For vacation rental businesses in popular tourist destinations, like Park City Lodging, it's been another busy summer travel season. While typically thought of as a ski destination, Park City has become an attractive spot for summer trips, too, with its local vibe and array of small businesses to explore.
For the Chamber's Brought to You by American Business series, we talked to Park City Lodging general manager Heleena Sideris, a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Council, about how her company brings the best of Park City to guests year-round.
Adventure Like a Local
Park City Lodging has been in business for 40 years and is an integral part of the Park City community, bridging the gap between visitors and locals.
“The company started with the recognition of an unmet need in the travel industry to provide services that benefit both the homeowner and the guests equally,” said Sideris.
The women-owned business employs 75 staff members year-round and expands to a workforce of about 100 in the busy winter ski season. Sideris says the team genuinely cares about their community and their guests.
The staff is dedicated to not only managing the marketing, reservations, housekeeping, and maintenance services of the rental properties, but also serves as a full-service concierge to curate vacations that make the most of everything Park City has to offer—and especially encourages supporting other small businesses.
“When you're choosing to spend your dollars with a small business, you're supporting an entire community,” Sideris says. “You are deciding to support the community identity and ensuring the community can continue to reinvest in itself and provide those special experiences that you can’t get anywhere.”
A Vibrant Community Year-Round
While Park City is known for its winter attractions and skiing, summer has emerged as a vibrant and increasingly popular season.
“Summer is a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ time of year! Mountain bike vast cross-country trails, take a scenic chair lift ride, hike beautiful landscapes, or try fly fishing,” Sideris says.
To support these summer activities, Park City Lodging partners with both large events and smaller nonprofits through its community concierge program. By promoting local boutiques, restaurants, and rental equipment providers, they offer guests an authentic Park City experience while boosting the economy.
The company also partners with various summer events, such as Savor the Summit—an outdoor dinner party held on Main Street in June—and the Park City Kimball Arts Festival in August.
In the winter, Park City Lodging supports the Egyptian Theater, the birthplace of the Sundance Film Festival, by providing lodging for talent attending the festival. These partnerships underscore Park City Lodging’s commitment to community engagement and supporting fellow local businesses.
Sideris encourages visitors to take advantage of the exciting activities and events in Park City.
“We want our guests to be really involved in our community instead of just passing through. We want them to form a love and appreciation that would keep them coming back for years and years,” Sideris says.
Giving Back, One Stay at a Time
One of Sideris’s proudest accomplishments is Park City Lodging’s partnership with the Summit Land Conservancy, a land trust dedicated to saving Park City’s open spaces.
All Park City Lodging guests have the option to donate $1 per night of their stay to the land trust. The initiative gives visitors the opportunity to be a part of the efforts to keep Park City spaces preserved and beautiful.
“This partnership closes the loop, bringing people from out of town to experience and enjoy the beautiful open spaces that comprise our community, and then they get an opportunity to then contribute to the further preservation of those spaces,” Sideris says.
About the authors
Lillian Chase
Lillian Chase is a communications intern at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
