Luxury Vacation Research - Park City UT

Park City Utah is a popular vacation destination, but many people who visit wonder how to find the best place to stay since there are literally hundreds of lodging options. The town does have a few major hotel brands such as Comfort Inn, Best Western, and Marriott but the majority of the best rentals are privately owned homes and condominiums.

Property management companies offer these privately owned residences for nightly rental. You may also be able to rent directly through an individual homeowner but this can be slightly riskier for the consumer. There are also central reservations agencies and private booking companies who contract with management companies and usually take a commission of up to 25% for the service. Since the property manager has to pay a commission to the booking agency, sometimes you can get a better deal if you contact the property manager directly.

Experienced visitors often visit the Park City Chamber website to search for information on property managers who offer condos and homes for nightly rental. The chamber is a great resource but they only display the name of the property manager and the user has to search each manager's website individually and compare potential rentals from one site to the next.

Precisely because there are so many different companies offering rentals, many visitors end up booking through booking agencies or central reservations services. While making a reservation in this fashion definitely saves time; it is doubtful that you are getting the best deal possible since these companies have such high commissions built into the rental rate.

I found the website www.localtourist.com while doing research for this article. Local Tourist is a business directory, not a booking service, and they offer the best search that I have seen for locating the perfect rental. Local Tourist allows property managers to list individual properties along with pricing including taxes and fees. Since Local Tourist provides you with the property manager's direct phone number and website you can book direct. Who knows, you might even be able to ask for a discount.

The website also allows you to search restaurants, activity vendors, and do research on the three ski resorts. Local Tourist's restaurant search is very intuitive and it even lets you search by neighborhood, so it's easy to find a great restaurant close to where you are staying.

No longer just a ski town, Park City now features over 100 restaurants with many receiving top reviews. With so many choices and so little time you'll want to make use of the search capability afforded by companies like Local Tourist and the Park City Chamber. The Chamber has the most complete restaurant listing as of the date of this article but Local Tourist is a close second. What it lacks in content it makes up for in search functionality and they must be adding new restaurants every day.

Park City, Utah is one of the top ski destinations in the country and is a must visit if you are an avid skier. Even if you are not a skier or snowboarder, the town offers so many activities and dining options it is worth a visit. The destination is becoming increasingly popular in the summer due to the food and wine festivals, summer outdoor concert series, art festivals, and above all clean, crisp, mountain air. It really won't matter when you choose to visit; Park City will definitely provide a memorable vacation experience.