The challenges of the pandemic, as well as the subsequent surge in demand for vacation rentals, have taught property managers that they need to:
- Increase their operational efficiency;
- Maximise their profit on each booking;
- Provide an impeccable guest experience (even with reduced staff).
Luckily, there’s a product on the market that proposes a solution to all of these challenges: the GuestView Guide digital concierge.
In this article, we’ll introduce you to GuestView Guide and explain how it can help your vacation rental property management business thrive.
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What is GuestView Guide?
GuestView Guide is a digital concierge that comes with a 21.5-inch LED touchscreen to mount on the wall of your vacation rental. It’s a product built by Sharp NEC Display Solutions using the company’s expertise in interactive display technology.
GuestView Guide allows you to provide your guests with highly personalised, memorable concierge services without putting a strain on your customer service team.
“More than ever, vacation rental managers want to provide their guests with a great experience. That means guests are more likely to remember them, tell their friends, and rebook again,” said Chris Taylor, Director of Marketing at GuestView Guide.
Not only does Guest View Guide add the “wow” factor of a state-of-the-art tech gadget to your rentals, but it also helps you create meaningful, lasting relationships with your guests.
Your guests walk away with a great experience that’ll help you get higher ratings, better reviews and more direct bookings.
GuestView Guide connects to and pulls guest stay information from the most popular PMS solutions to ensure a tailored experience for every guest.
Boost your rentals’ performance with a digital guidebook
GuestView Guide’s most distinctive feature is the digital guidebook. It allows you to provide your guests with all the information they need to make the most of their local experiences.
The guidebook can include everything from curated recommendations for restaurants and activities to how-to videos explaining how your rental’s appliances and amenities work.
In addition, you can also “display regional photos and art, providing your guests with a stunning digital gallery to give that local feel,” said Chris.
The digital guidebook has countless benefits, and here are just a few:
1. Increase your profits
“For a long time, many VRMs were doing very well with just the bookings revenue,” said Chris.
“But as OTA fees have increased, labour has gotten more expensive, and various tasks such as housekeeping require more time and cost to maintain, they need to generate more revenue from each stay. That also helps build a stronger financial position to weather uncertainties the future may bring,” he added.
GuestView Guide allows you to drive revenue in different ways, including:
- Upselling additional services like mid-stay cleaning, late checkout and equipment rental.
- Ad partnerships with local businesses that pay a monthly fee to advertise on your GuestView Guide.
- Reselling third-party services (like sightseeing tours) and making a commission on each sale.
2. Save time on customer service
Perhaps the best thing about GuestView Guide is the amount of time it can save you on answering phone calls and emails from guests.
“Vacation rental managers have always worn many hats and been extremely busy with so many different tasks every day. Now you mix in the incredible surge in bookings with a labour shortage, and it makes juggling all the responsibilities all the more challenging,” said Chris.
“[That’s why] they need to reduce guest phone calls and texts,” he added.
Here are just some of GuestView Guide’s features that help you cut down on support time:
- Including property how-to videos in your digital guidebook.
- Scheduling reminder messages (like when to take out the trash).
- Providing guests with a checkout list they need to complete before leaving.
3. Promote direct rebookings
Commission-free direct bookings should be an integral part of every property manager’s strategy.
GuestView Guide helps you eliminate OTA fees and drive direct rebookings by:
- Reinforcing your brand.
- Offering promotional discounts and encouraging guests to book again.
Where is GuestView Guide available and how much does it cost?
“Currently, we’re available in the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico,” Chris told us.
The cost is $34.99 a month, which includes the hardware, software, all software updates, and US-based customer support.
Quantity discounts are available, so be sure to check out the GuestView Guide website and get in touch with them if you manage multiple rentals.
How Savannah Luxury Rentals improved their guest experience with GuestView Guide
Savannah Luxury Rentals is a property management company with 80 properties in downtown Savannah, Georgia.
Before starting to work with GuestView Guide, their goals were three-fold: they were looking to become more operationally efficient, maximise their income and provide a memorable guest experience.
In addition, they were looking for a digital solution that would serve as an alternative to traditional, paper-based guidebooks. They wanted something more engaging, more memorable and easier to update.
Consequently, Savannah Luxury Rentals decided to install GuestView Guides in 45 of the rentals they manage.
Some of the features that brought them instant returns were:
- Upselling late checkout, mid-stay housekeeping and equipment rental. Guests find the process straightforward and friction-free.
- Implementing ad programmes: their first partnership was with Corleone’s Pizza. Savannah Luxury Rentals has since built meaningful relationships with other local merchants.
- Reselling third-party services: their first partnership was with Old Savannah Tours Trolley Company. Savannah Luxury Rentals has been selling tour tickets directly to their guests and making a profit on each sale.
“If we’d just been able to monetize the late checkout before, I’d be retired by now! The revenue potential is significant; we’ve barely scratched the surface,” said Sam Anderson, Owner and Managing Partner at Savannah Luxury Rentals.
Sam and his team also say that GuestView Guide has helped them drive direct rebookings.
“It’s really nice to have our company name in front of [guests] on the GVG throughout their stay. It’s a big value for us,” Sam said.
Not only have Sam, and his team reduced support calls, but they’ve also been able to increase their overall operational efficiency.
“The check-in and checkout notifications are worth their weight in gold,” Sam said. These allow the team to notify housekeepers if someone checks out early, so they have more time to clean (and fewer units to turn over between the crucial hours of 11:00 am and 3:00 pm). This results in cleaners doing a better job and being less stressed.
And last but not least, Savannah Luxury Rentals believes that GuestView Guide helps them stand out from the crowd.
“This has been a great product allowing us to refocus our efficiencies on our performance and make our operation even tighter. And it really differentiates us from the competition.”
Take your guest experience to the next level with a digital concierge
All in all, GuestView Guide is a great option for property managers who wants to add something special to their rentals that helps them stand out from the competition, increase their profits, delight their guests and reduce time spent on support calls.
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