{"id":807497,"date":"2020-05-15T13:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T19:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=383264"},"modified":"2020-05-15T13:45:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-15T19:45:00","slug":"short-term-lodging-owners-struggle-to-stay-afloat-under-public-health-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/short-term-lodging-owners-struggle-to-stay-afloat-under-public-health-order\/","title":{"rendered":"Short-term lodging owners struggle to stay afloat under public health order"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>A lockbox is pictured at the Winterpoint Townhomes in Breckenridge on Thursday, May 14. The townhomes are one of many short-term rental properties in Summit County.<\/strong><br \/><em>Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>When Colorado Gov. Jared Polis ordered ski areas to close March 14, Summit County\u2019s resort-based economy ground to a halt. At the mercy of state and local public health orders are owners, managers and employees of short-term lodging facilities.<\/p>\n<p>More than two months later, people in the short-term rental business are still looking toward the future with anxiety and trepidation as the county\u2019s ban on short-term lodging looms over their financial stability.<\/p>\n<p>Patty Whetham owns Breckenridge Rental, a short-term rental hosting company. She said all of her income comes from her business and that she\u2019s anticipating a 50% decrease in revenue for the year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s my business,\u201d she said. \u201cOne hundred percent of my Breckenridge Rental income is based on short-term rentals.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row sd-donation sd-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/SDN-logo-white-1.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/SDN-logo-white-1.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>While the county has allowed retail businesses and restaurants to open with limitations, the short-term lodging industry is in a holding pattern. In the <a href=\"http:\/\/summitcountyco.gov\/DocumentCenter\/View\/28134\/Amended-public-health-order?bidId=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">safer-at-home public health order<\/a>, county officials prohibited short-term lodging \u2014 which includes any lodging that can be rented for 30 or fewer days \u2014 from operating until June 1. That date is not set in stone, however. The county will make its official decision Wednesday, May 20.<\/p>\n<p>Mervyn Davies, who owns two properties in Keystone and one in Frisco, said a little more than one-third of his retirement income relies on those properties.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the first time ever, we\u2019re having negative earnings,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Davies, who also worked as a part-time ski instructor at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, said he initially thought the shutdown was the right thing to do to save lives. Now he\u2019s worried the date will be extended into July, which would be detrimental to his finances.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-4-1024x683.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-383380\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Sawmill Creek condominiums in Breckenridge are one of many short-term rental properties in Summit County, as pictured Thursday, May 14.<\/strong><br \/><em>Liz Copan \/ <a href=\"mailto:ecopan@summitdaily.com\">ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe ski resorts closed, and I thought, \u2018Well, this is probably a good thing,&#8217;\u201d he said. \u201cSafety of lives is by far more important than anything else. But I think we have come to realize that we have to learn to live with this virus. We can\u2019t close up forever. People have to live.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wes English, who owns a Breck Creekside condos and a single-family home in Breckenridge, said he initially thought the shutdown was a good idea, but he worries the county will push the lodging ban further.<\/p>\n<p>His company has had about $20,000 worth of bookings in the past week and a half for June and July, which would be lost if the county continues to prohibit short-term lodging.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt will be really, really financially burdensome if Summit County or the town of Breck decide they want to extend that past June 1,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Whetham said her business has been shut down for at least 10 weeks, and she\u2019s seen most of the bookings for the summer cancel. Interest for after the prohibition is lifted is \u201cliterally zero,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarch 14 through the end of June, I didn\u2019t have a single reservation that stayed on the books,\u201d she said. \u201cThey all cancelled.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-2-1024x683.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-383378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Winterpoint Townhomes in Breckenridge are one of many short-term rental properties in Summit County, as pictured Thursday, May 14.<\/strong><br \/><em>Liz Copan \/ <a href=\"mailto:ecopan@summitdaily.com\">ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Breckenridge Resort Managers President Toby Babich said his company, which operates 60 individually owned properties across the country, saw a 20% decrease in revenue in March. He expects that will go up to 25% in April. As for summer, he said property owners and managers are preparing for a 50% decline in revenue.<\/p>\n<p>Babich is also a part of the Summit County COVID recovery team. He said that county officials are doing a \u201cfantastic job\u201d trying to balance the needs of the economy and the need to prevent the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe all understand what the rational and the reasoning is behind it, and we\u2019re supportive of helping the county figure out a way to open our economy safely so we can start recapturing a positive and fruitful way of life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Breckenridge Resort Managers surveyed 36 of the town\u2019s lodging businesses and found that 52% of businesses lost more than 20% of their winter revenue. Twenty-one, or about 58%, of the businesses did not receive loans from the federal government\u2019s Paycheck Protection Program, according to results from the survey.<\/p>\n<p>One-third of the people who responded to the survey said they would not be able to stay in business for the remainder of 2020 if they did not have sufficient business over the summer.<\/p>\n<p>The decline in bookings affects everyone. The Colorado Department of Revenue has a sales tax on short-term lodging, 2% of which goes back to the county, according to the county website. Through February, the county saw a 15% increase in revenue from the tax compared with last year. By the end of March, the year-to-date total was down 16%. Overall, the tax brings in millions for the county \u2014 $2.9 million in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>All of the homeowners said they were lucky to have savings to rely on, but as the shutdown continues, the numbers are going to look more grim.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur rental incomes are always up and down,\u201d Whetham said. \u201cI have to say I\u2019m pretty concerned about how much longer this can last. I\u2019m even having people cancel for July and August.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Most of the summer cancellations Whetham has experienced revolve around canceled events and changed plans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA big part of it, quite frankly, is people don\u2019t feel like Summit County is open. It\u2019s not open,\u201d she said. \u201cEven after May 31, the majority of events that I\u2019ve seen have been canceled. What\u2019s attracting people to come up is no longer occurring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, many short-term rental owners are preparing for what the business might look like after the shutdown is over. Babich is also the president of the Vacation Rental Management Association, a national organization that supports companies in the vacation rental industry. Within that role and in his role on the county recovery team, he has been looking at new guidelines for short-term rentals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRather than just standing around complaining, we\u2019re taking action,\u201d he said. \u201c(We\u2019re) developing cleaning processes, recommending products, recommending changes and modifications to operations to encourage safe travels and safe stays when people get here.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-3-1024x683.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-383379\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Der Steirmark condominiums on South Park Avenue in Breckenridge are one of many short-term rental properties in Summit County, as pictured Thursday, May 14.<\/strong><br \/><em>Liz Copan \/ <a href=\"mailto:ecopan@summitdaily.com\">ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Babich said he\u2019s looking at different types of disinfectants, educating staff on safe protocols and looking at ways to educate guests on safe distancing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt also goes up a little bit further than that just in terms of how we all work together to ensure we can still travel and we can still experience our wonderful town of Breckenridge and have guests come here without dramatically increasing the risk of having a flare-up,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s really going to take everybody\u2019s participation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>English said the efforts made by management association, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airbnb.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Airbnb<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/help.vrbo.com\/articles\/What-can-I-do-if-my-reservation-is-affected-by-the-Coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">VRBO<\/a> and other short-term rental companies to put in strict cleaning protocols are all the more reason why the county should open rentals June 1.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe short-term rental industry is doing the things that we should do, just like retailers are doing in town, where they\u2019re limiting the number of people that can come in,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to be able to balance that because the impact that short-term rentals have, arguably, is just as much or more than a Main Street retailer \u2026 who now has the ability to open with certain protocols.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While offering their homes for long-term or month-to-month leases is an option, both Whetham and Davies said they haven\u2019t considered it. Long-term rentals bring in less revenue and cause more expenses, Davies said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-5-1024x683.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-383381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/STR-SDN-051620-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Tannenbaum by the River in Breckenridge is one of many short-term rental properties in Summit County, as pictured Thursday, May 14.<\/strong><br \/><em>Liz Copan \/ <a href=\"mailto:ecopan@summitdaily.com\">ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWhen you do a monthly rental, you\u2019re probably getting about a third as opposed to a short-term rental,\u201d he said. \u201cYou get a lot more wear and tear. So, your expenses and maintenance are going to increase.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Davies said the wear and tear on short-term rentals is minimal because people usually only use the properties to sleep.<\/p>\n<p>Whetham has been in the business for 20 years and said she\u2019s never seen anything like this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c2008 was interesting because we definitely saw a downturn, but you never shut your doors,\u201d she said. \u201cYou didn\u2019t completely close down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The housekeepers and cleaners that Whetham uses in Breckenridge Rental\u2019s properties have gone to find other jobs. So she\u2019s left having to \u201crebuild from scratch,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>English said watching other areas like Eagle County begin to open up is frustrating.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Summit County doesn\u2019t have some forward thinking through this and actually weigh the economic piece along the health piece, then Vail and Eagle and some of those places are going to capitalize and take advantage of us,\u201d he said. \u201cThat will forever hurt businesses in Summit County.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/short-term-lodging-owners-struggle-to-stay-afloat-under-public-health-order\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A lockbox is pictured at the Winterpoint Townhomes in Breckenridge on Thursday, May 14. The townhomes are one of many short-term rental properties in Summit County.Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com When Colorado Gov. Jared Polis ordered ski areas to close March 14, Summit County\u2019s resort-based economy ground to a halt. At the mercy of state and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-807497","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-10 23:30:42","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=807497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807497\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=807497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=807497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=807497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}