This week, we are excited to feature Maude Arcand, founder of Notch Lodges and an OwnerRez user since 2020. What started with regular family ski trips to Vermont has grown into a successful vacation rental business, with Maude and Marc transforming distressed properties around Smugglers’ Notch into beautiful and unique mountain stays.
Can you tell us a little bit about your history?
Notch Lodges really began with our love of skiing and a small family chalet near Smugglers' Notch Resort in Vermont. As we spent more time in the area, I started noticing properties for sale. We weren't interested in move-in-ready properties. Quite the opposite! We were looking at distressed properties that needed extensive renovations but had potential. Our first investment property was a 200-year-old house with no electricity, bursted water pipes, and a whole lot of work ahead of us. But the price was right, so we decided to give it a go! That's when Marc and I discovered how well we worked together and how much we enjoyed renovating properties where we could practically start with a blank slate. That first house became a long-term rental.
Our first short-term rental came about almost by chance. I'd driven past two cute little chalets near Smugglers' Notch many times. They had charm but definitely needed lots of love. One day, I noticed an old For Sale sign leaning precariously between the two properties. I inquired, and we ended up buying both! When one of the tenants moved out, we renovated that chalet and decided to try offering it as a vacation rental. It was a success, and we continued acquiring distressed properties and transforming them into comfortable places where we'd enjoy staying ourselves. And when I say distressed, I mean properties with some serious issues, including unsafe layouts. In one bathroom, you could have one hand on the electrical panel and one foot in the shower! We didn't just give these places a fresh coat of paint.
We relocated bathrooms and kitchens, reworked staircases, and completely redesigned spaces to make them safer, more functional, and comfortable for our guests. We try to reuse materials whenever possible. We've even sanded and stained every interior log in a log cabin. We contracted out the exterior, though. I'm not particularly fond of heights! Marc takes the lead on design, layouts, and heavier construction work, while I specialize in painting, flooring, bathroom tiling, and finishing touches. We have different interests and skills that complement each other, and it works out quite well. Today, Notch Lodges has five vacation rentals, with a sixth expected to be ready in June 2027.
What is your background?
My professional background is in materials management, working on large construction sites for mines and aluminum smelters. My work has taken me to some pretty interesting places, from Baffin Island to Iceland and all the way to New Caledonia in the South Pacific. Most of these remote assignments were fly-in, fly-out, meaning I would spend extended periods away from home. I still take on occasional assignments, although I no longer work at remote sites. Marc also travels for work, so we've both learned the importance of planning ahead and making good use of our time.
Were you always in vacation rentals or property management, or is this a second or third career?
Hosting and managing vacation rentals is our chosen second career. It's something we wanted to pursue as part of our retirement years, although we started building Notch Lodges well before retirement. It has allowed Marc and me to combine our love of renovating, the outdoors, and creating comfortable places for people to enjoy.
Are you from the geographical area where your properties are located?
Marc and I live on the South Shore of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, while our properties are in Jeffersonville, Vermont, USA. It's about an hour and 45-minute drive, plus an international border crossing! We haven't moved to Vermont, but we've been spending time in the area for many years, and it has become a big part of our lives.
What drew you to that area?
We're an avid skiing family, and when our four children were young, we spent just about every winter weekend at Smugglers' Notch. We'd drive down on Saturday morning, ski all day, drive home, dry everyone's gear, and do it all over again on Sunday. We kept that routine going for several years. Finding a place to rent for just the weekend that could accommodate all six of us and Roxy, our golden retriever, wasn't easy. Then we came across a little chalet just three minutes from Smugglers' Notch Resort.
It had a loft for the kids, and Marc and I slept on a terribly uncomfortable hide-a-bed. But we loved it! No more driving back and forth every weekend, no more getting everyone up at the crack of dawn, and we could be on the slopes early. It was our little home away from home. A year later, we more than doubled its size. Over time, we discovered that Jeffersonville and the surrounding area had so much more to offer than winter skiing. That connection to the area eventually led us to invest in other properties and, ultimately, build Notch Lodges.
What do you love most about the vacation rental business?
What I enjoy most is connecting with our guests. I love hearing what brought them to the area, what they've enjoyed during their stay, and what they're looking forward to discovering. Everyone has a different reason for visiting, and I really enjoy hearing their stories.
What do you dislike the most about it?
It's not really a dislike, more of a pet peeve. When guests check in at 4:00 PM and by 4:01 PM, they're asking how to work the TV! I don't watch much TV myself, so I'm probably the least qualified person to answer. But I've learned, and I can usually get them watching their favorite show in no time. With so much beautiful nature and so many things to do right outside the door, TV just isn't very high on my priority list!
How do you use OwnerRez to manage your business?
I love the ribbon calendar! Each chalet has its own color, making it easy to see at a glance when guests are staying and which nights are available. I use automated messaging extensively. It not only saves me time but also ensures that every guest receives the information they need at the right time. The integration with Turno has made scheduling cleanings a breeze. Everything happens automatically, without me having to coordinate each turnover. It's highly efficient.
I also hesitated for quite a while before using the direct door lock integration. Now I can't believe I waited so long! The door codes are automatically synced with OwnerRez and sent to guests through automated messages. No more guests calling because their door code doesn't work, only for me to discover that I'd accidentally reversed two numbers! Since we manage our properties from across an international border, having reliable systems in place makes everything so much easier.
What is the most useful feature OwnerRez offers?
First and foremost, channel management. Knowing that our calendars are synchronized across all booking platforms and that I don't have to worry about double bookings gives me real peace of mind. Automated messaging comes in a very close second. It saves so much time and ensures that every guest receives the information they need, specific to the property they'll be staying at, without me having to remember to send each message individually. Together, these two features take a lot of the day-to-day work and worry out of managing our properties.
Maude and Marc have done an incredible job turning distressed properties into comfortable mountain stays while building strong systems that keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes. We’re proud to support Notch Lodges as they continue to grow!