Why Vacation Rental Software
Whether you’re a vacation rental owner or a property manager, you’ll know the hard work that goes into running your business efficiently. It doesn’t matter if you have one property or 20, there’s always a lot to do and little time to do it. That said, using a vacation rental software like Lodgify can help maximize your time while also significantly increasing bookings.
Here are five benefits of using a vacation rental software to manage your business.
1. Manage All Your Vacation Rental Properties At Once
A vacation rental software offers a centralized property management system to manage everything from one place. This means that your calendars, messages, rates, bookings, and payments can all be accessed from a single platform instead of juggling multiple at once. As a result, the hours previously spent on repetitive tasks can now be used for other important jobs.
With the vacation rental industry being as competitive as it is, having an all-in-one and easy-to-use software will allow your business to grow exponentially. Even if you’re not particularly tech-savvy, these platforms are designed and prepared to be used by all levels of expertise. In other words, you won’t be needing your children and grandchildren to figure it out for you.
2. Increase Vacation Rental Direct Bookings
Creating a vacation rental website with an integrated booking engine will allow you to receive direct bookings. This means that you won’t have to pay any commissions to third party platforms, like the OTAs mentioned above. Explore user-friendly tools and templates to build a professional yet personalized website. Expand your target audience and attract guests from all over the world by using a website builder that allows you to display your site in many different languages.
The benefits of having a bookable vacation rental website are endless. Not only can you earn credibility and have ownership of your business, but you can also ensure a secure booking system for your guests. All these features will help you increase bookings and boost the reputation of your vacation rental property. Read more about how to increase direct bookings here.
3. Sync Calendar Between Vacation Rental Channels
The use of a channel manager will allow you to connect all your listings from external channels like Airbnb and Booking. Gone are the days where you had to spend hours manually putting in details from one OTA to the next. A vacation rental channel manager allows you to sync your calendars and bookings from different platforms in real-time, constantly updating your availability and allowing you to stay on top of cancellations and reservations.
Without the use of a software, many people struggle with overbookings due to human error. Investing in tools that automate and simplify the process will cancel out the risk of overlapping reservations. If for example, one of your properties requires a renovation and you need to block it off for a certain period of time, you can manage this directly from your vacation rental software and have it changed simultaneously on all your channels.
4. Process Payments Easily
A vacation rental software will allow your website to support multiple currencies while operating in many countries. To take it a step further, by using an SSL encryption, you can ensure that all payments and exchanges of information are safe. Many potential guests are wary of scams so this will increase customer trust. Not only will your customers benefit from this, but you will also receive automatic statements and have access to accounting tools.
That said, while earning money is great, it’s also crucial to analyze reports and finances. Track your performance over time to see how you can improve, oversee all payments, and generate reports based on revenue and traffic. These are all important factors that will drive your vacation rental property(ies) to success!
5. Improve Vacation Rental Guest Experience
Last but definitely not least, we all know that this industry is driven by guest experience. Regardless of whether you have several guests at once in different properties, each and every one of them needs to be treated as a priority. This can be extremely difficult to manage all at once unless you’ve got a vacation rental software that offers tools to create automated messages.
Automated emails and texts will allow you to communicate with your guests from before their arrival to long after their departure. By doing so, you will create a 5-star experience that will eventually result in good reviews or even returning guests. Not only will this improve your customer service, but it will also save you the time and effort that goes into back and forth messaging.
Conclusion
The list of benefits doesn’t end there but it’s safe to say that a vacation rental software will transform your business for the better. Whether you have a cabin or an apartment, these platforms will help you save time, increase bookings, and essentially take your vacation rental to the next level. Decide whether it’s the right move for you and watch your business flourish.
If you are looking to compare vacation rental software or find reviews – read more here.
