All Forum Posts by: Christina B.

Got a reminder email from VRBO yesterday and opted out easily (could see confirmation on the page). Will keep an eye out on rankings. While I realize others have great occupancy for this upcoming summer, I'm feeling this is a reminder that travel can be very price-sensitive (and I'm adjusting prices slightly downward).

We're in the Colorado mountains (where it will climb to the 80sF in the summer) and keep ours as a hot tub (guest can adjust up to 104F). When not in use (weeks, not days), I'll drop the temp to the 90s and bring it back to 100F on the day they check in. During the summer, guests seem to use it a lot for their kids (with lower temps) and themselves in the evenings. It's very much a popular draw.

I love that you have a saltwater and looked into those but for our turnarounds, it still comes back to chemicals whether that's chlorine (as in dichlor) or bromine (which we also considered) and consistent maintenance. Your tub would be a feature for me, lol!

Providing guests with options (that are manageable/reasonable from your end) is generally preferable. It sounds obvious but in practice works differently for each host. (Example: I loved reading about how some put in practice thermostat restrictions because they've learned the hard way. We're still considering it after one guest turned off the heat during winter.) We have remote management for the hot tub settings via wifi so I can see the temps and reach out to a guest or assist the guest as needed. Useful for when the guests can't figure out the touchpad or there's a problem. Doesn't happen often but covered when it does.

Lol. @Jon Martin That Calphalon set is already at the house! I've had to clean some pans with more elbow grease (and SOS pads) but guests are such a mix. I love reading the reviews that appreciate how well stocked the house is (and kitchen in particular)!

Thank you so much, all! I'll look for those Henckels the next time I'm in Costco (since online it says out of stock)- ty, @Michael Baum. I might just let go of nonstick and appreciate that feedback @Grant Woodward. I'd prefer not to use glass as they're terrible on knives and also slippery. Will try a higher quality poly board and see if they last longer. I do think guests are washing the good knives by hand since I just had them sharpened and honed (and they were still pretty sharp after a year) but what do I know, lol. Have a great weekend!

Just wrapped inventory for the season and beyond replenishing the regular wear & tear / attrition on linens, the two items that I keep having to replace are nonstick frying pans and cutting boards (currently plastic). They seem to need replacing every 2 months (or sooner) from scratches. I do provide various stainless steel pans and a cast-iron (these are fine). I've tried everything from OXO to ceramic and they're still getting marked up although I provide silicone utensils (guessing metal tools are still being used). Any recommendations for items that last longer?

FWIW, I do think the brand must matter on the cutting boards as I've swapped out several sets from Costco but the thicker ones I have at home have lasted more than a decade. Contemplating wood boards that I'll have to maintain twice per year but not sure if guests would dislike that or be willing to hand wash. I've thought of just not providing nonstick but respect that many guests are used to them and prefer them. TIA for your feedback!

Hi @Alice Horn. I just saw this and would happily recommend Dace Voit:

https://pfimagery.com

He did a great job with our Granby Ranch property but do reach out to him to find out if he'll go to Vail. I would say good luck but you won't need it if you get to work with him!

The problem with simplified pricing is that while it sounds good initially, in the end, it will most likely lead to higher prices as hosts increase their price per night to cover that simplification. For example, our cleaning costs in the mountains are (to me) crazy expensive and in some seasons, more than our nightly rate. I've tested baking it into the nightly rate and as guests rightly only look at bottom line (total cost), it tends to benefit shorter stays but penalizes longer stays. So I ended up adding it back in as a separate fee.

Also, I'm not yet sure if this would be a positive or a negative, but as most of my competitors have a separate cleaning fee, rolling it into the rate (and having zero as a cleaning fee, for example), creates chaos with the competitive data sets I'm looking at (and yes, I could write a simple formula to compensate for that in Excel, etc.) but we already know it's not true apples-to-apples.

Like @Andrew Steffens and @Josh Sedivy, there are reasons for us to have electronic deadbolts on both exterior doors. I only wish I had one for our 3rd exterior- which is a sliding glass door but at the time, only Yale offered an option and when we tested both Schlage and Yale, we preferred Schlage. I now see a company called Lockey offers something but haven't researched it yet.

Most of our guests seem to prefer keyless entry so not having to worry about keys is one positive. The other is that second exterior door is often easier for them to access skiing back in, hiking, biking, etc. that it seemed worth it to provide as an option. I do like knowing most exterior doors are secured, especially after a guest leaves (and during winters when temperatures can reach single digits or below and our cleaners can't get there until later in the day).

We do have physical key backups in a lockbox on site for emergencies. (There's also a separate fireproof lockbox with keys for the Fire Department, etc. to access.) And this past season, I learned to add a separate universal code that can be provided in cases of emergency (without giving our homeowner one away) as when temps drop below 10F, I had problems resetting the codes for new guests. Knowing I can provide a code when I can't reset the codes for incoming guests- brings peace of mind. But it also reminds me to go ahead and set up their custom codes in advance. So far, Schlage has worked well for us even in those extremely cold temperatures (except for editing/changing the codes).

I wanted to follow-up here that although our old CPA actually ghosted us completely, our new EA was not only kind and amazing, she ended up amending all our returns for 2021, 2022, and 2023 including filing 2024 on time. She answered all my questions, charged considerably less than what our old accountant did, and we have refunds for all 4 years. Although I was initially crushed at having to find a new accountant, it ended up being a valuable experience and I'm grateful she gave me a chance to make my case (as she is closed to new clients). So relieved Tax Season is done this year.

Thank you for your patience @Collin Hays. It's still on my radar because while there was one settlement (with Cortland here in Colorado), it's still on-going and even being added to (NJ is the most recent). Some useful links:

https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2025/01/the-l...

https://www.multifamilydive.com/news/doj-realpage-antitrust-...

https://www.kktv.com/2025/04/13/colorado-reaches-agreement-m...

https://coloradosun.com/2024/08/23/realpage-lawsuit-colorado...

https://www.propublica.org/article/yieldstar-rent-increase-r...

I wasn't aware until I read the Hklaw.com link that there's evidence for actual collusion (e.g. the direct correspondence between landlords on their settings in Realpage and pricing). I do think there's gray area because ironically, more often than not, Realpage's pricing recommendations were NOT followed. And currently, they're focused on data that is not publicly accessible. So, for example, if people are concerned about the implications for Pricelabs, etc., I'm pretty sure they'll claim the data upon which their pricing algos are based- is all publicly available. And it is (although there are undoubtedly exceptions and flaws in the data).

I'm still concerned that accessing this data- does lead to an overall increase in prices that might not otherwise be there. And I do think it's more rare that over time, this knowledge leads to greater reductions in price. But I can't prove that.

We'll still have to keep an eye on this as it's on-going.