Short-term rental aimed at large groups

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Town Councillor and local realtor, Debbie Mitzner has officially opened a property for short-term rental, aimed at serving large groups as well as being a gathering place for events.

The property, located at 300 1 Ave in Strathmore, has existed for nearly 100 years. Originally built by a local welder, a large portion of the town has effectively grown around the house.

“There is a shortage of accommodation for people coming into town. A lot of the hotels are full of crew people, so this gives people an opportunity to come as a family or as a group,” she said. “It sleeps 14, so you can eat here, you can have it catered to, there is lots of living space and it is affordable.”

According to Mitzner, the house had been renovated by the previous owners, having had an extension added on in the late 90’s, as well as modernizing the house since the early 2000’s. 

Over the course of the two-day open house, she reported more than 130 people showed up to check the place out. By the conclusion of the first day, eight bookings had already been made to utilize the property. 

For those looking to stay at the house, she said there is a minimum two-day booking. The larger the group who would be using the space, the more affordable per person it becomes. 

“Because we are from a big community, and a lot of people have a lot of siblings or a lot of family, their house might not be large enough to host something,” said Mitzner. “We as a family, we travel with 11 or 12 people, so we have always rented houses versus the hotels. Strathmore didn’t have that option, so I have this property and I thought it would be a good fix.”

Should the house be filled to capacity with 14 occupants, Mitzner said it would run each person $40 per night to stay. 

She added the space may also be used to host athletic groups, corporate retreats, birthday parties, funerals, weddings or family reunions. 

“It’s a good give-back to the community and it allows people to celebrate or grieve under one roof as a family,” she said.

Mitzner said she acquired the property in early December, with only the logistics of operating the space as a rental to figure out prior to opening for public bookings.