Investor · Minneapolis · Member since 2023 · 265 posts · 161 votes
Ok - this is interesting. I heard from Guesty last month that they'd be rolling our Guesty Lite, sitting on the same platform as Guesty for Pros, and now it's up on their site. The biggest dig against Guesty in the past was that Guesty for Hosts and Guesty for Pros were on different platforms and upgrading was anything but seamless. So as this rolls out, I'm super curious about whether this takes a bite out of their competition, especially Hospitable. They both have decent AI and general features.
Real Estate Consultant · OH · Member since 2023 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
2y
I don't think this will help Guesty at all. I'm still hearing of many many hosts switching off Guesty, and actually moving to Hospitable. Until the many problems are actually fixed, creating something new isn't going to save their clients.
Real Estate Consultant · OH · Member since 2023 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
2y
I don't think this will help Guesty at all. I'm still hearing of many many hosts switching off Guesty, and actually moving to Hospitable. Until the many problems are actually fixed, creating something new isn't going to save their clients.
I don't think this will help Guesty at all. I'm still hearing of many many hosts switching off Guesty, and actually moving to Hospitable. Until the many problems are actually fixed, creating something new isn't going to save their clients.
I am also hearing from more and more people who are leaving Guesty.
What is the difference? The Lite designation intimates a product with lesser features than the original or Pro version.
Guesty for Hosts to Guesty for PRos was rip and replace, AKA nightmare to upgrade. Lite to Pro is supposedly seamless so it's a huge strategic move for them.
Rental Property Investor · Nashua, NH · Member since 2014 · 587 posts · 477 votes
7mo
Circling back on this one given I'm one of those longtime Guesty for Hosts customers that is only (now) testing out Guesty Lite and testing it side by side with Hospitable. Suffice it to say that while the Guesty team was able to migrate in my past reservations/contacts/listings, the new pricing model is anything but transparent and the migration on-boarding (which they didn't let you DIY or trial) went from my sweetheart deal of $179/year (I know, I was grandfathered) to $39/listing/month, with the only existing customer discount being an annual price lock in exchange for a modest ~30%(?) discount, which I was only shown once, in what felt like a rushed migration screen share. The only publicly listed pricing is $9/mo/listing + 1% per reservation, which being commission-based is not a pricing model I would ever consider.
Overall, it's disappointing to see the platform management market continue to increase prices for what are, in their most basic form, calendar sync and message automation tools. The fact that we're now seeing solutions offer more in the way of add-ons and upsells only further reinforces the reality that many hosts using even a small degree of these additional capabilities could easily be paying $100/listing/mo for their services. While many hosts running 5+ rentals may find that cost justifiable for the increased revenue these tools can help generate, that's often best achieved through a much broader set of integrated tools and outreach.
Here's the breakdown of my basic observations after ~2 weeks on each solution:
Guesty Lite: - $39/listing/month (unclear if this includes standard 1% commission) - Superior iOS app (faster, locally cached, better organized) - Cleaner guest portal - Targeted to smaller portfolios (1-3) vs Pro (4+) - Clean HUD/dashboard for checkins/reservations - Excellent message automation that links automations in a templated flowchart design (best I've seen) - Awful analytics, similar to GfH (upsell to Guesty Pro) - Dynamic pricing, damage protection, lock management, liability, and outsourced communications (unique) all relatively expensive (aligning to Guesty's overall penchant for chasing ever-expanding upsells)
Hospitable: - More third party integrations - Comprehensive analytics - Customizable dashboards are nice - Useful in-app/site help tours - iOS app is effectively a responsible website (slow, uncached, voids iOS design rules) - Messaging rule management can feel cluttered (dozen-plus rules to start?) - Lots of bells/whistles, not all of which make sense (questions? - 7% fees on upsells, 2% fees on deposits, charging for priority support feels excessive. - 7% direct booking commission feels pricey, w/only alternative their DIY 1% basic tier. - Integrated device (locks/thermostats/etc) features are nice, but with only 2-4 devices included in main subscription a clear upsell on larger rentals.
Circling back on this one given I'm one of those longtime Guesty for Hosts customers that is only (now) testing out Guesty Lite and testing it side by side with Hospitable. Suffice it to say that while the Guesty team was able to migrate in my past reservations/contacts/listings, the new pricing model is anything but transparent and the migration on-boarding (which they didn't let you DIY or trial) went from my sweetheart deal of $179/year (I know, I was grandfathered) to $39/listing/month, with the only existing customer discount being an annual price lock in exchange for a modest ~30%(?) discount, which I was only shown once, in what felt like a rushed migration screen share. The only publicly listed pricing is $9/mo/listing + 1% per reservation, which being commission-based is not a pricing model I would ever consider.
Overall, it's disappointing to see the platform management market continue to increase prices for what are, in their most basic form, calendar sync and message automation tools. The fact that we're now seeing solutions offer more in the way of add-ons and upsells only further reinforces the reality that many hosts using even a small degree of these additional capabilities could easily be paying $100/listing/mo for their services. While many hosts running 5+ rentals may find that cost justifiable for the increased revenue these tools can help generate, that's often best achieved through a much broader set of integrated tools and outreach.
Here's the breakdown of my basic observations after ~2 weeks on each solution:
Guesty Lite: - $39/listing/month (unclear if this includes standard 1% commission) - Superior iOS app (faster, locally cached, better organized) - Cleaner guest portal - Targeted to smaller portfolios (1-3) vs Pro (4+) - Clean HUD/dashboard for checkins/reservations - Excellent message automation that links automations in a templated flowchart design (best I've seen) - Awful analytics, similar to GfH (upsell to Guesty Pro) - Dynamic pricing, damage protection, lock management, liability, and outsourced communications (unique) all relatively expensive (aligning to Guesty's overall penchant for chasing ever-expanding upsells)
Hospitable: - More third party integrations - Comprehensive analytics - Customizable dashboards are nice - Useful in-app/site help tours - iOS app is effectively a responsible website (slow, uncached, voids iOS design rules) - Messaging rule management can feel cluttered (dozen-plus rules to start?) - Lots of bells/whistles, not all of which make sense (questions? - 7% fees on upsells, 2% fees on deposits, charging for priority support feels excessive. - 7% direct booking commission feels pricey, w/only alternative their DIY 1% basic tier. - Integrated device (locks/thermostats/etc) features are nice, but with only 2-4 devices included in main subscription a clear upsell on larger rentals.
Does that 7% direct booking fee include credit card processing? Even if it does that’s still steep . . .
