Our Brands

We’ve been in business since 2003, over 20 years. To put that another way, we are 5 years older than AirBNB. Over the course of our company's lifetime, the vacation rental industry has seen a lot of change. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, people were booking their vacation lodging mostly by calling a travel agent or a local property management company, speaking with a local salesperson, picking a condo development (rather than an exact condo), and hoping that when they checked in, they had rented a decent place. There was much uncertainty about exactly what you'd get. It was worth it for anyone who didn't want to be stuck in a hotel room, but it was far from ideal. We saw that technology allowed us to offer a better option. So we launched our operations, and while we still had local representatives with detailed knowledge of the area, the developments, and each rental property, we were the first local company that actually showed photos of every room, in every rental property, so that visitors could have more certainty, could make a more educated decision about where to spend their time, and their money. Looking back, can you imagine doing it the old way, picking a rental property based upon "representative photos?" We knew then what is still true today: It is better to have thorough, accurate property listings, to let travelers find and pick the one that is the best option for their needs, and to provide accurate, objective advice and assistance when requested.

We've grown and changed with the vacation rental industry, and over time we have developed many different approaches to help travelers as well as our property owners. We have many websites, and numerous brands, and have tailored our business practices to the ever changing marketplace. This page helps explain the differences between our brands, how they came to be, and how they interrelate with one another.

Our "Rentals By Owner" brands came first, and we launched them in ski resort destinations across the Rocky Mountain region. Back in 2003, VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) was the one and only major player in the short term vacation rental industry. VRBO was a national brand, and started out as a marketplace where you could only rent directly from the homeowner. We were also helping guests rent directly from a homeowner, but each of our ski resort markets was locally owned and operated. So, we launched a "Rentals By Owner" website and brand for each resort market. Vail Rentals By Owner and Steamboat Rentals By Owner were among the first brands that we launched, and remain strong brands that we still operate and use today. Each of our "Rentals By Owner" websites only show properties located in that one resort market, and only show properties where we have a direct relationship with the homeowner. These days, we work directly with the homeowners of properties throughout the United States, and beyond. Our newer brands were developed as we grew, but the RBO brands listed above represent our roots as a company and organization, and remain the core of our operations.

Our Mountain Vacation Lodging brand was introduced in 2017. Over the years, the managing partner who owned and operated our Rentals By Owner operations in Steamboat Springs, CO, had been enjoying steady success and growth. Between 2008 and 2011, he launched new operations in Jackson Hole (WY), Winter Park (CO), Sun Valley (ID), and Big Sky (MT). Meanwhile, some of our other partners who owned and operated the Rentals By Owner operations in other resort markets were experiencing varying degrees of success. Some wanted to move on to different careers, some had health issues or other life changes. The owner and operator of our Steamboat Springs market knew that not only could he and his team handle growth while continuing to provide great services for property owners and travelers, but that taking on the management of operations in additional resort destinations would provide economies of scale, which could be leveraged to provide a better value for both homeowners and travelers. So, when other partners expressed an interest in moving on, he took over those operations. By 2017, this included the Rentals By Owner operations in Vail & Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Summit County, Park City and Deer Valley, as well as Telluride, Crested Butte, and Grand Lake. All of these mountain resort markets were consolidated under one management company and one staff, headquartered in Steamboat Springs. The numerous Rentals By Owner brands are still used, but our company was renamed Mountain Vacation Lodging. Our Mountain Vacation Lodging brand and website was developed to give travelers one company, one site, where they could go and find the best selection of properties in any mountain resort destination. This includes properties where we have a direct relationship with the homeowner, as well as a vetted and carefully selected group of professional property managers.

TripRentals is our newest brand. It was developed and launched in 2023, as a result of demand for our services in areas which were not mountain resorts. We've never sought to grow aggressively, or to become a dominant national or international company. We are not a profit driven publicly traded company. However, we have always been open to growth, when it makes sense, and when it can be accomplished as a benefit to our clients, rather than a detriment. Over the years, we have grown mostly through word of mouth. We do good business, and word gets around. We started out in ski resort destinations, but soon property owners started asking if we could help with their properties which were in mountainous areas which were not ski resort areas. Then homeowners asked us to provide our services for homes in desert areas, beach areas, and in cities. We knew it would sound strange to rent a property from "Mountain Vacation Lodging" if that property is not found anywhere near the mountains. Fortunately, our founders understood and had prepared for the possibility of this eventual growth. Our Rentals By Owner brands are limited to properties in one destination. Our Mountain Vacation Lodging brand is limited to properties in mountainous areas. Our TripRentals brand has no such limitations. With this brand, we are able to work directly with homeowners regardless of where their vacation home may be. We have also continued to expand partnerships with vetted, professional property management companies across the world, allowing travelers access to a vast selection of homes in virtually every destination. Further, the TripRentals brand allows us to offer rentals of more than just vacation homes. TripRentals is a verb. If you need skis, a bike, or a crib - we have partners who can help. Whatever you need to rent for your Trip, TripRentals is here to help.

Resortia and Rentalz are other brand names we'd like to tell you about. Resortia was founded along with Vail Rentals By Owner, Resortia was a co-owner and partner in each of the Rentals By Owner businesses. For each local RBO partner, Resortia provided support services, while the local partners ran the day to day operations. Resortia developed software and technology, advanced marketing campaigns, helped with strategic planning, and more. With the 2017 consolidation of most RBO markets into Mountain Vacation Lodging, Resortia divulged its interests in these businesses. While Resortia was no longer a co-owner in our business, they did remain a strategic and long term partner. This realignment was strategic for both organizations. Resortia was freed up to focus on their operations, their products, while we consolidated operations, staff, policies and procedures to allow for better scaling and management of costs. Eventually, Resortia morphed into The Rentalz Company. Their team has and continues to develop software and advanced tools for our company, as well as many other vacation rental companies. Our close coordination and strategic relationship provides many direct and indirect benefits to both companies, as well as our homeowners and guests.

If you've taken the time to read all of this, you now have a pretty good feel for how we got to have so many brands and names. If you remember one thing about us, remember that our company has stood the test of time. We will continue to grow through doing great work and word getting around, but we'll never be profit driven money hungry corporate types who cut corners to boost their wealth. We'll just keep doing our work, providing great service, being as professional, helpful, friendly, and compassionate as you should expect from a hospitality company.