When Greg Rosener and his former partner launched SkyRun Estes Park in January 2017, they had no employees and managed six properties from one house.
“Today we have 100 properties, 23 employees and have just purchased our own 4,500 square foot facility,” said Rosener, who is now the sole owner and CEO of SkyRun Estes.
SkyRun recently moved into the old building that Protech Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning occupied at 950 Comanche Street. SkyRun has completely renovated 3,000 square feet of space with an additional 1,500 square feet set aside for the maintenance division.
“For the first time since we have a maintenance division, we are all under one roof,” Rosener noted.
Operations manager Julie Phares said the employees took care of reservations, bookkeeping, owner services and maintenance, as well as housekeeping marketing and inspection.
“We also hire salespeople here in town to do the cleaning, so we outsource,” Phares explained. “They clean. Then the inspectors come in and check that the TV is working, the Wi-Fi is working, the light bulbs are working, the furniture and fixtures are in good condition, the heating / air conditioning is working, and that they look at the work the housekeeping company has done. “
Rosener said all the moving parts of his property management business are controlled by software.
“Our SkyRun software system is proprietary,” commented Rosener. “It was developed by our founder who was an IBM programmer. He had two vacation rentals in Keystone 15 years ago and he had a horrible experience. He went to a friend who ended up being his partner and said, “I think I can design my own system. We can make it better. This is how SkyRun was launched.
When he first launched SkyRun Estes Park, Rosener said his dream was to start a business that would help build homes for the people who work there. He wanted SkyRun to be a place where people could have good jobs while raising their children in Estes Park and could stay until retirement.
How SkyRun works
SkyRun now has 40 locations – all independent – across the country in places like Tahoe, San Diego, Texas, Florida, Wisconsin and even Canada.
“But it’s all local in terms of customer service, customer service, owner service and sales,” Rosener said. “Everything is right under this roof. This is something that national organizations do not have. When you call these, you could call a service somewhere or to another location. It is important that our owners and guests know that they can contact someone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Rosener said he was proud his growing business had helped the local economy.
“On a large scale, if you ask why Estes Park has increased the number of visitors to our region and developed our local economy, it is because of the additional guests,” he said.
Why Estes Park, why now
Rosener explained that the additional guests who come to Estes Park don’t come here for the day and necessarily go home.
“Whether they’re from Colorado Springs or Fort Collins – which is a big part of our market – they want to stay two, three, four days.
Rosener said the need for his property management company became evident when studying supply and demand. No new hotel has been built in the past 25 years except one, he said, and that is the Aspire at The Stanley with 61 units.
“It started in 2016 and 2017,” he said. “There just weren’t enough hotels and motels. The market has changed. Our visitors got more sophisticated and they learned that they could bring their whole family under one roof and be able to have an experience all together, from waking up in the morning to dinners in the evening and in between.
COVID has had an impact. For several months, hotels and motels were not available for rent.
What owners want
“Vacation rental property owners want three things,” Rosener said. “They want to have income because otherwise why would you have a vacation rental?” They want their house to be taken care of. They want someone to talk to. They want to be able to pick up the phone and not go through a call tree where you end up in Taiwan or India. They want a human being.
Headlights noted that the best example of SkyRun’s personal service is how the company responded to the Estes Park evacuation last year during the East Troublesome fire.
“We all went to a hotel in Longmont and we continued to work,” she explained. “We spoke with the owners. We said to the guests, “Please don’t come to Estes Park. We made sure the guests in Estes Park were out and safe.
To help owners make the most money from their vacation rental, SkyRun uses dynamic pricing.
“There’s not just one prize per year,” Rosener said. “It changes daily depending on supply and demand. SkyRun has connection with all booking channels. My philosophy is that the wider you can cast a net, the more fish you will catch.
SkyRun works with Airbnb, Red Awning, VRBO and Booking.com with technology built into these systems.
Now SkyRun is adding to its list of partners by working with Homes & Villas by Marriott International. The hotel giant is launching into seasonal rentals. Marriott Rewards customers belong to a group called Bonvoy ™ which includes approximately 150 million people.
“Now we have more arrows in the quiver,” Rosener said. “The good thing is that you can use points to rent a space at Estes Park from SkyRun and earn Marriott Bonvoy ™ points. “
Changing the local economy
This year, SkyRun recorded approximately 7,000 reservations. With an average occupancy of around five people, SkyRun Estes Park serves approximately 32,000 to 35,000 people each year.
“The peak of the season is always July 4th,” Rosener said. “In the 1970s, we always said we had 90 days savings. It started on Remembrance Day and ended on Labor Day. Today, because of what Visit Estes Park is doing, having the national park here and the great influx of people up and down the Front Range, this season has now spread. We actually have a longer season than Breckenridge, Vail, Keystone, all ski areas. We have more days that are taken into account in our market. We are starting to increase the occupancy rate in May now and it will last approximately the third week of October.
SkyRun manages a wide range of properties, from one-bedroom condos that don’t have full kitchens to five-bedroom homes that can sleep up to 14 people.
“With our marketing system and reservation channels, we provide additional value to owners,” Rosener noted. “Basically, we generate more money than they can generate on their own. “
Using a database of emails from every former guest, SkyRun sends out monthly messages with information about what’s going on at Estes Park and possibly a promotional offer.
“We also take advantage of everything from Facebook to Instagram to Google,” Rosener added. “We do this through an internal marketing team that Julie manages, and then we partner with a marketing department at company headquarters. “
Changing business in Estes
Starting a new business from scratch in Estes Park – let alone a thriving business – hasn’t always been common in Estes Park.
“It has to do with timing and getting the right people together at the right time,” commented Rosener. “Businesses can start here in Estes and grow. The city does not have a reputation for being business friendly, but that is changing. They were very cooperative.
Open day
Everyone is invited to celebrate the opening of the new offices and SkyRun’s 4th anniversary. The event will take place on January 6, 2022, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 950, rue Comanche. The office is located across from the Avant Garde Aleworks rear parking lot and in the same parking lot as Elena’s Barking Lot on Comanche Street.
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