and most revered chalet providers in the area, is now celebrating its 40th anniversary in business in the Great Smoky Mountains - a huge milestone in a constantly and increasingly competitive industry in the area where many, many other Smoky Mountain Vacation providers have not been able to survive even 1/10th of that length.What began as a small family business, with only one house to its name (quite literally with Mountain Laurel House, a chalet still available on their rental program), slowly but surely grew alongside the city of Gatlinburg as it expanded during the 70s and 80s. Founders, co-owners and operators Dot and Ralph Egli began their business in 1972 quite unintentionally - they were trying to SELL that little house and began renting it out when no purchase could be made. The Eglis, highly motivated and faithful followers of the First United Methodist Church, were able to hear a different calling that God had for them and that little house.
In the 1970s, visitors to Gatlinburg would come to the hotels first and when they filled up, Dot and Ralph would receive visitors to the Mountain Laurel House. Guests were often so impressed with their hospitality that they asked to come back the next year. Ralph Egli himself was often transporting guests from the city to the hills. Their reputation as hosts traveled throughout the city and they started getting offers to rent and manage other homes as well.
A business was born. Soon, Ralph was fixing up another house to serve as their office for this fledging new opportunity, and as Gatlinburg evolved, so did their opportunity. Business really began to boom in the 80s as a result of continued building, planning for the World’s Fair and the advent of the computer. Dot Egli, who was also a schoolteacher, took some risks with the business, such as investing in a computer that ended up paying off very well in the end. By 1982, the year of the World's Fair in Knoxville, Ralph and Dot had 70 homes on their rental program.
Today, Dot and Ralph continue to run the business in an area known as "Chalet Village" located on Ski Mountain in Gatlinburg. They now have a staggering 140 houses on their program - all in Chalet Village (an accomplishment in itself as many cabin companies spread their houses far and wide across the Smokies). Mountain Laurel's business is built on an excellent reputation as a vacation provider. Customers to Mountain Laurel are brand new or have regularly been staying with them for 5, 10, 15 or 25 years or more. Past customers include Music Artist Ricky Skaggs, Nashville Publisher Aaron Brown and thousands of annually satisfied locals and visitors to the Smoky Mountains.
They also continue to be active in the Methodist church and many of their activities outside the rental office go to help evangelism and the needs and concerns of the Smoky Mountains. Ralph himself is an avid hiker and takes his activities to help the mountains very seriously.
Visit their website at www.mtnlaurelchalets.com
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