Channel Mgt for STR Hostaway vs OwnerRez
Member since 2023 · 5 posts · 2 votes
Channel Mgt for STR Hostaway vs OwnerRez
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Ryan MoyerBusiness Member
Property Manager · Orlando Kissimmee Davenport Salt Lake City, Park City · Member since 2019 · 991 posts · 1k+ votesHostaway seems interesting as potentially something with the power of Ownerrez but without the challenging interface and complexity. The problem is it's by far the most expensive PMS while simultaneously being by far the least transparent as to what its capabilities and limitations are.
With Ownerrez, you can look through their entire documentation library before signing up. You can see how it works with each OTA, what limitations API has with each particular OTA, what it can and can't do, exactly, how difficult each of them are to set up, etc.
I did the Hostaway call and they wouldn't really expand on any of this. It was just salesman saying "we're a premiere partner with xxxx", etc. Well, most of those OTAs have a bunch of premiere partners and still have plenty of limitations on what exactly can be controlled via API and whatnot, so that's not really saying a lot.
Doubly worrisome is that there are almost no hands on reviews of Hostaway, and any time the name comes up on BP or Facebook groups there are suddenly a dozen new "users" whose first and only post ever is to talk about how great Hostaway is, without providing any details. Which is quite sketchy.
Cosmic Vacations4.9174 Reviews
23 Replies
- 3yJohn UnderwoodPro MemberInvestor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
How many properties do you have?
If just one you are jumping the gun on needing any of this.
- Real Estate Agent · Smoky Mountains, TN · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 984 votes3y
I am using Ownerrez. It’s pretty straightforward with a lot of features but there is a learning curve. It’s one of the lower priced options and as such does not have an app. But I just log in through safari on my phone.
- 3yRyan MoyerBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Orlando Kissimmee Davenport Salt Lake City, Park City · Member since 2019 · 991 posts · 1k+ votes
Hostaway seems interesting as potentially something with the power of Ownerrez but without the challenging interface and complexity. The problem is it's by far the most expensive PMS while simultaneously being by far the least transparent as to what its capabilities and limitations are.
With Ownerrez, you can look through their entire documentation library before signing up. You can see how it works with each OTA, what limitations API has with each particular OTA, what it can and can't do, exactly, how difficult each of them are to set up, etc.
I did the Hostaway call and they wouldn't really expand on any of this. It was just salesman saying "we're a premiere partner with xxxx", etc. Well, most of those OTAs have a bunch of premiere partners and still have plenty of limitations on what exactly can be controlled via API and whatnot, so that's not really saying a lot.
Doubly worrisome is that there are almost no hands on reviews of Hostaway, and any time the name comes up on BP or Facebook groups there are suddenly a dozen new "users" whose first and only post ever is to talk about how great Hostaway is, without providing any details. Which is quite sketchy.
Cosmic Vacations4.9174 Reviews - Investor · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 754 votes3y
Most PMS’s offer a free trial period. Try them both out and see which one you like better.
- 3yRyan MoyerBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Orlando Kissimmee Davenport Salt Lake City, Park City · Member since 2019 · 991 posts · 1k+ votes
Quote from @Brooklyn McCarty:
Most PMS’s offer a free trial period. Try them both out and see which one you like better.
FWIW Hostaway doesn't.
Cosmic Vacations4.9174 Reviews - Member since 2023 · 2 posts · 1 vote3y
I would recommend Hostaway- I manage 34 rentals and the software has been incredibly helpful in streamlining my business.
- Central Florida · Member since 2023 · 17 posts · 5 votes3y
We use Streamline, and outside of the setup being extremely tedious, we haven't had any issues yet.
- Member since 2023 · 5 posts · 2 votes3y
Quote from @John Underwood:
How many properties do you have?
If just one you are jumping the gun on needing any of this.
I have one now and planning for growth :)
- 3yRyan MoyerBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Orlando Kissimmee Davenport Salt Lake City, Park City · Member since 2019 · 991 posts · 1k+ votes
LOL every time...Quote from @Ravindri Malwatte (2 posts, 0 votes):
I would recommend Hostaway- I manage 34 rentals and the software has been incredibly helpful in streamlining my business.
I swear Hostaway just has a google alert setup for their name being mentioned and a team of people overseas that go just make fake shill posts about it any time they get an alert.Cosmic Vacations4.9174 Reviews - Rental Property Investor · Palm Springs, CA · Member since 2016 · 138 posts · 38 votes3y
@Ryan Moyer
I use Hostaway. I manage 20 rentals. It definitely has a learning curve but it is quite robust. I can’t see what else another PMS could offer that Hostaway doesn’t. There is an app but it’s quite rudimentary so if you need anything detailed it’s better to just use the web version. Their onboarding process will require about 4-6 onboarding calls just to get everything set up. But it will likely take you A LOT of trial and error and multiple email threads with their team to get everything set up the way you want. I guess this also depends on how many rentals you have and what features you require in a PMS. But I have many automations set up and have very detailed financial statements I generate every month so it definitely took me a few months to get the hang of it. Trust me you do not want to be switching between PMS after you start onboarding, so do your due diligence beforehand and choose the one that best suits your needs.
- Rental Property Investor · Waikapu, HI · Member since 2018 · 305 posts · 197 votes3y
I've been looking into both Hostaway and OwnerRez for a little while now, so I'm glad to stumble onto this thread. I own and manage a number of rentals and currently use Hospitable, which is great, but has its limits. If you don't have VAs or don't have other owners involved, it might be all you need. However, we're looking into these two for taking on more units, giving several VAs access on a limited basis and the unified inbox that both provide.
I have a good friend who owns a few small hotels that uses Hostaway and was able to do a Zoom call with him so he could show me the process. I also don't like that they're not transparent with their pricing or what the product does on their website. Going through the Zoom call though, it seems extremely similar to OwnerRez. As for pricing, if you dig deep you'll find that Hostaway costs about $50/mo per unit but all that is on a "case by case" basis. I know my friend pays closer to $20/mo. per unit. OwnerRez is about the same, depending on how many units you have. They're all based on sliding scales. the more units you have the less per unit per month.
Like @Ryan Moyer mentioned, OwnerRez has a library of videos you can view and has a 14 day free trial, unlike Hostaway that doesn't have a free trial. I watched a bunch of the OwnerRez videos and honestly OR and HA look eerily similar. The one thing I don't like about OR is that they have "premium" features that just keep adding up. Like if you want "property management" as part of your software its extra. If you want Quickbooks integration, its extra, if you want a widget to incorporate into your Wordpress site... extra. Not sure if Hostaway does this or not, but that's one thing I would like to find out. I hate the nickel and diming that a lot of these companies offer.
It does seem like users of both platforms really like them, so it may be a matter of just choosing one and going with it. Interested in hearing other users thoughts on both.
- Member since 2022 · 40 posts · 22 votes3y
Quote from @John Underwood:
How many properties do you have?
If just one you are jumping the gun on needing any of this.
Not true at all.
If you want to successfully run an STR you need to be on both AirBnB and VRBO at the very least, PLUS run direct bookings. Having your calendar sync up between all is where a PMS comes in beautifully and OwnerRez is sou-to-nuts that best one out there.
We went from one property to three within two years and the platform handles things wonderfully.
The UI/UX utterly blows but the functionality is second to none.
- 3yJohn UnderwoodPro MemberInvestor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
Quote from @Tim Blanchard:
Quote from @John Underwood:
How many properties do you have?
If just one you are jumping the gun on needing any of this.
Not true at all.
If you want to successfully run an STR you need to be on both AirBnB and VRBO at the very least, PLUS run direct bookings. Having your calendar sync up between all is where a PMS comes in beautifully and OwnerRez is sou-to-nuts that best one out there.
We went from one property to three within two years and the platform handles things wonderfully.
The UI/UX utterly blows but the functionality is second to none.
I successfully run 1 STR and have a 2nd that an inherited PM handles.
I have Vrbo and Airbnb they will sync with each other with no external software.
I set pricing easily by using the built in tools that Vrbo provides.
Automated messages are built into both platforms.
Vrbo keeps my calendar slammed, but I take direct bookings as needed, simple to do.
I have no additional 3rd party fees to very sucessfuly run and manage my property needing only a a few minutes per week.
- Rental Property Investor · Waikapu, HI · Member since 2018 · 305 posts · 197 votes3y
Well, I'm going to chime in here again. We have tried Hostaway, OwnerRez, Hospitable and Guesty for Pros. There are many others we've looked at but never actually tried. These ones I'm familiar with. Here are my thoughts:
Hostaway: Stay away. There's very little support and a lot they can't do. They sell you on the platform before you can actually get in and play around. It's very weak in the automated messages category. They do integrate with a lot of vendors, and the site looks pretty but the platform itself has a long way to go before it's worthy of being used, in my opinion.Hospitable: We used Hospitable for years. They're really good at the auto messages thing. Sadly, they're not as robust in other areas. They don't connect with a lot of other platforms and their support has gone downhill big time. I really wanted to continue using them, but for growth it just wasn't the best choice for us. After using them for years we asked to jump on a Zoom call with their sales team to try to figure out a way we could continue using them, but they replied that their team was too busy focusing on new sales to jump on a call. That told me all I needed to know.
OwnerRez: This is a decent product. They do most things and they do most of those ok. They don't connect with a lot of apps and other vendors though, and their site and services are clunky. It's like they built their platform in the Bronze Age and its been held together with duct tape ever since. Looking at their forums, their moderators are against any kind of growth or adaptation of new technologies. Throw the word AI in there and they fight against it tooth and nail. Again, they're ok, everything is a la carte, but at the end of the day you have to be ok cutting services and planning on using exactly what they have forever. Don't bank on them integrating with new technologies any time soon.
Guesty for Pros: This is expensive but does have the most support. It does everything, but there are a fair amount of glitches. Their automessages and workflows are good and more robust than the competition. My problem with them (other than the price) is that they're trying to do everything. They have their own payment platform (you could use Stripe... or GuestyPay), they have their own dynamic pricing (you could use PriceLabs... or GuestyPricing), they have their own smart locks (you could use RemoteLock... or GuestyLocks), etc. That is all well and good, though you don't save any money using their software. It's the same pricing as others. The problem is there are so many glitches in their base system that still need to be ironed out. I wish they would work on those before jumping into their own services that you can add on. I would imagine all those are a bit glitchy as well. That said, they have the most to offer and aren't afraid of integrating with new tech and apps. Overall, this is the service we are using now and are decently happy with it. I think it is the best of the bunch.
In the end there are no great solutions in this category. You'll have to just choose the one with the least amount of headaches as it relates to your business.
- Member since 2023 · 3 posts · 0 votes3y
Quote from @Mike Neubauer:
Well, I'm going to chime in here again. We have tried Hostaway, OwnerRez, Hospitable and Guesty for Pros. There are many others we've looked at but never actually tried. These ones I'm familiar with. Here are my thoughts:
Hostaway: Stay away. There's very little support and a lot they can't do. They sell you on the platform before you can actually get in and play around. It's very weak in the automated messages category. They do integrate with a lot of vendors, and the site looks pretty but the platform itself has a long way to go before it's worthy of being used, in my opinion.Hospitable: We used Hospitable for years. They're really good at the auto messages thing. Sadly, they're not as robust in other areas. They don't connect with a lot of other platforms and their support has gone downhill big time. I really wanted to continue using them, but for growth it just wasn't the best choice for us. After using them for years we asked to jump on a Zoom call with their sales team to try to figure out a way we could continue using them, but they replied that their team was too busy focusing on new sales to jump on a call. That told me all I needed to know.
OwnerRez: This is a decent product. They do most things and they do most of those ok. They don't connect with a lot of apps and other vendors though, and their site and services are clunky. It's like they built their platform in the Bronze Age and its been held together with duct tape ever since. Looking at their forums, their moderators are against any kind of growth or adaptation of new technologies. Throw the word AI in there and they fight against it tooth and nail. Again, they're ok, everything is a la carte, but at the end of the day you have to be ok cutting services and planning on using exactly what they have forever. Don't bank on them integrating with new technologies any time soon.
Guesty for Pros: This is expensive but does have the most support. It does everything, but there are a fair amount of glitches. Their automessages and workflows are good and more robust than the competition. My problem with them (other than the price) is that they're trying to do everything. They have their own payment platform (you could use Stripe... or GuestyPay), they have their own dynamic pricing (you could use PriceLabs... or GuestyPricing), they have their own smart locks (you could use RemoteLock... or GuestyLocks), etc. That is all well and good, though you don't save any money using their software. It's the same pricing as others. The problem is there are so many glitches in their base system that still need to be ironed out. I wish they would work on those before jumping into their own services that you can add on. I would imagine all those are a bit glitchy as well. That said, they have the most to offer and aren't afraid of integrating with new tech and apps. Overall, this is the service we are using now and are decently happy with it. I think it is the best of the bunch.
In the end there are no great solutions in this category. You'll have to just choose the one with the least amount of headaches as it relates to your business.
Hello @Mike Neubauer,
Thank you for this detailed feedback, which I can relate to a lot. I currently have 25 accommodations on Hospitable, but it's starting to be limiting for the reasons you must have encountered.
I'm currently looking into Guesty and Hostaway, and I'm having a hard time making a decision!
I was wondering if you're still as satisfied with Guesty and if you're receiving payments for the property owners? Does the reporting system work well for them? - Rental Property Investor · Waikapu, HI · Member since 2018 · 305 posts · 197 votes3y
Quote from @Alex Pondville:
Quote from @Mike Neubauer:
Well, I'm going to chime in here again. We have tried Hostaway, OwnerRez, Hospitable and Guesty for Pros. There are many others we've looked at but never actually tried. These ones I'm familiar with. Here are my thoughts:
Hostaway: Stay away. There's very little support and a lot they can't do. They sell you on the platform before you can actually get in and play around. It's very weak in the automated messages category. They do integrate with a lot of vendors, and the site looks pretty but the platform itself has a long way to go before it's worthy of being used, in my opinion.Hospitable: We used Hospitable for years. They're really good at the auto messages thing. Sadly, they're not as robust in other areas. They don't connect with a lot of other platforms and their support has gone downhill big time. I really wanted to continue using them, but for growth it just wasn't the best choice for us. After using them for years we asked to jump on a Zoom call with their sales team to try to figure out a way we could continue using them, but they replied that their team was too busy focusing on new sales to jump on a call. That told me all I needed to know.
OwnerRez: This is a decent product. They do most things and they do most of those ok. They don't connect with a lot of apps and other vendors though, and their site and services are clunky. It's like they built their platform in the Bronze Age and its been held together with duct tape ever since. Looking at their forums, their moderators are against any kind of growth or adaptation of new technologies. Throw the word AI in there and they fight against it tooth and nail. Again, they're ok, everything is a la carte, but at the end of the day you have to be ok cutting services and planning on using exactly what they have forever. Don't bank on them integrating with new technologies any time soon.
Guesty for Pros: This is expensive but does have the most support. It does everything, but there are a fair amount of glitches. Their automessages and workflows are good and more robust than the competition. My problem with them (other than the price) is that they're trying to do everything. They have their own payment platform (you could use Stripe... or GuestyPay), they have their own dynamic pricing (you could use PriceLabs... or GuestyPricing), they have their own smart locks (you could use RemoteLock... or GuestyLocks), etc. That is all well and good, though you don't save any money using their software. It's the same pricing as others. The problem is there are so many glitches in their base system that still need to be ironed out. I wish they would work on those before jumping into their own services that you can add on. I would imagine all those are a bit glitchy as well. That said, they have the most to offer and aren't afraid of integrating with new tech and apps. Overall, this is the service we are using now and are decently happy with it. I think it is the best of the bunch.
In the end there are no great solutions in this category. You'll have to just choose the one with the least amount of headaches as it relates to your business.
Hello @Mike Neubauer,
Thank you for this detailed feedback, which I can relate to a lot. I currently have 25 accommodations on Hospitable, but it's starting to be limiting for the reasons you must have encountered.
I'm currently looking into Guesty and Hostaway, and I'm having a hard time making a decision!
I was wondering if you're still as satisfied with Guesty and if you're receiving payments for the property owners? Does the reporting system work well for them?Hey Alex,
I'll be honest, I don't love Guesty. I'm still using it, but I had a dedicated support guy. Not sure what happened to him, but he's gone. Now I just have to fill out tickets which get responded to whenever they get responded to. Usually it's within a day or two, but it's not always as timely as I need.
There are a lot of glitches within Guesty, and that's the most annoying part. I still think it's much better than Hostaway, but there is so much I still can't do with Guesty. Hospitable, while simple, works. And I like that. Guesty glitches, delays messages, some of my team don't receive messages in a timely manner, etc. We have to constantly monitor both Airbnb and Guesty. Sometimes we have to respond directly through Airbnb.
I hate that you are going through what I went through because I know how frustrating it can be, but honestly, I'm not sure it gets any better. If you can make your system work with Hospitable, I would use that. If you're looking to grow because you're managing other people's units, I'm not sure the headaches don't grow with any other system. Sadly this industry is ripe for a company to come out with a product that does what we need it to do, be versatile enough with it's software that it can expand and have the customer service that is accessible. Most importantly, it needs to work. Don't put features out there that don't work. That's my biggest pet peeve.
Sorry again, that you're going through this and I wish I could say without a doubt go this route, but after several months of using Guesty, my thoughts are still: It's OK, and probably does the most, but it's going to frustrate you with the quirks and glitches.
Good luck, Alex! - Member since 2023 · 3 posts · 0 votes3y
Thank you very much for your feedback @Mike Neubauer !
With Guesty, have you noticed an increase in the number of your bookings? The person who gave me a demonstration mentioned that by using it, listings were much better ranked on Airbnb (he emphasized that the listing updates every night, which is good for the algorithm). As for Booking.com, I haven't had many bookings through that channel, and I wonder if it's due to the quality of the API connection with Hospitable.
And one last question, does the owner portal work well for you with Guesty? Are the displayed data accurate?
Thank you for your time, and I'll also provide a detailed report if I decide to go with Guesty!
- Rental Property Investor · Waikapu, HI · Member since 2018 · 305 posts · 197 votes3yI have not noticed an increase in the number of bookings. If anything I've noticed a decrease. There are several factors that could be affecting that, but definitely not an increase. Don't forget the people on the demonstration are just sales people. They are no longer your connection once you sign up. They get a referral for getting you to sign up.
Quote from @Alex Pondville:
Thank you very much for your feedback @Mike Neubauer !
With Guesty, have you noticed an increase in the number of your bookings? The person who gave me a demonstration mentioned that by using it, listings were much better ranked on Airbnb (he emphasized that the listing updates every night, which is good for the algorithm). As for Booking.com, I haven't had many bookings through that channel, and I wonder if it's due to the quality of the API connection with Hospitable.
And one last question, does the owner portal work well for you with Guesty? Are the displayed data accurate?
Thank you for your time, and I'll also provide a detailed report if I decide to go with Guesty!
As for the owner portal, it works but I really haven't played with it too much from an owner's standpoint, so I'm not as familiar with what all it does and doesn't provide as I should be. Thank you! Would love to see your take on it if you do sign up! - 2yChris GottshallPro MemberRental Property Investor · Portland, OR · Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 5 votesThis felt sketchy to me, but I actually hired someone who had first hand experience with most of the platforms (works in the industry but does some moonlighting) and he supported us giving Hostaway a try. I’m in week 1 of it but I’ll be happy to share my experiences with anyone who wants to know more. So far, id say the interface is cluttered or not well organized, but I have a background in technology so I’m able to figure it out pretty well. I asked the onboarding guide a question that she did not understand, but then later that evening we figured out an answer to it on our own. It is super simple to build out a direct booking site, if you’re ok with their template (which I am for now).
Quote from @Ryan Moyer:
Quote from @Brooklyn McCarty:
Most PMS’s offer a free trial period. Try them both out and see which one you like better.
FWIW Hostaway doesn't.
- Member since 2022 · 2 posts · 1 vote2y
Quote from @Chris Gottshall:
This felt sketchy to me, but I actually hired someone who had first hand experience with most of the platforms (works in the industry but does some moonlighting) and he supported us giving Hostaway a try. I’m in week 1 of it but I’ll be happy to share my experiences with anyone who wants to know more. So far, id say the interface is cluttered or not well organized, but I have a background in technology so I’m able to figure it out pretty well. I asked the onboarding guide a question that she did not understand, but then later that evening we figured out an answer to it on our own. It is super simple to build out a direct booking site, if you’re ok with their template (which I am for now).Quote from @Ryan Moyer:
Quote from @Brooklyn McCarty:
Most PMS’s offer a free trial period. Try them both out and see which one you like better.
FWIW Hostaway doesn't.
I would be interested in your thoughts. - Investor · Brooklyn, NY · Member since 2019 · 185 posts · 205 votes2y
Quote from @Laura Peterson:
Hey STR Fam,
Do any of you leverage Hostaway or OwnerRez? I am searching for the best channel mgt app that supports airbnb, booking.com, direct book (on my site), and VRBO. Critical features for me: calendar mgt, manage client communication, communicating with team (i.e. cleaners), supply/operations checklist per property, and vacancy reporting.
If you use something else that you love, let me know. Also, if there is a referral program and you are willing to share, send me a DM. Thanks!
Been using OwnerRez for a little over a year to manage one property and sync it between my Airbnb, VRBO and direct-booking site. I could not be happier.
The site does look a little old-school as others have referenced, but there is not a single piece of functionality missing that I wished it had. It includes everything you have asked for.
I could also connect it to other booking engines like Booking.com and TripAdvisor, but have not set them up.
Customer service is wonderful, and they are always super-responsive with any requests I have.
The only gripe I have with it would be their website templates, should you want to build your direct-booking site directly through them. The templates are bland and don't feel modern. That said, it was easy for me to have my own custom site built through a 3rd party developer on UpWork, and then connect it to OwnerRez with their Wordpress plugins and short codes.
I feel the cost is relatively small and worth it.
I also pay separately for PriceLabs dynamic pricing engine, which I plug into OwnerRez, which for the extra $20/month, I find easily pays for itself.
- Property Manager · Frisco, TX · Member since 2014 · 24 posts · 20 votes1y
Quote from @Solomon Price:
We use Streamline, and outside of the setup being extremely tedious, we haven't had any issues yet.
Streamline focuses on large VCMs, such as 50+ units, not the boutique short-term rental manager/investor.
- 1yCollin HaysBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
We have used Brightside for years and love it.
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