Updated on May 7, 2023
Colorado is known for its blue skies, but in recent weeks, the Covid pandemic put a cloud over the Centennial state’s tourism. In its midst, a group of vacation rentals managers decided to create their own silver lining.
From impacted to impactful
With a population just under 19,000 people, Durango’s small mountain town vibe and close proximity to the San Juan Mountain Range make the region a prime location for vacation rentals. In 2011, vacation rental managers Chris Bettin and Keith Brant launched Premier Vacation Rentals Group there, capitalizing on this locale. Today, the company has offices and properties throughout Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Oregon, Idaho, and Arizona.
Then Covid-19 hit. Chris, now CEO, described the impact to vacation rentals as “reminiscent of living through a wildfire or hurricane—all events we’ve weathered over the years.”
As they grappled with the challenge, Chris and Keith reflected on historic events like the Great Recession. “We realized [this] was different than any other business challenge before.”
Asking themselves what they could do at the start of Durango’s peak rental season, with no bookings in sight, Chris said Premier decided to look instead at a silver lining opportunity.
They created the Colorado Free Lodging Program, an initiative bringing together vacation rental property managers to provide no-cost housing for those impacted or displaced by Covid. The only charges for the guest are housekeeping and a damage waiver of $49.
“We shifted from being impacted to impactful.”
Vacation rental managers come together
Chris created a YouTube video explaining the Colorado Free Lodging Program and encouraging other vacation rental managers to contribute. “It just felt like a way for all of us to reach out and show how much we care about the communities we operate in.” This led to three other Colorado vacation rental managers coming on board.
Founded in 2007, Durango Red Cliff Properties typically gives back by donating to a charity that supports education and building schools for kids in need. But when COVID-19 halted income for the 40+ properties in Red Cliff’s portfolio, owners Gwen and Kevin Buscher wondered what they could do to make a difference.
Gwen learned of a local nurse whose husband’s health was immunocompromised following cancer treatment. Gwen reached out to Durango’s Mercy Regional Medical Center’s intensive care unit, offering the use of four short-term rentals volunteered by their homeowners. One house provided four master suites the nurse and three other medical professionals could share.
“Giving our first responders a safe place to stay is what we can do.”
Vacation Accommodations of Durango (VAD) also joined the initiative.
“In a community our size, it’s not uncommon for us to know everyone personally,” said Marketing Director Hal Lott. “Places like Durango are ‘shop local first’ to support our small businesses, and we fall into that independent small business category. We feel like when we can, it’s our turn to give back, and that’s why we jumped on this opportunity.”
Of the company’s 80 properties, about 10% have joined the effort. VAD has hosted police, medical first responders and essential town personnel, including a bus driver. No one in need has been turned away.
Premier’s outreach to other vacation rental managers extended far and wide across Colorado—eventually landing on the Front Range, with Denver’s Effortless Rental Group.
Effortless began in urban Denver in 2015. They’ve expanded to include the Denver metropolitan area, Summit County and Winter Park. Dana Lubner, Director Of Sales and People Operations, said they’d already decided to reach out to hospitals offering rentals before Premier reached out to Effortless, offering a detailed tool kit.
“We were feeling helpless. We weren’t sure how to make connections or where to blast this out,” Dana said. “This increased the power of accommodations, so we joined with them. We are very community-focused, very involved on an advocacy level.”
The Vacation Rental Management Association has also backed the initiative. “I sincerely applaud these actions by members of the professional vacation rental management community as a shining example of the support we offer to the communities we operate in,” said President Toby Babich. “The example set by these companies, and their generous owners, speak loudly in such difficult times that we can always be counted on to rise to the occasion and be a generous and empathetic asset to our local communities.”
In this together
Those silver linings Chris and Keith were in search of at the program’s inception continue to show up. There’s story after story of ways people impacted by COVID-19 are feeling community love and support during this otherwise difficult time.
From the wife of an emergency room physician:
“My husband is staying in one of [Premier’s] units. As a family, we’ve gone through so much stress, fear, tears and sleepless nights. This company made an unbearable journey bearable. We now have a safe place for [my husband], and a safe place for our family. I cannot thank everyone at Premier enough, all I can do is pay it forward.”
From a sheriff’s deputy:
“I’ve been a law enforcement officer for 35 years…I found myself in a very difficult, but obviously not unique, situation. My fiancé is an ER nurse and she has teenagers at our home. They all have a blood disorder that makes them high-risk if they were to catch the virus.”
The deputy spoke of moving first to his parent’s house and then to a cheap motel—”still more expensive than a small-town cop can afford long term”—before placement in a Colorado Free Lodging unit.
“Then my daughter saw Premier’s ad…that same day…I was in a gorgeous condo in God’s country. I want to thank each and every one of you for your amazing generosity!”
While the property managers in the Colorado Free Lodging Program may not be generating revenue from it, it is providing a different valuable income: the joy of helping others. “The rewarding feelings this [program] has inspired have been immeasurable,” Chris said. “Our spirits and focus during this time have been greatly improved by this effort.”
Other side of the crisis
Looking ahead, Chris described the future for the vacation rental industry post-pandemic as bright. “I believe vacation rentals will be even more desirable on the other side of this crisis.”
Dana spoke of the negative narratives surrounding vacation rentals in Denver. She sees this initiative as an important reminder of the roots of the industry: opening up and offering personal homes to others in a neighborly and caring way.
“This allows us to flip the script. Instead of fighting back, love is the answer,” she said. “This shows the true, pure heart of where this all started.”
Read more: How helping others helps your vacation rental business.
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