Many vacationers to the resort town of Park City Utah ask the question, “How do I find a place to stay”? While Park City does have a few brand name hotels like Marriott and Best Western, the majority of accommodations are made up of privately owned rentals.

Property management companies offer these privately owned residences for nightly rental. You may also be able to rent directly through an individual homeowner but this can be slightly riskier for the consumer. There are also central reservations agencies and private booking companies who contract with management companies and usually take a commission of up to 25% for the service. Since the property manager has to pay a commission to the booking agency, sometimes you can get a better deal if you contact the property manager directly.

Experienced visitors often visit the Park City Chamber website to search for information on property managers who offer condos and homes for nightly rental. The chamber is a great resource but they only display the name of the property manager and the user has to search each manager’s website individually and compare potential rentals from one site to the next.

Since there are so many different rental management companies offering rentals as well as individually managed rentals available, many vacationers to the Park City area end up making reservations through central reservations agencies simply out of frustration. While this undoubtedly saves time, you have to wonder if you are getting the best price since these booking companies have such a high commission built into the price.

I found the website www.localtourist.com while doing research for this article. Local Tourist is a business directory, not a booking service, and they offer the best search that I have seen for locating the perfect rental. Local Tourist allows property managers to list individual properties along with pricing including taxes and fees. Since Local Tourist provides you with the property manager’s direct phone number and website you can book direct. Who knows, you might even be able to ask for a discount.

The website also allows you to search restaurants, activity vendors, and do research on the three ski resorts. Local Tourist’s restaurant search is very intuitive and it even lets you search by neighborhood, so it’s easy to find a great restaurant close to where you are staying.

Restaurant search is quite a handy feature since Park City has over 100 restaurants within such a close proximity. Local Tourist does a great job with their restaurant search feature, but the Park City Chamber may have a larger number of restaurants listed as of the publication of this article. I recommend visiting both websites when planning your vacation to Park City, Utah.

If you’re an avid skier, then Park City with its three world class resorts is a must visit destination. The town also offers many attractions for non-skiers such as the Sundance Film Festival, world class spas, and exceptional fine dining. Park City is also increasingly popular in the summer due to the crisp mountain air, pleasant temperature, and numerous festivals. No matter what season you choose for your vacation Park City will certainly be a memorable experience.

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