The rapid development of technology continues to influence the vacation rental industry, especially with the emergence of various new vacation rental software solutions. Thanks to modern automation, hosts and property managers around the globe have a helpful asset on their hands for alleviating the workload while enhancing the guest experience.
Automation has a powerful impact on the short-term rental industry. By automating repetitive tasks, you can save time and handle multiple properties in the most efficient way. Advanced vacation rental software systems are essential for reaching your business goals and ensuring a high occupancy rate year-round.
As there are many options available, you might find it confusing to choose the right solution for your business. To give you a general understanding of how to choose the best option, we’ve covered some basic points to consider before you make your final decision.
What is Vacation Rental Software?
Vacation rental software is a helpful tool that allows property owners and managers to manage their online bookings and automate some processes of their business.
It is a type of management software designed to address the specific needs of property owners and managers. It helps manage reservations of their property, improve guest communication, handle vacation rental maintenance and cleaning
Vacation rental software can also help you increase revenue by using various travel platforms such as Airbnb or Vrbo to your advantage. With such software, you will be able to monitor all your accounts, manage them from one place, and stay on top of all your daily tasks.
What Are the Main Features of Vacation Rental Software?
- Automated guest messaging and communication—handle all guest communication quickly and efficiently by using templates to avoid common complaints about lack of host-guest communication;
- Chanel manager and multiple accounts management—manage multiple accounts on different platforms from one place, keep track of your bookings and make alterations from a single dashboard;
- Cleaning services and team management—manage your team members, assign tasks, schedule cleaning operations according to guest check-in and out; manage payments and salaries for the cleaning services or staff.
- Financial reports—keep track of occupancy rate, payments received, and all your expenses;
- Key management automation—manage access to your property and keep track of your keys.
8 Steps to Choosing the Best Vacation Rental Softwares
Before making a decision, here are eight steps to help you find the right vacation rental software for your short-term rental business:
Request a demo
First, be sure to get a demo. This is the best way to see if such software is worth your while or not.
Compare features
After researching vacation rental software, be sure to compare a few of those you like the most, to see which one can be really helpful for your specific business needs.
Look for a free trial
The best way to make the right decision is to test the software. If a company offers a free trial, be sure to use it to see if there are any shortcomings that may cause trouble later on.
Compare prices
As with most other investments, you should compare prices between different vacation rental software options before investing. Keep in mind that lower prices don’t necessarily mean that something’s a bargain, nor that there’s something wrong with the software. The rule of thumb is to go with the golden mean.
Compare the prices alongside the features that suit your business the most before making a decision.
Consider the ease of use
Another thing to consider is how easy vacation rental software is to use. You don’t want a complicated software as you will lose valuable time and slow down the processes. This may even result in a decrease in your occupancy rate as you may not be able to handle guest communication or reservations quickly and efficiently.
Is there reliable customer support?
Having reliable customer service to answer your questions should be one of the most important determining factors when it comes to choosing the right vacation rental software. You will want the customer support team to be knowledgeable and experienced to handle any problems or answer any question you may have for them.
Read the reviews
The same as inquiring guests check your reviews, you should check the reviews other property managers and hosts left for various vacation rental software. As they are in the same business, they will probably leave informative comments in their reviews, which can help you decide which software is the best option for you.
Check the new features & company development plan
If a vacation rental software company has a prosperous development plan and often provides new features for users, this is a great indicator that they are devoted to its users and are focused on truly helping hosts and property managers.
As time goes by, your business needs will change and grow, and you will need software that offers new features and keeps up with the everchanging requirements of the short-term rental industry.
Conclusion
Vacation rental software is a complex tool that can help you scale your business, save money and time, make fewer mistakes, and automate the workflow. With such a helpful asset, you can focus on achieving your goals and further expand your business.
iGMS vacation rental software is a great example of how complex yet easy to use software should be, with its fantastic features for great functionality and numerous options for efficient short-term rental management. Keep in mind that you will need many various features, regularly updated, to run your business smoothly. Thus, pay attention if your preferred vacation rental software is frequently updated with new features.
By following the aforementioned steps, you will be fully prepared to choose the best vacation rental software to cater to your business requirements, and quickly experience the perks of investing in such a helpful digital tool.
