Vacasa Launches Its First-Ever Mountain Markets Vacation Rental Report

December 12, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore., - Vacasa, a leading vacation rental management company, today announced the launch of its first-ever Mountain Markets Vacation Rental Report comparing data from nearly 20,000 vacation rental homes in 11 popular winter destination markets across the U.S. Vacasa analyzed comprehensive internal, partner, and industry data to see how some of America’s favorite mountain markets compare in everything from vacation rental inventory to pet friendliness.

“We wanted to share trends that people who own and operate vacation rental homes in mountain markets would find valuable and that the local communities might find interesting,” says Scott Breon, Head of Revenue at Vacasa.

The company’s report seeks to reveal what guests consider important when booking a vacation home, how homeowners can enhance their property to better appeal to future guests, and insights into how travelers engage with the places they visit.

Key findings from Vacasa’s Mountain Markets Vacation Rental Report include:

  • Second homeowners in mountain markets are increasingly opening their doors to guests. Booming demand for vacation rentals is helping fuel growth in the short-term accommodation sector, which is growing twice as fast as the total U.S. travel market, according to Phocuswright. Vacasa’s report explores how this trend plays out in winter destinations, where Whitefish, Montana—the fastest-growing market—saw a 50% increase in vacation rental inventory between 2016–2017.
  • In mountain markets, hot tubs are more common than cable TV. Exploring the commonality of top amenities such as hot tubs, outdoor grills, fireplaces, and cable TV, Vacasa provides a glimpse into the unique “amenity identity” of some of America’s favorite mountain markets for vacation rentals. Homeowners in the Park City market, where hot tubs are popular, can differentiate by investing in an outdoor grill, which is not a common amenity there. Vacasa shows how homeowners can stand out by investing in table-stakes amenities and diversifying their property from the rest of the inventory in the market.
  • In mountain markets, spring break is a family matter. Vacasa’s report explores guest trends such as winter destination communities seeing an influx of family travelers during spring break—a dreaded party week in many other markets. The company’s deep-dives into the Breckenridge, Lake Tahoe, and Park City markets include data maps that show where guests are traveling from.
  • Pet friendliness is trending pawsitive. With vacation rentals, pet friendliness matters. Over 50% of American households include a dog and more than half of those families only stay in dog-friendly lodging. Vacasa’s report highlights pet trends and names Big Sky, Montana, which boasts 42% pet friendly inventory, the most pet friendly of the mountain markets analyzed.

Vacasa takes a data-driven approach to doing business, from its machine learning-based dynamic pricing to its industry-leading marketing, with the goal of driving more bookings and revenue for homeowners. By publishing the Mountain Markets Vacation Rental Report, Vacasa is sharing these timely insights with the greater vacation rental community.

Vacasa’s Mountain Markets Vacation Rental Report is the first in the company’s planned series of seasonal market insights. The report analyzes guest trends and home inventory changes in 11 winter destination markets across the United States including Lake Tahoe, Park City, Breckenridge, Bend, Stowe, Whitefish, Aspen, Big Sky, Telluride, Jackson, and Ketchum.


About Vacasa

Vacasa is one of the largest U.S. full service vacation rental companies. Leveraging industry-leading technology, Vacasa drives revenue for homeowners and provides unforgettable experiences for guests. Founded in 2009 and based in Portland, Oregon, Vacasa manages a growing portfolio of more than 7,000 vacation homes in the U.S.; Europe; Central and South America; and South Africa. In eight years, Vacasa has grown from two to more than 1,700 employees, has been honored as the Oregon Better Business Bureau Large Business of the Year and was ranked ninth on the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies list. For more information, visit https://www.vacasa.ca/.