experienced significant disruption in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the markets for our offerings mature, as we create new offerings, or as new competitors introduce competing offerings, we may be unable to attract new subscribers or retain existing subscribers at the same price or based on the same pricing model as we have used historically.
We also have limited experience in determining complementary offerings to provide in conjunction with our subscription plans and which to offer as add-on offerings. Our limited experience in determining the optimal manner in which to bundle our various offerings could reduce our ability to capture the value delivered by our offerings, which could adversely impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
We depend on our key personnel and other highly skilled personnel, and if we fail to attract, retain, motivate or integrate our personnel, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our success depends to a significant degree on the retention of our founders, senior management team, key technical, financial and operations employees and other highly skilled personnel. Our success also depends on our ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate, retain and integrate highly qualified personnel for all areas of our organization. We may not be successful in attracting and retaining qualified personnel to fulfill our current or future needs, and future governmental or regulatory orders related to COVID-19, which remain uncertain and cannot be predicted, may also impact our employee retention. Members of our management team or other key employees may terminate their employment with us at any time, and it may be difficult to find suitable replacements on a timely basis, on competitive terms or at all. If we are unable to attract and retain the necessary personnel, particularly in critical areas of our business, we may not achieve our strategic goals.
We face intense competition for highly skilled personnel, especially in Denver, Colorado, where we maintain our headquarters. To attract and retain qualified personnel, we have had to offer, and we believe we will need to continue to offer, competitive compensation and benefits packages. Job candidates and existing personnel often consider the value of the equity awards they receive in connection with their employment. If the perceived value of our equity awards declines, we may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel. We may need to invest significant amounts of cash and equity to attract and retain new employees and expend significant time and resources to identify, recruit, train and integrate such employees, and we may never realize returns on these investments. If we are unable to effectively manage our hiring needs or successfully integrate new hires, our efficiency, ability to meet forecasts and employee morale, productivity and retention could suffer, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business depends on our reputation and the strength of our brand, and any deterioration could adversely impact our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Our business depends on our reputation and the strength of our brand as a provider of luxury accommodations and experiences. We believe that the strength of our brand is particularly important to our ability to attract and retain subscribers and to compete for attractive new properties. Many factors can affect our reputation and the value of our brand, including our level of service, safety of our subscribers, our approach to health and cleanliness, publicized incidents in or around our properties, ability to protect and use our brand and trademarks, levels of marketing, and the prevalence of other luxury accommodations and experiences in the destinations we serve. In addition, our brand and reputation could be harmed if we fail to act responsibly or is perceived as not acting responsibly, or fail to comply with regulatory requirements as interpreted by certain governments or agencies thereof in a number of other areas, such as safety and security, data security, privacy practices, provision of information about users and activities on our platform, sustainability, human rights, diversity, non-discrimination, and support for employees and local communities.
Reputational value is also based on perceptions, and broad access to social media makes it easy for anyone to provide public feedback that can influence perceptions of us, our brand and our properties and experiences. We may be difficult to control or effectively manage negative publicity, regardless of whether it is accurate. Social media compounds the potential scope of the negative publicity that could be generated and the speed with which such negative publicity may spread. Our efforts to preserve and enhance consumer awareness of our brands may not be successful, and even if we are successful in our branding efforts, such efforts may not be cost-effective or as efficient as they have been historically, resulting in increased customer acquisition costs.
Our brand and reputation may suffer as a result of any failure to provide service to our subscribers that is commensurate with their expectations. Subscriber complaints or negative publicity about our company, properties, experiences or services could diminish subscribers’ confidence in us or our brand and impair our relationships with landlords, regulators and other governmental authorities, third-party partners, and others that are important or impactful to our business. Effective subscriber service requires significant personnel and technology expense, and this expense, if not managed properly, could significantly impact our profitability. Failure to