As my best friend Adam and I drove into Steamboat Springs it’s like you’re entering a vortex: it’s the second fastest growing mountain town in the country, with wide streets that used to be filled with cattle and steep mountains that rise up from behind buildings.
As she explained how to arrive, Kelly at Moving Mountains was also explaining to me over the phone a few quirks about the home. Doors that open funny, how to turn on the fireplace..etc. MM’s style of communication is like an experienced waiter: there for anything you may need ahead of time, quietly in the background if you don’t.
Our home was Rustler’s Lodge, a swish chalet ideal for groups who want to explore the great outdoors and come home in style: everything was exactly as advertised, with the exception of the warmth that you get the moment you walk in. We arrived in the evening and the lights were dimmed, carpet was fluffed, a hot tub was pre-heated to 102. Clinically, I refer to this as the "feeling of premium": the sensation that your host has thought of all the little things.
I joked that the booking process and pre-arrival communication was so easy and clear, and check-in was so seamless, that I could have just as easily departed the next day happy, having experienced a kind of beautifully choreographed art! A feeling that you are in highly capable hands.
But perhaps more important than the home itself, is the team and culture of Moving Mountains: every person you interact with “gets it“ which is to say, they anticipate and are willing to go to any length to solve a challenge (they actually view these as opportunities LOL). Shout out to Paul who drove one of MM’s own ski shuttles (included in the stay by the way, I have never seen a vacation rental company do this before). Simply pop open the MM app and you’ve got your own uber: a wonderful example of how technology is used to improve the guest experience without replacing the human side.
The next morning MM referred us to Stagecoach ice fishing company where we caught too many fish to count and, thanks to our guides Tom, Rich, and Sean. We felt like we were hanging out with the 3 coolest dudes in town.
From Tom’s Iditarod days, I learned that when you are in the middle of the hardest dogsledding race arguably hardest test of endurance period, no matter how hard it gets, you are still the only one who can get yourself out. No one else is going to do that for you. What a sound lesson for life!
I don’t think I’d ever have found these guys my own. Lean on MM's local expertise and relationships to get the most out of your stay.
We had an in-home chef that evening (highly recommended) and all recited poems in honor of the Scottish poet Robby Burns. I laughed so hard and maybe cried. And we ended the day in the hot tub recounting the day and planning our next trip.
Adam and I have been through just about everything with: studying abroad together, working together at my father’s shop, the sudden passing of his dad. And when we vacation together and when we look back on life, what we really live for are those special moments that stand out. These life memories or Ups -- far surpass any downs. And wow, when you think about the outcome of a job well done what an incredible calling it is for a family company like MM to bring those precious moments home.
I arrived thinking MM was among the best vacation Rental companies in the world. But am leaving realizing that as pioneers in this field, they are actually talking about some of the greatest hospitality leaders of our time.
Matt Landau is the founder of Vacation Rental Marketing Blog. VRMB's mission is to empower and protect independent vacation rental owners and managers around the world so they can continue doing the job they love in a way that is meaningful to guests and their local communities. VRMB is a free resource that documents the industry's best practices to close the learning gap between newcomers and the biggest brands in vacation rentals.
Click here to listen to Matt Landau's Moving Mountains podcast
