My first STR, what software?
I have bought my first STR and i am in the process of setting it up...my specific question at the moment is what software/aps do you all use to run your STRs. It would be great to get an exhaustive list of software that you rely on. Even the apps that you use once in a while for small things...thanks in advance for all your input it is really appreciated!
Quote from @Buck Dabill:Full disclosure we specialize in long-term buy-and-hold, not short term. But I know this site has a ton of great resources for short-term rentals. https://everyreitool.com/categ...
I have bought my first STR and i am in the process of setting it up...my specific question at the moment is what software/aps do you all use to run your STRs. It would be great to get an exhaustive list of software that you rely on. Even the apps that you use once in a while for small things...thanks in advance for all your input it is really appreciated!
From your property management systems, to your auto-pricing tools, and guest guides software.
I use OwnerRez www.ownerreservations.com, and pricelabs. OwnerRez took a bit to set up properly. It has also been good for my direct booking site also.
You can see the site at: www.OurDisneyHome.com
Hospitable which integrates with Schlage Encode locks to automatically generate guests codes. It also integrates with Pricelabs for dynamic pricing as well as Turno for cleanings.
I have used hospitable for a few years and liked it a lot. This PMS is inexpensive and consistently adding new features.
However, I recently switched to Guesty for the following reasons:
Direct booking site is included and easy to use (hospitable was in beta when I switched). Guesty also integrates with stripe so you can accept bookings on your site, no manual processes required. Previously a guest would request to book, then I would have to email them back to accept, put the booking into the calendar, and determine how the payment would be made. You can also creat discount codes ( I like to send these to my previous guests to encourage direct bookings)
In platform reporting (hospitable only allows you to download the data to a csv)
Integration with wheelhouse
Create payout statements if you are managing properties for other owners.
In app cleaner/maintenance management. Cleaners get access to a portal where they can follow your checklists, submit photos, and mark tasks complete. I now get a notification when the cleaners and hot tub maintenance complete the post stay tasks (previously I would have to check the cameras).
This sounds like I didn’t like hospitable, which isn’t true. There were just some features/integrations that I was longing for.
Quote from @Buck Dabill:
I have bought my first STR and i am in the process of setting it up...my specific question at the moment is what software/aps do you all use to run your STRs. It would be great to get an exhaustive list of software that you rely on. Even the apps that you use once in a while for small things...thanks in advance for all your input it is really appreciated!
I have been using Guesty and PriceLabs both for about 2 years now. Really great softwares, and has made growing my portfolio very simple to date. A few others I started using more recently that are not AS well known are StayFi and Mount.
StayFi is essentially a security gate for your wifi that requires the user to enter their email address, phone number, and any additional information you want from them in order to be granted access to the wifi. Their information then goes into a database that can integrate with your Property Management Software and later into your Direct Booking CRM. This is a huge asset in the sense that when a guest books you are only getting that 1 person's info, but now when the guest that booked has 5 others with them for example and they all need to connect to the wifi, you are getting 6 people's info into your CRM instead of just the info of the person that made the reservation.
Mount is an upsell software that gives you the capability to rent out amenities at your property, such as bikes, paddle boards, kayaks, etc... When you sign up with Mount, they cover you under a pretty good insurance policy that is based around amenities. Next steps are Mount shipping you a label/sticker with a QR code on it, slap that QR code onto your amenity, and then you marketing it to your guests for hourly/daily rentals.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions - happy to discuss more!
@Michael Fucillo – That's really helpful. I've been using Hospitable for a couple years now and really like it. But you're right, it does lack some features. I'm looking at Lodgify due to their integrated direct booking functionality. Feels like Hospitable needs another year to theirs fully out of beta.
I'm very interested about the Payout Statements you mentioned in Guesty. Any way to post or send a sample of what one looks like?
Quote from @Nathan Murith:
Quote from @Buck Dabill:Full disclosure we specialize in long-term buy-and-hold, not short term. But I know this site has a ton of great resources for short-term rentals. https://everyreitool.com/categ...
I have bought my first STR and i am in the process of setting it up...my specific question at the moment is what software/aps do you all use to run your STRs. It would be great to get an exhaustive list of software that you rely on. Even the apps that you use once in a while for small things...thanks in advance for all your input it is really appreciated!
From your property management systems, to your auto-pricing tools, and guest guides software.
Thankyou very much for taking the time to give me your feedback!
Quote from @Kyle Mccaw:
I use OwnerRez www.ownerreservations.com, and pricelabs. OwnerRez took a bit to set up properly. It has also been good for my direct booking site also.
You can see the site at: www.OurDisneyHome.com
Thankyou very much for taking the time to give me your feedback!
Quote from @Joel Case:
Hospitable which integrates with Schlage Encode locks to automatically generate guests codes. It also integrates with Pricelabs for dynamic pricing as well as Turno for cleanings.
thankyou very much!!!
Quote from @Michael Fucillo:
I have used hospitable for a few years and liked it a lot. This PMS is inexpensive and consistently adding new features.
However, I recently switched to Guesty for the following reasons:
Direct booking site is included and easy to use (hospitable was in beta when I switched). Guesty also integrates with stripe so you can accept bookings on your site, no manual processes required. Previously a guest would request to book, then I would have to email them back to accept, put the booking into the calendar, and determine how the payment would be made. You can also creat discount codes ( I like to send these to my previous guests to encourage direct bookings)
In platform reporting (hospitable only allows you to download the data to a csv)Integration with wheelhouse
Create payout statements if you are managing properties for other owners.
In app cleaner/maintenance management. Cleaners get access to a portal where they can follow your checklists, submit photos, and mark tasks complete. I now get a notification when the cleaners and hot tub maintenance complete the post stay tasks (previously I would have to check the cameras).
This sounds like I didn’t like hospitable, which isn’t true. There were just some features/integrations that I was longing for.
Thankyou
Quote from @Jonathan Gula:Sorry for the delay here, pretty basic but serves the purpose and looks professional.
@Michael Fucillo – That's really helpful. I've been using Hospitable for a couple years now and really like it. But you're right, it does lack some features. I'm looking at Lodgify due to their integrated direct booking functionality. Feels like Hospitable needs another year to theirs fully out of beta.I'm very interested about the Payout Statements you mentioned in Guesty. Any way to post or send a sample of what one looks like?
Thank you, @Michael Fucillo! That is helpful to see. Does have a nice professional look to it.