Happy Monday!

When I was speaking with STR operators this past week, the topic of "value" kept coming up.  Have you ever been frustrated by a review where the guest gave you an overall rating of 5 stars… but then rated you a 3 or 4 on “Value”?

I mean… WTH??

You let them check in early at no additional charge.
You left a bottle of wine and a basket of snacks.
You spent time curating a list of great local restaurants, attractions and hidden gems that they specifically said was helpful.

So how can they possibly think you didn’t deliver 5-star VALUE??

Well… it was probably the price.

Not because they didn’t like those extras. They clearly did.
They just didn’t VALUE them enough to make the price feel like a bargain.

And honestly? It’s a little bit the same way here at the Poconos VRO.

We’ve talked to a lot of owners and operators lately and we hear the frustration loud and clear. It’s not that people don’t believe in what we’re doing. It’s not that they don’t appreciate advocacy, education or networking.

It’s that margins are tight.

And when every software subscription, every utility bill, every cleaning invoice and every “small monthly expense” adds up… even a modest membership fee gets scrutinized through the lens of ROI.

Advocacy? Great.
Education? Nice.
Networking? Terrific.

But help me lower costs or increase revenue?
Now we’re talking.

And honestly… we agree.

That’s why we’ve been working hard to evolve the VALUE side of your membership.

Local Attraction Discounts for Guests

We’re moving full steam ahead building relationships with major attractions throughout the Poconos to create Poconos VRO Member-Only discounts that YOU can pass along to your guests.

Imagine being able to advertise discounts to places like Kalahari, Camelback or Pocono Raceway right in your listing description.

That’s real value.
That helps you stand out.
That helps convert lookers into bookers.
And maybe… just maybe… it helps move that “Value” score guests give you from a 3 to a 5.

National Supplier Discounts

We’re also continuing to expand discounts and offers from national partners that can save you money on the products, services and tools you already use to run your STR business.

If we can help offset the cost of membership through savings alone? That matters.

Coming Soon: A Poconos VRO Booking Engine

This is the one I’m especially excited about.

Saving money is one side of the equation. Helping you generate more direct bookings is the other.

We’ve already started laying the groundwork through our Good Neighbor Program and our ads in this year’s Pocono Mountains Travel Guide, directing guests to a Poconos VRO Members STR Booking Page.

Right now, that page is fairly simple — more of a collection of member listing links.

But the bigger vision is coming.

A true Poconos VRO booking platform that promotes professionally operated STRs and helps connect travelers directly with trusted operators in our region.

Less dependence on OTAs.
Less commission bleed.
More visibility for members who are doing things the right way.

In the meantime, one of the best things you can do is update your member profile so we can make sure all your listings are included and guest-ready as these tools roll out.

Our mission hasn’t changed.

We’ll continue advocating for fair regulations.
We’ll continue educating owners and operators.
We’ll continue building community.

But we also recognize something important:

In today’s market, VALUE matters. ROI matters.

And we want your membership in the Poconos VRO to feel like a 5-star value.

How do you feel about this direction? Hit reply and let me know — I’d genuinely love your feedback.

And if this moved the needle for you and you’d like to be part of the STR movement in the Poconos, we’d love to have you join us.

Make this week a GREAT one!

~Rebecca

PS:  THIS is one of my "Asparagus Projects" (IYKYK)