We’ve Come A Very Long Way, But We Aren’t There Yet.

The last article I wrote on Linkedin , “VRMS of Independence”, was November 11th, 2019. A few short months later, my team and I were supposed to launch a little brand called “Inspired Stay”, with some of the best-in-class VRMs in the country. However, Covid launched first and nearly took out our industry at first glance. When one of our VRMs, who was expecting to do $85MM  in revenue that year, called me and said they didn’t think they were going to make it, I canceled the launch and stared at the train. Covid took a lot from all of us, some of which we’ll never be able to account for, but it also gave a meteoric rise to one of the greatest industries – ours: professionally managed vacation rentals. 

Before attempting to launch Inspired Stay in 2019, we went across the country interviewing VRMs on their greatest challenges, and the common themes across these conversations were OTAs, software they could trust, Vacasa, and regulations. Now, three years later, we’ve conducted over 75 of those interviews and it’s quite clear that nothing has changed, only worsened. Vacasa has now been replaced by the word “consolidation”. 

I also had been told that if I didn’t want constant trademark challenges (though would eventually win), I should change the name. You see, Stay Inspired is owned by the Hilton brand and it was the assumption that we would’ve been legally challenged, and if you haven’t seen the new Hilton commercial, I’m guessing they were right.

As we all know, 2020 wasn’t the year to introduce anything new and in 2021 we all were trying to just hold on to the reins. This year hasn’t been all that different. As we’ve interviewed VRMs it seems one common denominator that’s been added to our list of our challenges is the teams we have in place – myself included. Covid took the wind out of my sales, and as I received calls about what happened to our doyennes and Inspired Stay, I simply just didn’t have energy to do it alone. In addition to needing a new name for the brand, I also needed a co-founder. 

So here we are, introducing my Co-Founder Rebecca Lombardo and The 100 Collection™, two forces working collectively to help keep VRMs Independent.

What is The One Hundred Collection?

We are seeking to hit the reset button with an adaptive response to meet the needs of a more discerning and educated traveler while supporting the Vacation Rental Managers who care for these special properties and surrounding communities. Our third-party peer-driven validation system focuses on quality of guest experience, personal safety, cleanliness, and diversified day-use services while getting the right listings in front of the right potential guest.  These are just a few of the differentiating factors offered by The 100 Collection™.

Properties must adhere to specific quality, safety, and cleanliness requirements, while the professionals caring for these properties must meet the highest hospitality standards to meet the agile needs of travelers.  Guests want high tech yet low touch, an emphasis on cleanliness but also a new level of awareness around personal safety.  There are many conflicting needs to be addressed, and they need to be handled in a timely and effective way, every single time. 

The 100 Collection™ is an imprint that designates top properties in incredible locations and incredible management companies for a guest experience that captures the essence, lifestyle, and culture of a destination. Still today, guests that often stay with us in Charlottesville still have no “path of least resistance” to find the same curated experiences that they trust but in one of our other 50+ destinations. As we know, and often in the media now, there is not much faith in the user review the system. Much like the Michelin Star, The 100 Collection stamp isn't easy to come by – yet it sets these properties apart by a level of quality and service that can be trusted to meet if not exceed expectations. Only locally owned and/or operated vacation rental brands are considered for this stamp of approval and issued by a trusted peer-to-peer collective of leading industry owners and managers, known as doyennes. 

What exactly is a Doyenne, you ask? 

By definition, a doyenne is the most trusted or respected person in a particular field. Our collective of trusted advisors and partners involved in The 100 Collection™, known as doyennes, bring decades of hospitality experience and take pride in leading independently owned brands. Doyennes are independent VRMs with a track record of success who are peer-vetted in consideration for this brand differentiating honor. They are provided exclusive access to innovative strategies, enhanced distribution channels, and diversified marketing services. What’s more, they are beloved stewards of their community.  The person who walks into the local coffee shop and is greeted by all with smiles, hugs, familiarity, and know the barista’s name. Their neighborhood bar and grill isn’t the chain you can find on every 6 lane highway, it’s on Main Street. They are THE stewards of their community and no amount of money can change that. 

Our Goal

Our goal is to support VRMs by creating a collective platform and establish an imprint that designates them as hidden gems, allows them to elevate their platform at a national scale while not losing their local brand, and shine within their community.

How are we doing this? 

• We are emboldening Vacation Rental Managers with enhanced marketing strategy that most of our mom and pop shops couldn’t afford but together we can. 
• We are creating direct booking, into Vacation Rental Manager’s platforms, without the fee-based structure that eats into their profitability. 
• We are bringing an educated guest who knows what a vacation rental is, expectations and treatment. While the pandemic didn’t necessarily create new problems for the vacation rental industry, it did shine a spotlight on problems we’ve been unsuccessfully addressing. 

Bigger isn’t always better, but support is. Unfortunately, these large companies are the only ones profiting (well kinda). Not the vacation rental owners, and certainly not the guests. They are carving out booking rates, adding fees for owners, and not meeting even the most basic customer needs – clean linens, a safe property, a legal property following good neighbor policies, or even a property at all (fraud). Guests and vacation rental owners both suffer from lack of communication and support with the larger model that has been sweeping the industry. The average American has up to three weeks of vacation time. When they arrive to their vacation home to find that they have been locked out and are stuck in the dark – literally – trying to find someone to address this very basic service issue for what could be hours, that is enough to ruin the entire experience. It also has lasting effects for everyone in the vacation rental world, and a need to differentiate what we truly offer.  

Just like the idea of bringing together a collective, our entire team has been carefully curated to bring the best marketing strategies, hospitality knowledge and consumer satisfaction insight to the table. My co-founder Rebecca Lombardo has an extensive background in the vacation rental segment, travel writing and deep, digital marketing roots. Our head of PR was the person who helped launch the Michelin Star and James Beard. On all our job descriptions we require you to whistle blow if you think we ever are doing something that doesn’t best represent the independent VRMs. We will continue to build the SuperBowl Team. 

What we hope for the future.  

When I started Stay Charlottesville in 2010 in my own backyard, literally, I had no idea that our humble vacation rental company would have the opportunity to maintain a leading position in our community, much less be part of a $63BN industry. 

However, what I do want to do is ensure we stay true to our roots and best care for our vacation rental owners who I will continue to see at the local coffee shop, and continue caring for the properties we offer to visitors of the beautiful destinations and communities where we are lucky enough to live and work. In closing, I hope you will learn more about us and join the collective mindset about leveling up this “cottage” industry into personal accountability for truly magnificent vacation experiences.  The entire collection of brands, doyennes, and destinations in The 100 Collection™ can be accessed at www.theonehundredcollection.com.