All Forum Posts by: Ken Boone

I use kwikset 914 locks - these are z-wave back to a samsung/aeotec Smarthings controller accessible via the web.  I also have installed the Rboys Remote Lock Automator software on the smarthings hub, and that software automatically programs codes a few hours prior to guest check-in and then removes them an hour after guest check out.  I don't have to touch anything with the door locks.  Can monitor with phone app or computer.

@Anusha Udas You can schedule tasks for your cleaners and what not and there is a reports section that you pull some data from.  i.e.  ADR, Yearly, YTD and monthly stats on your cabins.  I have 3 properties on it and will be adding the 4th in a few months hopefully.  It works great and does what I need, but again, if you need tech support it is sub par.

@Anusha Udas So I am currently using YourPorter which recently got bought by Guesty.  So I don't know what changes are to come yet from that deal.  Don't know anything about Hostaway.  There are a lot of these channel managers out there and they all do pretty much the same things.  Some do some things better than others and they all have their quirks too it seems.  The biggest problem I have with Your Porter is their tech support is awful, however, I don't need them much and it does what I need it to do.  If you are handling 5 STRs without a channel manager and are on multiple platforms (Vrbo/airbnb) then I would highly recommend getting a channel manager.  They will help you streamline your process and give you one pane of glass to look at your calendar/pricing etc..across all channels.  The automated emails you can generate are a time saver.  

I would put into a 2-4 bedroom pool cabin in the Pigeon Forge market.  Done deal!

@Ryan Moyer Yea I don't think the idea that folks are going to go back to hotels is going to happen much with my rentals in the Pigeon Forge area.  What COVID did was force people out of fear to flee from hotels and they felt safe staying in a cabin with just their family.  These are people who never considered staying at a cabin before.  They just always went to hotels.  Now after staying in a cabin for the first time, these folks are like, dude why did we ever stay in a hotel?  They now have been exposed to all the advantages and amenities in these cabins.  These people saw the value of the rental cabins for their family and going back to a hotel stay is just not gonna be the same.  I think a majority of these people have changed their mindset.  That is basically what we have been told from first time cabin guests during this past year and so I don't expect to lose a lot of guests to hotels once everything settles down.  Also, if cabin prices drop, that has no bearing on the ADR.  Again, number of visitors to the Smokies increases in general year after year.  These folks need somewhere to stay.  Cabin prices affect the investors, but the supply and demand as well as the amenity level of the cabins is what will drive the ADR.

All of the above plus coupled with the statistical fact of how many visitors come to see the GSMNP each year say that it will continue to be a consistent area for a LONG time to come.  Visitors to most major national parks seem to generally increase year over year, but if you look at places like Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain - their yearly visitor stats don't even compare with the visitors to the GSMNP.  You can google these stats and see for yourself.  Another stat I have seen but I can't quite remember how accurate I am stating this - is that something like 50% of the US population is within an 8 hour drive of the GSMNP so that makes it even more accessible than other places where you have to fly to.  So all those people coming to the GSMNP need a place to stay and a LOT of them choose the Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg area and will continue to for years to come.

YourPorter is not the only one.  There is quite a list of platforms that help you manage your listings across multiple channels.  And most of them have features for scheduling your cleaner.  They all have good and bad about them.  For instance YouPorter support is awful but the product normally works well for me.

I am using YourPorter.  Like many other rental management platforms, it keeps my cleaners updated automatically.  It sends them a  reminder the day before, but my cleaner also has a link to the yourporter calendar for cleaning events.  They can see the check in and check outs and know whether or not it is a turn, which in my case they mostly are turns.  Where I am in the loop, is in our check out procedures we have the guests text us the cabin name they are in when they leave.  If I receive that early in the morning, I let my cleaner know the place is ready if she wants to get there early based on her schedule.

@Bruce Woodruff - Well a couple of things here.  Each host has to do what they are comfortable with.  We just had this happen about a week ago.  They called and said they were thinking about cancelling because one of the parties had a minor injury occur and might not be able to enjoy their stay there and wanted to know if we could extend credit for another time in the fall possibly.  This call came around 5pm on the day before check in of a 6 night stay.  We have a strict cancellation policy which means no refund if cancellation occurs within 30 days.

Ok first thing you do before you make any decision is ask the guest - did you purchase trip insurance when you booked the trip?  Because if they purchased that then they need to handle it with the insurance company and move on.  If you decide to provide full refunds in these cases means that you will always be the insurance company for the guests as well.  You are NOT their insurance company.

In my situation we felt like we would be able to book most of the 6 days if not all of the days even though it was last minute.   We might have to lower prices some to get it booked but we are operating at a premium now so it's not a huge deal.  

Make sure your communications is through the platform so everything is recorded there.  So we went back over the cancellation policy which is 0 refund if cancellation occurs within 30 days and we also let them know it is our policy not to extend credit for a future booking or change dates within 30 days.  The game is here is that a guest changes their mind last minute and they know that  they are within the 30 days and will get nothing back.  Then they give you a sob story and ask to change their dates for like a couple months down the road.   Once the system is updated, they can now go in and cancel their stay since it is no longer in the 30 day window.  In this case you get hosed.  So we explained to them that we are not saying they would do this at all but because this happens is why we have this business policy.

What we decided to do was offer the guest two options.

#1 - You cancel in the next 2 hours so I can get the property listed ASAP and I'll issue you a 50% refund.  In this scenario I take the risk that I will book at least 50% worth over those days.

or

#2 - You cancel in the next 2 hours and do not receive any refund, however, if I can book those days, I will provide you a refund based on how much I was able to re-coup through new bookings.  In this scenario the guests takes the risk that I will book anything period and hopefully over the 50%.

The guest chose option #1 and we issued a 50% refund.

We re-listed and by the next morning had booked 4 of the 6 days at full price and then ended up booking the last 2 days at discount.  Since that happened we issued an additional refund to help the guest re-coup more of their loses.  I know we didn't have to do any of this based on our policy but I did what gave me a good conscience and I am not saying I would do this every time but I take it on a case by case basis.  I want to treat others I would want to be treated.  It is a fine line because you can't always tell if the guest is being truthful or not.  But if I was in an accident or fell ill right before a trip - yes its my fault for not having trip insurance, but if the hosts could rebook and not lose money then I hope they would be willing to help me out as well.

Again, you have to do what you feel right about.

What I would do differently knowing what I know now..  I would have started sooner!