Brooks Resources Corp. has sold Mount Bachelor Village Resort to an Oregon company with a rapidly growing vacation rental business.

Oksenholt Hospitality Co. bought all the outstanding shares of Mount Bachelor Village Corp. for an undisclosed amount, CEO Jon Oksenholt said. The deal includes real estate such as the event center that’s key to running the resort and two operating businesses — management of vacation rentals and the homeowners association, he said.

Situated between Century Drive and the west rim of the Deschutes River, Mount Bachelor Village is the only resort in Central Oregon within walking distance of urban amenities, Oksenholt said.

“That’s one of the things that really drew me to that resort,” he said.

Oksenholt Companies has numerous real estate interests in Oregon, Arizona and New Mexico, but Mount Bachelor Village is its first resort, Oksenholt said.

When Brooks started planning Mount Bachelor Village in the 1970s, the 18 acres was outside the city limits of Bend, Brooks Resources President Kirk Schueler said. Other resorts in Central Oregon at the time were Black Butte Ranch, also developed by Brooks Resources, Sunriver and Seventh Mountain Resort, formerly called Inn of the Seventh Mountain, said Alana Hughson, CEO of Central Oregon Visitors Association.

Brooks Resources decided to sell Mount Bachelor Village because it’s almost completely developed and because Oksenholt Hospitality has more resources as a property manager, Schueler said.

“Their expertise and experience in the industry could help Mount Bachelor Village Resort be more competitive,” he said.

Mount Bachelor Village Resort continues to operate as a stand-alone entity and kept all its current staff, including general manager Diane Wilcox, Oksenholt said.

Wilcox, who started working at Mount Bachelor Village in 1983, said she welcomes the change in ownership because vacation rentals have brought big changes to the resort industry. “We’re seeing a lot more people from different states than we ever used to,” she said.

The resort will work closely with Meredith Lodging, an Oksenholt-owned business that manages 400 vacation rentals on the Oregon Coast, Oskenholt said. Meredith also manages 43 rentals in Bend and Sunriver, though it’s only had a presence in Central Oregon for the past year, he said.

Among the nearly 300 condominiums, townhouses and single-family houses in Mount Bachelor Village are 113 rental units, managed by Mount Bachelor Village Corp., Oksenholt said. “Historically, they were almost operated as a hotel,” he said. But since all of the units have a kitchen, Oksenholt Hospitality believes it will be better to market them as vacation rentals.

Some property owners in Mount Bachelor Village have managed their own rentals, and that’s created confusion among guests, Oksenholt said. The company wants to make it clear that Mount Bachelor Village Corp. is the exclusive on-site manager, which means resort amenities are open only to its guests and homeowners, he said.

Oksenholt Hospitality will add some new amenities, starting with a game room for kids, he said.

—Reporter: 541-617-7860, kmclaughlin@bendbulletin.com