Looking for a day trip or weekend getaway with the addition of some eye-candy? Be sure to head up to Vail, Colorado this weekend for the annual Vail Arts Festival being held this year in the new Arrabelle at Vail Square in Lionshead. For those unfamiliar with the Vail Arts Festival, artists from around the country are represented with art available for purchase in many mediums from painting and sculpture to intricate crafts including woodwork and furniture.

Vail is an easy getaway from Metro Denver. Just head on Interstate 70 West to Exit-176 (Vail). At the round-about, follow signs to Lionshead Parking Structure (closet parking to the event) and park for no charge. The festival runs from 10AM to 5PM on Friday and Saturday and from 10AM to 4PM on Sunday.

In neighboring Vail Village, do you have a desire for Bar-B-Que? If yes, be sure to check out the 3rd Annual BBQ Bonanza from 11A - 4P.

Dinner this weekend in Vail? Check out Lord Gore at Manor Vail, excellent food and service, great views of Vail Mountain, all entrees $19 (excluding the fillet) or Terra Bistro at the Vail Mountain Lodge and Spa, all entrees 50% off.

Looking for lodging?  from the quaint mountain hideaway in East Vail to the premier luxury mountainside chalets check out The Society’s Vail Valley Options.

While at Arrabelle Square, consider a drink and decadent pommes frites (french fries served in a paper-lined cone) at Centre V due south (towards the ski hill) within Arrabelle.

Our Vacation Homes for Charity philanthropy has to date raised in excess of $100,000 for charities and non-profits. The program is a win-win for all involved. While revenue generation for charitable causes is always a noble gesture, homeowners and PM’s have commented on the increased awareness and up tick concerning inquiries when their property is featured at a charity event.

In the article “Second Chances: How to Squeeze More Money Out of Vacation Homes”, The Society and Vacation Homes for Charity are prominently mentioned. Anecdotally we have noticed an increased in web traffic over the weekend and into the week after the article was distributed. Be sure to review the article by clicking through on the link above or access via the blog post .

It may seem that every hotelier is offering a sale on inventory. Of note recently is the “48 Hour Sale” when hoteliers sell off inventory at a steep discount, usually 50% rack rate. While we at The Society understand the practice we feel as property managers and owners it is important to understand such a promotion may NOT be in your best interest:

• Alienation of Existing Bookings: Be forewarned, your existing bookings may contact you and demand the same discounted rate.

• Future Clients Expect Discount: While you may be filling your coffers immediately the long-term impact is unknown. Will clients now expect discounted rates in the future and if not available, book elsewhere?

• You Are Not a Hotel: In general most hotels offer a standard product with slight variables. Vacation home rentals are unique and individual. If discounting, place incentives on the inventory which historically has been least in demand.

• Price By Bedroom/Occupancy: Most hotel room rates are based on Dbl. Occ. Be creative, break down rates based on a per person basis based on total occupancy.

The staff at The Society has been working diligently composing a “White Paper” concerning the Top 10 Marketing opportunities for property managers and vacation home owners. We are all aware, due to present economic conditions; travel related spending is at a level not seen since the aftermath of the attacks of 9/11. While the economy may be stabilizing, the overall zeitgeist concerning discretionary spend for leisure has changed as the “Stay-cation” trend becomes part of the vernacular.

While researching and composing the “White Paper”, we noticed one trend being mentioned in interviews, The Last-Minute Booking. Vacationers seem to believe all last-minute bookings will be heavily discounted. Even CNN, the respected news source ran an article last week advising “Procrastination Pays Off For Some Summer Travelers”.

We at The Society know the logistical issues concerning last-minute bookings and the demand for discounts. In the White Paper we address this issue and others to provide guidance in these un-chartered economic times. When available we will be sending you a link to the posting on TheSociety.com.

For many summer is known for the 3H’s, heat, humidity and haze. The majority of the continental United States stifles during the months of July and August with one area of exception, the Rocky Mountain West.

The Colorado Rockies, literally within 45 minutes of downtown Denver is immune to the 3 H’s of summer. Due to topography, elevation and climate, the mountains of Colorado enjoy warm days, cool nights and very low humidity. There is a diversity of mountain communities and resorts from economical Keystone to historic Breckenridge. Winter Park, close to Grand Lake and Rocky Mountain National Park to Vail/Beaver Creek for those who desire to be pampered. Aspen’s cultural opportunities rival most major cities. Steamboat Springs brings with west to life. Telluride, a hidden gem in SW Colorado where every street is a “Kodak” moment.

For many in the United States, Colorado is an easy accessible destination. The Denver Airport is convenient to most mountain resorts via car or shuttle flight. For those driving, all our properties include free on-site parking. With gas and flight prices at historic lows, you do not have an excuse not to visit.

Above: Fox Valley at the Raven in Summit County, CO has a single vision; to provide the serenity of mountain living in an exclusive golf course community. Fox Valley at the Raven is a short drive from six of Colorado’s world class ski destinations and countless other mountain activity venues. Surrounded by 130,000 acres of National Forest, and just a stones throw from the renown Blue River’s gold medal trout fishing, Fox Valley at the Raven has it all at your fingertips.

Silverthorne is the ideal mountain community, with access to hundreds of thousands of acres of national park lands to enjoy camping, fishing, hiking and biking. Nearby Dillon Reservoir also offers all types of aquatic activities. Additionally, you could spend your time shopping Summit County’s largest mall. Not to be overshadowed, Silverthorne offers a wide selection of restaurants from fine dining to your favorite burger joint. You can enjoy this peaceful mountain setting and be only an hour away from Denver and Denver International Airport.

–Keystone - 15 minutes
–Breckenridge - 20 minutes
–Copper Mountain - 20 minutes
–Vail - 30 minutes

While fears concerning the H1N1 flu outbreak were unfounded, travelers avoided Mexico and revised destination options including Hawaii and The Caribbean. Their choice is your opportunity to enjoy Mexico  sans crowds with bargain airfares and luxury lodging offered at most attractive pricing.

Flights: A little known fact, air tickets can be booked 333 days in advance. I am still seeing very low fares for travel to Mexico available for the December holidays, MLK Birthday weekend in January, President’s Weekend in February and Spring Vacation in March.

Lodging: Our partners in Mexico have been most proactive in lowering rates and providing incentives for high-season bookings. Some are offering straight discounts off of rates while others implore you to extend your vacation by providing free nights.

No matter your destination from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean, Mexico is a beautiful country with history, culture and some of the finest beaches in the world. Do not miss this opportunity to enjoy a spectacular vacation at most attractive rates.

Above:  Providing 80 feet of private sandy beach on the Mayan Riviera. Add to this a huge 20′x45′ swimming pool and palapas on the beach with hammocks and what have you got? Villa Yardena!  Villa Yardena is located on Soliman Bay on the Caribbean just 75 miles south of the Cancun airport. It has aquamarine water, white sand beaches and two great restaurants located within a mile. Just a short drive to Tulum, Akumal and Puerto Aventuras. For the family, visit Xel-Ha, for outrageous snorkeling or Xcaret, a fabulous Mayan eco park with underground rivers, butterfly pavilion, beach, swimming with the dolphins, snuba and snorkeling, and more! The Mayan ruins of Tulum are 10-minutes south, and Aktun Chen (which means “cave with an underground river inside” in Maya) is only 10-minutes north. If you like to dance, you can head to Hacienda Dona Isabel for a fun evening in the nightclub. We could go on and on about all to see and do in the area, but you might decide to just lie in the hammocks at Villa Yardena and drink margaritas!

For many Kiplinger is the bible concerning finance isues for the average investor. While we have been preaching the inherent value of a vacation Home Rental, Kiplinger Personal Finance echoed the sentiment with the following quote

“The recession is making vacation rentals more appealing to travelers because they’re typically less expensive than resort hotels.”

Even before the recession, we at The Society knew the value proposition of the vacation home rental. From more room to roam to privacy not offered by hotels, we receive converts to the rental vacation home option daily. Statistics are proving what we have known, vacation home rental use increases daily and there are no signs of a plateau.

Thus, when contemplating your next vacation, will it be a crowded lounge area by the pool or a private beach? Will you be waiting in a lift line at the base area with others from the hotel or ski from your mountainside chalet? The choice is yours and The Society is here to assist.

Above, a gorgeous 3-bedroom beachfront villa in Belize.

Over the weekend, The Society’s charity program, VacationHomesForCharity.org was featured in the Wall Street Journal in print and online. The article discuses ways for vacation home owners to “squeeze money out of their vacation homes”. One such way, of course, is through donating time at their homes to charity.

Not only does the donation do good for charities, but our program is able to cover cleaning costs and often times deliver incremental income back to the homeowner.

Excerpt:

Some companies offer online services that link vacation-home donors with charities that want to auction vacation time. VacationHomesForCharity.org is one such Web site. Run by The Society of Leisure Enthusiasts, a Denver company that provides marketing support to vacation homeowners and rental companies, the service lists donated vacation-home time free of charge and negotiates with charities to contribute a small portion of rental proceeds toward the owner’s cleaning costs. Property owners can mandate their own rules, such as bans on pets or smoking.

Read the entire article here: “Second Chances: How to Squeeze More Money Out of Vacation Homes”

Coming up on June 16, Google and Compete will be offering a webinar on consumer destination shopping.  It should be very informative and provide some insights into how consumers are searching and researching online and offline.  Below is the description provided via an email from Compete:

As consumers plan and book travel to destinations around the world, understanding their online and offline research and purchase process is key. Using a detailed online behavioral analysis and in-depth survey of traveler perspectives, Google and Compete partner to present a new study exploring how consumers shop for and book destination-based travel.

Register and learn more from two experts in the online travel space.