Which PMS has the best messaging automation & syncs well w/ VRBO?

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Which PMS has the best messaging automation & syncs well w/ VRBO?

Gulliver R.
Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2016 · 524 posts · 148 votes

Hi all!

I'm currently using iGMS and have it linked to my Airbnb listing, my VRBO listing, and my dynamic pricing tool. I like everything about it except for 2 BIG things:

1. The VRBO messages come in waaaaaaay later on. Meaning, I don't receive any VRBO messages, inquiries, instant booking messages, requests to book, pretty much any messages from VRBO until about 40 minutes later (which is not acceptable for me at all). So this causes problems for me in a couple of ways: my response time to the guest, the message automation I setup is pretty much useless if I have to manually message them in the VRBO app instead, and it just adds more work for me in general.

2. There's no message automation option specifically for Instant Bookers. I want to be able to have a specific message automation for Instant Bookers and one for non Instant Bookers (both be automated). Currently I have to make specific templates for both instances and manually message them out to the guest. I want to be able to just have these templates be sent out automatically for each Instant Booker and non Instant Booker respectively.  

What PMS are you guys using out there that solves these two issues? I'd appreciate any help on this :)

Thank you,

Gulliver

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Elliot Shoener
Real Estate Broker · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2019 · 34 posts · 23 votes
3y

Don't overthink it. We stay at 90% occupancy, and I often don't get back to a guest after they book for hours. Many automation platforms claim you need immediate response etc.  I find a more personal response goes a long way then an immediate blanket response that the guest knows is automated. Nothing screams "I don't care" like an immediate response.   I spend an hour each night going over messages. I tell guest who book to text me.   Yes, I know what you're thinking, that is way too much work.    We run 12+ properties.  I'll let that sink in a bit.   We create great guest instructions located inside the app, and use the same template cut and paste but then simply add a small note to it. For example....  Excited you're bringing the kids and dog to our cabin, they'll love it! then insert temp response.  Like I said, I spend no more then .5 hour per day (with all the properties), are a super host, and hold a 4.9 Star rating on all our properties.  Ditch the "tools" and keep the money in your pocket.

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  • Dave StokleyBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2015 · 699 posts · 799 votes
    3y

    I’m using Guesty and it works well with Airbnb but not really at all with vrbo. I think it’s a vrbo problem, not a PMS problem.

    1Reply
  • Leslie Anne Morris
    Real Estate Agent · Smoky Mountains, TN · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 984 votes
    3y

    I use Ownerrez and it's integrated via API.  You should see if your PMS offers API integration.

    0Reply
  • Nancy Bachety
    Rental Property Investor · North Fork, NY · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 631 votes
    3y

    Guesty isn’t fully supportive of VRBO, and it doesn’t respond automatically to inquiries. It only recognizes requests or bookings. Maybe ownerrez is because it’s API. 
    That might be your only work around, it seems. Switching to ownerrez. 

    0Reply
  • Gulliver R.
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2016 · 524 posts · 148 votes
    3y

    @Leslie Anne Morris - On Ownerrez do you have your VRBO listing/s linked to it? If so, are you seeing a delay in receiving messages or is it fairly instant? 

    0Reply
  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    3y

    @Gulliver R.

    We currently use Streamline which does a lot of things great but VRBO messages are not it strong suit despite direct connection.  We previously used Guesty which I think was more user friendly and better at VRBO specific messaging, but we had a lot of accounting issues with it (not sure if they have improved there or not) so accurate accounting was more important to us.  Shoot me a message if you want more info regarding Streamline Im happy to share!

    [email protected]813-563-0877
    Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Gulliver R.
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2016 · 524 posts · 148 votes
    3y

    So it sounds like VRBO integration sucks everywhere lol

    3Reply
  • Juan C OsorioPro Member
    Real Estate Investor · San Pedro, CA · Member since 2016 · 17 posts · 5 votes
    3y

    I am currently using OR, the integration with VRBO took a long time, and it does not work as well as Airbnb, it is pretty much the same issue as the one mentioned with Guesty.  I used hospitable for some time and the integration with VRBO, as far as I remember was very easy and it work well.  However, I prefer OR over hospitable as a PMS.  VRBO kind of sucks but it is another source of bookings and it might be worth the trouble.

    1Reply
  • Leslie Anne Morris
    Real Estate Agent · Smoky Mountains, TN · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 984 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Gulliver R.:

    @Leslie Anne Morris - On Ownerrez do you have your VRBO listing/s linked to it? If so, are you seeing a delay in receiving messages or is it fairly instant? 


     Yes I do have VRBO linked, nope not seeing any delay.

    0Reply
  • Craig Glendenning
    Real Estate Investor · La Verne, CA · Member since 2008 · 16 posts · 14 votes
    3y

    Hi Gulliver, 

    https://hospitable.com/ rocks. See the attached screenshot to handle item #2 in your list (3rd item in the drop-down). As far as #1, I only use AirBnB and all SMS messages & emails happen immediately when the event occurs, so perhaps it is an issue on the VRBO side, OR some issue with the specific integration to iGMS. Dunno. Anyway, hope this helps!

    1Reply
  • Gulliver R.
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2016 · 524 posts · 148 votes
    3y

    Hi @Craig Glendenning,

    -how fast do your VRBO messages come in? Is it instant? Is it within 60 seconds? (iGMS is sometimes 40+ min delay)

    -do they have the ability to automatically send a specific message to an Instant Booking (that's different from messages from guests who send a request to book)?

    -do they have the ability to automatically send a specific message to a Request To Book guest?

    Thank you,

    Gulliver

    0Reply
  • Nancy Bachety
    Rental Property Investor · North Fork, NY · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 631 votes
    3y

    Have you tried asking each PM company? Most of the have online chat or contact info. They seek customer feedback and requests too.

    0Reply
  • Gulliver R.
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2016 · 524 posts · 148 votes
    3y

    Yes, I'm doing that now. It's just super time consuming. 

    0Reply
  • Joshua MessingerBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Poconos, PA · Member since 2020 · 443 posts · 264 votes
    3y

    Hey @Gulliver R.! 

    Our team currently uses Hostaway for our PMS system and has just gone through 2 major pivots from Guesty/Track over the past two months. So far it has worked really well for us! 

    If you ever need any help with anything please don't hesitate to reach out to me! 

    -

    Josh

    [email protected]484-986-5012
    0Reply
  • Maxx McKenna
    Member since 2021 · 3 posts · 2 votes
    3y

    I am going through my research process for PMS now as well. I have sent messages out to Guesty and Hostaway. Within an hour and a half of inquiry on Hostaway, I had a phone call with a team member. I still haven't heard back from Guesty (and its been several days). Anyone else have experience with Hostaway? They seem to meet all of the needs we would require for our 14 (soon to be 18) listings. But any personal feedback/issues would be greatly appreciated. Also - does anyone use Boostly in the US? Does Boostly integrate with Airbnb/VRBO etc.. or is it primarily used for Direct Bookings only? 

    0Reply
  • Pablo Flores
    Rental Property Investor · Palm Springs, CA · Member since 2016 · 138 posts · 38 votes
    3y

    @Maxx McKenna

    I have 18 listings on Hostaway. There is still a lag with VRBO messages. Sometimes takes a few minutes. Other times hours. I think this is a VRBO issue as many PMS have a lag with VRBO. Everything else is great about Hostaway. Feel free to send me a DM with any questions!

    0Reply
  • Christian EhlersBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · NH & MA · Member since 2021 · 457 posts · 291 votes
    3y

    I also use guesty and have similar VRBO issues. My calendar doesn't sync to VRBO as fast and neither does my pricing as I use price labs through guesty, sometimes it seems like it doesn't sync at all. 

    [email protected]978-396-9939
    0Reply
  • Ryan O'Connor
    Rental Property Investor · Lafayette, IN · Member since 2020 · 35 posts · 6 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Joshua Messinger:

    Hey @Gulliver R.! 

    Our team currently uses Hostaway for our PMS system and has just gone through 2 major pivots from Guesty/Track over the past two months. So far it has worked really well for us! 

    If you ever need any help with anything please don't hesitate to reach out to me! 

    -

    Josh


     Hey Josh, we also use Hostaway and were connected with the VRBO API and actually disconnected the API due to it being a nightmare to modify reservations.  It wouldn't allow us to make changes through Hostaway or VRBO when integrated, so we had to call vrbo and go through several hoops to get it taken care of.  Have you run into this scenario since transitioning to Hostaway and have you found a workaround or solution?

    1Reply
  • Elliot Shoener
    Real Estate Broker · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2019 · 34 posts · 23 votes
    3y

    Don't overthink it. We stay at 90% occupancy, and I often don't get back to a guest after they book for hours. Many automation platforms claim you need immediate response etc.  I find a more personal response goes a long way then an immediate blanket response that the guest knows is automated. Nothing screams "I don't care" like an immediate response.   I spend an hour each night going over messages. I tell guest who book to text me.   Yes, I know what you're thinking, that is way too much work.    We run 12+ properties.  I'll let that sink in a bit.   We create great guest instructions located inside the app, and use the same template cut and paste but then simply add a small note to it. For example....  Excited you're bringing the kids and dog to our cabin, they'll love it! then insert temp response.  Like I said, I spend no more then .5 hour per day (with all the properties), are a super host, and hold a 4.9 Star rating on all our properties.  Ditch the "tools" and keep the money in your pocket.

    2Reply
  • Garrett Kroll
    Rental Property Investor · Victor, ID · Member since 2016 · 59 posts · 94 votes
    3y

    +1 for Hospitable. No issues with VRBO or automated communications 

    1Reply
  • Pablo Flores
    Rental Property Investor · Palm Springs, CA · Member since 2016 · 138 posts · 38 votes
    3y

    @Elliot Shoener

    Lol that’s horrible advice if you are trying to scale. Time is money. There are so many tools out there that make it easy to automate your business.

    0Reply
  • Jason Luongo
    Investor · Lake Worth, FL · Member since 2015 · 107 posts · 54 votes
    3y

    Ive tried multiple PMS's and hospitable is the only one that has been reliable with VRBO

    0Reply
  • Joshua MessingerBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Poconos, PA · Member since 2020 · 443 posts · 264 votes
    3y

    Hey @Ryan O'Connor! 

    Yes, we actually had and this was a horrifying experience especially when on a larger scale. Due to this we have now switched back to the platform we we're using before (Guesty) and have been happier than ever since then haha

    [email protected]484-986-5012
    0Reply
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