy season." Ocean Properties, Bar Harbor's other major lodging owner, has the Bar Harbor Regency, Harborside Hotel, West Street Hotel and Days Inn — a total of 631 guest rooms. "It's that time of year when you can tell what kind of season you're going to have," says Eben Salvatore, the chain's local operations manager. "And we're ahead of last year," by an estimated 8% to 10%. He cites the Acadia's trending num- bers, the centennial and the weather. "Each year, we have a 5% swing, give or take, with the weather," he says. " at's usually the biggest factor in the kind of season we have." Be welcoming, but be prepared Whatever the source, these upticks might be just a glimpse of what's to come this summer. e Acadia Centennial Task Force has been work- ing for the past three years to craft a gala year and a marketing campaign that is now coming into full swing. e park had already benefi ted from Ken Burns' 2009 documentary, " e National Parks: America's Best Idea," free publicity from President Barack Obama's family visit in 2010; and cita- tions like "America's Favorite Place" by ABC's "Good Morning America." Acadia is the ninth most-visited national park, yet one of the smallest by area. To that end, the task force and its partners seek a balance between Workplace Solutions for Maine Employers That's where Drummond Woodsum attorneys Dan Rose, Pete Felmly, Laurel McClead, Tom Trenholm, Elek Miller and Jeana McCormick can help. A group of highly specialized attorneys focused on providing human resource professionals with the guidance they need in dealing with personnel matters. We practice law differently. Since 1965. dwmlaw.com | 800.727.1941 APRIL 5 Hilton Garden Inn Freeport Downtown 7:30–10:30am SP ONSORED BY For more information contact Rebekah Roy at 207.761.8379 x341 or rroy@mainebiz.biz Event capacity is 250 and sells out quickly, please preregister! Tickets are $30 and include a plated breakfast. R E G I S T E R T O DAY ! mainebiz.biz/WMNLead16 T H I S Y E A R ' S T O P I C PA N E L I S T S Mentoring Leads the Way Impact, Experiences, and Resources for Women in Maine FOLLOW US @MBEVENTS #MBWMNLead16 Lynn Cole Sandra Stone Nancy Strojny C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E »

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