Grand Welcome! This Vacation Rental Company At The Lake Is Growing Quickly: Here's Why

“Local heart, national reach.”

That’s the tagline for Grand Welcome Lake of the Ozarks, a new vacation rental franchise making a major splash in the Lake area’s vacation rental scene.

Grand Welcome Lake of the Ozarks owners Zach and Katie Vavak brought their first Lake home under management in the fall of 2023. Only a few months later, the Vavaks are managing 29 properties through Grand Welcome Lake of the Ozarks, and they aren't showing signs of stopping, as homeowners love what Grand Welcome has to offer.

Potential homeowners can learn more at https://www.lakeozarkmanagement.com

Potential Guests can learn more at https://www.grandwelcome.com/lake-of-the-ozarks/vacation-rentals

Or call Grand Welcome to set up a vacation rental consultation: 573-505-0093

The Vavaks started the business after investing in several vacation-rental properties and then discovering they couldn’t find a vacation-rental management company that met the criteria they were looking for. “So we said, ‘Well, what if we do it?’” Katie recalled. They partnered with Grand Welcome, a rapidly-growing national brand with — at the time — more than 1,600 properties under management nationwide.

Zach explains Grand Welcome brings the strength of a national organization while preserving the unique knowledge of communities that comes through local franchisees. The national brand strength gives Grand Welcome an opportunity to have regular communications with organizations like AirBnB and VRBO, Katie points out.

“Grand Welcome has market influence because we have over 1,600 properties and 66 locations nationwide. We get to have regular meetings with those booking sites. So when we have a problem, Grand Welcome is at the table getting to have those discussions,” she said.

And anyone who has vacation-rented their home knows: the experience is full of challenges! Katie mentioned friends who are self-managing some vacation rental properties in Florida. “They said, ‘It’s gotten so hard lately. The guests are really picky, the booking sites aren’t supporting homeowners,’” she said. Those are the kinds of things Grand Welcome can help property owners overcome.

The goal is to enhance the experience on both sides, for property owners and those who stay in vacation homes, and Katie says the resulting positive experiences actually add to Grand Welcome’s brand power for renters. “People are going to go, ‘Hmm, I stayed at a Grand Welcome in Florida, I like Grand Welcome.’ So they’re going to look for more Grand Welcome-managed properties,” she said. (Vacation-rental websites show the name of the person or organization offering a property for rent.)

Self-managing vacation home renters find it challenging enough just to list their homes on the most obvious websites like VRBO.com and AirBnB.com: there’s a technology barrier, where one site needs to “talk” to the others to make sure calendar dates get blocked once a reservation has been placed (to prevent double bookings). Grand Welcome has developed technology to do that, not just on those two sites, but on more than 30 different booking sites.

“There’s constantly tech working in the background so that all booking sites are updating regularly and even allowing the prices to fluctuate. We do dynamic pricing, so that allows us to capture the best price at the time of booking based on demand,” she explained.

With the Lake’s 1,150 miles of shoreline and tens of thousands of waterfront homes, the vacation rental opportunities are vast. But not every lakefront home is created equal. So Grand Welcome offers a unique service: rental projections. They work with Lake area real estate companies to provide customized rental revenue projections for homes on the market. These help buyers determine whether they can even expect the property to pay for its own mortgage, much less turn a profit.

“So we give an idea on high, medium, and low scale about what an owner can expect from that property,” Katie said. “Real estate agents like that because they get that question a lot about what revenue a property might bring.”

“If we can be supportive to the real estate community in that way, we’ll do that,” Zach said. “If it helps my real estate partners sell a house, fantastic! Because most people believe in the first year that they can self-manage and do a good job. Then many find out it’s not for them.” That’s when those homeowners call Grand Welcome.

Spending time with Zach and Katie, it’s clear this couple really does love the Lake and genuinely cares about helping and serving customers.

The Vavaks have longstanding connections to the Lake. While Katie grew up in Columbia, her family had a place on the Lake so she visited frequently. Her great-grandparents owned a small resort on the Lake, so her dad spent summers here, helping out around the resort. Meanwhile, her mom worked at Millstone for many summers. Katie’s dad passed away in 2015. He had long dreamed of retiring at the Lake. He never had that opportunity, but he told his family this is where he wanted to be buried, so the Lake of the Ozarks area became his final resting place.

When Zach and Katie started dating, she introduced him to Lake of the Ozarks, and it was love at first sight (in more ways than one!) After they married, Zach and Katie owned and invested in properties at the Lake for four years before starting Grand Welcome Lake of the Ozarks. They saw such a significant opportunity that they sold their rental properties and used the money to start their business.

“We want people to know this place is great all year round,” Zach said. “We want to create this atmosphere where this Lake feels like the place I wanna go with my family.”

Katie added, “At the end of the day, the whole business is driven around the owners and guests having a good experience.”

Potential homeowners can learn more at https://www.lakeozarkmanagement.com

Potential guests can learn more at https://www.grandwelcome.com/lake-of-the-ozarks/vacation-rentals/ or call Grand Welcome Lake of the Ozarks to set up a vacation rental consultation: 573-505-0093

Grand Welcome Lake of the Ozarks Facts:

• Local contractors — Zach & Katie use their relationships with local contractors to help homeowners get work done quickly, so the home can continue producing revenue.

• Contract terms — Homeowners sign an agreement that outlines what they can expect from Grand Welcome, but the homeowner isn’t tied-down to a long-term commitment. “We want homeowners to be happy in their relationship with us,” Katie said.

• Branded communications — Renters receive Grand Welcome branded communications after booking, with expertly crafted guidelines and directions to create the best experience for both sides.

• Dynamic pricing — Grand Welcome’s proprietary process is constantly looking for opportunities to adjust pricing based on demand, giving homeowners the chance to get the best price.