December 2025 Newsletter
Happy Holidays!
As we head into the holiday season, we’re feeling especially grateful for the homeowners, guests, and partners who make co-hosting special. Thank you for trusting us with your homes, your stays, and your support as we continue to grow. We’re excited to share what’s new and what’s ahead—let’s jump in!
We are making it official!
Our journey began in 2023 when our first “Airbnb” became a grounding and creative outlet during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. What started as a passion project has steadily grown, and through word of mouth, neighbor introductions, and referrals from our beloved cleaning and maintenance team over the past year, we’ve now welcomed nine beautifully designed vacation rentals into our Taos collection.
So yes… it’s probably past time to make things official!
We are formally transitioning our passion project into a boutique vacation rental co-hosting business—High Desert Stays by High Desert Co-Hosting (name pending our lawyer’s blessing!). We’re excited to serve Taos and the surrounding areas with a renewed sense of intention, consistency, and care.
As we plan for the future, we’ve also brought on family talent: Emily Garin, our sister-in-law, a trained architect with a background in design and new-construction project management. Her eye for detail is unmatched, and yes – her homes are spectacular.
We’re also thrilled to share that we will be partnering with Laureanna — our amazing primary cleaner—to support cleanliness and quality assurance across all properties. Laurreana will serve as our Housekeeping Manager, performing intermittent audits to ensure that every home meets our high standards of presentation and care.
A few exciting updates as we grow:
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A direct booking website is on the way!
We’re building HighDesertStays.com to give guests a seamless way to discover and book our homes (and to give owners more visibility and better margins). -
We’ve surpassed 200 reviews with a 4.99 average rating.
This milestone is a reflection of the care you’ve given your homes and the hospitality we’ve worked hard to deliver. Thank you for trusting us with your spaces.
Looking ahead, our focus is—and will continue to be—quality over quantity. Each home we host will be one we’re proud to share with guests. Every property will receive thoughtful, hands-on attention. Our goal is simple: curate exceptional stays and consistently exceed expectations.
For our current homeowners, that means peace of mind, personal service, and a trusted local partner who treats your home like their own. We’re incredibly excited for what’s ahead and grateful to have you with us on this next chapter.
Thanks for being here. More updates to come—we’ll be sharing a newsletter each month as we grow.
— Chris, Eleni & Emily
November Portfolio Performance
November is historically one of Taos’ slowest months—we like to call it our “three-and-a-half season” lull. Even so, our vacation rental portfolio performed well above the market.
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Occupancy: Our homes achieved 69% occupancy, compared to the Taos market average of 39% (+30%).
For context, November 2024 was unusually strong at 81%, so we’re down from last year but still significantly outperforming the market. -
Market Trends: Overall short term rental market occupancy dropped from 43% last November to 39% this year, with 16% fewer bookings across Taos, likely tied to broader economic uncertainty and softer discretionary travel.
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Nightly Rates: To stay competitive and capture bookings, our average nightly rate for November was $221, down slightly from last year’s $241 (–8.6%).
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Revenue: Despite a softer month, our year-to-date revenue remains up 30% on average, thanks to strong performance earlier in the year and strategic rate adjustments.
Looking ahead, December is typically another lower-occupancy month. The good news: all properties are already booked for Christmas week, which is the most valuable stretch of the month.
Guest Experience Highlights
