Searching for the best vacation rental software is a simple process if you know what to look for. What features are important to you?
Do you prefer software that is tailored to synchronizing calendars from multiple website listings? Is a website design feature what you look for when choosing vacation rental software?
Below, we will look at what features these four vacation rental software products have to offer.
Guesty
First on the list is Guesty. Guesty will consolidate the many areas of your vacation rental business into one centralized program, which is what makes Guesty a great all-around vacation rental software to use. Some of the most beneficial features included in the Guesty vacation rental software are:
Channel Manager
This feature will allow your property to be listed on multiple websites, such as Airbnb, booking.com, TripAdvisor, and VRBO. The channel manager will organize the reservations made on each site and integrate them into one centralized and synchronized calendar.
You will also have the option to adjust prices among each platform according to the time of year for maximum revenue.
Mobile Application
Taking your vacation rental software on-the-go will allow you to maximize the performance of your business. Not only will you have the option to communicate with your guests anywhere at any time, but your employees will also be connected to the tasks that have been assigned to them.
Automated Messaging
One of the most helpful features of vacation rental software is the utilization of automated messaging. With this feature, you can schedule emails to guests awaiting confirmation email or arrival instructions.
Website Design
The last feature worth mentioning is the option to design your website within the software. This feature will allow you to create a website that is visibly appealing and fully functional on both a computer and a mobile device.
Hospitality Property Management
Guesty offers many other features, including:
- Extended Stay
- GDS/OTA Integration
- Maintenance Management
- Point of Sale
- Multi-Property
- CRM
- Employee Management
- Marketing Automation
- Online Booking
Guesty is best for Airbnb and short term rental managers that want to manage their operations more efficiently while also gaining exposure and scaling their rental business.
Kigo
If calendar organization and synchronization is what you are looking for, Kigo is the vacation rental software for you. While Kigo focuses on calendar management, these additional features are worth pointing out.
Guest Experience
Kigo understands that guest satisfaction is the key to a successful vacation rental business. In their guest experience aspect of the software, Kigo allows guests to submit payments, leave reviews, and ask questions, all of which can be controlled by you through the Kigo software.
Revenue Management
With revenue management, not only can you set flexible rental rates, but the software will actually study the trends of your reservations and assign the most competitive pricing to your property.
Additionally, the assigned pricing will be applied to the listing placed on each listing site. (For example, if your property is located on Airbnb, VRBO, etc., the assigned pricing will reflect each site.)
Other features include:
- Housekeeping Management
- Owner Statements
- Reservations Management
- Work Order Management
- Contact Management
- Guest Experience Management
- Lead Management
- Payment Processing
Lodgify
Lodgify is vacation rental software designed for vacation rental owners, property managers, and bed and breakfast owners. Lodgify prides itself on its range of website design templates for you to tailor your website around your property. Some additional features of Lodgify can be found below.
Search Engine Optimization
One of the best ways to make your presence known online is to have your property show up on search engines. Guests are more likely to view and book their reservation online, so it is important to catch their attention before another property does.
Payment Scheduling
With this feature, you can manage automatic payments for guests’ reservations. If you allow a deposit at the time of booking and require the remaining balance to be charged the week before check-in, you can schedule an automatic payment to run the guest’s card on file to collect the full payment.
Booking System
To better expedite the booking process, implement the Lodgify booking system for guests to easily search availability, and make reservations.
Channel Management
Lodgify provides pipeline and order management, inventory control, channel analytics, partner and lead management, incentive programs, and campaign management regarding channel management.
Hospitality Property Management
Other features under the hospitality property management sector include:
- Built-In Accounting
- GDS/OTA Integration
- Multi-Property and Single Property
- Point of Sale
- CRM
- Employee Management
- Marketing Automation
- Loyalty Program
- Online Booking
Tokeet
Last but not least is Tokeet. Tokeet is a property management system (PMS) and offers a wide variety of features for you to choose from to maximize your vacation rental’s production. The following are some of the most beneficial features found in Tokeet.
Channel Management
Tokeet includes a channel management feature for you to manage the reservations and communications from all platforms the property is listed. For example, let’s say your property is listed on multiple websites, and a guest found the property on Airbnb.
If the guest sends you a message from the Airbnb listing, you will receive that message in Tokeet because the software has integrated all listings into one centralized, accessible location.
Dynamic Pricing
To make the most revenue from your property, you need to implement a dynamic pricing system. This system will allow you to set rates according to the day of the week or time of the year. In this feature, Tokeet uses the algorithm designed by Rategenie to study trends and set prices accordingly.
eSignatures and Forms
When your guest has made a reservation, they will need to sign a rental agreement. This rental agreement will protect both you and the guest, as well as provide the guest will essential information regarding their stay.
With Tokeet property management software, you can schedule to send automated forms designed with lines for the guest to provide their eSignature within the forms.
Other features include:
- Guest Communication
- Housekeeping Management
- Owner Statements
- Reservations Management
- Contact Management
- Guest Experience Management
- Lead Management
- Payment Processing
What Type of Buyer Are You?
If you are looking for vacation rental software, you own a property or multiple properties that you lease out for short term rental. However, different buyers have different sets of needs, which should be factored in when choosing which of these vacation rental software companies to go with.
Many buyers will fall into one of three categories:
Independent Owner with One Property
If you rent out a single property to make extra money, it will most likely not be your main source of income. This kind of buyer isn’t going to require a comprehensive vacation rental system to keep everything maintained and streamline operations.
Instead, this buyer will be looking for more basic features, including booking management, billing and invoicing, and integration with popular listing services.
Independent Owner or Property Manager with Multiple Properties
If you manage or own several vacation rental properties, you want a more complex system to better track your bookings, record maintenance needs, billing and invoicing, and more along multiple properties.
Rental Property Business
If you rent out multiple properties at multiple locations and run a more extensive rental property business, then you want robust software that can help manage your multiple properties.
You will also want a solution that makes keeping and accessing all this information easy and efficient. In addition to the features we have already mentioned, you may also want to find vacation rental software that also includes human resources and customer relationship management.
Other Key Considerations
Each software company offers various functionality levels for your consideration. You want to find software that fits your specific business needs and is designed for your rental properties’ size and scale. You also want to avoid paying fees for features that you really don’t need and won’t use.
Here are a few other things to consider when finding the best vacation rental software:
Multiple Listings
If you are a property owner with multiple listings online, then vacation rental software can help you reach more travelers and better manage your online booking process.
Multiple listings can be a challenge for a vacation rental manager or property management company when they are interested in optimizing their revenue.
Without a more streamlined way of doing things, they will have to communicate with guests and answer inquiries about their vacation rental business that comes through each channel. This is why you need to have something that can be managed in one place.
Property Type
If you have multiple properties for short-term rental, then an owners portal may prove to be a beneficial feature to look for when narrowing down which software solution to go with. This feature gives the owner a separate dashboard to view all relevant information about each of their properties.
Guest Reviews
Guest reviews are critical to a short-term vacation rental business, so having built-in analytic tools that provide actionable insights into how your rental business performs can prove valuable.
Direct Bookings
It is always better for a potential guest to proceed with direct bookings rather than go through a middleman or third party booking engine because it can reduce the risks that can prove problematic with a reservation.
Direct bookings can also help build a customer database, enhance direct offerings, and drive customer loyalty.
Legal Compliance
Since housing and property codes are regularly updating, you want a vacation rental system that helps ensure you stay in compliance with local and national requirements. This requires a more complex system instead of software only offering basic features and functionality.
Account Separation
If you have a business to manage your rental properties, you need to keep your accounting separate from your personal accounting.
The right vacation rental software can help you do just that. For example, some systems integrate with HomeAway or Airbnb and generate trackable bills and invoices.
Conclusion
All vacation rental software will be slightly different from the other, so it is important to know what those differences are and how they can benefit you.
If calendar synchronization and channel management are your priority, choose vacation rental software where this is the best feature; however, make sure there are other important features you can utilize.
Vacation rental software that allows you to design a user-friendly and mobile-friendly website will increase overall guest satisfaction.
Guests who can navigate a website to see availability, rates, and pictures, are more likely to choose your rental property over a website that does not allow this kind of experience.
When comparing vacation rental software, choose software with the most important features for you and your business.
