We bet that if you have more than 1 property in your portfolio, you'll have utilised a popular property management system (PMS) to help manage your operations. Technology is the key to scale. These SaaS PMS tools like Guesty can pretty much organise the core operations of all your properties from just one dashboard view. And that's everything from the cleaning and maintenance schedule, managing bookings and often communications with guests, too.
Beyond PMS tech solutions for Airbnb hosts and investors
However, there is lots of other great Airbnb technology that can enable SA/STR owners and managers to run high yielding property and hospitality businesses. Some of these are direct Airbnb software partner apps while others are standalone tech that can help you offline or on different platforms. Are you missing out on any of the below that could really help your business take off this year?
Dynamic pricing software for hosts on different OTA platforms This type of software uses data analysis and machine learning to adjust your rental pricing based on demand, seasonality, and other factors. This helps ensure that you're charging the right price for your property at any given time, maximizing your revenue. The increasing trend for last minute bookings has seen ever more players enter this space and offering improved functionality to maximise the rate you can charge.
Smart appliances and furniture for holiday homes A smart homestay can really take your guest experience to an elevated level. Consider investing in smart music devices so guests can easily play their favourite soundtracks during the stay; smart TVs with Netflix and the other streaming services are almost expected these days; smart thermostats and light devices will no doubt add a bit of luxury to their stay; and smart cameras outside the property can allow you to see the guests as they arrive and any other potential issues that could arise during a stay. You can even look at tech to assess noise levels inside and outside the property. We're even seeing the age of the QR code come into serviced accommodation - for example, let your guests access all the welcome information they need for the stay through the code rather than provide physical copies (which can easily go out of date and have to be reprinted).
Channel management software to rent your holiday homes across multiple platforms This type of software allows you to manage your property listings across multiple platforms, such as Airbnb, Booking.com, and Holidaylettings.com. It helps ensure that all your listings are synced and up-to-date, avoiding double bookings and inaccurate pricing. Lodgify and Hostaway are great examples of popular channel managers to check out. While advertising across multiple platforms can be essential in the competitive market for guests, get it wrong and it'll be the biggest source of dissatisfaction. So invest in the right channel manager system to help alleviate any potential problems there.
Smart locks and access management tools These tools allow you to remotely control access to your property, allowing guests to check-in and check-out without needing to meet you in person. This can save you valuable time and oftentimes provide a better guest experience. Self check-in may also act to attract particular guests, with Airbnb one particular platform that allows potential visitors to filter properties that allow for self check-in.
Cleaner and inventory management apps for Airbnb hosts Here's one that many serviced accommodation and short term rental owners are raving about. These apps allow you to organise cleaning operations hyper efficiently - e.g. letting cleaners know when the place needs to be cleaned, sharing the checklist for them to tick off, record how much time they've spent cleaning, as well as allowing them to upload photos of each room. And you can also view the inventory levels in the home together so they know which ones to stock up in advance or so they can mark it as low or adequately plenished. We think it's a must-have bit of tech, especially when managing multiple properties, so we wrote a separate piece about it which you can access at the link above.
Guest communication tools While the slick modern PMS tools should allow for this, depending on where your visitors are coming from (in particular if coming back to you repeat or direct to your website), specific SaaS tools dedicated to communication with guests pre, during and post booking can be a real boon. These features allow for automated messaging, chatbots, and video conferencing to help you stay in touch with your guests and address their needs quickly and efficiently.
Online booking and payment platforms to take direct bookings Another tool particularly geared for those wanting to attract guests directly as opposed to via purely OTAs like Airbnb and Booking . com. Offering an online booking and payment system that is easy to use and facilitiates quick payments can drastically improve the guest experience pre-booking as well as making your job easier when it comes to cashing up at the end of the day!
Deposit and ID collection Explore standalone tools that let you gather this automatically upfront as it can save you a lot of time and ensure your are adequately protected in the case of damage to the property. Hopefully your PMS choice and even OTA such as Airbnb has this built into it but in case it's lacking in any way, there are separate tech tools to enable this.
We are now hosting events that gather proptech partners, Airbnb suppliers and startups with SA/STR owners and managers in the same room, so you can learn direct from the experts. Check out our first Airbnb investor networking event here and register ASAP for a place.
With so much innovation coming into property management and hospitality, pick and choose which tech could work best for your goals, improve efficiences and offer a better guest experience all around. It could make all the difference for your business.
And if you want more how-to guides about buying and owning Airbnbs, check out more from the blog:
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