About us
The Colorado Lodging and Resort Alliance (CLARA), is a statewide coalition of professional property managers, vacation industry operators, employees, and supportive organizations dedicated to advancing fair and effective policies that enhance industry standards and best practices to stimulate the economic impact of Colorado’s tourism industry.
We work to strengthen and unify the voice of the industry in discussions with local, state and federal policymakers to develop fair and effective regulations that benefit Colorado’s communities and vacation rental market.
“Outreach to policymakers is a critical component in passing policies that benefit communities and the vacation rental industry across Colorado”
Staff & Founding Members
Toby Babich, Founder
Toby is the immediate past President of VRMA, and during his 7 years of Board service he was instrumental in building the VRMA government affairs department to national prominence. He has also been a leader in forming the Breckenridge Lodging Association and more recently the SAVRM, both organizations being dedicated to vacation rental industry advocacy at the municipal and county level.
Toby is the Mayor of the Town of Blue River in Summit County, and has served his community extensively throughout his volunteer career in dozens of roles. He is a passionate advocate for his community and the vacation rental industry, fundamentally believing that as professionals we owe our communities professionalism and accountability, and in return our communities owe us fair treatment and support of our industry publicly.
Dana Lubner, Founder
Dana Lubner is Head of Leadership Development at Rent Responsibly. Rent Responsibly is a community building and education platform for local short-term rental alliances. They provide the tools and services to empower local short-term rental leaders to build sustainable organizations at the local level.
Previously, Dana led Effortless Rental Group, a Colorado-based property management company, alongside her brother. When Denver created an ordinance that threatened the future of STRs in her community, Dana jumped into action with her local advocacy group, Mile High Hosts, of which she is now the President. She also serves on Denver’s short-term rental advisory committee (STRAC) with members of City Council.
In the fall of 2020, Dana with VRMB’s Matt Landau launched a 10-part educational podcast titled, “How to Save Your Vacation Rental Business.” Season two bravely tackles one of the most challenging questions, “what is fair regulation?” With the upcoming third season seeking to create an industry-first scorecard to determine the viability of a destination for sustainable short-term rental activity.
Dana serves on VRMA's Government Affairs Committee which monitors government-related matters, develops policy recommendations, and supports initiatives to advocate for the common interests of vacation rental stakeholders.
Jason Vargas , Founder
With over two decades of luxury hospitality experience, Jason began his career by working at various Four Seasons hotels in multiple locations across the globe. Jason has been an integral part of the Denver-based luxury hospitality club, Inspirato, where he held various roles, with his most recent being Director of International Operations. I n this capacity, he gained extensive experience in all facets guest and homeowner operations. Currently, Jason serves as the General Manager of Exceptional Stays, a luxury rental management company based in Telluride.
Outside of the office, you can often find Jason running and enjoying the outdoors with his wife and three children in the vibrant Denver scene.
Robin Craigen, Founder
An industry leader and entrepreneur who leads an exceptional mission-driven team creating memorable vacations in exceptional mountain homes.
Moving Mountains manages and offers vacation rentals in a handpicked selection of luxurious mountain homes and residences in Steamboat Springs, Beaver Creek, Vail, and Breckenridge, Colorado. In addition to assisting with your lodging reservation, Moving Mountains also specializes in full-service catered and hospitality packages designed to help you to maximize your vacation experiences and have more time to relax.
Quick Timeline: Founded in 1997 in Steamboat Springs, CO, following 8 years in the British Virgin Islands offering luxury yacht charters, MM began with one home, and over 20+ years has grown to manage over 200 high-end luxurious homes.
In 2019 the company opened an office in the Vail Valley to begin an expansion to serve the ski destinations of Vail and Beaver Creek.
In September 2021, Moving Mountains took over the operations of market leaders Paragon Lodging in Breckenridge, adding their 70+ luxury homes and experienced staff to their team.
Mark Driskell, Founder
With over 20 years experience in Real Estate and Hospitality Mark Driskell founded Mountain Time Vacation Rentals in Fort Collins, CO with one simple goal “to ensure every client is personally, professionally and properly taken care of before, during, and after their stay with us".
We proudly serve over 3,000 guests each month in our luxury portfolio of 100+ vacation homes. What sets Mountain Time Vacation Rentals apart is our attention to detail and the personalized care each guest and client receives. We go above and beyond to ensure guest satisfaction.
We care deeply about our local community and take great pride in giving back a percentage of our profits to local charities through organizations like the Larimer County Food Bank, Larimer Humane Society, and Neighbor to Neighbor.
CJ Willey, Founder
CJ Willey is Corporate Counsel at Evolve, a hospitality company based in Denver, Colorado, providing top-tier management services to homeowners nationwide. Evolve takes a "tech forward" approach and is on a mission to make vacation rental easy for owners and guests.
CJ was instrumental in Evolve's 2021 launch of its "Building Hospitality" Program, which is a pledge to donate 1% of stays booked through Evolve to local nonprofit partners, focusing on improving the safety and health of homes through essential home repairs and modifications for underserved communities.
Through its involvement in CLARA, Evolve is committed to being a collaborative problem-solver in debates around regulation of vacation rentals. We seek to balance all diverse viewpoints, and ensure we make a positive impact in our owners' beloved communities.
