Riding Silicon Valley’s high-tech wave for 20 years, Stu and Diana Roberson successfully brainstormed their way out of the corporate rat race in 2013. The college sweethearts, who built lifelong memories with their two daughters during weekend ski trips to Tahoe, founded RnR Vacation Rentals through an organic, hands-on approach to property management. Leaning on their extensive experience in marketing, technology and business management, Stu and Diana started managing their own South Lake Tahoe vacation home.
“We felt existing vacation rental management companies were charging too much for the limited services they provided,” said Diana. “The existing companies did not meet our high standards for screening guests, cleaning the home, and ability to generate the revenue we were expecting. This was our baby, and we didn’t want someone else managing it.”
Stu and Diana began assembling an effective and sustainable rental management model built around personal service, exceptional homecare and cleaning, and effective marketing. Word spread among Tahoe homeowners and the couple formed RnR Vacations Rentals, slowly taking on local clients searching for superior rental management solutions. RnR was born, growing organically through homeowners unhappy with high service charges, hidden costs, unreported damage, lackluster cleaning and ineffective communication
“It wasn’t just the price but quality of home care, that’s what people wanted,” Diana said
Stu and Diana’s professional background proved invaluable. RnR became the first property management company in South Lake Tahoe to adopt effective new technologies and marketing strategies to make homes stand out in a crowded marketplace. RnR broke new ground with its advanced yield management pricing engines, and was the first to integrate mobile guest applications and a mobile friendly web site. What’s more, RnR homes boast home automation including video security. noise monitoring and secure digital locks.
“Stu to this day installs the door locks and video cameras himself,” Diana said. “Owners love Stu. They can call him anytime, he can answer any question about any home, it’s crazy. Having that top guy still be in touch with homeowners and available any time is so unique.”
Because RnR focuses on a smaller portfolio of homes, it is able to pay more attention to each individual home and homeowner, working around the clock to please both guests and owners. RnR’s mission is simple: To run the best small, family-run company in the world, maximizing revenue for homeowners (it has the highest average daily rate of any competitor) while providing the best screening, cleaning, and attention to detail possible. Treating every home as if it were their own, the RnR team provides continuous maintenance to uphold its 5-star ratings from guests.
“Most importantly, we have a talented team that reflects our values and our commitment to providing an unmatched guest experience,” said Diana. “We bring over 50 years of marketing experience to RnR and are lucky to love what we do and live where we love.”
Stu began his career with Osborne Computer Corp., makers of the first commercially successful portable computer in 1981. Through the years he added stops at Electronic Arts, Apple and Interactive Pictures. Diana worked at ComputerLand Corporation before landing at several networking companies including 3Com and Broadcom, where her product marketing specialty became Wi-Fi. The couple’s roundabout path to South Lake Tahoe property management makes sense given their history. An avid outdoorsman who loved the mountains, Stu grew up in San Jose in an entrepreneurial family, learning his business savvy from his father, who owned retail clothing stores. Diana grew up an hour from Tahoe in the small town of Portola, before heading to Sacramento to study business at Sacramento State University, where she met her future husband. After Diana accepted a job as the university’s Ski Club Cabin Manager in South Lake Tahoe, the two spent many happy weekends skiing and exploring the area.
“It is great to be back to where we started, we have strong roots and so many great memories built over a lifetime in Tahoe,” she said.
