Bright Eagle was founded by an owner-operator who believes great short-term rental management is equal parts asset stewardship, disciplined execution, and care for the guest experience.
Our Story
Built by an Owner. Run Like an Investment.
Bright Eagle was founded by William Lewis, an owner-operator who believes that managing a short-term rental is not about chasing bookings — it’s about protecting and growing a long-term asset.
Since 2020, Will has personally acquired and operated short-term rental properties near U.S. National Parks. Through hands-on operations, disciplined cost control, and data-driven optimization, those properties have achieved over 30% increases in occupancy, a 9.4% cap rate, and a pro forma annual IRR of 82%.
Bright Eagle was built to apply that same owner mindset — and the same operational rigor — to properties entrusted by others.
Experience That Transfers to Real Estate Risk
Before founding Bright Eagle, Will spent over a decade advising and operating within highly regulated, high-stakes environments.
He has served as General Counsel, Chief Security & Privacy Officer, and Acting CFO of a global, venture-backed healthcare company, where he led the close and investment of over $70 million and oversaw complex legal, financial, and compliance operations across multiple countries.
That background matters in short-term rental management.
Managing a valuable property — especially near National Parks — requires more than marketing:
- Regulatory awareness
- Contract discipline
- Risk management
- Financial oversight
- Calm decision-making when things go wrong
Those skills were developed long before Bright Eagle — and now apply directly to protecting owners’ real estate.
A Legal Mindset, Applied Practically
Will is an NYU-trained attorney specializing in tax and transactional law, with deep experience navigating regulatory frameworks, contracts, and compliance requirements.
In healthcare, he managed teams responsible for compliance with standards such as HIPAA, SOC, ISO, and international privacy regimes. In real estate, that same mindset translates into:
- Careful handling of local STR regulations
- Well-structured owner agreements
- Clear guest rules and liability boundaries
- Proactive risk avoidance rather than reactive fixes
Bright Eagle is built to operate cleanly, conservatively, and transparently — especially in jurisdictions where rules matter.
Grounded in the Places We Operate
Will grew up on twenty acres of redwoods and creeks in Santa Cruz, California, and spent childhood summers camping in places like Lassen National Park and Yosemite National Park. That early connection to wild places never faded.
Today, he regularly explores the landscapes surrounding the properties Bright Eagle manages — from long alpine days to technical ascents of peaks like Mt. Whitney and the Grand Teton.
This matters because managing near National Parks is not abstract:
- Seasonality is real
- Weather changes plans
- Guests arrive with expectations shaped by adventure
Bright Eagle is designed by someone who understands those rhythms — not from spreadsheets alone, but from lived experience.
Hospitality, Done With Intention
Beyond operations and asset performance, Will was drawn to short-term rental management for a simpler reason: helping people experience places they have dreamed about for years.
For many guests, a trip to a National Park is not casual travel. It is a long-anticipated milestone — planned carefully, saved for, and imagined in detail. Will takes genuine satisfaction in helping those trips unfold the way guests hoped they would: a clean, comfortable home, clear expectations, and a stay that supports the experience rather than distracting from it.
That mindset shows up in the details:
- Thoughtful preparation rather than last-minute fixes
- Clear communication that reduces stress
- Homes designed to feel welcoming after long days outdoors
Hospitality, when done well, is quiet and invisible. Guests shouldn’t notice the management — only that everything worked.
Bright Eagle is built around that belief: exceptional hospitality is not a performance; it is a responsibility to the people who trusted you with a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Why Bright Eagle Exists
Bright Eagle exists for owners who want:
- A manager who thinks like an owner
- A calm, capable operator during problems — not excuses
- Someone comfortable stewarding an asset that represents a significant portion of their net worth
The company is intentionally structured around systems, standards, and accountability, not personality. Will’s role is to design and oversee those systems — and to ensure they are applied consistently.
Owners don’t need heroics.
They need reliability.
That is what Bright Eagle was built to provide.