Glad to Have You™ Surpasses Hospitality Industry Milestone with Now Over 300 Clients
Nov. 4, 2013 –Glad to Have You™, the leading provider of mobilehospitality and guest management solutions, recently surpassed 300 clients using its Guest Management System™ as of October 2013. Glad to Have You™ joined the hospitality software market in the spring of 2012 and has rapidly introduced innovations around mobile applications and backend software through scalability and reliability, PMS integrations as well as customer support and feedback. To date, Glad to Have You™ software solutions are broadly deployed around the world reaching every corner of the United States including several clients in Australia, Canada, Mexico, Europe and the Caribbean.
“Not only is this an incredible milestone for our company” said Glad to Have You™ Co-CEO Jason Sprenkle. “This is a milestone for the hospitality industry. The widespread demand for our software solutions is evident due to the rapid growth we have seen throughout the last year and ahalf.”
In less than 20 months, Glad to Have You™ has rapidly exceeded what few hospitality companies do in a lifetime. Although growing at such afast pace, the mission behind Glad to Have You™ remains to be client focused and continuing to make products and improvements based on the feedback from its clients. Southern Vacation Rentals, located in Destin, FL, is one of those clients that continue to provide feedback in the continuous development of Glad to Have You™ products. Managing over 800+ units along the Gulf Coast, Southern Vacation Rentals has played a key role in the innovation and growth of Glad to Have You™.
“It’s been very delightful to work with Glad to Have You” said Marie Babin COO of Southern Vacation Rentals. “The staff is veryresponsive and very adaptive to new ideas, I’m very excited about the future!”
Hospitality companies across the globe are recognizing the benefits of the Guest Management System™ as a transformative technology with many uses including guest communications, custom content delivery and capturing guest data for re-marketing efforts.
“We believe in helping hospitality companies provide a better overall guest experience,” Sprenkle said. “We reached this milestone thanks to our clients embracing Glad to Have You and by giving us very valuable feedback along the way.”
Glad to Have You™ will be showcasing its software at these upcoming events and conferences:
- HomeAway Breakfast Seminar, Ft. Myers, FL – Dec 10
- HomeAway Breakfast Seminar,, Key West, FL – Dec 12
For more information on Glad to Have You™, please visit http://www.
About Glad to Have You
Glad to Have You™ believes in helping hospitality companies provide a better overall guest experience with improved operational efficiency using the latest technology, simple user-friendly designs, and a guest-centric attitude. Simply put, Glad to Have You™ makes great software that makes hospitality professionals lives easier and improves the guest’s stay.
Over $530 Million Invested in Vacation Rental Startups Since 2011
Over $530 million in disclosed angel and institutional funding has been raised by startups in the vacation rental industry since 2011, with 88% of that investment in consumer facing websites. Over 72% of disclosed capital has been injected into U.S. companies.
Can the market support these new players?
According to the PhoCusWright’s U.S. Vacation Rentals 2009-2014: A Market Reinvented, “Vacation rentals represent a more than $24 billion opportunity in the U.S., that’s more than one fifth of all hotel room revenue and 8% of the total U.S. travel market.”
In addition, the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA) reported the largest Annual Conference in its history in October of this year and is getting ready for their second annual European Seminar in Bruges, Belgium in December. Providing further evidence of growth, HomeAway, Inc. (NASDAQ: AWAY), the current leading marketplace for vacation rentals, is expecting 2013 revenues around $342 million.
At first glance, the market may appear saturated. However, a closer look into the distribution of injected capital exposes market opportunities.
Out of $530 million in funding, over $470 million went to consumer websites with approximately $458 million being spread out among four consumer-facing websites:
- Airbnb (U.S.): $318M
- TruJia (China): $64M
- Housetrip (UK): $60M
- OneFineStay (UK): $15.9M
The Opportunity
Remarkably absent is investment in operational activities and services to support this sprouting marketplace. Both Vacation Rental Managers and individual home owners have increasing operational needs (i.e. websites, mobile communications, channel management, housekeeping, property management software, marketing automation, payment services, etc.)
Out of $530 million, less than $10 million was raised by companies providing supporting products and services to the vacation rental industry.
One of these companies is TurnKey Vacation Rentals, a marketing and professional management solution for individual vacation rental owners, who picked up $1.5 million in seed funding from an all-star cast of angel investors.
“We believe the opportunities for new consumer plays in the vacation rental market are limited with such well-established players like AWAY and now Airbnb so well-entrenched,” said John Banczak, co-founder and Executive Chairman at Turnkey Vacation Rentals. “We believe there is a huge opportunity in the value-added-services area of vacation rentals and believe the next wave of VR startups will help round out the guest and home owner experience while working with entrenched players as opposed to competing with them.”
Impact of Increased Online Competition on Vacation Rental Management Companies
VRMA President Heather Weiermann said, “As the vacation rental industry grows, vacation rental professionals have an opportunity to further define and raise awareness of the professionally managed segment. More than half of the vacation rental market’s total rental revenue now goes to industry professionals, up from 43% in 2007, according to PhoCusWright. For vacation rental professionals this translated to a more than $11.6 billion marketplace in 2012 and the total U.S. vacation rental industry is expected to reach $25.8 billion by 2014.”
With over $470 million injected into consumer-facing websites, online competition for travelers looking to stay in a short-term rental will likely increase, resulting in:
- Rising online marketing expenses
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) concerns
- Increased focus on customer retention efforts
- Branding challenges
- Inventory acquisition and retention efforts
- Increased demand for revenue management tools and services
“The additional exposure is a great thing for the industry, however, it is critical that vacation rental management companies preserve their branding, “said Weiermann. “As consumers search for vacation rentals, they need to be aware of the type of accommodation they’re booking. For the first time, research from PhoCusWright reveals that most travelers prefer to go with a pro, with 31 percent of travelers saying they prefer to book with a vacation rental management company vs. booking direct with a homeowner (25 percent). Guests are more likely to associate key experiences with vacation rental management companies, such as safety and security, customer service, services such as housekeeping, concierge and dining, activities and modern amenities. Vacation rental management companies must protect their brands in order to differentiate themselves in the increasingly competitive marketplace.”
However, there are notable advantages to the addition of well-funded, visible players in the Vacation Rental Industry:
- Increased education and awareness of vacation rentals as a lodging option
- More cohesive effort impacting government regulations concerning vacation rentals
- Increased options to homeowners and vacation rental managers to reach new guest markets
- New and more cost-efficient technology products to help service vacation home management
- Less fragmented marketplace
While the competition among consumer-facing websites as distribution channels for vacation rentals may be tightening, the opportunity for high returns in investment in supporting products and services is wide open. Despite challenges in market fragmentation, legislation and product differentiation, the multi-billion dollar vacation rental industry is here to stay as an important player in the travel sector.
Companies represented in report:
By Amy Hinote
Sources: StartUpBeat.com, Skift.com, Tnooz.com, AngelList.com, TechCrunch.com, Angel.co, WhoGotFunded.com
All Star Vacation Homes Acquires Southern California Vacation Rentals
All Star Vacation Homes -San Diego is born with All Star Vacation Home’s expansion into SoCal. Outgoing VRMA President Steve Trover, CEO of All Star Vacation Homes, and incoming VRMA President Heather Weiermann*, CEO of Southern California Vacation Rentals, join forces in expansion.
All Star Enters the California Market with Acquisition of Southern California Vacation Rentals in La Jolla
CELEBRATION, Fla., Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — All Star Vacation Homes announces expansion into Southern California with the acquisition of Southern California Vacation Rentals. All Star Vacation Homes, that expanded operations into Captiva and Sanibel Island, Fla. in 2012, has a long-established history in the competitive Orlando, Fla. market. In its 16 years as a professional management company, All Star has emerged as an innovative visionary in the vacation rental industry. 
Southern California Vacation Rentals was established in 1999 by Heather Weiermann, and over the past 15 years has built a solid reputation in the La Jolla and Southern California area. All Star Vacation Homes – San Diego (www.allstarvacationhomes.com/san-diego/) will launch with an inventory of luxury vacation homes in the La Jolla / San Diego market through the acquisition.
“We have always put an emphasis on improving our services to accommodate the preferences of our guests,” said All Star Vacation Homes CEO, Steve Trover. “We have surveyed the guests who have been staying in our vacation homes in Orlando since 1998, and, in an overwhelming response, have continued to request California as a western U.S. destination. The La Jolla and San Diego destinations fulfill our ongoing commitment to our guests and are a good fit for expanding the All Star brand on the west coast.”
“Heather has built a strong business in Southern California and has placed a focus on quality of product and service. We look forward to utilizing her knowledge, skills and expertise to collectively grow this market together.”
Weiermann will continue to lead operations in the Southern California area as Chief Operating Officer, California for All Star Vacation Homes.
“All Star Vacation Homes sets the highest standards in our industry,” said Weiermann. “I am thrilled to be joining this team and working together to further advance the professionalism of our industry.”
About All Star Vacation Homes
All Star Vacation Homes brings its passion for high standards and hospitality to elevate the vacation home industry to new levels. Since it was established in 1998, All Star has set a solid foundation in the competitive Orlando landscape and has emerged as a market leader. As the company expands this success into other high demand travel destinations, All Star implements its unique formula of Personalized Service, Quality Home Care, Proven Marketing, Strategic Location and Guest-Influenced Experience to fulfill its vision of creating a vacation home experience like no other.
All Star provides professional management and hospitality services for vacation rental homes, condos and town homes in Kissimmee/Orlando, Fla., Sanibel Island/Captiva, Fla. and San Diego, Calif. For more information, visit www.AllStarVacationHomes.com or call 1-800-396-1173.
*Update: As of 11/26/2013, Heather Weiermann no longer serves as VRMA President. Ben Edwards of Weatherby Consulting and Newman-Dailey Resort Properties, Inc. was named the 2014 president of the VRMA by the Board of Directors.
Google’s Organic Keywords “Not Provided”? 10 Easy Ways for Vacation Rental Managers to Adapt
For Vacation Rental marketers, this latest news from Google is disappointing. Historically, online marketers have been able to see which organic (not paid) keyword(s) drive the most traffic and revenue to their vacation rental website.
Over the last two years, Google has slowly been cutting back the amount of data related to organic searches, but in late September 2013, Google began the process of encrypting search activity. Google is expected to stop providing organic keyword data altogether by the end of the year.
Why this is a bigger problem for Vacation Rentals
Some industries are more affected by this change than others. In the Vacation Rental industry, we face significant competition in the Google SERP’s (search engine results pages) from distribution channels, in addition to local competition. Local marketers have been able to adapt with long-tail, more targeted keyword phrases and were able to measure their effectiveness in Google Analytics. Losing visibility and insight into organic traffic diminishes the ability to compete in Google search.
In addition, keyword data from Paid Search is still available, which means companies with large AdWords (PPC) Budgets (i.e. HomeAway, TripAdvisor, etc.) have more visibility into performance from keywords and can use this information to further optimize their sites for Google search.
The impact of the loss of keyword data for Vacation Rental Managers
According to Search Engine Watch, this change means:
- Organic traffic from Google can no longer be tracked at a keyword level via analytics.
- Limited amount of keyword referral data available in Google Webmaster Tools.
- No visibility into organic traffic numbers: Brand / Non-Brand, Long-Tail Performance, by Keyword Group.
- Decrease in visibility for new keyword opportunities based on analytics data.
- We need to use a different metric set to understand SEO performance.
- We should expand the number of keywords we check rankings for in Google that correlate to high performance URLs.
10 Ways to Adapt
There are ways to continue to succeed in Google search without organic keyword data:
1. User Experience
What is good for your user is good for Google. As Google’s Matt Cutts said, “Succeeding in SEO will be the same as it’s always been if you’re doing it right – give the users a great experience.”
2. Webmaster Tools
You can still get keyword referral data in Google Webmaster Tools with impression versus click data so you have visibility into the keywords people are using and where your site got an impression in the search results. Even thought this data isn’t 100% accurate and is typically only available for a relatively small overall percentage of search queries, there are ways to leverage Webmaster Tools to improve performance.
Read Trent Blizzard’s article 5 reasons you should use Google Webmaster Tools for more info.
3. Site Search
Including a search box on your site and tracking queries gives you insight into what visitors are searching when on your site. Read 9 Ways to Steal Your “Not Provided” Keyword Data Back! to find out how to set up your site search.
4. Add tracking to your homepage quick search
What your visitors search for in the availability search box on your home page can be tracked. Monitoring customer behavior in your availability search can provide you enormous insight into inventory demand for property types during specific data ranges, allowing you to further optimize your site.
5. Bing (remember Bing?)
Bing still provides organic keyword data. Even though the traffic sample set is smaller, you can still see how keyword(s) are performing.
6. Google AdWords
With your Google AdWords account, use the Google Keyword Planner for keyword recommendations and brainstorming.
7. Google Related Searches
Google’s SERP provides a “Searches related to…” feature which can help you to optimize your site.
8. Google Trends
Google launched a new version of Google Trends (combining Google Insights and Google Trends) and allows you to explore a variety of trends in search data. It is a great tool for brand monitoring. This is also a great tool for competitive analysis.
9. Use Your Expertise: Create Great Content & Abandon the Keyword Obsession
A tip from WordStream: “Don’t despair about not having as much keyword data from Google Analytics as in the golden years of days gone by. Maybe we’re trusting technology too much as it is – after all, isn’t your brain the most powerful analytics tool of all?”
Remember, Google doesn’t know your audience like you do. What is your audience looking for from your company? You know this better than anyone else, so take pride in that and use your insider knowledge to your advantage.
10. For Experts: Moz Blog
Moz Founder/CEO and SEO guru Rand Fishkin covers what more advanced search engine marketers can do to make up for this drastic change by finding data from other sources to stay on top of their SEO efforts.
By Amy Hinote
Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals Conference Starts Monday
The 2013 National Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals Conference starts Monday at the Canal Street Marriott in New Orleans, LA.
Join the experts at the New Orleans Marriott! Education and fun times in the “Big Easy”!
Sessions include:
How to set up a Housekeeping Training Program- Inspections 101
- Setting up a standard unit appearance and getting buy-in
- Linens
- Making sense of your data
- Building Trust between housekeeping, maintenance and owner relations staff
- Flooring solutions
- The Money Pit of Housekeeping
- Setting up and managing a Piecerate System
- Do’s and Don’ts of Call-backs
Mandatory safety inspections for vacation rentals vote in Gulf Shores
In Gulf Shores, AL, the city council is hoping to move forward Tuesday on a city law which requires short-term vacation rentals to pass safety inspections before a business license is issued.
This unprecedented legislation will be phased in over a 3 yr period with re-inspections done every 3 years and was prompted by a series of accidents at vacation rental properties.
According to al.com, “Currently there are about 3,900 short-term vacation rental properties within the corporate limits and 1,900 outside the limits but inside the police jurisdiction.”
A memo to the City Council outlining the requirements rental property owners will have to meet says, “These inspections will focus on the life-safety aspects of the unit which shall include decks, balconies, stairs, handrails, guardrails, smoke detectors, rescue openings in bedrooms and any obvious potential threats.”
Brandan Franklin, the city’s chief building official, said while letters were sent out to every business license holder involved with short-term rentals, there was very little complaints and more praise from property management companies and industry representatives.
“A lot of them are grateful for it because it’s a fine line for them to walk getting an owner to fix (problems) and yet maintain that relationship with them that they can keep their business,” Franklin said. “So basically the city will be the quote-unquote ‘bad guy’ to make the owners fix it.”
One sector of concern involves individual renters who list through websites such as VRBO.com (Vacation Rentals By Owners). Once the ordinance is approved, letters will be sent to all business license holders outlining the new regulations in addition to a safety inspection checklist so there are no surprises on what’s required.
According to the draft ordinance, if inspectors find conditions in a dwelling that puts occupants in imminent danger that owner’s business license will be suspended and the dwelling vacated until the issue is fixed. If conditions are found that are not hazardous to occupants, the owner of that short-term rental unit will be given 21 days to fix the problem or have his or her license suspended. Owners will have a right to appeal violations to the City Council.
Franklin has said that owners of older homes would not be required to bring homes up to current building code standards as only “life-safety aspects” will be inspected.
This latest rule for vacation rental property owners follows the approval of new lodging tax reporting guidelines as well as the establishment of a local emergency contact for each unit, both of which go into effect in 2014.
For VRM’s only: New Technology Survey
With all of the new technology products being launched in 2013, VRM Intel wants to hear from you.
For Vacation Rental Managers only, this survey is to find out what you think about the technology you currently have and what you would like to see in the future.
This survey is not sponsored by any of the software providers. It is solely for research, and any contact info you provide will not be shared with any suppliers or technology providers.
We simply would like to get a feel for what you, the Vacation Rental Manager, think about what is being launched and what you would like to see in the future.
So please take our 7 question survey and weigh in.
HomeAway Partners with Expedia
AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Two online travel leaders, HomeAway, Inc. (NASDAQ: AWAY) and Expedia.com (NASDAQ: EXPE), today announced an agreement intended to expand online travel accommodation options by surfacing HomeAway vacation rental properties on Expedia.com. The pilot expected to launch early next year will include properties throughout the U.S. and Mexico, and expands upon the current relationship with BedandBreakfast.com also operated by HomeAway.
Vacation rentals are an increasingly popular travel option for travelers across the globe as they look for accommodations that offer additional space and amenities beyond a traditional hotel room, coupled with the privacy of a home.
“This is a significant milestone for the vacation rental industry and for realizing HomeAway’s mission to make every vacation rental in the world available to every traveler in the world,” said HomeAway CEO Brian Sharples. “As one of the most visited online travel agencies, each month Expedia.com will give millions of travelers the opportunity to discover the benefits of booking a vacation rental, and we look forward to also helping our customers increase the visibility of their properties.”
“As a leading provider of full-service travel bookings, Expedia.com is constantly looking for opportunities to improve the breadth and depth of the products we offer,” said John Morrey, Vice President and General Manager of Expedia.com. “In exploring the addition of standalone vacation rental homes to Expedia.com in the U.S., it made the most sense to do so in partnership with HomeAway, the worlds leading vacation rental provider. We think it will be a win-win-win, for Expedia, HomeAway, and most importantly consumers.”
Vacation Rental Software: Property Management Systems used by 2013 VRMA conference attendees
October 20, 2103 — Top vacation rental software platforms used by attendees at the 2013 Vacation Rental Managers Association National Conference in Nashville, TN.
Vacation Rental Software: Property Management Systems utilized by 2013 VRMA National Conference attendees
Based on the following:
- 173 companies in 2011, 140 in 2012, and 206 in 2013 preregistered for the VRMA National Conference.
- Information presented does not include Wyndham owned companies.
- 7% of property management systems being utilized in 2011. 11% in 2012, and 10% in 2013 of conference attendees are unknown.
2013 Portrait of American Travelers® Reveals Increase in Travel Intentions, But Continued Caution About Household Budgets
82 Percent of Active Travelers Planning to Take the Same or More Trips in the Year Ahead
ORLANDO (September 30, 2013) – Americans intend to take as many or more vacations during the coming year as they did last year, although their list of preferred destinations is smaller and they remain cautious about discretionary expenditures. This is according to the newly released MMGY Global/Harrison Group 2013 Portrait of American Travelers®.
The survey revealed a three percent increase in active travelers planning to “take more trips in the year ahead” (now 18 percent of all travelers), while two thirds (64 percent) of travelers are planning to take the same number of trips this year as they did last year. This compares with 15 percent who are planning to “take fewer trips.” And notwithstanding their concern about household budgets, leisure travelers in all annual household income segments expect to spend slightly more on travel/vacations in 2013 than they did in 2012, a good sign that travel continues to be a priority for Americans when they think about their discretionary spending.
While the recession technically ended in June 2009, Americans’ travel behavior reflects a lingering concern about the impact of the Great Recession on consumer spending, both discretionary and otherwise. Specifically, six in 10 travelers are still looking closely at every spending category, including travel services, seeking ways they can save.
The level of interest in visiting several popular domestic destinations is also flat or has declined. Travelers are interested in visiting approximately 10 percent fewer destinations now than in 2012.
“Technological advances and additional sources of information are also factoring heavily into the decision-making process, as travelers are attempting to make smarter choices, seeking better value and good deals,” explains Steve Cohen, vice president of Insights at MMGY Global, an integrated marketing firm that specializes in the travel industry. “But we are encouraged to see that travelers are planning to spend more on travel and vacations, and that 82 percent are planning to take as many or more trips in the coming year as they did in the previous year.”
Additional insights from the 2013 Portrait of American Travelers® include:
- The Search for Travel Deals. Comparison travel shopping sites such as Kayak and Dealbase have gained in popularity and are now used to make travel reservations by 28 percent of travelers, up from 15 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, six in 10 leisure travelers (58 percent) typically use an online travel agency (OTA) such as Expedia, Travelocity or Orbitz to research travel, yet the incidence of the utilization of OTAs to make travel reservations is down from 66 percent in 2010 to 58 percent in 2013.
- Vroom with a View. With travelers’ cautious attitude toward spending, it comes as no surprise that automobile travel is on the rise. Although the modes of transportation used by travelers remain unchanged since 2010, the incidence of travel by personal automobile has increased from 65 percent in 2010 to 69 percent in 2013.
- Have Smartphone, Will Travel. Smartphone usage among travelers has nearly tripled since 2010, and the act of downloading travel-related applications has also increased dramatically – from 19 percent in 2010 to 36 percent in 2013. Among travelers who have downloaded travel related apps, 54 percent have downloaded airline branded apps, followed by hotel branded apps (38 percent), and destination guides (27 percent).
- Word of Mouth. Eight out of ten travelers (82 percent) express confidence in the recommendations of friends and family members when considering vacation destinations, while six in ten (58 percent) turn to online advisory sites such as TripAdvisor.com. Approximately four in ten travelers (41 percent) are confident in reviews read on a blog, while slightly less (39 percent) are confident in articles found in newspapers, magazines, TV and radio.
- Medical Tourism on the Mind. Travelers are significantly more likely to be familiar with the concept of medical tourism than in previous years (61 percent in 2013 versus 50 percent in 2010). When asked about their interest in having a medical procedure done in a foreign country assuming comparable quality, 22 percent would go “under the knife,” compared with 17 percent in 2010. Interestingly, the top destinations travelers are interested in visiting to receive medical treatment are those that offer universal healthcare coverage: Canada (29 percent), United Kingdom (23 percent), Germany (21 percent) and Sweden (19 percent). Cost savings (87 percent) are cited as the most popular reason why, followed by comparable or better quality of care (66 percent), and access to procedures not covered by their domestic insurance (52 percent).
- Going Green for Green. Though eight out of 10 leisure travelers (79 percent) describe themselves as environmentally conscious, just 10 percent are willing to pay higher rates/fares for environmentally-friendly travel services, and only one in 10 (11 percent) has actually selected an environmentally-friendly travel service supplier who has demonstrated environmental responsibility.
ABOUT THE PORTRAIT OF AMERICAN TRAVELERS?
The Portrait of American Travelers® is a national survey of 2,511 active leisure travelers who reside in households with an annual income of $50,000 or more (including an “af?uent traveler” subset of households with an annual income over $125,000) who have taken at least one leisure trip of 75 miles or more from home during the previous 12 months on which they used overnight accommodations. The survey, which was conducted during February 2013, provides an in-depth examination of the impact of the current economic environment, prevailing social values, and emerging media habits on the travel behavior of Americans. Unlike most surveys in the travel category that simply provide a census of travelers’ behavior, the 2013 Portrait of American Travelers? an emphasis on how consumers plan, purchase and share information about their travel experiences and reveals the underlying motivations that in?uence travel behavior.
ABOUT THE SURVEY METHODOLOGY:
Respondents were selected randomly, screened, and participated in a 45-minute online survey completed in February 2013. All tests of statistical significance were made using a two-population test at the 95 percent level of confidence. The sample is balanced by statistical weighting to ensure the data are representative of all active leisure travelers in America who meet the target profile.
For more information about these insights or other travel industry research from MMGY Global, visit www.mmgyglobal.com.
# # #
MMGY Global is the world’s largest and most integrated global marketing firm with more than 35 years of experience in the travel, hospitality and entertainment industries. The award-winning agency maintains a global communications practice in all marketing channels, serving many of the world’s premier travel and tourism brands. MMGY Global is author of acclaimed industry research (including the Portrait of American Travelers) that identifies the habits and preferences of travelers – insights that serve as the foundation for its marketing strategy. For more information, visit www.mmgyglobal.com.
Using big data to increase the bottom line for vacation rental management companies
Big data is a collection of data from traditional and digital sources inside and outside your company that represent a source for ongoing discovery and analysis. The slideshow below is from a session presented at HomeAway’s RezFest 2103 which talks about how big data affects vacation rental managers and how property managers can utilize data to increase thier revenue and inventory.
Once you start tackling vacation rental data,
•You’ll learn what you don’t know
•You’ll likely be proven wrong on some paradigms you have held close
•You’ll be inspired to take steps to resolve any problems.
•You can use the insights to improve your customer engagement and homeowner acquisition strategies
•You will add more value to both your offline and online interactions.
Special Occasions: the Latest Emerging Trend in Vacation Rentals
Marketing Tips for the Vacation Rental Industry
The vacation rental market suffers from a lack of industry-wide data, but a recent study compiled by Netamatix reveals deep insights about what managers can do to increase bookings. This is the third in a five part series of blog posts based on these insights.
Insight #3: Celebratory trips are boosting the growth of the vacation rental industry.
Did you know 69% of leisure travelers have taken a trip to celebrate a special occasion?
The three most popular celebratory trips are:
1. Milestone Birthdays
2. Milestone Anniversaries
3. Weddings
These trips are ideal for staying in a vacation rental because the average number of people in the traveling party is higher. So what does this mean for you?
Here are 4 tips to take advantage of this emerging trend:
1. Add to their happiness
For example, if you know this is an milestone anniversary, leave a congratulatory card at the rental waiting for them at their arrival. Little touches like these can help separate you from other property managers and lead to referrals. A recent bride and groom left these hilarious (and effective) hangover kits for their guests, something property managers could do as well if they know their guests are visiting for a wedding. A treat like that would surely lead to word of mouth marketing!
2. Connect them with local vendors they might need
Do you know a good restaurant that a group celebrating a 30th birthday would enjoy celebrating at? Do you know a good florist for an extended family to buy flowers for their grandparents’ anniversary? Perhaps you know a limo company that would be great for a group of girlfriends celebrating a bachelorette? Let them know. Going the extra mile makes you a memorable local host, not just a property manager.
3. Be prepared to accept multiple payments from everyone
Whether you want to accept credit card payments one by one over the phone, or you use PayByGroup, make sure it’s hassle-free for your guests. Celebratory trips are a great source of referrals for your business due to the size of the traveling party. You want to make sure they come back, but they won’t if it’s a hassle for them to pay. Many might even choose to not book your property due to the group payment hassles they face within their own traveling party (another reason to use PayByGroup 
)
Keep in mind that accepting multiple payments over the phone is an expensive endeavor. According to Mastercard, companies that do so spend at least $300 per week in staff time collecting payments – that’s nearly $16,000 per year! Group payment solutions like PayByGroup remove this expense for you and streamline the payment process for guests.
4. Market your property as an ideal location for one of these occasions
Does your property have a big jacuzzi? Or maybe a large outdoor space that would be ideal for gathering, grilling, and dining? Make sure you describe it in your property description in a way that appeals to these types of guests. Write it into your copy: “Ideal lawn for a wedding party reception,” “large jacuzzi can fit up to 10 people,” “dining room table can seat a large extended family of up to 16,” etc. Travelers celebrating these special occasions will see you have experience with their needs – whether it’s accepting multi-party payments or recommending a taxi service to bring them home after the wedding reception.
A further step you can take is making it easy for guests to find these large homes on your site. For example, create a page on your website dedicated solely to large homes for special occasions and make sure it is easy to find on your home page. ”Home for Special Occasions” or a similar page title quickly indicates to any person browsing your site that you have a selection of homes with amenities that their traveling party needs (larger dining room, multiple rooms, etc) or are especially refined and suited for a special event.
Remember, travelers spend a lot of money on special occasions like weddings and milestone birthdays. Be sure to capture some of that spending by encouraging travelers to stay with you by implementing the tips described above!
Email Marketing and Gmail’s New Tabs Feature
By Amy Hinote, NAVIS
A few months ago, Google redesigned their inbox, introducing a new Tab format which categorizes user’s emails into Primary, Social and Promotions Tabs, with Promotions taking the far right position on the page.
Gmail is now the #1 worldwide platform for emails with 425 million monthly active users, surpassing Hotmail in 2012. In the hospitality industry, there is a concern that the Tab format could hurt email engagement because it throws marketing messages under the Promotions Tab instead of delivering them to the main-view Primary Tab
Tabs: Good or Bad for Lodging Marketers?
Several companies have done preliminary research on how the new view is affecting email marketing.
For example, email service provider MailChimp found that open rates for promotional emails dropped more than 12% after the new tabbed view was implemented.
Shar VanBoskirk, VP-principal analyst with Forrester Research, said she could see how it could affect open rates. “My gut here is that this certainly gives users a way to overtly, or inadvertently, screen out email messages that were previously going front and center into their inbox,” she said. “So for any marketer, the challenge of being relevant is more critical than it ever was.”
How do your emails end up in the Promotions Tab?
By law, you must provide an ‘unsubscribe’ link for any kind of marketing message. Therefore, it is a simple matter for Gmail to decide that ‘if there’s an unsubscribe link’ – THEN it must be a ‘promotion’ – so it gets put it into the Promotions tab.
Google is also utilizing the Promotions tab to send paid advertisements straight into users’ inboxes (this is a new way to show Google Ads).
How do I get out of Promotions and into Primary?
The only legit ways to get a marketing email out of the Promotions Tab and into the Primary Tab are for your guest to:
- “Drag and drop” your email from the Promotions Tab and into the Primary Tab,
- Right-click on the email (in some browsers) to bring up a small list of options. Click the Move to tab option and select the tab you want to move the email to, or
- Add advanced Search and Filter function in Gmail.
It is very easy to do, but less easy to compel your customer to actually do it.
Remember…your guests and leads have already told you they want to hear from you by subscribing and/or opting in to receive emails from you. Here are some tips to help your emails cut through the “Promotions” clutter.
1. Monitor your response rates by Email Service.
First, see if your email open rates are being affected by this change. Track your Gmail figures as of May 29, 2013 (when Gmail made the change), and compare date ranges to see if you have seen an impact in your open rates. Also compare campaigns with Hotmail/Outlook, AOL, Yahoo, etc.
2. Review your email “From” name, subject line, and pre-header text.
Does your “From” name clearly identify your company or brand as the sender? This is key, because each tab lists new senders by name until the user clicks on the tab.
Also, put your pre-header text to good use, so that the key reason to open your email is clear from a combination of “From” name, subject line and preheader text, regardless of tab or inbox format.
See our blog post: Subject Lines: 8 Tips for getting your emails opened
3. Send an email to Gmail users asking them to put you in Primary
Send a quick email to your Gmail users, i.e. “Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. In order that you continue to receive the latest resort news and specials, please drag and drop this email into your ‘Primary’ column.”
4. Understand the potential impact on real-time emails.
If you are sending subscribers time-sensitive emails, the Tabs feature could delay the immediacy of their response.
Ex-HomeAway Software (HASP) Exec Secures $1.5 mil in All-Star Cast of Angel Investors
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Aug 13, 2013
TurnKey Vacation Rentals, a marketing and professional-management solution for individual vacation rental owners, picked up $1.5 million in seed funding from an all-star cast of angel investors, including the CEOs of Orbitz, and Zillow, and the founders or co-founders of TripIt, Hotwire, Expedia, Zillow and Glassdoor.
Angel investors include Richard Barton (co-founder Expedia, co-founder Zillow, Benchmark), Alexis De Belloy (HomeAway, Accel executive in residence), Barney Harford (CEO Orbitz), Robert Hohman (Expedia, former CEO Hotwire, co-Founder Glassdoor), Joey Levin (CEO, IAC Search), Karl Peterson (co-founder Hotwire, TPG), Spencer Rascoff (co-Founder Hotwire, CEO Zillow) and Greg Slyngstad (co-Founder Expedia, founder VacationSpot, Kayak board).
In addition to TurnKey co-founder and CEO T.J. Clark and co-founder and executive chairman John Banczak, Hotwire and TripIt co-founder Gregg Brockway and Eric Goldreyer, founder of BeadandBreakfast.com, take seats on the TurnkeyVR board.
Clark, who was corporate counsel for Hotwire in its startup days 13 years ago and previously served as CEO of Limos.com, says Austin-based TurnKeyVR will handle vacation rental owners’ listings on HomeAway, VRBO, Airbnb and Flipkey, perform revenue management functions, as well as take care of all guest interactions, including the booking process and the stay itself, all for a 10% fee.
In addition, TurnKeyVr facilitates the unit’s cleaning, which the guest pays for, and contracts with the owner to handle service issues such as a broken air-conditioner or other problems in the vacation home, Clark says.
“We are trying to be the Walmart of industry pricing, but also with a better level of service,” Clark says, adding that the company has no desire to be a consumer play.
Competitors would include the Evolve Vacation Network, which provides some similar services to owners, and also offers rentals to consumers.
Clark says mobile abilities play a vital role in providing services to owners, as well as guests.
TurnKeyVR uses a “mobile dispatch system” to contract with local plumbers and cleaning services for owners, and on the consumer end, TurnKeyVR offers iPhone and Android apps that provide guests with information such as directions to the property and area attractions.
After booking, guests recieve an invitation to download the app, which also includes the unlock code to enter the vacation home.
Asked what attracted the investors, Clark says they realize that vacation rentals are a booming arena, and that there is great opportunity to improve the management and guest experience.
TurnkeyVR is currently operational in Austin — in HomeAway’s backyard — and will expand from there, Clark says.
TurnKeyVR co-founder Banczak, like Clark, has Hotwire on his resume. Banczak ran airline, car rental and global distribution system operations at Hotwire.
But, more importantly, Banczak was president of BedandBreakfast.com when HomeAway acquired it in 2010, and then joined HomeAway, where he managed the software for professionally property managers, overseeing HomeAway’s acquisitions of Instant Software and Escapia.
Banczak left HomeAway about a year-and-a-half ago. http://skift.com/2013/08/13/vacation-rental-startup-gets-1-5-million-in-funding-from-all-star-investors/
Email Subject Lines: 8 Tips for Getting your Emails Opened
By Amy Hinote, NAVIS
The Subject line of your email campaign is the first thing your reader sees and can mean the difference between being read and being dumped.
There are other factors which affect open rates, such as:
- List quality
- Frequency
- Sender
- Nature of the message
However, the Subject line can make or break your email effectiveness. Here are 8 tips for writing successful subject lines.
1. Keep it short.
Keep your subject lines simple, to the point and under 50 characters.
2. Don’t be vague.
Tell your reader exactly what is in the email.
3. What is in it for them?
Provide the reader with a reason to explore your message further. Choose clarity over cleverness.
4. Do not use these words.
Most marketers know words such as “free” trigger spam filters, but recently email service provider MailChimp published the results of their study on the relationship between open rates and subject lines, analyzing the open rates for over 200 million emails. The study found a negative open rate correlation with the following words:
- Help
- Percent off
- Reminder
Email solutions provider iContact published a more expansive list of words not to use in your Subject line:
5. Keep it local, not personal.
The MailChimp study also found personalization, such as including a recipient’s first name or last name, did not significantly improve open rates. However, providing localization, such as including a city or region, had a positive impact.
6. Avoid newsletter drop-off.
When you first begin sending a newsletter, open rates can be attractive. However, according to the study, all newsletters experience some reduction over time. If you send a newsletter to your guests, keep content new and relevant, and change the subject line.
“While it is important to establish continuity and branding in a newsletter, ideally each new campaign should provide a clear indication in the subject line of what is inside this newsletter that is of interest.”-MailChimp
7. Tone down promotional emails.
As in any other medium, promotional emails don’t perform as well as emails where the reader has a “high level of emotional affinity or expects valuable and timely information.”
- No exclamation points!
- No ALL CAPS
- No splashy promotional phrases
Tip: “Subject lines framed as questions can often perform better…Vague teasers, constant reminders, and pleas for money are not going to cut through the inbox clutter. When it comes to subject lines, don’t sell what’s inside. Tell what’s inside.”
8. Take the time to test.
Even though the tips above are known as general best practices in Subject line composition, by testing you will learn what resonates well with your particular guests.
One way to test is to divide your list in half, with half receiving one subject line and the other half receiving the second subject line. The results are then applied to future subject line creation (i.e. some audiences engage better with subject lines that are more catchy and clever than those that are to-the-point).
Another way to test is to send two subject lines at the same time to a portion of the list (maybe ¼). 24-48 hours later, you will know which subject line was more successful and can send to the remaining ¾ of your list with the winning subject line.
Here is a helpful infographic from Autoloop demonstrating some of the tips referenced above.
Emerald Grande Boosts Voice Conversions 20%, Raises ADR with Sales Training, Caller Demographic Data
August 1, 2013 – Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village is a Gulf front destination in Destin, Florida, but it is not your average beach resort. Emerald Grande is a luxury condominium hotel with an inventory of mostly three or four bedroom units that delivers a $500 in-season ADR. Its multiple room types, amenities, and high nightly rate add up to a complex leisure reservation sales process. To maximize the resort’s high revenue potential, Chief Operating Officer, Bruce Craul took action two years ago to develop a world class sales team for his world class property.
Voice: the high-revenue booking channel
“Our reservation staff is great, but I am always looking for ways to improve processes and increase revenue,” Craul said. “Like most high-value leisure properties, voice is our major booking channel. Guests check us out online, but they call the property to finalize a booking decision for a $3,500 vacation at Emerald Grande. We get lots of inquiries. It was clear that if our reservation team could convert more calls, it would make a big difference on the bottom line.” Craul selected NAVIS, a reservation sales system company, to implement its comprehensive sales optimization program.
Reservation sales training boosts Emerald Grande’s revenue 10% – 20%
“NAVIS specializes in phone reservation sales optimization,” Craul said. “They trained our reservation managers in professional sales skills, installed phone system technology that displays caller demographics and provides call recording, created an out-bound call program, and they monitor our monthly conversion scores to track performance. Each agent owns their account and is incented to close the business. The program was comprehensive – and effective. We have a 10% – 20% revenue improvement with their sales processes depending on the time of year.”
The Navis System records all calls between the Emerald Grande’s reservations staff and the callers. Management reviews each one to refine sales ability and improve conversion rate scores. “This is the most sophisticated reservation optimization process in the industry,” Craul said. “Our team developed the skill to close more than 35% of all inbound calls. We would convert even more business, but often we don’t have the availability and have to issue a regret.” Craul said the NAVIS’ sales reporting lets him know more about what is going on with his business to make decisions based on solid information.
105% revenue growth with fewer rooms
The resort turned over 17 units to Wyndham Vacation Club in 2012, but Emerald Grande increased its revenue despite the smaller inventory. “In the past year we lost 510 room nights to Wyndham, but still made 105% of the previous year’s revenue. We could not have done this without NAVIS.” Emerald Grande also initiated a highly effective outbound call program to follow up on reservation inquiries. Craul said, “When someone calls for information, NAVIS’ system displays the caller’s phone number and other information. Their team trained us in out-bound lead follow up and the caller information creates a data-rich lead to develop. Our outbound calls generate a huge amount of revenue simply by following up on inquiries that did not commit on their first call.”
Craul explained that staff training was an integral part of the NAVIS system at Emerald Grande and that his team took the sales classes to heart. “I watched our reservations people become sales professionals, real closers. NAVIS showed our team how to build a relationship with each caller and make them want to come here. They ask questions about the caller’s family and their favorite activities, and match our offering with what is valuable to them. On the technology side, NAVIS provided our reservations agents with a second screen on their desk that displays each caller’s location, demographics, socio economic profile, and phone number. This helps us know our callers better, provide better service, and it sets the stage for our outbound sales effort.”
“We are a luxury leisure resort and voice channel continues to be the primary revenue source,” said Craul. “Our decision to invest in a program to make our call center processes more sales-focused and our reservation team more professional was a good one. The ROI on this decision was very fast.” Click here to learn more about NAVIS’ reservations sales system.
Way to Go! Glad to Have You Announces Company Milestone with Guest Management System for Hospitality Industry
July 14, 2013 –Glad to Have You™, the leading provider of mobile hospitality and guest management solutions, recently announced it surpassed 250 customers using its Guest Management System™ as of July 2013.
“This is an incredible milestone for our company,” said Glad to Have You™ Co-CEO Jason Sprenkle. “For over a year we have worked diligently to provide our clients with the tools and resources they need to successfully manage their properties and guests.”
“It’s a passionate community of people. They’re loving what we do,” Sprenkle said. “We are excited about our clients embracing Glad to Have You™ as we continue to use the latest technology, simple user friendly designs, and a guest-centric attitude to quickly and continuously improve the hospitality experience.”
The Glad to Have You™ Guest Management System™ allows companies to more efficiently manage their guest and property information, while providing guests with an easier, more informed and overall more enjoyable travel experience. The solution was recently featured in a HomeAway® Partner Case Study proving to save 260 work hours over a one-year period for client Beachfront Only Vacation Rentals based in California.
“I was impressed with the GTHY team and the ease of setup and implementation,” said Beachfront Only Marketing Director Jennifer Sipe. “GTHY is so easy to use, it’s flexible, and everything is real-time. If I have an idea or suggestion, the software can either most likely already do it, or the GTHY team will make it happen.”
In addition to its base Guest Management System™, which includes white label mobile applications, guest specific content delivery, and guest communication and remarketing tools, Glad to Have You™ will soon release its newest product called gladRESPONDER™. gladRESPONDER™ is an innovative guest inquiry auto responder which produces more bookings with less work. At about the same time, Glad to Have You™ plans to release a new interface with BeHome247, Inc., a leader in home access and automation control. This partnership will create an enterprise solution for the vacation rental industry that will change the way property managers manage access and energy control. It will provide property managers and their guests real-time access to their rental units from anywhere in the world and the ability to automate much of what is done manually now.
Meet Glad to Have You™ at these upcoming events and conferences:
- Rezfest 2013, Las Vegas, NV – Sept 24-26, 2013
- VRMA, Nashville, TN – Oct 20-23, 2013
- SMS/HUG, Vail, CO – Nov 3-7, 2013
For more information on Glad to Have You™, please visit http://www.gladtohaveyou.com
About Glad to Have You
Glad to Have You™ believes in helping hospitality companies provide a better overall guest experience with improved operational efficiency using the latest technology, simple user-friendly designs, and a guest-centric attitude. Simply put, Glad to Have You™ makes great software that makes hospitality professionals lives easier and improves the guest’s stay.
Chicago Suburb Allows Vacation Rentals with Regulations
Aldermen OK vacation rental rules on 5-4 vote
Submitted by Bill Smith on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, at 10:19 am
Evanston aldermen gave final approval this week to a revised plan to license short-term rentals.
What started last fall as a demand from neighbors of one property on Ashland Avenue near Ryan Field that vacation rentals be completely banned, ended up as a much more limited set of restrictions.
Many of the changes were proposed by Alderman Don Wilson, 4th Ward, who at Monday night’s meeting won approval to change the ordinance’s wording to let homeowners rent their properties once a year for a period shorter than a month without requiring any city oversight.
In addition, short-term rentals would be permitted without a license in connection with a contract to sell the property and in the case of persons displaced while their own home was being repaired.
People who want to rent out their property for periods of less than a month more than once a year will be required to seek a license.
Gaining the initial license will require providing notice to neighbors and winning approval from the City Council.
Annual license renewals would generally be handled by city staff. The license will also require payment of a $50 annual fee.
Alderman Coleen Burrus, 9th Ward, was among those voting against the ordinance. She said the measure was “trying to fix things that aren’t broken” and that “people will find ways around it.”
In addition to Wilson and Burrus, aldermen Delores Holmes, 5th Ward, and Mark Tendam, 6th Ward, voted against the measure.
Trent Blizzard shows how to turbocharge your reviews with “rich snippets”
Turbocharge Your Reviews With Rich Snippets
Adding reviews to your vacation rental web pages is a slam-dunk. Consumers love them, plain and simple. Reviews have several key benefits, they:
- Improve your “dwell time” (the time consumers stay on your page after clicking on it in a search engine)
- Improve your conversion rate (According to Revoo, reviews cause an 18% uplift in sales)
- Improve your credibility and engagement.
- Add fresh and new content to your pages.
While adding reviews to your website is an important step, coding them as “rich snippets” is what really turbocharges them. The key difference is that a rich snippet actually shows your reviews right in your search results:
- Makes your results stand out in search engines
- Increase the CTR Click-Thru-Rate when you do show up in search (10-20% according to Distilled)
Can you spot the webpage that uses rich snippets below? Would you be more likely to click on it?
A review on your website may look like this:
Harborview Condo
by Trent Blizzard on February 15, 2013
“This is a beautifully decorated condo. It was very clean and
had a nice view of the harbor.”
But, look below at how the review can coded in your html, helping Google see the “data” within the review:
The example above is a very simple one and depending upon your situation many more data elements can be added to the review. I used Schema Creator to create the code above. You will most certainly want to consult with your webmaster on how best to code your reviews for maximum effect.
After you code your reviews, make sure you use the Google Structured Data Testing tool to preview what your review will look like in Google. Here is a screenshot of…Read More
