Holidays in a vacation rental home, making it memorable!

Holidays in a private vacation rental home, making it memorable!
 
One of the many advantages of a vacation rental during the December holidays is the opportunity to make your lodging “personal and memorable”.  Celebrating the holidays infused with generations of tradition (or making new ones) in your vacation residence can provide memories to last a lifetime. We interviewed a few of our partners who offered some ideas:
 
Ski Holiday: A mountain vacation in the mountains during December guarantees a “White Christmas”. We suggest the following:
 
Holiday Décor: Request a Christmas Tree. The tree can be delivered and decorated prior to arrival. To keep the family traditions, consider shipping a small selection of ornaments to the management company prior to your trip. When you arrive, you and your family can place the “finishing touches” on the tree. Few destinations during the holidays rival Keystone Retreat in Keystone, CO. Families will enjoy the spacious 4 bedrooms plus a loft which sleeps 12 in luxury in a priavte executive ski home.  We suggest apres-ski either at home or in the village with a hot cocoa and gelato just a short walk from the lodge.
 
Gifts: Consider having your gifts shipped to your vacation home rental. Imagine opening gifts by the fireplace watching the falling snow, the lighted ski runs and evergreen trees covered in snow.  Our private home is just minutes from the slopes yet set within a beautiful valley of mature aspens and evergreen trees, the finest mountain setting for the holidays and beyond. When its time to return home, have the larger gifts shipped.

Skis/Boards: Anyone on your gift list receiving new skis, boots or boards? If yes, ask about a reputable retailer pre-order the equipment to be delivered to the vacation residence. Concerning boots, be sure to use a local retailer with a boot-fitting specialist. Bows and gift-wrapping are optional.
 
Christmas Dinner: The finest restaurants will be booked for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the weekend that follows. If you do not wish to cook, consider a private caterer or chef.  Full formal meals can be delivered and re-heated or prepared on-site and professionally served, the choice is yours.
 
Wherever you choose to spend the Holidays, we wish you happy ones!
 

 

Colorado Discount Lift Tickets

Greetings from snow country!
With ski pass prices continually increasing, it pays to look at the deals that are available. Here at Keystone Retreat we always take advantage of local discounts. There are almost always discounted lift tickets available at area sporting goods and King Sooper grocery store locations.
In addition, if you’re coming more than once to Colorado or plan to stay more than 5 days, (with daily window rates approaching $100) it doesn’t take too many days until a pass pays for itself. If you’re heading to any of the 5 mountains (or better yet all of them) covered under Vail Resort you have until November 15th. Passes start at around $400 for adults but they sell a 4 pack of tickets good at Keystone or Arapahoe Basin for $139. That’s $35/ticket, but is only available in Denver at Vail Resort Pass sale locations. More information is available here: http://www.snow.com/passsales/4-pack.aspx
Interwest offers similar deals on passes and 4 packs at Copper Mountain, Winter Park, and Steamboat. Details can be found at hhtp://www.passwagon.com
Also check out specials on lessons. There are some amazing deals for pass holders, including the Keystones Family Freedom Pack. At $225 it offers 4 lessons for any member of your family provided they have a season pass and includes 4 parking passes at the slope side lots in the Mountain House area. These are a 5 minute walk from the Peru lift.
If you’re not sure how much you will ski go ahead and sign up for Vail Resorts SKE card. It’s free and allows direct to the lift access and the lowest published rate for any day you ski. Call 800-842-8062 for more information or go to their web site http://www.snow.com/passsales/ske%20card.aspx
For $10 you can get a CO GEM’s card at http://www.coloradoski.com and it provides 2 for 1 M-T lift tickets and $38 anytime for Loveland as well as $10 off tickets at A-Basin and lots of other perks including 4 free days of skiing. It’s hard not to be worth it.
Keystone Retreat www.keystone-retreat.com

Vacation Home Rental Trend validated by TripAdvisor

Reading this at TripAdvisor validates our thoughts as well.  We see the incredible values created in the home rental market vs the hotel room market in the leisure vacation travel.  Comparing apples to apples, renting a vacation home is much less costly than getting hotel rooms as the number in your party increases.  But more than that, just the personal space alone is a big draw.  Conjure up visions of sitting in your bathrobe on your private deck overlooking the ski slopes drinking coffee in the morning waiting for the kids to wake up.   

The following is from the July 17th, 2009 issue of  TravelTrade

According to a recent survey by TripAdvisor of more than 2,800 travelers, forty-three percent of travelers said they are staying at a vacation rental in the next 12 months because they believe there are good deals to be had in the market. Twenty-four percent are staying or have already stayed at a vacation rental this summer.

 •Sixty percent of travelers would take advantage of a great last minute deal at a vacation rental this summer, and 41 percent would require a 50 percent discount or more to entice them to book.

 •Eighty-seven percent of travelers would choose a vacation rental over a hotel if it were a better deal.

 •The top reason travelers like vacation rentals is that they offer more space, according to 78 percent of travelers.

 •Seventy-seven percent cited access to a full kitchen, while 57 percent noted the benefit of a vacation rental home’s privacy.

 •Among travelers that have already stayed at a vacation rental this summer, the south is the most popular US vacation rental region, according to 37 percent of respondents, followed by the west at 18 percent and northeast at 14 percent.

 •Twenty-four percent of travelers have stayed at vacation rentals more than 10 times in their lifetime and 14 percent stay at the same property every year.

 •Sixty-six percent said that the top activities that vacation rentals allow travelers to do is sleep more people, 64 percent said they enjoy the ability to have homemade family or group meals, and 60 percent identified common areas for hanging out. Twenty-three percent believe the best benefit is more privacy for romance.

 “Travelers on the hunt for a hot summer deal should take a closer look at vacation rentals,” said Bryan Saltzburg, general manager of new initiatives at TripAdvisor. “Many rentals offer comparable amenities to hotels but with more space, privacy and similar comforts of home.”

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 At Keystone Retreat, we provide luxury private vacation home rentals for the discriminating executive in a private Rocky Mountain setting near the River Run base area at Keystone Ski Resort.  For more information visit: www.keystone-retreat.com

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The Vacation Home Value vs. The $129 Hotel Room:

While a $129 rate may seem attractive, when comparing “apples to apples” the vacation home rental is usually the true value proposition when considering the following:

Many are intrigued with the $129/night rooms being offered by many hotels and resorts. Trust us, we have noticed the advertisements and we are intrigued as well. We know $129/night is a bargain for many to have access to a small hotel room, double occupancy with an over-priced mini-bar.

•Multiple Rooms: A four or five (4-5) bedroom vacation rental will sleep 12-14 persons in expansive comfort usually including 3-5 bathrooms. In hotel terms, this would translate to 6-7 rooms.

•Living Room/Dining Room/Game-Entertainment Rooms: Hey, we love hotel and resort public spaces, especially having to get fully dressed to enjoy a cup of coffee or an evening night cap. Even better, dressing for breakfast or waiting in-line for the privilege to dine at the overpriced on-site restaurant. Sometimes dining al fresco in your polo shirt and shorts in your private deck is a vacation in itself.

•Kitchen Facilities: Even a small kitchen provides access to groceries and snacks anytime. Breakfast in the morning, afternoon snacks, popcorn for the home theater? All available from your 2 private kitchens? No room service, no gratuities, it all adds to cost-savings.  In addition, a case of beer in (each) fridge and a blender on top of the bar drops the prices of drinks drastically. 

•Private Space: From the private hot tub to the lounge chairs on the deck, it is your space. No sharing or reserving chairs by the pool. No opening and closing hours on the amenities, they are yours to use as you wish.

•Concierge/Chef Service: While hotels may have a concierge on staff, our management partners can provide concierge and private chef services based on years of experience and relationship building. Grocery delivery, private guides, dinner reservations, concert tickets, spa services, your wishes will be facilitated.

•Parking: Having a 2 car heated garage and large driveway that accommodates at least 3 more vehicles steps from the door means security and convenience.  In the winter when it’s 10 degrees outside and you want to jump in the car, it’s nice walking into a heated garage and not waiting 5 minutes for the heat to come on.

So, is the $129/rate still the value proposition? You decide and call us if you have any questions. Travel Agents, please note, we are here to assist you and your clients as well.

5th night free! It’s incredible!

For a limited time we are offering the 5th night free at our luxury cabin in Keystone, Colorado with 4 paid nights at the regular rate. The 5 nights must be consecutive. Contact us for all the details!

 

www.keystone-retreat.com

Keystone Retreat – Luxury Ski Rental Home

For those of you seeking the best in mountain rentals, do not miss Keystone Retreat (www.keystone-retreat.com). I just read about renting villas by the week or month in Conde Nast Traveler (www.cntraveller.com), yet there was no mention of the Rocky Mountains.

Keystone Retreat is a magnificient private home for the discriminating executive. The typical renter is an accomplished CxO or Entrepreneur, with or without children.

The house is only 2 blocks from the Gondola at Keystone Ski Resort which was relocated in the Summer of 2008 to be closer to the Village (and the house!) See (http://keystone.snow.com/info/mtninfo.riverrungondola.asp) .

When there is snow on the ground you can actually pole your way to the lift. Even when there is not snow on the ground, it is just a short walk. You do not have to wait for a shuttle or get a ride. It’s nice to be able to come back to the house for lunch and not worry about the distance.

No luxury is spared, there are 4 fireplaces, one in each of the 2 masters and 1 in the living room and 1 in the rec room. The management team is very responsive to the guests needs and the house is equipped qwith everything you could need.

For the perfect vacation rental – summer or winter – contact the folks at Keystone Retreat (www.keystone-retreat.com).