Meredith Lodging, a vacation rental manager based in Lincoln City and Bend, will expand into the Mount Hood area with the acquisition of a smaller firm, Mt. Hood Vacation Rentals of Welches.
Meredith said in a statement the deal closed in March but did not disclose the price or terms.
Meredith said its portfolio now includes 1,000 vacation rentals in Oregon, Washington and California. It is a major vacation home management company on the Oregon coast with offices in Waldport and Lincoln City.
Betsy LaBarge, who had owned Mt. Hood Vacation Rentals for three decades, said in a statement from Meredith that she planned to retire.
The fragmented short-term rental management industry has been in consolidation mode even as platforms like Airbnb and VRBO have helped drive the proliferation in vacation homes.
Meredith said it has acquired a number of smaller operators in recent months and recruited new property owners looking to rent their second homes to tourists part time. Portland-based Vacasa, which began trading on Wall Street in December, has become the largest full-service vacation rental management company in part through aggressive acquisions.
Jon Oksenholt, chief executive officer of Meredith Hospitality Brands, said the expansion of their portfolio is continuing, branching into various new states and regions, including Mount Hood.
“Of late, we’ve been very active in acquisitions through all our different brand platforms, and Meredith Lodging was the right fit for this acquisition,” Oksenhold said. “All our platforms continue to grow without outside investment or debt.”
