Airbnb tools for managing multiple listings

[Rick Baggenstoss]

I have three listings and several more in process, so selfishly, I wanted to start a thread where we comment on off the shelf software tools and best practices for managing listings when you have several or many.  

Let's start with tools for managing communication with all parties.  Who is using something outside of Airbnb/VRBO?  What do you like about it and how was it to set up?

Feel free to ask about other tools for managing multiple listings too!

[Andrew Wong]

I started using something called Guesty. $500 on boarding fee, and 3% of bookings.

It was cheap, and it did the job. I think across the board, they are all ugly and have hard to use user interfaces. It's like corporate software stuck in the 90s. 

I also looked at Streamline VRS and LiveRez, but they were pretty pricy, like $5000 to onboard.

I just found out about Tokeet recently, and would've tried it out. 

[Michael McKay]

@John D. Price Labs, which is a Wheelhouse competitor can do this if you integrate it with a PMS that can push pricing.

[John D.]

@Michael McKay is there a PMS that Price Labs is integrated, that has a smooth integration with vrbo/homeaway, that doesn't charge a percentage fee?  I haven't evaluated Price Labs in a while, it seemed an inferior solution to Wheelhouse when I last vetted it, but happy to take another look if warranted.

[Michael McKay]

@John D. I use VR Easy, which is supposed to work with the Homeaway API (I haven't confirmed this personally, as we are mainly on Airbnb and booking.com).

As far as Price labs, I'm still experimenting between them and Wheelhouse. Price Labs UX isn't as pretty, but I am liking a lot of their features, such as being able to set minimum stays based on how far our a reservation is and the ability to set rules for pricing based on groups. I only started playing with it a few weeks ago, so my thoughts on how it prices is still up in the air.

[Myka Artis]

I've used AvivaIQ for messaging purposes which works great. I've also used my 14 year old niece. $100/mo. You can't beat that cheap labor. I also use Beyondpricing for pricing set up as well. I've truly found the best way to manage multiple listings is to document frequently asked questions and set up automatic responses/saved messages to them. This makes it a lot easier to communicate with guests.

[Rick Baggenstoss]

Based upon all the great input, I implemented Smartbnb.  Pretty simple to get it configured.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

[Alex M.]

I',m using yourPorter-- cheap as can be. $5/month per listing and syncs calendars and messaging.  low functions but decent interface and cheap.

[Mike H.]

I highly recommend smartbnb. I've been using this for my vacation rental and it has handled all my automated messages perfectly

https://smartbnb.io/

[Account Closed]

I'm going to demo Smartbnb.   We have 60 listings in 6 different states and I probably spend 15 hours a day glued to my laptop.  Has anybody used proper.ly for guest and reservation management? 

[Megan Davidson]

Originally posted by @Andrew Wong:

I started using something called Guesty. $500 on boarding fee, and 3% of bookings.

It was cheap, and it did the job. I think across the board, they are all ugly and have hard to use user interfaces. It's like corporate software stuck in the 90s. 

I also looked at Streamline VRS and LiveRez, but they were pretty pricy, like $5000 to onboard.

I just found out about Tokeet recently, and would've tried it out. 

 We just started using Guesty, we're testing the software and getting started with it. I like the deep integration with Airbnb and that it goes beyond just ical trading and actually picks up average rates and has auto responses based on custom triggers you can set up.

[Tyler Work]

Originally posted by @Account Closed:

I'm going to demo Smartbnb.   We have 60 listings in 6 different states and I probably spend 15 hours a day glued to my laptop.  Has anybody used proper.ly for guest and reservation management? 

 I used properly when I first started managing.  It is a pretty cool tool but for only having one function (scheduling cleaners) it was wayy too expensive.  The functionality is very cool but I just don't think their pricing model makes sense for people who manage multiple properties. 

[Andrew Wong]

So everybody's SmartBnB and Guesty integration break these past few days? lol

[J-Ryan Stewart]

If you all think $500 and 3% is a lot for Guesty.. maybe you aren’t managing properties on the level that would require management software.

Guesty isn’t even the best, but they certainly made me a lot of money when I was using them, in the form of time!

You should make $500 in less than one week on one listing, even after 3% commission, let alone your other listings if you keep growing.

You need a central place to track all your places. Pay the money and treat STR as a business. Do that and you’ll be making so much more money you’ll be mad you didn’t do it earlier. Plus you’re buying the most valuable thing in the investors life, TIME.

[Stephen Stefanini]

Originally posted by @J-Ryan Stewart:

Guesty isn’t even the best, but they certainly made me a lot of money when I was using them, in the form of time!

@J-Ryan Stewart:  What software is better than Guesty?  When / What were the circumstasnces that motivatef you to move away from using Guesty?

[J-Ryan Stewart]

@Stephen Stefanini we're migrating over to Ciirus which is a much more complete PMS. It's not as sexy as Guesty (some already mentioned how un-sexy Guesty is).. But honestly the functionality it so much higher. 

Their on-boarding fee is.. well, it's high. But it's worth it once you have about 8 or 10 properties to split that cost. As with everything in this business those costs are largely paid for by the Guest, and the high occupancy rates that systemization/automation allows you to achieve. 

[Andrew Wong]

@J-Ryan Stewart what does Ciirus have that Guesty doesn't?

[J-Ryan Stewart]

Originally posted by @Andrew Wong:

@J-Ryan Stewart what does Ciirus have that Guesty doesn't?

 They have more a much more detailed platform, particularly with data and reports. You can track performance and issue statements with much more information, although the interface isn't as clean.

Maintenance reports for owners, and just more traditional property management tools. They're also better connected with platforms other than Airbnb, so when it comes to data, that's much better. 

[Tyler Work]

Hey @J-Ryan Stewart just curious are you leasing, buying, or managing your properties?  Is there a certain net return or profit you target?  Were you using the "front desk" service from Guesty, which I would think would be their biggest time saver?  Sounds like no if you were only paying 3%.  Last question, I promise :) - what is the biggest time saver you see in the particular PMS/CM you use? I manage 12 right now and am always curious as to what other people spend most of their time on.  

[J-Ryan Stewart]

Originally posted by @Tyler Work:

Hey @J-Ryan Stewart just curious are you leasing, buying, or managing your properties?  Is there a certain net return or profit you target?  Were you using the "front desk" service from Guesty, which I would think would be their biggest time saver?  Sounds like no if you were only paying 3%.  Last question, I promise :) - what is the biggest time saver you see in the particular PMS/CM you use? I manage 12 right now and am always curious as to what other people spend most of their time on.  

It's a mixed bag, but we operate beyond a simple arbitrage lease agreement. Of course we're not purchasing every property we manage.  As far as net return, it's 100% different depending on the property, isn't it? We have properties listed for anywhere between 90 & 330 per night, so there isn't a net number. Setting that would be counter-productive. It's about maximizing each listings potential, big or small!

Our percentage is dynamic as well. 

[Gita Faust]

Have you tried KIGO? There are so many software and work around. Each one is unique and they keep on adding new features as technology changes. We have helped our clients with integrating different online reservation software, some have custom build just for them and again some use only QuickBooks.

Did you know that you can send a email and it keeps track of emails send and date right from within QuickBooks?

[Marc Jackson]

Here is a quick analysis of a few of the STR vacation rental platforms that I have been looking at. The pricing is reflecting under 5 properties in most cases:

Site - PMS	Price	URL	Marc Score
Beyond Pricing	1%	beyondpricing.com	8
Wheel house	1%	usewheelhouse.com	8
Lodgable	$0 per month (4.5% charged to renter)	lodgable.com	8
YourPorter	$12 per month	https://yourporter.com/	8
MyVRZone	$15 per month	myvrzone.com	5
SmartBnB	$18 per month	SmartBnB.io	9
OwnerRez	$19.99 per month	ownerrez.com	9
Hosty	$20 per month per property	https://www.hostyapp.com/vacation-rental-channel-manager/	8
Roombler	$22 per month	roombler	9
Host Away	$25 per month	https://www.hostaway.com/#functions	8
Price Labs	$34.98 per month	www.pricelabs.co/plans#	8
Bookster.com	$44 per month plus 1% of booking	Bookster.com	9
Bookerville	$45 per month	bookerville.com	7
Bookerator.com	$48 per month	https://bookerator.com/home/pricing/multi_property	8
Lodgix	$50 per month	https://www.lodgix.com/pricing/	9
MyVR	$58 per month	https://myvr.com/pricing/	10
Lodgify	$64 per month	https://www.lodgify.com/vacation-rental-reservation-system/	10
365 Villas	$69 per month	https://www.365villas.com/#pricing-panel	9
VR Easy	$87 per month	https://web.vreasy.com/#pricing	9
Vreasy	$87 per month	https://web.vreasy.com/property-management-software-2/	9
Streamline	N/A	https://www.streamlinevrs.com/	9
Guesty	www.guesty.com

[John D.]

If only we could get Wheelhouse to push their pricing to VRBO/Homeaway.  Otherwise, they have been working great for us, once properly tweaked.

[Marc Jackson]

Originally posted by @John D.:

If only we could get Wheelhouse to push their pricing to VRBO/Homeaway.  Otherwise, they have been working great for us, once properly tweaked.

 John, 

Did you try PriceLabs yet?   I agree...  Its the only drawback I have with Wheelhouse..I am currently using them for my AirBnB listings but i then have to manually try to sync my pricing on VRBO/HA and its never accurate.  What do you do to keep all sites in sync?

[Selena Walsh]

@J-Ryan Stewart I'm watching the demo for Ciirus. The demo itself seems heavy on direct bookings from guests via property manager's website. Based on your experience using the tool, would you say it is geared toward direct bookings or are you happy with the channel manager / integration with booking platforms?

[Marc Jackson]

Originally posted by @Michael McKay:

@John D. I use VR Easy, which is supposed to work with the Homeaway API (I haven't confirmed this personally, as we are mainly on Airbnb and booking.com).

As far as Price labs, I'm still experimenting between them and Wheelhouse. Price Labs UX isn't as pretty, but I am liking a lot of their features, such as being able to set minimum stays based on how far our a reservation is and the ability to set rules for pricing based on groups. I only started playing with it a few weeks ago, so my thoughts on how it prices is still up in the air.

 Michael,

How is the pricelabs tool going?   I am in the trial and considering going with them.  Any issues?

[Marc Jackson]

Originally posted by @Selena Walsh:

@J-Ryan Stewart I'm watching the demo for Ciirus. The demo itself seems heavy on direct bookings from guests via property manager's website. Based on your experience using the tool, would you say it is geared toward direct bookings or are you happy with the channel manager / integration with booking platforms?

 Here is an updated version of the grid that I created to evaluate as many options as possible.  The pricing is based on 2-5 properties in my cases.