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hakesbros · 2 years ago

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luxvillavr-blog · 5 years ago

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deniscollins · 4 years ago

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Airbnb Fights Its ‘Party House Problem’

Bad behavior at Airbnb “party houses” is damaging the company’s reputation. If you were an Airbnb executive, what policies, if any, would you enforce to stop the problem? Why? What are the ethics underlying your decision?

The luxury cabin in Incline Village, Nev., just north of Lake Tahoe, has a hot tub, a sauna, a pool table, a fire pit, two patios and a backyard full of towering pine trees. It sleeps 14, according to its listing on Airbnb. And it has been a nightmare for Sara Schmitz, a retiree who lives next door.

The home is frequently the site of raucous bachelor parties and weddings, Ms. Schmitz said. Recently, a crew of college students stayed there, blowing weed smoke into her house. When she asked them to stop, they threw trash in her yard.

“It’s a constant party house,” said Ms. Schmitz, 57. She has called the police a dozen times about the property and joined the Incline Village STR Advisory Group, an organization that fights short-term rentals — for which the largest source is Airbnb.

What Ms. Schmitz encountered is part of the “party house problem” facing Airbnb. That’s when guests who book its properties hold parties in them, something that appears to be happening more frequently in the coronavirus pandemic, as people look for places to socialize with bars closed and hotels appearing risky. In July, police officers in New Jersey broke up a party at an Airbnb with more than 700 people in attendance.

The party houses pose a risk to Airbnb’s reputation and business as the $18 billion company prepares to go public this year. In many neighborhoods, people have been turned off by the rentals’ noise and annoyances. Complaints about party houses across sites like Airbnb and Vrbo soared 250 percent between July and September compared with last year, according to Host Compliance, which provides local neighborhood hotlines across the United States and Canada.

Worse, the party houses raise safety issues. Between March and October, at least 27 shootings were connected to Airbnb rentals in the United States and Canada, according to a tally of local news reports by Jessica Black, an activist fighting short-term rentals. The tally was verified by The New York Times.

Over the years, Airbnb employees have pushed executives to do more to address the party houses, said six people who worked on safety issues at the company. But they said the start-up had largely put a priority on growth until a deadly shooting last Halloween at an Airbnb made national headlines. Five people died.

The issues are now fueling Airbnb’s many fights with communities over how to regulate home rentals. Groups like the one in Incline Village are becoming more vocal and are sharing their strategies for fighting short-term rentals. Cities including Chicago, San Diego, Ann Arbor, Mich., and Atlanta have recently proposed or enacted stricter rules or bans on the properties.

“Airbnb’s long-run viability and profitability is going to have a big question mark” if the party issue is not resolved, said Karen Xie, a professor at the University of Denver who researches the short-term rental industry.

Christopher Nulty, an Airbnb spokesman, said the company was combating the party houses with “robust new policies, products and technologies to stop large gatherings, which far exceeds measures taken by others.” He said Airbnb had made changes even though the moves “knowingly impacted growth and nights booked.”

Airbnb began rolling out new rules against party houses around the time that it was preparing to file to go public. In July, it said guests under the age of 25 with fewer than three positive reviews on the site could not book entire homes near where they live. In August, the month it filed for a public listing, it placed a 16-person cap on reservations, banned parties and sued guests who were responsible for the events.

Last month, it started testing technology to block suspicious last-minute bookings and suspended some party houses from its listings. And ahead of Halloween — the one-year anniversary of the shooting at the Airbnb in Orinda, Calif. — it banned one-night rentals on Halloween.

Some said the measures were too little, too late.

“The damage has really been done to the neighborhoods during that time,” said Austin Mao, an Airbnb host in Las Vegas. He said the costs of repairing damage from parties at his properties, which host as many as 2,000 guests a month, had been tremendous. Neighbors complained so much about parties over the summer that he converted a third of the listings to long-term rentals.

In 2016, Christopher Thorpe, an entrepreneur in Lincoln, Mass., said he faced $28,000 in damage after an Airbnb guest threw an 80-person rave, complete with ticket sales, at his home. Mr. Thorpe later learned that other hosts had reported that guest for parties, but Airbnb had not removed the renter from the platform.

“Airbnb put up as many roadblocks as they could to avoid dealing with this,” Mr. Thorpe said.

Airbnb has long grappled with safety issues, said the six former employees who worked on trust and safety and who asked to remain anonymous.

Two of them said they had asked Airbnb to sue people who frequently threw parties at the rentals for the damage, but executives feared that would draw attention to the events. Several also said they had pushed to limit or remove the “Instant Book” option, which confirms bookings immediately without requiring approval from the host. But the feature, which was used by almost 70 percent of listings in 2019, improved convenience and made Airbnb more competitive with hotels. So Airbnb did nothing, they said.

Mr. Nulty said Airbnb promoted Instant Book so hosts could not discriminate against guests by denying some of them a booking, adding that hosts can turn off the feature. He denied that executives had been urged to sue party promoters and said its legal team did not reject proposals because of concerns over public attention.

In Incline Village, which has a population of around 9,000, the Airbnb party houses have increasingly grated on residents. Shortly after Joe and Edie Farrell, retired physical therapists, moved permanently into their vacation home there last year, the house next door became an Airbnb. Blasting music and drunk people created “10 days of anxiety” around July Fourth, said Ms. Farrell, 70.

“Airbnb is basically helping people set up a hotel in our neighborhood,” Mr. Farrell, 68, said. “Now you have to worry about your safety and peace and quiet.”

Then came last year’s fatal shooting at the Airbnb in Orinda. A Vice news article that outlined Airbnb’s fraudulent listings and fake host accounts also went viral, raising questions about trust.

In response, Airbnb said it would ban parties thrown by professional organizers that were promoted on social media. It also said it would verify that all seven million of its listings were as advertised by Dec. 15, 2020, and announced a global hotline for neighbors to report parties. And it promoted its head of policy, Margaret Richardson, to be vice president of trust. (She has since left.)

But when the pandemic hit in March, executives scrambled to keep the company afloat. Verification stalled. (Airbnb said 40 percent of listings had “begun the verification process.”) The neighborhood hotline, which was supposed to be available globally, is accessible only in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands.

In May, Airbnb cut a quarter of its staff, including a large chunk of its safety team. In an internal Q. and A. with Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s chief executive, employees protested the layoffs. One said the decision would leave guests without support for weeks, according to a list of the questions viewed by The Times. Another wrote that he would feel unsafe staying in an Airbnb or renting his home on the site because of the lack of a safety plan.

In the first week after the layoffs, safety cases piled up, former employees said. Airbnb asked many of those it had laid off to return temporarily to work through the cases; many of those workers have remained, current and former employees said. In Dublin, the layoff plans were rescinded altogether, they said. Airbnb said the team that manages user safety is now the size it was before layoffs.

In August, Airbnb introduced more changes to improve safety. It sued a guest who held a party in Sacramento that resulted in three people getting shot. It then sued another guest who hosted a party in Cincinnati, where a property manager was shot in the back while trying to break up the event.

On Oct. 19, the company sued Davante Bell, a party promoter in Los Angeles who threw parties at Airbnb mansions. “Airbnb has suffered and continues to suffer reputational harm and potential liability to third parties as a direct result of Bell’s actions,” the company’s lawsuit said.

Mr. Bell, who declined to comment on Airbnb’s suit, has been selling tickets to a new party called “Nightmare on King Bell Street Halloween Mansion Party” on social media. This week, he continued posting fliers for the event. When asked if the party would be held at an Airbnb, Mr. Bell did not answer.

#Airbnb

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kanerichardson · 5 years ago

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sentrava · 6 years ago

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Canada’s Big 3: A Guide to Skiing in Banff + Lake Louise

My first foray into the beauty of Banff was more than a decade ago in the height of summer. I took the train from Vancouver through the Canadian Rockies, then ended my tour with a few days in the bustling ski town. A year ago, I returned in winter: this time with my mom, my best friend and her mom in tow. It was one of the best trips to date—and far less crowded than in summer months, I might add—but I missed out on one of the area’s greatest draws: skiing in Banff.

So when Travel Mindset invited me back for a weekend of skiing “the Big 3”—that’s Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise and Mt. Norquay—I rearranged my schedule, dusted off my ski gear, grabbed my favorite travel buddy and flew to Calgary.

Getting to Banff

As far as ski destinations go, Banff is one of the easier ones to access. You fly into Calgary, an extremely manageable airport, pick up your car—the rental services of which are on-site (again, convenient!)—then head due west to the town of Banff. It took us exactly an hour and 25 minutes from the time we left the airport, and we had zero traffic coming or going. For my American friends, note that you do need a passport to enter Canada.

We rented a larger SUV with snow tires from Enterprise’s airport location for $378 for the five days, though we didn’t wind up experiencing any precarious driving conditions whatsoever. All the roads, both the highways and the smaller ones that went up the mountains, were completely plowed and ice-free, and the driving could not have been easier. Not to mention, the views weren’t shabby at all.

We opted to fly through Minneapolis instead of Toronto. I’d recommend this route (or another U.S. hub like Seattle) if you want to avoid guaranteed delays, as Toronto is one of the more confusing airports I’ve ever flown through when transiting back to America. From Nashville, it was about 90 minutes to Minneapolis, an hour layover, then just under two hours to Calgary. The flying-and-driving part of the trip could not have been easier. I’ve taken similar ski vacations to Colorado, and while I love the resorts there, the traffic getting to them is a turn-off. During all three of my trips to Banff, I’ve never run into any traffic on Canada’s Highway 1 (also known as the Trans-Canada Highway).

Where to Stay in Banff

First things first: You need to book your hotel. This was my third overnight trip to Banff, but my first staying in the iconic Fairmont Banff Springs. I’d been to this castle in the Rockies a few times before for meals, but as a bona-fide Fairmont Hotels fan, it had always been my dream to spend a night there.

But there are a couple things you should know about this palatial property. For one thing, the hotel first opened in 1888—the original structure burned down nearly 40 years later, and it was rebuilt and reopened in 1928—as the vision of railroad tycoon William Cornelius Van Horne. It sits smack within Canada’s first national park, established in 1885.

Which brings me to this: You cannot enter Banff National Park without a pass, which costs around $30 for family access (or per car). You can either purchase one online or stop at the gate on Highway 1 when you enter the city. We stupidly didn’t realize you needed one just to get into the town and had planned to pick one up before we ventured into the mountains—then got a ticket on our car. But in true polite Canadian fashion, it was simply a warning and we were able to pick up our pass on the way into Lake Louise and make good on our rookie mistake.

One-hundred-and-thirty years after its initial debut, Fairmont Banff Springs now bears the designation of being both a National Historic Site of Canada and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are 764 rooms, so it’s very easy to get lost in the labyrinth comprising this hotel (and we did, I’ll admit, a time or two). Since this is one of the brands oldest properties, it definitely has a more old-fashioned feel than some of the newer Fairmonts we have stayed in, and rooms are on the smaller size. I love that despite its opulence, pets are welcome, and we saw several dogs roaming the hotel with their owners. Ella would be so jealous!

While the Fairmont Banff Springs feels remote, tucked up against the mountains in a very regal fashion, it’s actually less than a mile from Banff Avenue, the main drag in town, and just 15 minutes by car from the nearest ski resort. We easily could have walked, but it was a wee bit chilly, so we took advantage of the hotel’s complimentary shuttle to get into town and the city’s free bus service to get back.

Like every Fairmont I’ve ever visited, it has a gorgeous Willow Stream Spa with various plunge pools and a larger mineral pool perfect for soaking in after a long day on the slopes. In addition to the regular massage and facial treatments, there’s a host of other spa offerings like saunas, steam rooms and a salon.

We ate the majority of our meals at the hotel, simply due to ease before leaving in the morning, as well as fatigue when we returned at night, not wanting to shower, get all dressed up and venture out again. And with 13 different restaurant/bar concepts, as well as in-room dining, we could have eaten every single meal at the Fairmont Banff Springs without repeating once.

Most mornings, we grabbed food to eat on the go at STOCK, the cafe-style restaurant and bakery in the lobby of the hotel. I don’t like to fill up too much before hitting the slopes, so we usually had avocado toast or yogurt and granola before taking off for the day.

On the lone morning we got a leisurely start, we took advantage of our added time in the hotel and dined at the Vermillion Room, which had a very Art Deco look to it and was quite different from the aesthetic throughout the hotel.

One night, we did après at Grapes wine bar with a group of friends and gorged on wine and cheese, charcuterie plates and Old Fashioneds. Another evening, just SVV and I settled in for a bite and round of cocktails (OK, two) at Rundle Lounge, which despite its size still feels fairly intimate and had live music to boot.

We did not, however, get to partake in Fairmont’s famed afternoon tea, so this will be the first thing I do when next we return. There’s also a golf course for those traveling during warmer months.

Buying the SkiBig3 Pass

A big perk of skiing in Banff is the fact that you can buy the SkiBig3 pass and get access to all three resorts, which lay claim to nearly 8,000 acres of skiing, two gondolas and 26 chairlifts. Definitely buy the pass online before you leave on your ski trip, as there are often substantial savings on the pass, as well as offers for ski-and-stay packages. You can bring your own gear or rent it from SkiBig3’s Adventure Center in downtown Banff.

A three-day ski pass for this month, which is good for three days on any of the mountains over a five-day stretch of time, runs just $250 (or about $83 a day, which is less than half of what I paid for a single day on the slopes on my last trip to Colorado). That also includes complimentary shuttle service to/from all of the resorts. I honestly couldn’t believe how much more affordable it was to go skiing in Banff than resorts of comparable size in the United States; of course, it also helps that the U.S. dollar is strong in Canada right now.

Like all ski resorts, there are seasoned pros available for lessons for adults and kids, as well as a ski school that I’d advise any family with little ones to take advantage of. New to SkiBig3’s offerings is the Guided Adventures, which we made use of when a ski instructor toured us through the three resorts in back-to-back-to-back ski days.

While I was living in California and had my Tahoe annual ski pass, I often employed an instructor to go with me simply to cover more terrain in a day, and this option at SkiBig3 is a game-changer, particularly for those who are new to skiing in Banff and Lake Louise and/or have a limited amount of time; you see a lot more of the resorts than you would if figuring out the ropes on your own. I love that we didn’t waste any time trying to navigate the mountain on our own, as we had one of the ski instructors, Jamie or Carlo, guiding us almost the entire time.

Once you’ve tackled all three resorts during your time in Banff, be sure and redeem your ski pass at SkiBig3’s Adventure Center for a complimentary pint of beer at the Elk & Oarsman, as well as a trail sign souvenir.

Mt. Norquay

What it’s all about: Mt. Norquay is a great place to get your ski legs and warm up before tackling a more serious mountain like Lake Louise. Dubbed “the locals’ mountain” by ski bums and featuring eight lanes of a tubing park with a magic carpet towing system in addition to four lifts, this resort is on the smaller side, while still sporting fairly challenging blues and blacks, particularly on an icier day.

It also has a readily accessible and wide-open trail on the four-chair Cascade that is perfect for beginners and younger children just starting out, plus is home to one of the largest ski and snowboard schools in Canada, with training levels at all stages of skill and age.

Mt. Norquay has daycare, a terrain park, downhill race course and night skiing until 9pm—it’s the only resort that offers this—in addition to on-site rentals.

The food experience: At Norquay’s Cascade Lodge, you have the option of more grab-and-go pub food downstairs or gourmet fare in the Lone Pine Pub on the second level. If you have the time, I recommend the latter, as the menu is very elevated for a ski lodge with seasonally diverse bites from Executive Chef Morne Burger like bao buns, arancini and salads.

At the very top of the mountain is Cliffhouse Bistro, where we ended our final afternoon of skiing with craft beer and s’mores over the fire.

Not only does Cliffhouse have some of the best views in the area, but we got to ride a two-person chairlift up (and down!) without skis that reminded me a whole lot of being in the Alps. 10 out of 10 recommend doing this, whether you’re a skier or a lodge bunny.

The benefits of Mt. Norquay ski resort: You can land in Calgary in the early morning and be on the slopes in the afternoon to get a practice run or two in before going hard in the coming days. It’s one of the smaller mountains, but it’s also the closest to town, so very easy to access if you only want to squeeze in a couple hours on the slopes on any day during your trip. Family excursions will particularly benefit from a visit for the convenience alone.

Distance from downtown Banff: 4.6 miles or 14 minutes

Lake Louise

What it’s all about: Lake Louise Ski Resort used to be the biggest in all of Canada, and it’s definitely my favorite place to have skied ever. It’s about five miles from the lake itself with the most picturesque views and variable trails in this section of the Canadian Rockies.

Massive terrain parks for skiers and snowboarders coupled with front and backside lifts on 4,200 acres of alpine forest make the crowds, particularly during a weekday, seem insignificant.

Keep an eye out for lynx and their children on the deserted gondola runs, particularly Juniper where a mama and her two cubs were spotted the day we arrived.

The food experience: Being one of the biggest (and best), Lake Louise has a dozen dining options, spread throughout the sprawling resort. We had fully planned to have ramen at Kuma Yama at the resort’s Lodge of Ten Peaks, but instead found ourselves mid-mountain at Sawyer’s Nook around lunchtime, not wanting to waste any time trying to ski back down to base camp. This wound up being a very happy mistake, as Sawyer’s was one of the best meals we had all trip, with a decadent burger served on a pretzel-style roll with a pepper aioli and a bit of a kick. I’m still dreaming about that burger.

Once you’re done skiing, I highly recommend hitting up the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise before heading back to Banff for a bite at Alpine Social, a drink in the ice bar and a mosey onto the frozen lake. It’s one of the most iconic spots on Earth.

The benefits of Lake Louise ski resort: There’s a lot of intermediate terrain that crisscrosses both the front and backside of the mountain. Even if you’re a beginner to intermediate, there are plenty of green and blue runs that leave from the very top and there’s always an easy way down.

On the flip side, it’s got some of the best terrain for experts, as well. The Back Bowl is essentially filled with mini-helicopter drop-in spots that have rocky chutes and steep slopes surrounded by the beginner trails. Everything is clearly marked and is absolutely epic for an adrenaline junkie (or the spouse of one who wants to make sure his/her other half makes it to the bottom).

Distance from downtown Banff: 36 miles or 44 minutes

Banff Sunshine

What it’s all about: Banff Sunshine comprises three craggy mountain ranges and feels like a surrealist painting of another world. The views are spectacular, distracting and will have you yanking off a glove for a selfie or landscape picture for at least the first half day on the slopes. With 3,300 acres of accessible snow terrain, eight high speed quads, a gondola and a literal anomaly in the chilly world of snow-filled adventures, a BUBBLE-ENCLOSED HEATED lift, you’ll be blown away at the elevated nature of this Canadian wonderland.

We actually started our ski week at Sunshine Village, but if I were to do it again, I’d do Mt. Norquay first to get my ski legs back, Lake Louise on the second day as it’s undoubtedly the toughest terrain, and Sunshine on the final afternoon as there are plenty of wide-open groomers, perfect for lazy cruising or a muscle-burning, 15-minute speed run.

Note: You have to take the gondola up to the chairlifts, which was about a 20-minute trip. If you leave a half-hour before dark by skis or snowboard, you can cruise all the way to the bottom from the village, and it was one mighty fun and scenic ride down.

We took a black diamond for part of it, but if you’re more comfortable sticking to green, there’s one that goes all the way down to the base.

The food experience: We had lunch at the hotel’s Eagle’s Nest Bistro, which was mainly salads, sandwiches and the like, then snacks and après drinks at Mad Trappers following our afternoon skiing.

The benefits of Banff Sunshine ski resort: We’ve played on mountain slopes across the northern hemisphere, from California to the Alps in Switzerland, and both of us agree that this is top of the list for amenities, views, crowd size and diversity of runs. Most of our trips down the mountain (albeit mid-week) were completely devoid of other human beings. One of the guides gave us a neat trick, too: shift around from the top of the mountain to middle mountain at mid-day so you beat the half day crowd. It totally worked. Genius!

Distance from downtown Banff: 11.5 miles or 20 minutes

Where to Eat in Banff

There’s no shortage of delicious places to eat in the town of Banff, but one mistake we made last year was not making reservations, particularly on the weekends. So be sure and call to reserve your dinner table at least a few days in advance.

For breakfast, I’m a fan of Wild Flour Bakery, while our ski instructor friends tell us Juniper Hotel Bistro boasts one of the best brunches in town. Park Distillery has a great weekend brunch, though it doesn’t open until 11am.

Chuck’s Steakhouse is your place for all things meat—don’t pass up on the corn bread pudding or cheesy garlic bread either—while Banff Ave. Brewing Co. is a prime spot for a quick bite and a few pints. Craving pizza? Bear Street Tavern has some of the best pies I’ve sampled in ages, while High Rollers bowling alley is also ace at both pizza and craft brews (be sure and book your lane weeks in advance; this place is always packed).

On site at the Fairmont, we had our best meal in all of Canada: a Bavarian feast at Waldhaus. Even if you don’t stay at the hotel, I’d recommend you plan a dinner at this German-style restaurant; it’s divine, and you can’t leave without the chocolate fondue for dessert. If you’re a Fairmont guest and dining here during winter months, opt for the free shuttle, as it’s a bit of an icy walk down to the restaurant.

Overall, our trip to Banff lasted four full days, which was sufficient enough for a sampler of the area, but I’m convinced I could have spent a full week skiing the Canadian Rockies and not grown bored with the varied terrain (plus, all those restaurants and bars to try!). Note to self: Next time, stay longer!

This project was in partnership with Travel Mindset, SkiBig3 and Fairmont Hotels. All opinions and ski-related injuries are my own.

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Canada’s Big 3: A Guide to Skiing in Banff + Lake Louise published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

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the-laserclinic · 5 years ago

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biofunmy · 6 years ago

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A New Marriott Division Goes Head-to-Head With Airbnb

With hotel companies feeling the competition from the surging home-share industry led by Airbnb, Marriott International has decided if you can’t beat them, join them.

The company, whose brands span from the bargain Courtyard by Marriott to the cosseting Ritz Carlton, is expanding a home-sharing experiment into a full-fledged division that will rent you a St. Barts villa, a Lake Tahoe mountain home or an Irish castle.

The company is betting big on a market where other hotel companies have yet to succeed. The new Homes & Villas by Marriott International will offer 2,000 luxury properties worldwide, ranging from a one-bedroom home for $200 a night to that castle in Ireland for $10,000 a night.

The new division expands on an experiment last year that offered 500 homes in Europe.

“The demand numbers are making hotel companies rethink who they fundamentally are,” said Makarand Mody, an assistant professor of hospitality marketing in the School of Hospitality Administration at Boston University.

In a study he and colleagues published this year, Mr. Mody found that revenue per available room, a common hotel performance metric, fell by 2 percent in 10 major American cities since Airbnb emerged in 2008. Airbnb’s disruption of the business, he added, “has been a wake-up call for the hotel industry that there is a need to innovate.”

Marriott’s homes are not home sharing in the sense that the owner gives you the keys or the door code, but the term has effectively been stretched to include rentals managed by third-party companies. Its partners, including LaCure and Loyd & Townsend Rose, vet homes for unique design and appealing locations.

Marriott said its trial last year convinced the company to jump in. Nearly 90 percent of renters were members of its loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy. Most were traveling for leisure and, with an average five-day stay, spent three times as long at the property as the typical hotel guest.

“People stay at different hotels for different trip purposes,” said Stephanie Linnartz, the global chief commercial officer at Marriott. “Sometimes it’s a cool weekend with friends at a beach house and then a kid’s soccer tournament and you need a Courtyard,” referring to Marriott’s lower-cost brand. “Home sharing is another offering.”

The company’s plan, said Chekitan S. Dev, a professor in the Hotel School of the S.C. Johnson College of Business at Cornell University, “keeps any migration of lodging nights from traditional hotels to home-sharing in the family.”

Marriott isn’t the first hotel company to dabble in home sharing. In 2017, Hyatt invested in Oasis Collections, offering homes with high-end linens and concierge assistance, but sold it a year later. AccorHotels has the similarly serviced collection of homes called OneFineStay, though its year-end 2018 financial report indicated the investment had yet to pay off.

Early efforts by hotels to compete with Airbnb — which offers more than 6 million homes on its platform — illustrate the differences between traditional hotels, which may offer 300 similar rooms in one locale, versus a home share service, which rents unique units in possibly thousands of locales. Experts say hotels are challenged in the rental world in delivering the consistency they normally control and learning to manage far-flung properties.

“Hotel brands come with a seal of approval, but it’s harder to enforce,” said Eric Breon, the chief executive of Vacasa, a vacation property management company, which recently acquired Oasis. “There’s a lot more personality to people’s homes. They bought the beach house and furnished it. They’re not a hotelier to whom Marriott can say, ‘This year we’re doing all oval mirrors so you have to get rid of the square ones.’”

Marriott’s solutions to these challenges has been to stick to luxury properties and to contract with property management companies that take on the on-site logistics, including providing premium linens, high-speed Wi-Fi, in-person support and extras like cribs and high chairs. The expanded Homes & Villas have a minimum 3-night stay.

“Most travelers prefer hotels, so that’s still a robust market,” said Lorraine Wileo, a senior vice president at the travel research firm Phocuswright, which found that consumers prefer hotels over alternative accommodations by a two-to-one ratio. Hotel-branded homes, she added, may appeal to travelers who want the assurance of “cleanliness, security and amenities and don’t want a cookie-cutter hotel but aren’t ready to share an apartment with a stranger.”

A key selling point for members of Marriott Bonvoy could be the ability to earn points and spend them on villa stays. The company plans to integrate its experiential reward offerings — like taking a local cooking class or attending a concert — with its rentals.

“When you’re getting your vacation rental home in the south of France, at the same time you will be able to book a bespoke wine and cheese tour in the village,” Ms. Linnartz said. “It will all be connected and interrelated.”

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kevingbakeruk · 6 years ago

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The 12 Best Alternative Ski Destinations

The promise of fresh powder. The thrill of swooping down snow-covered slopes. The refreshing taste of a well-deserved apres-ski beer. What’s not to love about ski season?

That’s why we’ve rounded up the best alternatives to some of the most well-known ski resorts in North America, so you know exactly where to go to make the most of the snow. These winter wonderlands boast affordable lift tickets, fewer crowds and a seemingly endless array of trails to choose from, without compromising on quality.

Find cozy cabins, ski-in/ski-out condos and affordable vacation homes right here on FlipKey.

Love Jackson Hole? Try Grand Targhee Ski Resort.

Tucked into the Teton Range, Grand Targhee is renowned for its deep powder and frequent snowfall. Unlike the ritzy vibe of Jackson Hole Mountain, this ski resort is ideal for those looking for a low-key ski trip. After a day on the slopes, retreat to a rental in Alta and rest up for another day of world-class skiing.

What travelers are saying: “A hidden gem in the Tetons. Great off trail skiing as well as groomers for all levels of skiing. This is one of my new favorite places to ski.”

See all Alta, Wyoming rentals!

Love Sugarloaf Mountain? Try Sunday River.

Sunday River boasts more than 125 open trails spanning nearly 800 acres of skiable terrain. Although it’s a bit smaller than Sugarloaf Mountain, it’s more manageable for amateur skiers and ideal for a leisurely day on the slopes. Once your skis are off, indulge in an apres-ski drink at Sunday River or continue the fun in the nearby mountain town of Bethel.

What travelers are saying: “This is a winter wonderland. Skiing is fabulous with many peaks and all levels of skiing. Lots of snowmobile trails and winter adventures.”

See all Newry, Maine rentals!

Love Stowe Mountain? Try Killington Ski Resort.

Killington Ski Resort is the largest ski area in the eastern United States extending across seven mountains. Skiers of all abilities flock to this New England spot for its wide-open slopes, steep moguls and tree-lined trails. Whether you’re admiring the view from the summit or you’re gliding past snow-covered branches, the area’s natural beauty will steal your breath away. Lift tickets are typically more affordable than Stowe’s when you buy online, so there’s no excuse not to spend a day at Killington.

What travelers are saying: “The mountain remains the beast of the east. Huge variety of terrain for all abilities. The experience and smiles from the family were priceless.”

See all Killington, Vermont rentals!

Love Gore Mountain? Try Peek’n Peak Resort.

Pack up the car and head to Peek’n Peak Resort for winter fun in the foothills of Clymer. Situated in the southwestern corner of New York, this resort is an easy drive from major cities like Cleveland, Buffalo and Pittsburgh, and a more convenient choice than Gore Mountain for many travelers. Enjoy a bit of everything here: Alpine and Nordic skiing, terrain parks, snow tubing and more. It’s the perfect place for a worry-free weekend with your family.

What travelers are saying: “Our family was able to rent equipment and get on the slopes and in for a lesson right away. The kids, ages 9 and 12, went from apprehensive to confident within the 1-hour timeframe – our instructor was wonderful! I have recommended Peek’n Peak to others already.”

See all Clymer, New York rentals!

Love Mammoth Mountain? Try Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows.

Over 6,000 skiable acres make up the snowy wonderland of Squaw Valley Alpine Meadow in North Lake Tahoe. With an average of 300 sunny days per year and no shortage of snowfall, this destination offers a longer ski season than most, typically lasting well into the spring months. Although it has fewer trails than Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows shouldn’t be underestimated because it has countless hidden ski areas to discover and spectacular head-turning views of Lake Tahoe.

What travelers are saying: “The best ski resort out in Tahoe as far as I know. Love the trail runs and I love that there’s plenty of Ski Patrol scattered around! Very decent place and the village is pretty nice!”

See all Olympic Valley, California rentals!

Love Waterville Valley Resort? Try Loon Mountain Resort.

Often overlooked because of its proximity to Waterville Valley Resort, Loon Mountain Resort is an ideal alternative for travelers planning a New Hampshire ski vacation. It features over 300 skiable acres within the White Mountain National Forest, so there’s always a new run to conquer. Save money by purchasing a lift ticket in advance and you’ll save money that you can put toward an extra apres-ski beer at the lodge.

What travelers are saying: “The trails were well-groomed and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The indoor areas were clean and they have free wifi. Helpful tip: plan to ski early if you want to avoid the rush of kids.”

See all Lincoln, New Hampshire rentals!

Love Aspen? Try Silverton Mountain.

Known for being a high-end ski resort, there’s no denying Aspen’s prestige. But large crowds and exorbitant prices can mean this popular ski destination is out of reach for many. Enter Silverton Mountain. Just a few hours south, this ski spot offers untouched trails, thrilling ski excursions and a true mountain experience. Explore Silverton Mountain at your own pace or choose a guided adventure around the area.

What travelers are saying: “What a special place. The town is small and charming, and we found both comfy accommodations and food. The one lift takes you up the mountain, and the different groups go different places. We booked a guide in advance, and he took us all over the mountain. Great skiing and terrific scenery!”

See all Silverton, Colorado rentals!

Love Crystal Mountain? Try Mission Ridge

For fifty years, Mission Ridge has offered the runs, trails, chutes, screamers and bowls of big mountain terrain while maintaining a small mountain vibe. Light, dry powder carpets the ground here, making it more manageable than the deep powder at Crystal Mountain. Visitors to Mission Ridge can also count on abundant sunshine, amazing views and affordable lift tickets at this jewel in the Cascade Mountains.

What travelers are saying: “Mission Ridge earns praise as an old-fashioned, family-oriented ski area, while also offering some great runs for advanced and expert skiers, modern snow-making and slope grooming, and easy access from Wenatchee.”

See all Wenatchee, Washington rentals!

Love Alta Ski Area? Try Deer Valley.

Like Alta Ski Area, Deer Valley is one of only a handful of resorts open exclusively to skiers. Nestled within Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, Deer Valley offers “The Greatest Snow on Earth” and thrilling adventures spread out across six mountains. If you’re new to the sport, take a ski lesson at the mountain’s ski school. If you’re an expert, challenge yourself on a black diamond or try one of the very runs skied by Olympians at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Whether your group splits up or sticks together, there’s a trail for all abilities at Deer Valley.

What travelers are saying: “Luxury skiing, great service, great lodges, great foods. Ski rails were groomed to perfection, consistent champagne-snow, very little to no line, and just overall amazing skiing.”

See all Park City, Utah rentals!

Love Whistler Blackcomb? Try Big White Ski Resort.

Skiers are often quick to look to Whister Blackcomb when planning a winter trip to Canada, but families ought to consider Big White Ski Resort instead. Simply known as Big White to most, this ski resort is situated in British Columbia’s breathtaking Okanagan Valley and is blanketed by snow all winter long. Choose an Alpine or Nordic trail, hop on a lift and explore Big White Mountain. In addition to skiing, Big White offers an array of family-friendly activities such as dog sledding, snow tubing and horse-drawn sleigh rides.

What travelers are saying: “This was our second Christmas ski trip to Big White and we loved it again. The resort is fantastic for families with great runs, amazing snow, really kid-friendly ski school staff and awesome accommodations to choose from.”

See all Kelowna, British Columbia rentals!

Love Wachusett Mountain? Try Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort.

Open year-round, Jiminy Peak is particularly popular among families during the winter months. The resort offers several children’s programs designed to teach children how to ski and feel confident on the slopes. Children ages 5 and under ski for free on Toddler Lower Mountain, and lighted twilight skiing extends the family fun well into the evening. In addition to its scenic Berkshire setting, friendly and helpful staff make Jiminy Peak one of the best mid-sized ski resorts in southern New England.

What travelers are saying: “Great base lodge area. Loved the fast lift ticket scanning system they have in place. In all my runs did not have to wait more than 5 mins to get on the lift. Nice wide trails.”

See all Hancock, Massachusetts rentals!

Love Whitefish Mountain? Try Big Sky Resort.

With 30 lifts and more than 250 runs, Big Sky Resort is a skier’s dream. This ski destination offers access to more skiing than most resorts in the U.S., including a variety of beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain so, everyone in the family can participate. When it’s time to call it quits on the slopes, families can take a free shuttle to the nearby Meadow Village for more dining, shopping and entertainment options.

What travelers are saying: “One of those ‘last, best’ places. Our renewal of familiarity at Big Sky at Christmas was a reminder of how monstrously huge this place is, how singular the downhills, and lack of congestion in the lifts. There are places to ski for all experience levels and if you leave here without a shriek of delight it will be a surprise.”

See all Big Sky, Montana rentals!

The post The 12 Best Alternative Ski Destinations appeared first on The FlipKey Blog.

from Tips For Traveling https://www.flipkey.com/blog/2019/01/10/12-alternative-ski-destinations/

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luxvillavr-blog · 5 years ago

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#south lake tahoe short term vacation home rental management

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janetchavezcom · 6 years ago

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The 12 Best Alternative Ski Destinations

The promise of fresh powder. The thrill of swooping down snow-covered slopes. The refreshing taste of a well-deserved apres-ski beer. What’s not to love about ski season?

Find cozy cabins, ski-in/ski-out condos and affordable vacation homes right here on FlipKey.

Love Jackson Hole? Try Grand Targhee Ski Resort.

What travelers are saying: “A hidden gem in the Tetons. Great off trail skiing as well as groomers for all levels of skiing. This is one of my new favorite places to ski.”

See all Alta, Wyoming rentals!

Love Sugarloaf Mountain? Try Sunday River.

What travelers are saying: “This is a winter wonderland. Skiing is fabulous with many peaks and all levels of skiing. Lots of snowmobile trails and winter adventures.”

See all Newry, Maine rentals!

Love Stowe Mountain? Try Killington Ski Resort.

What travelers are saying: “The mountain remains the beast of the east. Huge variety of terrain for all abilities. The experience and smiles from the family were priceless.”

See all Killington, Vermont rentals!

Love Gore Mountain? Try Peek’n Peak Resort.

See all Clymer, New York rentals!

Love Mammoth Mountain? Try Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows.

See all Olympic Valley, California rentals!

Love Waterville Valley Resort? Try Loon Mountain Resort.

See all Lincoln, New Hampshire rentals!

Love Aspen? Try Silverton Mountain.

See all Silverton, Colorado rentals!

Love Crystal Mountain? Try Mission Ridge

See all Wenatchee, Washington rentals!

Love Alta Ski Area? Try Deer Valley.

See all Park City, Utah rentals!

Love Whistler Blackcomb? Try Big White Ski Resort.

See all Kelowna, British Columbia rentals!

Love Wachusett Mountain? Try Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort.

See all Hancock, Massachusetts rentals!

Love Whitefish Mountain? Try Big Sky Resort.

See all Big Sky, Montana rentals!

The post The 12 Best Alternative Ski Destinations appeared first on The FlipKey Blog.

from Tips For Traveling https://www.flipkey.com/blog/2019/01/10/12-alternative-ski-destinations/

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mrrolandtfranco · 6 years ago

Text

The 12 Best Alternative Ski Destinations

The promise of fresh powder. The thrill of swooping down snow-covered slopes. The refreshing taste of a well-deserved apres-ski beer. What’s not to love about ski season?

Find cozy cabins, ski-in/ski-out condos and affordable vacation homes right here on FlipKey.

Love Jackson Hole? Try Grand Targhee Ski Resort.

What travelers are saying: “A hidden gem in the Tetons. Great off trail skiing as well as groomers for all levels of skiing. This is one of my new favorite places to ski.”

See all Alta, Wyoming rentals!

Love Sugarloaf Mountain? Try Sunday River.

What travelers are saying: “This is a winter wonderland. Skiing is fabulous with many peaks and all levels of skiing. Lots of snowmobile trails and winter adventures.”

See all Newry, Maine rentals!

Love Stowe Mountain? Try Killington Ski Resort.

What travelers are saying: “The mountain remains the beast of the east. Huge variety of terrain for all abilities. The experience and smiles from the family were priceless.”

See all Killington, Vermont rentals!

Love Gore Mountain? Try Peek’n Peak Resort.

See all Clymer, New York rentals!

Love Mammoth Mountain? Try Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows.

See all Olympic Valley, California rentals!

Love Waterville Valley Resort? Try Loon Mountain Resort.

See all Lincoln, New Hampshire rentals!

Love Aspen? Try Silverton Mountain.

See all Silverton, Colorado rentals!

Love Crystal Mountain? Try Mission Ridge

See all Wenatchee, Washington rentals!

Love Alta Ski Area? Try Deer Valley.

See all Park City, Utah rentals!

Love Whistler Blackcomb? Try Big White Ski Resort.

See all Kelowna, British Columbia rentals!

Love Wachusett Mountain? Try Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort.

See all Hancock, Massachusetts rentals!

Love Whitefish Mountain? Try Big Sky Resort.

See all Big Sky, Montana rentals!

The post The 12 Best Alternative Ski Destinations appeared first on The FlipKey Blog.

from The FlipKey Blog http://bit.ly/2SYucMs

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marymperezga · 6 years ago

Text

The 12 Best Alternative Ski Destinations

The promise of fresh powder. The thrill of swooping down snow-covered slopes. The refreshing taste of a well-deserved apres-ski beer. What’s not to love about ski season?

Find cozy cabins, ski-in/ski-out condos and affordable vacation homes right here on FlipKey.

Love Jackson Hole? Try Grand Targhee Ski Resort.

What travelers are saying: “A hidden gem in the Tetons. Great off trail skiing as well as groomers for all levels of skiing. This is one of my new favorite places to ski.”

See all Alta, Wyoming rentals!

Love Sugarloaf Mountain? Try Sunday River.

What travelers are saying: “This is a winter wonderland. Skiing is fabulous with many peaks and all levels of skiing. Lots of snowmobile trails and winter adventures.”

See all Newry, Maine rentals!

Love Stowe Mountain? Try Killington Ski Resort.

What travelers are saying: “The mountain remains the beast of the east. Huge variety of terrain for all abilities. The experience and smiles from the family were priceless.”

See all Killington, Vermont rentals!

Love Gore Mountain? Try Peek’n Peak Resort.

See all Clymer, New York rentals!

Love Mammoth Mountain? Try Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows.

See all Olympic Valley, California rentals!

Love Waterville Valley Resort? Try Loon Mountain Resort.

See all Lincoln, New Hampshire rentals!

Love Aspen? Try Silverton Mountain.

See all Silverton, Colorado rentals!

Love Crystal Mountain? Try Mission Ridge

See all Wenatchee, Washington rentals!

Love Alta Ski Area? Try Deer Valley.

See all Park City, Utah rentals!

Love Whistler Blackcomb? Try Big White Ski Resort.

See all Kelowna, British Columbia rentals!

Love Wachusett Mountain? Try Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort.

See all Hancock, Massachusetts rentals!

Love Whitefish Mountain? Try Big Sky Resort.

See all Big Sky, Montana rentals!

The post The 12 Best Alternative Ski Destinations appeared first on The FlipKey Blog.

from Tips For Traveling https://www.flipkey.com/blog/2019/01/10/12-alternative-ski-destinations/

0 notes

jamesgeiiger · 6 years ago

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Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year

Although 2018 ended on a down note with the stock market selling off, I feel good about how things unfolded. I’ll take the ratio of three good quarters to one bad quarter any year.

Believe it or not, my theme for 2018 was: back to early retirement life. I pushed myself to the point of burnout in 2017. But the funny thing about hard work is that it’s over. I only remember bits and pieces of how difficult 2017 was.

At year-end, it’s easy to forget our accomplishments and our failures. With this post, I’m excited to relive the good and the bad in the following categories: Finances, Family, Health, Business, and Odds & Ends.

This post is like a 4-for-1 special. It needs to be thorough so I can prove to my son his old man wasn’t a deadbeat when he inevitably starts rebelling or when I’m no longer here to defend myself.

2018 Year In Review

Finances – 2.5 Out Of 5 Stars

At the beginning of the year, I predicted we’d see a slowdown in coastal city real estate, a 10-year bond yield under 3%, and a stock market that would have one last hurrah with a 10% return. I was almost three for three with the stock market up ~8% in September. Too bad it gave up all its gains and then a whole lot! At least I got more defensive starting in March.

My net worth is roughly made up of:

30% in stocks/bonds = -3%. After writing Your Risk Tolerance Is An Illusion in the Spring, I reduced my stock allocation in my House Sale Fund to roughly 52% from 70%. As bonds began to outperform stocks coupled with further profit taking, my end allocation is roughly 40% stocks / 60% bonds. Owning a bunch of equity structured notes in my other main fund has helped minimize volatility. But clearly I wasn’t defensive enough and should have taken more profits during the summer.

My House Sale Fund portfolio was up around 13% at one point until I gave all the gains up in the 4th quarter. Right now, it’s holding onto a tenuous 5.4% gain, after the huge rally on Dec 26. Overall, my public investment portfolio is slightly down, which violates my rule of never losing money post retirement. I plan to update this performance daily due to the volatility.

I’m disappointed with my public investment performance. This goes to show that no matter how concerned you are about an asset class or the economy, greed can override logic.

Here’s a good chart that shows how the Vanguard Long-Term Bond Fund has outperformed the S&P 500 since 1999. The next time I start feeling greedy, I need to remind myself that slow and steady wins the race, especially if you’ve already passed the finish line.

6% in cash/CDs = +2.3%. Thanks to rising short-term rates, you can now get around 2% in a money market and 2.5% in a 12-month CD. It’s wonderful to earn something from our risk-free investments now. Cash and short-term CDs have been 10%+ outperformers against the S&P 500. Hopefully, folks will no longer badger me about the risks of underperforming inflation when the real risk is losing absolute dollar value. Unfortunately, I should have had closer to 15% of my net worth in cash and CDs.

30% in real estate = -5%. The online estimates say my real estate holdings have gone up ~6% YoY, but I doubt it now that the stock market has sold off so aggressively from the peak. Online price estimates and public data are always lagging estimates. Prices did continue to go up until about January 2018, but began falling for the remainder of the year. The chart below shows data months before the 4Q2018 stock market correction. Therefore, I’ve manually inputted -5% from +6% for a 11% swing.

Even though my real estate holdings are down, I thankfully feel no stress compared to my stock holdings, which is one of the reasons why I prefer real estate over stocks. One rental property has no mortgage since 2015, my primary residence is providing utility every day by sheltering my family, and my vacation property is generating a positive cash flow. I can’t wait to bring my boy up to Lake Tahoe to touch his first snow in March!

It’s unfortunate that I reinvested $600,000 of the $1,800,000 proceeds from my house sale into the stock market. I should have just stayed super conservative. But I suspect the best I could get now for the house is $2,600,000 today versus the $2,740,000 sale price in 2017. My house was on a busy street next to the busiest street in all of San Francisco. Fringe location properties, even in a good neighborhood, tend to underperform during a market softening.

8% in alternative investments = +5%. My alternative investments in venture debt and real estate crowdfunding seem to be doing well, to the tune of a 11% – 20% IRR. But these figures are probably too aggressive as well, so I’ve assigned a +5% performance instead. REITs and rental property have outperformed all year as rents are stickier than stocks. I remember back in 2009, my rents stayed flat because by the time the lease was over a year later, the recession was over.

25% in my online business = 0% – 150%. My business is the trickiest to value. Revenue and profits are up 20%+ YoY. Therefore, one might conclude that its value should also be up by 20%+. However, valuations have probably compressed since the stock market sell-off. The good thing is that a peer site with about 35% less traffic sold for 2X the value I assigned for my business in my net worth calculations. Therefore, there’s a possibility my site could be worth 2X – 2.5X my assigned value if we normalize for traffic.

From an estate planning perspective, I want my business to be valued as low as possible. It’s the same way you want your house to be valued as low as possible to pay less property tax. To prepare for hard times, I’ve kept my business at 0% growth in my net worth calculation.

Net Worth Growth

Here’s my 2018 net worth progression chart according to Personal Capital. The chart is a little chunky because of cash recognition delays. But overall, it was doing pretty well until the end of the year.

2018 Net Worth = +6.5%

The main reasons why my net worth is up ~6.5% in 2018 are business cash flow and aggressive savings. I continue to save over 70% of my after-tax income. If I didn’t aggressively save, my net worth would have been flat. As my net worth has grown, it’s harder to move the needle as much.

6.5% is OK, but at one point I was up ~11%. Hence, it feels a little disappointing. 10% YoY growth has always been my minimum net worth growth target since graduating from college. Despite the disappointment, I’m glad my net worth didn’t go in reverse.

If you’re feeling bummed out, it helps to look at how far your net worth has come over the past five or 10 years. When I left work in 2012, I was comfortable with what I had. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have left. Having another six years of growth, excluding 2018, has really been a blessing post early retirement.

The key is to not lose all your gains to a bear market.

Related: Recommended Net Worth Allocation By Age Or Work Experience

Family & Fatherhood – 4.7 Stars

I could not have tried harder to be a great stay at home dad. I only have one shot, so I did everything to educate myself about parenthood. I also spent as much time as possible with my son as a stay at home dad.

My greatest moments of joy all year came from seeing my son’s milestones. He started waddling with help at around 11 months and slowly started to walk unassisted at 12 – 13 months. By 18 months he was able to count to 30, say all letters of the alphabet, and identify eight different colors.

His favorite words and phrases at 20 months old are “hot dog, ketchup, yum, yum, yum” “double wide garage door,” “walk with daddy,” “knock knock,” “verde,” “voila,” and “da hai bao (big seal in Mandarin).” He’s also just begun to sing a couple lullabies, one in Japanese and one in French. We try to talk to him in multiple languages as supposedly that helps brain development. He’s hilarious and full of determination. Oh boy is he determined.

When I’m not working on Financial Samurai or managing our investments, I pretend I’m a pre-school teacher and occupational therapist. Because he has a vision issue, I’ve been helping him track objects, work on his depth perception, and hand-eye coordination. So far he can walk up stairs no problem, but he still needs assistance going down stairs.

Now we’re focusing more on his fine motor skills, like drawing, holding a pencil, brushing his teeth, playing piano keys, and using scissors. The duties are never-ending, but it’s been a blessing to care for him every day and watch him grow.

He is a determined boy

My greatest sorrows have also all come from my son. Between 11 – 15 months old he would fall frequently or accidentally bonk his head on something hard or sharp. I felt his pain each time and admonished myself for not doing a better job protecting him.

As a result of his accidents, I ended up padding everywhere around the house and padding every wall and table corner. Interior design be damned! Thank goodness we live in a modest size house. The padding has saved him from injury numerous times, including on Christmas, when he stumbled on a package and hit his head on our coffee leg corner which was padded, hooray!

It turns out that toddlers between 12 – 19 months fall about 17X an hour on average according to one study of 120 toddlers. Only until about age 4 do most toddlers fully master their walking and running skills. That made me feel a little better, but it still made me so sad whenever he hurt himself. Taking him for a walk with a harness has helped tremendously. I’m teaching him to look both ways before crossing the street.

It’s also interesting it takes up to 24 months before a toddler’s fontanel closes. Therefore, we as parents might as well be as diligent as possible in trying to protect his head before his skull gets to full strength. So much about parenthood the first several years is about survival – from preventing suffocation while sleeping to making sure they don’t walk off a ledge.

The better our boy sleeps and the more he is able to communicate his desires, the more rewarding parenthood has become. Because he is so strong-willed, his temper tantrums are also quite a challenge.

One of my concerns is that he will hurt himself during these temper tantrums by banging his head on something hard or arching his back and hurting himself on the floor. Doctors say temper tantrums peak by around 24 months, subside, and then rise again at around 36 months. Here’s where I need to demonstrate maximum patience as a parent for the next 18 months.

Before my son was born, there was never any whining or crying around the house. But once he arrived, I have heard crying and whining every day, multiple times a day for 20 months in a row. Unfortunately, there is no logical reasoning with a young boy, except to use a technique called “caveman speak” while voicing what we think he wants to calm him down. Adjusting to this new scenario has been hard.

It’s also difficult to write, record a podcast, or mentally relax when there is so much noise. Being able to more easily find a quiet space is one of the benefits of upgrading to a larger house. As a result of needing to find quiet time, I often had to wake up between 4am – 5am to get things done. But I’m proud to say I’ve never lost my temper around my boy.

I’ve still got to improve my patience with my wife and not let business stress or stock market stress hurt our relationship. We operate at different paces, and I need to do a better job slowing down. The whole point of financial independence is to be free from money stress to live your best life.

Given my wife is a full-time mom and absolutely does more of the caregiving, the pressure is on me to make sure our finances never go in reverse. As the stock market melted down in 4Q2018, my stress level definitely increased.

Our goal is to both stay full-time parents for at least our son’s first two years of life and ideally try to be full-time parents for five years before he attends kindergarten. Fatherhood is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

Related: How To Survive The Pressures Of Being A Sole Income Providing Parent

Health & Fitness – 3.2 Stars

I’m the same weight as I was in 2017, which is OK. But I gained 5 lbs in 2017, which was not OK. I need to get down to 162 lbs from 170 lbs. At least I exercised 3X a week on average plus took light walks with my son 5X a week on average. Given my goal is to live until 75, or whenever my son can establish himself and find a life partner, it’s important for me to stay in mental and physical shape.

Luckily, I’ve had no serious injuries or medical mishaps this year. I did catch some flu-like virus that knocked me out for 1.5 days in October, but that was it. We did have our first emergency room visit for my son at 5am because he seemed to have come down with a similar virus I had a month later. We also went to an after-hour care facility for some inflammation. Luckily, things got better after 24 hours.

At 41, I still haven’t sprouted any grey hairs, which is a surprise since I first got several grey hairs at 33, the year before I left my day job. The only reason I can imagine for this phenomenon is that not working a full-time job is less stressful. It’s one thing to say how much better life is after achieving financial independence. It’s another thing for the body to show us.

My most fun physical addition has been joining a softball meetup group that plays every Saturday it doesn’t rain. I must have played over 30 games in 2018. Ah, now I remember sustaining a left knee bone contusion that hurt for six months. My personal highlight was drafting and captaining a 4th of July softball tournament and winning. Curiously, it was one of my most satisfying life moments!

Finally, I found out in December I wasn’t getting bumped down to 4.5 in USTA tennis from 5.0. I did poorly in 5.0 league at the beginning of the year and was hoping to get bumped down after three seasons. When I didn’t, I appealed and got denied.

5.0 level tennis is brutally tough. From an ego perspective, it does feel good to be in the top 1% of all tennis levels. Other players give you respect as you puff out your chest and start thinking you’re the shiznits. But after you start repeatedly getting beaten by players younger than you, it starts to get demoralizing! Therefore, I always try to make fun of myself to others by saying the computers must have malfunctioned to keep me at 5.0.

Business – 4.8 Stars

I could not have tried harder to build Financial Samurai either. Here are some of the accomplishments:

Published three posts a week on average

Published three pages a week on average

Published one newsletter a week on average

Improved my short-form writing skills with the newsletter

Produced over 40 podcasts

Did several podcast interviews on other platforms

Launched the Financial Samurai Forum with 1,300 members thanks to my wife who set everything up over a year

Got mentioned in Business Insider, CNBC, MarketWatch, MSN, Apple News, Forbes, and Yahoo

Updated How To Engineer Your Layoff with a new forward for 2019

Increased overall traffic by 20% YoY, with 50% YoY traffic growth between August 11 – December 27

The 50% YoY traffic surge since August 11 seems like an anomaly. It’s like suddenly turning into a speedboat after being a cruise ship. But traffic has been elevated for almost four months so far, with December being the highest traffic all year. For years, December has always been a quiet month due to the holidays. Perhaps the traffic increase is due to a combination of more production, search algorithm changes by Google, and content syndication.

Overall, I’m just really happy there’s been a correlation with effort and reward. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, hence part of the reason why I left work in 2012. Every year since the birth of Financial Samurai in 2009, Financial Samurai has drastically outperformed the S&P 500 and the San Francisco real estate market. As a result, blogging has surpassed real estate as my favorite asset class to build wealth.

For poops and giggles, here’s another net worth chart if I manually input a business value based on recent comparable sales. The 30% spike is nice, but is also dangerous because it brings a false sense of complacency. It’s best to stay motivated as the economy softens. Just know that creating next level wealth is all about owning growth equity over the long term.

Net worth including market value of business = +30% YoY

Life’s Odds & Ends – 4 Stars

In May, I helped coach my high school boys varsity tennis team to the Northern California Sectional championship. This was the first championship in the school’s entire 40+ year history. This victory was particularly sweet because we had come so close my first year in 2017 only to lose in the finals to a school 3X our size. This was another incredible life moment that had nothing to do with money. I only got paid $3,500 for 3.5 months of work. The relationships I developed with some of the parents were a nice bonus.

My dad came to visit three times and my mom twice. My mother-in-law also visited twice and my father-in-law once. It is always great to see them, and I hope they continue to visit us more often. My dream has always been to have three generations spend as much time together as possible. Unfortunately or fortunately, all our grandparents want to remain independent and live in their respective cities. It’s hard to change the older you get, which is why I’ve been trying so hard to move to Hawaii.

I further strengthened a couple friendships. This is huge because as a stay-at-home dad, it’s often hard to make new friends or deepen friendships. There are simply less social events to attend e.g. happy hour. I love having a good buddy to shoot the shit with. I also developed a new in-person relationship with an FS reader, who also so happens to also be a professional athlete on my favorite team. Pretty neat!

I did some decent home maintenance projects this year: caulked the top of our living room window sill to prevent leaks, varnished all our wood planter boxes, rooted the upstairs sink that was clogging, re-roofed the leaking light well, maintained the yard, and fixed a leaky faucet at my rental. Man, I forgot about all this stuff until my wife reminded me. Thank goodness I sold the other rental.

Finally, we finalized our will and revocable living trust. My wife also led the charge getting us through this cumbersome and complicated process. There were so many documents to gather and questions to ask the estate planning lawyer that she estimates the whole process took her about 40 hours. But after we finally signed all the documents on December 20, I felt a huge sense of relief that I could die knowing that my wife and son wouldn’t have to go through probate court.

2018: 3.8 Out Of 5 Stars

Although I didn’t decide to take it easy per my 2018 goal, I have no regrets staying consistent with Financial Samurai. I don’t think I’ll ever change my work ethic until my body starts breaking down. The joy of writing is so tangible because it is an identifiable product that can be eternally consumed.

It’s been hard to accept no longer making a positive return on my public investments after nine years of up, up, up. I’ve got to do a much better job at not letting financial loss negatively affect my mood and my relationship with my wife. Not taking unnecessary risk will help.

During downturns, I envy those in professions that have nothing to do with the stock market. For example, when I asked my estate planning lawyer about what she thought about the stock market collapse in December, she said she had no idea because she outsources all her financial planning to someone else. What a blessing.

I also have zero regrets being a stay at home dad all year. Yes, the days were long and there were many moments of frustration, but just hearing his squeals of joy made full-time fatherhood worthwhile. All I want to do is squeeze and kiss him 100X a day! I’m so thankful my wife has been an amazing mother and partner all year.

Family and Financial Samurai are my two great loves. Everything else comes in a distant second. There was a point where we thought we’d never have a child. So we say a prayer of thanks every evening. Financial Samurai has been a part of me since the bottom of the last financial crisis in 2009. It’s like an old friend that has stuck with me in the worst of times.

The key is to not let my two loves collide, but to let them be synergistic. My family gives me motivation to write, while Financial Samurai is a creative outlet that helps ensure we remain stay-at-home-parents until we decide otherwise.

There’s always a silver lining to a downturn too.

For Financial Samurai, it’s increased traffic as more people are paying attention to their finances. Book sales on how to negotiate a severance are also increasing as savvy employees are trying to get ahead of the layoff curve. Finally, our passive income has also increased due to higher interests rates and my shift towards higher yielding assets like cash, bonds, and CDs.

For family life, it’s being less tempted to go back to work because the return on effort has declined. When all is in shambles, why bother dealing with a commute, company politics, difficult clients, and a declining company stock price.

I hope if my boy one day reads this article that’ll he’ll be proud of his dad. Although 2018 wasn’t a fantastic year, it was filled with many positive milestones.

I’ll be sharing my 2019 outlook and goals next. In the meantime, I’d love to hear some of your hits and misses for 2018!

Related: The Best Financial Samurai Posts For 2018

https://www.financialsamurai.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Financial-Samurai-2018-year-in-review.m4a

The post Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year appeared first on Financial Samurai.

Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year published first on https://worldwideinvestforum.tumblr.com/

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samuelfields · 6 years ago

Text

Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year

Although 2018 ended on a down note with the stock market selling off, I feel good about how things unfolded. I’ll take the ratio of three good quarters to one bad quarter any year.

2018 Year In Review

Finances – 3 Out Of 5 Stars

My net worth is roughly made up of:

30% in stocks/bonds = -2%. After writing Your Risk Tolerance Is An Illusion in the Spring, I reduced my stock allocation in my House Sale Fund to roughly 52% from 70%. As bonds began to outperform stocks coupled with further profit taking, my end allocation is roughly 40% stocks / 60% bonds. Owning a bunch of equity structured notes in my other main fund has helped minimize volatility. But clearly I wasn’t defensive enough and should have taken more profits during the summer.

I’m disappointed with my public investment performance. This goes to show that no matter how concerned you are about an asset class or the economy, greed can override logic.

Net Worth Growth

2018 Net Worth = +6.5%

The key is to not lose all your gains to a bear market.

Related: Recommended Net Worth Allocation By Age Or Work Experience

Family & Fatherhood – 4.7 Stars

He is a determined boy

It’s also interesting it takes up to 24 months before a toddler’s fontanel closes. Therefore, we as parents might as well be as diligent as possible in trying to protect his head before his skull gets to full strength. So much about about parenthood the first several years is about survival – from preventing suffocation while sleeping to making sure they don’t walk off a ledge.

The better our boy sleeps and the more he is able to communicate his desires, the more rewarding parenthood has become. Because he is so strong-willed, his temper tantrums are also quite a challenge.

Related: How To Survive The Pressures Of Being A Sole Income Providing Parent

Health & Fitness – 3.2 Stars

At 41, I still haven’t sprouted any grey hairs, which is a surprise since I first got several grey hairs at 33, the year before I left my day job. The only reason I can imagine for this phenomena is that not working a full-time job is less stressful. It’s one thing to say how much better life is after achieving financial independence. It’s another thing for the body to show us.

Business – 4.8 Stars

I could not have tried harder to build Financial Samurai either. Here are some of the accomplishments:

Published three posts a week on average

Published three pages a week on average

Published one newsletter a week on average

Improved my short-form writing skills with the newsletter

Produced over 40 podcasts

Did several podcast interviews on other platforms

Launched the Financial Samurai Forum with 1,300 members thanks to my wife who set everything up over a year

Got mentioned in Business Insider, CNBC, MarketWatch, MSN, Apple News, Forbes, and Yahoo

Updated How To Engineer Your Layoff with a new forward for 2019

Increased overall traffic by 20% YoY, with 50% YoY traffic growth between August 11 – December 27

Net worth including market value of business = +30% YoY

Life’s Odds & Ends – 4 Stars

2018: 3.8 Out Of 5 Stars

Family and Financial Samurai are my two great loves. Everything comes a distant second. There was a point where we thought we’d never have a child. So we say a prayer of thanks every evening. Financial Samurai has been a part of me since the bottom of the last financial crisis in 2009. It’s like an old friend that has stuck with me in the worst of times.

There’s always a silver lining to a downturn too.

I hope if my boy one day reads this article that’ll he’ll be proud of his dad. Although 2018 wasn’t a fantastic year, it was filled with many positive milestones.

I’ll be sharing my 2019 outlook and goals next. In the meantime, I’d love to hear some of your hits and misses for 2018!

Related: The Best Financial Samurai Posts For 2018

https://www.financialsamurai.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Financial-Samurai-2018-year-in-review.m4a

The post Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year appeared first on Financial Samurai.

from Finance https://www.financialsamurai.com/financial-samurai-2018-year-in-review/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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mcjoelcain · 6 years ago

Text

Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year

Although 2018 ended on a down note with the stock market selling off, I feel good about how things unfolded. I’ll take the ratio of three good quarters to one bad quarter any year.

2018 Year In Review

Finances – 3 Out Of 5 Stars

My net worth is roughly made up of:

30% in stocks/bonds = -1.5%. After writing Your Risk Tolerance Is An Illusion in the Spring, I reduced my stock allocation in my House Sale Fund to roughly 52% from 70%. As bonds began to outperform stocks coupled with further profit taking, my end allocation is roughly 40% stocks / 60% bonds. Owning a bunch of equity structured notes in my other main fund has helped minimize volatility. But clearly I wasn’t defensive enough and should have taken more profits during the summer.

My House Sale Fund portfolio was up around 13% at one point until I gave all the gains up in the 4th quarter. Right now, it’s holding onto a tenuous 0.6% gain, excluding the huge rally on Dec 26. Overall, my public investment portfolio is slightly down, which violates my rule of never losing money post retirement.

House Sale Fund Portfolio went from +13% to just +0.6%

I’m disappointed with my public investment portfolio performance. This goes to show that no matter how concerned you are about an asset class or the economy, greed can override logic.

Net Worth Growth

2018 Net Worth = +6.5%

The key is to not lose all your gains to a bear market.

Related: Recommended Net Worth Allocation By Age Or Work Experience

Family & Fatherhood – 4.7 Stars

He is a determined boy

It’s also interesting it takes up to 24 months before a toddler’s fontanel closes. Therefore, we as parents might as well be as diligent as possible in trying to protect his head before his skull gets to full strength. So much about about parenthood the first several years is about survival – from preventing suffocation while sleeping to making sure they don’t walk off a ledge.

The better our boy sleeps and the more he is able to communicate his desires, the more rewarding parenthood has become. Because he is so strong-willed, his temper tantrums are also quite a challenge.

Related: How To Survive The Pressures Of Being A Sole Income Providing Parent

Health & Fitness – 3.2 Stars

At 41, I still haven’t sprouted any grey hairs, which is a surprise since I first got several grey hairs at 33, the year before I left my day job. The only reason I can imagine for this phenomena is that not working a full-time job is less stressful. It’s one thing to say how much better life is after achieving financial independence. It’s another thing for the body to show us.

Business – 4.8 Stars

I could not have tried harder to build Financial Samurai either. Here are some of the accomplishments:

Published three posts a week on average

Published three pages a week on average

Published one newsletter a week on average

Improved my short-form writing skills with the newsletter

Produced over 50 podcasts

Did several podcast interviews on other platforms

Launched the Financial Samurai Forum with 1,300 members thanks to my wife who set everything up over a year

Got mentioned in Business Insider, CNBC, MarketWatch, MSN, Apple News, Forbes, and Yahoo

Updated How To Engineer Your Layoff with a new forward

Increased overall traffic by 20% YoY, with 50% YoY traffic growth between August 11 – December 27

Net worth including market value of business = +30% YoY

Life’s Odds & Ends – 4 Stars

2018: 3.8 Out Of 5 Stars

There’s always a silver lining to a downturn too.

I hope if my boy one day reads this article that’ll he’ll be proud of his dad. Although 2018 wasn’t a fantastic year, it was filled with many positive milestones.

I’ll be sharing my 2019 outlook and goals next. In the meantime, I’d love to hear some of your hits and misses for 2018!

Related: The Best Financial Samurai Posts For 2018

https://www.financialsamurai.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Financial-Samurai-2018-year-in-review.m4a

The post Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year appeared first on Financial Samurai.

from Money https://www.financialsamurai.com/financial-samurai-2018-year-in-review/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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