Travel Planning – Park City Utah

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.

These privately owned homes and condos are available for rent through professional management companies or directly through the homeowner. You may even make a reservation through a booking company or central reservations agency which typically takes a commission of up to 25% from the property manager or homeowner.

Savvy travelers often use the Park City Chamber and Visitors Bureau to find information on the various management companies and private owners that may potentially have rentals that fit their needs. This process requires searching through many different websites and comparing listings until a final decision is reached.

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.

While doing research for this article I found a website called www.localtourist.com that connects visitors directly with local businesses in the Park City area. The site is not a booking service; they are a business directory and they don’t take a commission so you’ll likely have a better chance of negotiating a great deal with the actual property manager. Unlike other listing services, Local Tourist allows you to search individual properties and even gives you an estimate of total booking cost before connecting you directly to the property manager to make your reservation.

Local Tourist doesn’t just help you find accommodations; the site also allows you to search restaurants, and activity vendors as well. The website has an intuitive search functionality that allows users to search for restaurants not only by cuisine type but also by neighborhood, so it’s easy to find the perfect 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.