Good morning & Happy Labor Day!

Ahhh, Labor Day.

That wonderful three-day weekend when Americans everywhere celebrate the unofficial end of summer by sleeping in, firing up the grill, floating in the pool, and generally doing as little LABOR as humanly possible.

Unless, of course, you work in the short-term rental industry.

Then Labor Day looks a little different.

While everyone else is squeezing in one last summer getaway, we're answering messages, coordinating cleaners, replacing missing towels, troubleshooting Wi-Fi, explaining AGAIN where the extra trash bags are, and praying nobody decides that 11:47 PM is the perfect time to discover they can't figure out the hot tub.

Happy Labor Day to US!

But you know what?  I think we've earned the right to celebrate a little too.  Because this weekend isn't just the end of summer.  For those of us in the Poconos STR community, it's the finish line of a marathon we've been running since Memorial Day.

Think about everything that happened between then and now.

Thousands and thousands of guests came to the Poconos. Families made memories. Kids learned to swim. Grandparents sat around fire pits. Friends reconnected. Birthday candles were blown out. Proposals may have happened. S'mores were definitely burned.

And behind nearly every one of those stays was an army of people working VERY hard to make it all look effortless.

Owners.

Property managers.

Cleaners.

Maintenance teams.

Landscapers.

Pool and hot tub companies.

Trash haulers.

Pest control companies.

Local restaurants, attractions, shops and countless other businesses that depend on a strong summer tourism season.

Hospitality is funny that way.

Our job is to work really hard so somebody else can relax.

And by September, sometimes we're running on caffeine, leftover welcome-basket snacks and sheer determination.

So as we close out another summer, I hope you'll take a minute—not necessarily TODAY, because let's be realistic—to appreciate what you accomplished.

Take a look at your reviews. Think about the families you hosted. Thank your cleaners and your team. Fix the thing you've been temporarily fixing since June. Replace whatever mysteriously disappeared from the kitchen this summer.

And then give yourself a little credit.

Because another Poconos summer is almost in the books.

We hosted a LOT of people.

We supported a LOT of local jobs and businesses.

We created a LOT of memories.

And somehow, we survived.

To all of you working this Labor Day weekend so somebody else can enjoy theirs…

Happy Labor Day.

Now go answer that guest message.

Have a GREAT week!

~Rebecca

P.S. Want to learn what it takes to effectively advocate for STRs’ right to rent in the Poconos? Sign up for our STR Advocacy Summit on September 17th.

Working hard is rough. Having your “work” taken away from you would be brutal.

Come learn how to make sure that doesn’t happen.