If you are involved with vacation rental management you will know how time-consuming it can be to keep track of multiple properties. With the introduction of peer-to-peer vacation rental business, there are many different sites where you can promote your short-term rental. The vacation rental industry is booming so it makes sense to advertise rental properties across different platforms to maximize reach. But with so many sites to keep track of how can vacation rental property be managed effectively? This is where vacation rental automation comes in.

This type of management software is designed to help you keep track and improve your booking and rental process. Vacation rental automation is an effective way of monitoring several properties at each different stage of booking, rental, and checkout. Here is a breakdown of the areas where this technology can be used to improve your guest experience.

1. Automate guest communication

One of the most important components of any vacation rental software package is the ability to set up automated communications with your guests. The technology is designed to keep communications flowing between you and your guests. Messages automatically notify guests at various stages of the booking process from reservation to check-out and beyond. Booking confirmations, check-in, check-out, and other pertinent information can be scheduled to be sent at certain times and days.

2. Automate guest reviews

One of the best ways to secure more bookings for your vacation rental properties is by obtaining positive reviews from guests after their stay. Keeping up with many checkouts can be overwhelming and it is easy to forget to follow up with guests once they leave.

Vacation rental automation can be used to create and post guest reviews. This way guests will be prompted to leave you a review in return. Reviews are important for building credibility and boosting your listing’s SEO ranking. By getting to the top of the search results you will be able to attract more eyes and, consequently, generate more bookings.

3. Set up synchronization across multiple sites

As we already covered, you may list your rental properties on more than one site and you will need to track each of them. Vacation rental automation can assist you to track property listings and bookings which will help you avoid double-booking of the same property.

4. Automate check-in and checkout processes

As mentioned above, vacation rental automation provides the user with the ability to tailor messages to their guests that are triggered at specific points. Emails sent to confirm check-in and checkout and provide keyless entry codes can all be set up for automatic delivery. Rental managers can also provide instructions for leaving the house, resetting the keycodes, or preparing the home for cleaning by removing trash or bedding.

5. Increase the efficiency of cleaning management

The fast and efficient cleaning of a vacation rental property is imperative. Good property management means that short-term rentals are clean and booking-ready, enabling them to be advertised and re-booked as swiftly as possible. Empty days mean lost profits so cleaning management with the help of vacation rental software automation can help to minimize lost days.

A rental software package can help with the assignment of tasks and schedules to specific cleaning crew members. Scheduled jobs can be confirmed via email or text message and the cleaner can be notified of special requests or additional cleaning requirements. Typically, assigned and upcoming jobs can be viewed easily on the software packages dashboard.

6. Maximize rental pricing

The vacation rental business experiences seasonal fluctuations just like any other service business. Take advantage of peak seasons or busy time by using management software to adjust pricing. Optimum times can be pre-programmed and rates will adjust automatically for those periods. Using management software to provide automated solutions can also yield valuable data like occupancy rates (nofollow) and rental averages.

7. Track your business results

Operating your rental management business efficiently should generate satisfied guests and in theory, lead to more bookings. A management package turns standard or routine tasks into automated functions. Reports and data can be generated to gain valuable booking information or to highlight and improve any operational weaknesses. This gives property managers the advantage of being able to use the information to improve the overall guest experience.

Conclusion

For the management of multiple vacation rental properties, there is little else that can make your business run as smoothly as using good management software. The time savings can be quite staggering when you do not have to organize every step of your vacation property rentals by manual means. As well as keeping ahead of daily tasks and functions, management software will ensure constant contact with guests during the booking and rental process. Vacation rental automation is a great organizational tool that improves the customer’s experience.