Since launching in 2022, Grand Welcome of the Ozarks has grown to nearly 400 properties through reputation, responsive service, and disciplined growth. 

Grand Welcome of the Ozarks, led by co-owners David Hughes and Steve Harbour, has been recognized as a Comparent Market Leader in Winter 2026, placing the Branson-area operation among the top businesses in the vacation rental market. 

The recognition marks an important milestone for a company that launched in 2022 and has since grown to nearly 400 properties in its portfolio. That growth reflects a business built on owner trust, fast response times, strong guest care, and a more selective approach to expansion as the company has matured. 

Hughes says reputation has been one of the biggest drivers behind that momentum. “It’s all about word of mouth,” he said, noting that the team has worked hard to build “an awesome reputation” in the way it serves both homeowners and guests. 

That owner focus has been central to how Hughes and Harbour have grown the business. Hughes said owners are “the most important aspect of our company,” and identified communication as the biggest driver of owner retention and satisfaction. Every owner has direct access to leadership, he said, and the team works to listen carefully, address concerns directly, and make things right when something goes wrong. 

That philosophy shows up in practice. Hughes described situations where the team chose to absorb costs and correct mistakes rather than deflect responsibility, arguing that accountability is what protects long-term trust. “If you make a mistake,” he said, “you own up to it and say I’m sorry and try to do better next time.” 

The same urgency shapes the guest experience. Hughes said the company’s biggest point of differentiation in Branson is its response time on guest-impacting issues. Instead of waiting until after checkout, the team aims to resolve problems during the stay so guests can still enjoy the trip. In his view, fixing the issue quickly matters more than issuing a refund after the fact. 

As Grand Welcome of the Ozarks has grown, the company has become more disciplined about the kind of business it wants to build. Hughes said that in the early days, the team was focused on signing as many homes as possible to get cash flow moving. Today, he and Harbour are far more selective, looking for owners and properties that align with their standards, communication style, and long-term vision for the market. 

Franchise support is part of that story as well. Hughes said one reason he and Harbour chose the Grand Welcome model was that it gave them access to back-office capabilities without forcing them to build a large support staff immediately.

 “The main reason is because we didn’t want to have the ongoing upfront cost of a massive staff from day one,” he said. 

He pointed specifically to revenue management and property onboarding support as valuable growth accelerators. Corporate revenue management gave the Ozarks team access to built-in pricing expertise, while onboarding support reduced the need to hire additional in-house specialists just to get properties live. Hughes said that structure helped the local team stay focused on the areas where they could create the most value: “having you guys focus on that allows us to focus on sales and owner relations and guest relations.” 

For Hughes and Harbour, that combination of local leadership and franchise infrastructure created room to scale without losing the service standards that built their reputation in the first place. It also reinforced their confidence in the model. Hughes said Grand Welcome has been more than a brand name, describing it instead as “a franchise that does have your back 100% of the time.” 

Being named a Comparent Market Leader is a milestone worth celebrating. More importantly, it reflects the operating principles behind the recognition: communicate well, solve problems quickly, protect trust, and grow with intention. Since 2022, those principles have helped Hughes and Harbour build Grand Welcome of the Ozarks into a nearly 400-property operation and one of the standout vacation rental management businesses in the region. 

Interested in building a vacation rental business with the support of a franchise model designed to help you scale? Learn more about Grand Welcome Franchise.