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
In the past couple of years, hotel and vacation rental guests have become savvier when it comes to finding the best deal for travel products online. As a result, they’ve been increasingly turning to direct booking channels instead of going through large OTAs. This has led to an urgency for accommodation providers to offer a smooth, user-friendly direct booking experience and
As a property manager or owner, it can be difficult to estimate the cost of your energy bills for each month with the constant coming and going of guests. You’ll have some guests that are very conscious of their energy usage, and you’ll have others who forget to turn the heating or AC off before they leave. Over time, these extra
The VRTECH Startup Competition is an annual contest where vacation rental tech startups compete for a chance to win the title “The Most Innovative Vacation Rental Startup of the Year”. The contest was organised for the 5th consecutive time in 2021, sponsored by Rentals United and HOWZAT Partners, and came to a head at the Vacation Rental World Summit in Annecy,
The pandemic has ruthlessly underlined the shortcomings of vacation rental businesses worldwide. One of these was undoubtedly the need for automating operational processes. When bookings and revenue suddenly dropped to zero, but operational costs continued to stay high, property managers were forced to improvise to try and keep their businesses afloat. These events made the need for effective operational tools abundantly
Since the beginning of 2020, check-ins powered by contactless technology have become the new normal for vacation rentals across the globe. In fact, guests now prefer keyless solutions over in-person key handovers, according to Breezeway’s Property Operations report. It’s not surprising: smart locks offer a more flexible, streamlined, hygienic and safe solution for both property managers and guests. There are many
The pandemic changed the face of the vacation rental industry in countless ways. As travel was turned upside down, guest expectations and booking behaviours changed radically. In response to these changes, tech companies abandoned their plans and built new products and features with lightning speed to help property managers soften the blow. Furthermore, numerous tech startups were born, bringing never-seen-before solutions
If you haven’t tried dynamic pricing yet, you’re missing out. It’s a must for property managers in today’s competitive market, and for good reason. Frequently adjusting your rates helps you generate more revenue and get the most out of your properties. However, not all property management companies have the expertise required to build sophisticated revenue management strategies in-house. Luckily, there’s no
In-person events are back and we’re so excited to see you all again! Over the next couple of months, we’ll be hosting two VRTECH Pitch Nights in London and Málaga. If you’re a startup founder and would like to pitch your product to a crowd of vacation rental professionals, sign up via the link in this article.
In the past few years, revenue management has become an indispensable pillar of vacation rental property management. As a result, several revenue management platforms have appeared on the market, promising invaluable data insights and expert help with finding the optimal rates for your rentals every day. But how do you know which one is right for your business? In today’s article,
Whether you’re a property manager or investor, it can be difficult to find the balance between maximising your output and maintaining a healthy level of time and effort that you put into your operations. Furthermore, managing everything on your own may mean that you cannot effectively optimise every aspect of your business. This can impede solid growth in revenue and business
The voting is closed, and it’s time to announce the finalists of the VRTECH Startup Competition 2021. These three startups will have the chance to pitch their products in front of a distinguished audience at the Vacation Rental World Summit and compete for the VRTECH Award. Find out who they are!
Can you believe we are already halfway through the year? And what a busy first half of the year it has been for VRTECH! We’ve started a video series, brought VRTECH events online and created a bunch of content. So much time and care went into all of this, and we’re proud of what our team of seven has been able
The release of the multimedia phenomenon, The Adapters, is a book that presents real-life experiences and fresh insights from a diverse group of innovative workers in the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality industries, including Founder of VRTECH, Vanessa de Souza Lage. This book provides an unfiltered breakdown of how you can navigate through unprecedented times and effectively run your business in the hope of inspiring workers in the services industry and beyond.
There are plenty of PMS tools on the market, but few offer property managers such an easy and efficient solution as Hostify. The startup is based in the USA, with offices in Bulgaria and Spain. Since launching in 2018, Hostify has helped property managers keep track of more than 28,000 listings in 43 countries. Their mission? To bring the most up-to-date
Who will win the title of Most Innovative Vacation Rental Startup of the Year? The race is on! Meet the expert judges and property managers who will vote for the tech startups whose solutions impress them the most.
The time has come to vote for the most innovative startup in the vacation rental industry. For the fifth consecutive year, the VRTECH Startup Competition, sponsored by Rentals United and Howzat Partners, brings the most innovative young startups into the limelight. Out of twenty contenders, three finalists will be selected, by: 1. Public vote 2. A panel of expert judges (we
If you want to get more bookings and make your vacation rental listings stand out from the rest, why not create 3D virtual tours for your guests to explore? 3D tours allow you to showcase your property in detail. Instead of relying on their imagination, guests can view every aspect of the inside and outside space. Moving from room to room,
Guest communication is a major time drain for property managers large and small. Answering the same questions over and over again, giving personalised recommendations to guests, and upselling extra services can take hours out of your day. In our previous articles about vacation rental chatbots and check-in apps, we listed some tools that can help you tackle this problem by automating
When thinking about how to increase their profits, many property managers will try to increase their bookings and occupancy. Some might consider aiming for more direct bookings, to earn more from each guest and avoid OTA commissions. While these are great approaches, growing your inventory could be a faster and easier way to boost your revenue. In fact, vacation rental startup
Vacation rental chatbots and voice concierge can help you automate guest communication, reduce your costs and grow your short-term rental business.
Have you been been struggling to find an intelligent contactless provider? Here’s how Operto’s contactless technology for vacation rentals can help boost customer satisfaction.
The time has come to find the most innovative startup in the vacation rental industry. For the fifth consecutive year, the VRTECH Startup Competition sponsored by Rentals United and Howzat Partners is now taking applications. The vacation rentals industry is always in need of specialised software products to streamline operations, marketing, distribution, guest communications, security and other aspects of the business.
If you get most of your bookings from OTAs like Airbnb or Booking.com, it’s challenging to build relationships with your guests. Listing sites are notorious for restricting communication between property managers and guests. They withhold guests’ phone numbers and email addresses, so you can only contact them through their own messaging system. This creates barriers for property managers who want to
“Attended my first VRTECH event hosted by Vanessa de Souza Lage and loved the format. Round table discussion with a few start-up elevator pitches sprinkled in. The one-hour time frame is just long enough to be substantive while not hijacking your entire day. Definitely worth joining if you have not already.” – Matthew Loney, Xplorie Following the overwhelmingly positive feedback we
Vacation rental maintenance and housekeeping is not only a huge operational overhead, it also takes lots of time to manage. First, there’s regular cleaning. On top of that, you have plumbing, security systems, electronic appliances, fire alarms, heating, air conditioning and more, which all have to be kept in good condition. Swimming pools, gardens, and other amenities need even more care.
Upselling helps property managers to increase their rental profits. Learn about the different services you can offer, and the best tech tools for upselling.
Do you want to prevent parties from ruining your vacation rental properties? Learn all about the best noise monitoring devices for short-term rentals.
The vacation rental tech ecosystem is bursting with innovation. It has never been more diverse, and, at the same time, more connected than it is today. Despite the adversities of the past year, new startups appeared on the horizon and hundreds of tech providers around the world managed to not only stay afloat but thrive. They showed enviable agility when it
While face-to-face networking may not be an option at the moment, it’s more important than ever to maintain your ties to the vacation rental community. Working from home has its perks, but it can also leave you feeling isolated. Plus, networking is essential for building valuable, long-lasting relationships that can help you get ahead in business. So it’s time to get
Despite the difficult year behind us, the vacation rental industry is continually growing and claiming its space in the world of travel. Property managers have shown incredible resilience in finding ways to battle the challenges they faced. In their efforts, they were aided by vacation rental technology that’s more streamlined, more connected, more specialised and more empowering than ever before. Technology
Pricing is one of the biggest challenges for vacation rental property managers. If your rates are too high, you risk losing bookings to more competitively priced listings. However, set your prices too low and you’ll miss out on profit. As supply and demand fluctuates throughout the year, it’s crucial to make sure you always have the right price at the right