VacationRoost.com targets the condo crowd

A new site, www.VacationRoost.com, targets travellers who are interested in making the jump from hotel rooms to vacation rentals but uncomfortable with the idea of renting someone's actual home. The site's 100,000 properties in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean include lots of purpose-built vacation condos in beach, ski and outdoorsy locations. The site emphasizes that its properties are professionally managed, so travellers have someone to call if they run into trouble. 

The drawback is that you may not get the whole "like a local" experience, as many of these properties are located in hotel-like settings. In fact, a quick search through the properties in Banff, Alberta, showed that most of the site's Banff listings are hotel rooms rather than home-like properties--rather curious for a site that promotes the advantages of home-sized lodgings over hotels. The bottom line: read listings carefully to make sure you're clear about what sort of accommodation you're booking.

Even though VacationRoost.com is a new name, the Utah-based company traces its roots back to 2001, when it began offering snow-country rentals under the name Ski West. It's gone through several name and ownership changes since then.