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Link to Booking.com using LeisureLink/HomeAway Software Integration

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VRM Intel Staff
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LeisureLink™ was selected to be the preferred partner for HomeAway Software® for vacation rental listing distribution to Booking.com. The agreement leverages LeisureLink’s extensive online network to maximize exposure and seamless inventory distribution to drive higher revenue for professional property managers using HomeAway Software.

LeisureLink offers HomeAway Software customers one consolidated platform for channel management, distribution technology and expert services. The Utah-based company is a recognized industry pioneer, delivering more than one billion dollars in bookings to clients since 2007 and has the largest network of distribution partners, collectively reaching more than eighty million travelers monthly.

“We have enjoyed a long, successful relationship with HomeAway Software, and are excited to expand our distribution partnership to maximize exposure on additional channels,” says Julian Castelli, LeisureLink CEO. “HomeAway Software provides some of the best business tools to manage the operations of a property management company, and our distribution tools are an ideal complement to that toolset. We have tremendous confidence in what the value of our new partnership will bring to HomeAway Software’s customers.”

“LeisureLink has been one of our key distribution partners for many years,” says Bill Furlong, HomeAway Vice President and General Manager. “They have always been at the forefront of innovation and emerging technology for the vacation rental industry.  We are very excited for this latest initiative which exemplifies our ongoing commitment to provide the broadest possible distribution opportunities for our customers.”

As a platinum sponsor of HomeAway Software’s RezFest 2015, LeisureLink will be a featured exhibitor at the premier technology and networking conference for the vacation rental industry, from October 6-8, at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas. The company has also announced they will be extending exclusive pricing and product options to HomeAway Software users at the conference.

To learn more or request a live demo of the LeisureLink solution, please visit http://content.leisurelink.com/demo-land-page or call 1.855.840.2249.

 

About LeisureLink 

Salt Lake City-based LeisureLink helps vacation property suppliers optimize the value of distribution by providing one platform with access to the majority of online travel agencies like Expedia, Booking.com, Airbnb, and Orbitz, all major global distribution system players, and the top travel tour operators. Through Leisurelink, suppliers can optimize rates, availability, specials, and even change content. LeisureLink also provides many value-added services, such as specialty distribution consulting, and accounting reconciliation.  For more information, visit LeisureLink.com, One LINK to more bookings – online, offline anywhere.

About HomeAway Software

HomeAway Software is the leading provider of property management software for professional vacation rental managers. HomeAway Software solutions consist of powerful productivity tools that automate key vacation rental management tasks, streamline operations, and help vacation rental managers maximize their online potential through world-class websites, booking engines, and the industry’s leading distribution programs. HomeAway Software is part of HomeAway, Inc. (NASDAQ:AWAY) the world’s leading online marketplace of vacation rentals.

NAVIS Launches New Narrowcast Vacation Rental Edition

By
VRM Intel Staff
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NAVIS announced the launch of NAVIS Narrowcast Vacation Rental Edition, a modular and scalable version of their award-winning reservation sales system designed to scale and meet the needs of vacation rental property managers – whether they are managing 75 properties or tens of thousands of units distributed globally.  NAVIS’ solutions support thousands of agents booking over $1.4 billion annually and the new Narrowcast Vacation Rental Edition empowers vacation rental clients to cost effectively drive increased lead conversion, bookings and revenues. NAVIS Narrowcast is a unique suite of innovative web-based tools and best practices that increase reservation conversions, measure marketing effectiveness, capture more guest and prospect data, and report key management analytics.

This new edition of the powerful Narrowcast system offers an innovative, modular technology architecture that allows options to be turned on or off and scaled up based on the unique needs of each client.

NAVIS expanded its suite of solutions to meet its clients most demanding requirements and the Vacation Rental Edition allows clients to select the Narrowcast features and capabilities tailored for vacation rental companies. Core capabilities of the solution include:

 

  • Narrowcast Lead Management provides comprehensive lead management capabilities to easily capture, convert, and manage prospective guest inquiries from all online and offline sources with advanced HomeAway, VRBO, and FlipKey lead integration.
  • Narrowcast Connect delivers industry leading call/contact center capabilities to manage and prioritize inquiry routing, handling, and delivery to boost efficiency and productivity to improve guest experience.
  • Narrowcast Outbound schedules, tracks and initiates outbound call follow-up to dramatically increase bookings.
  • Narrowcast Achieve manages sales team performance with comprehensive call analytics, key performance indicators (KPIs), encrypted call recording, scoring, coaching, conversion, and real-time reporting for all aspects of contact center sales operations.
  • NAVIS Push includes Push2Chat and Push2Call capabilities that integrate within websites, outbound emails, and online marketing programs to engage more potential guests, provide immediate response regardless of inquiry channel, and systematically capture lead conversations and data.
  • Narrowcast TWI Campaign Tracker measures, reports and attributes revenue booked by web and by phone for all online and offline marketing campaigns, leveraging integration with more than 25 PMS solutions.
  • NAVIS Client Advocates ensure high levels of client success by providing best practices, data interpretation, proven strategic counsel, and accountability.

 

Just from implementing NAVIS’ lead management technology and best practices, vacation rental companies often see an average increase of 5 to 7 points in lead conversion. According to NAVIS client Kristin Robinson of Island Realty, “NAVIS helps vacation rentals work smarter and maximize revenue by illuminating what is and is not working in their businesses.”

“For 28 years NAVIS  has been committed to the vacation rental industry, and the launch of Narrowcast Vacation Rental Edition is a result of closely listening to the needs of vacation rental managers.,” said company president and CEO, Kyle Buehner. “We are developing intuitive solutions to help our clients manage and grow their business, regardless of their stage or size. The new Narrowcast Vacation Rental Edition offers more streamlined functionality that is easier to use, and will scale as business goals evolve. We are extremely excited about being able to empower more clients to increase bookings and capture market share in the fast growing vacation rental industry.”

With a client retention rate of 97%, NAVIS is the industry leading provider of products and services to help vacation rental management companies, resorts and hotels convert more reservations, connect with more leads 24/7, and optimize online and offline marketing – all leading to dramatically increased revenue.

 

About NAVIS

 

NAVIS is an award-winning hospitality sales and marketing optimization company that increases leisure voice booking conversions and  revenue for vacation rental companies, resorts and hotels. NAVIS provides a proven system that enables clients to base reservation sales and marketing decisions on accurate, real-time data. The NAVIS system uncovers previously hidden revenue sources. It provides operators with 100% of the revenue source picture, not just online and social media bookings. It implements powerful outbound  sales strategies and measures true marketing ROI for each online and offline campaign. NAVIS captures guest and prospect data, tracks key revenue metrics, and provides 24/7 reservation call center services to help operators increase occupancy, ADR, and close more leisure business. To learn more visit www.MeetNavis.com.

VRHP Taps Housekeeping VR Expert Durk Johnson as New Executive Director

By
VRM Intel Staff
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VRHP

Kill Devil Hills, NC., Oct. 12, 2015 – Vacation rental housekeeping advocacy and resource organization, Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals (VRHP), has hired a top director from Vacasa to fill its Executive Director role. This new hire exemplifies VRHP’s continued commitment to training, knowledge, and passion for housekeeping.

Durk V. Johnson will serve as VRHP’s Executive Director, and will leverage his strong vacation rental housekeeping management background to implement policy at the industry level.

“I look forward to the opportunity to help further the mission of VHRP,” says Johnson. “I am excited to work with VRHP membership to raise the bar of vacation rental housekeeping.”

Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals Board Chair and owner of Taylor Made and Deep Creek Vacations and Sales, Joe Refosco says that the organization tapped Johnson for the role in anticipation of continued growth in the short-term rental market and increased need for strong housekeeping leadership. Since its founding in 1999, VRHP has set the standard for industry professionals, requiring members to follow a strict set of guidelines to ensure quality metrics are reached.

Prior to joining VRHP, Johnson served as Director of Housekeeping for rising vacation rental management company Vacasa, which manages a portfolio of more than 2,600 vacation homes worldwide.

“I’m excited that Durk will be sharing best practices industry-wide as part of VRHP,” says Vacasa Chief Executive Officer Eric Breon. “We can all benefit from improvements in housekeeping, and better housekeeping across all of our companies will help the industry as a whole.”

Johnson will manage VRHP’s day to day operations, the national convention, create and present at local seminars, and create synergy with other hospitality organizations.

About Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals

Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals is the only housekeeping organization dedicated to vacation rental housekeeping. The organization is dedicated to helping vacation rental companies maintain and improve outstanding housekeeping services for guests, owners, and employees. For more information, visit www.vrhp.org.

Quick Guide to A/B Testing for VRM Emails

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VRM Intel Staff
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By Regan Hann, Bluetent –All of the best practices we’ve established here in the email department have been the result of testing, so we strongly encourage self-service clients to dive in and start testing their campaigns. A/B testing is essential to discovering what works with your audience and getting the best open rates and click through rates possible.

In the email world, an A/B test is simply sending two campaigns that differ in just one way to a small portion of your list, determining the most successful campaign of the two, and sending that campaign to the remainder of your list. It sounds complex, but thankfully our email software makes testing easy.

Bluetent A-B Testing Vacation Rental Emails

 

What can you test?

  • Subject lines
  • Calls-to-action
  • Images
  • Email length
  • Promotion language
  • Number of properties listed
  • Time of send
  • Day of send

There are so many ways you can use A/B testing. The key is to get creative and test as much as possible. Unsure about a subject line? Test it! Can’t decide if “$100 off” or “10% off” will produce the best results? Test it! Testing is really a cure-all for any dilemma you may have when building your email campaigns. So how do you get started?

1. Choose a variable that you would like to test, such as a subject line or a call-to-action. You should only alter one variable for each test so that you can accurately determine the reason for any improvement in your conversions.

2. Follow these steps to set up your test:

  • If you would like to test a subject line, follow these steps:
    1. Select “Create a new campaign” from your homepage
    2. Select the  “A/B test” icon at the top of the page
    3. Select “Subject line” from the list of options
    4. Enter your first subject line into field “A” and enter your second subject line into field “B”
    5. Select “Next” at the bottom of the page and proceed to edit or schedule your campaign as you normally would.
  • If you would like to test content within your email, follow these steps:
    • Select “Create a new campaign” from your homepage
    • Select the “A/B test” icon at the top of the page
    • Select “Email content” from the list of options
    • Enter your campaign name, subject line, from name, and reply-to address. Select “Next”.
    • Select the template you would like to use and build out the content for Version A. When complete, select “Preview” in the top right corner, then select “Define content for version B” in the top right corner
    • Select “Copy from Version A” and edit only the variable that you would like to test. When complete, select “Preview” in the top right corner, then select “Define recipients” in the top right corner.
    • Choose the list you would like to send your campaign to, and select “Define A/B split”.
    • Adjust the percentage of your list being sent the test versions by moving the scroll bar left and right. We recommend sending the test versions to 40% total, 20% receive version A and 20% receive version B.
    • Choose which conversion you would like to determine which campaign is sent to the remainder of your list under the “Selecting a Winner” section.
    • Select the length of your test under the “How long should we run the test” section, then click “Next” and proceed to edit or schedule your campaign as you normally would.

3. At the scheduled time, our email software will send Version A and Version B to the designated percentage of your list and monitor opens and clicks for the amount of time you indicated. After that time, the winning campaign will automatically be sent to the remainder of your list.

4. The discrepancy between Version A and Version B may be small or quite significant. To view your test results, click the title of your campaign from the “Recently sent campaigns” section of your “Overview” homepage. Click the “See A/B Report” link above the graph on the reporting snapshot. From here, you will be able to see how much the conversions from each campaign version varied. This information is important to pay attention to so that you can learn more about your audience and improve your campaigns based on the information collect.

Long story short, A/B testing is the key to improving engagement with your email campaigns and it’s never too soon to start trying a test or two. If you have any questions about A/B testing or want more one-on-one instruction, contact Bluetent.

VRM Acquisitions in 2015

By
VRM Intel Staff
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As the vacation rental industry has seen a staggering $2.1 billion of disclosed venture capital injected in 2015 for online marketplaces and technology tools, the industry is also seeing acquisitions among vacation rental managers.

As of October 2015, below is the list of acquisitions of vacation rental management companies.

2015 Acquisitions

 

 

Next week VRM Intel is releasing a report detailing five years of funding in the vacation rental industry, but below is a sneak peek at companies receiving funding in 2015:

 

2015 Funding in Vacation Rental Industry

 

Vacation Rental Marketing Bootcamp

By
VRM Intel Staff
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When looking to determine a vacation rental management company’s marketing budget and plan, concrete education and information is hard to come by. On October 27, 2015, at the VRMA Annual Conference in New Orleans, VRM Intel’s Amy Hinote and industry marketing guru Amber Mayer are conducting a hands-on, fact-filled, four-hour tactical bootcamp seminar designed to work with vacation rental marketers to analyze current marketing strategies, determine how much money should be spent on marketing, demonstrate how to create a marketing budget, and discover ways to save money and increase the effectiveness of the marketing plan.

Participants will receive example marketing budgets, along with the latest information on both old and new marketing tactics. The roundtable format will allow marketers to hear from each other about effective strategies, how to avoid pitfalls and how to measure performance.

Some of the marketing tactics we will examine are SEO/SEM, website design, distribution channels, email marketing, marketing automation, direct mail, utilizing the tools in your PMS, and more. With each marketing tactic, we will discuss in depth what is new, what has changed, how to measure ROI, in-house vs outsourcing, and ways to save money while optimizing for success. We will also demonstrate how to plug your strategy into a marketing budget, and how to manage expenses throughout the year.

To sign up, go to http://www.vrma.com/bootcampsessions

 

RealTimeRental Vacation Rental Software Launches Tenant Portal

By
VRM Intel Staff
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RealTimeRental has recently announced the launch of their new Tenant Portal. The RealTimeRental Tenant Portal allows vacation rental companies to give their rental guests online access to their vacation information and the ability to make online payments.

“Keeping up with the current trends in the vacation rental industry, we wanted the RealTimeRental Tenant Portal to help Property Management and Real Estate companies offer their rental guests a secure and modern online travel experience” said Sherry Tomasso, co-founder of RealTimeRental.

Through the RealTimeRental Tenant Portal, rental guests can view the details of their bookings and access information about the rental property including photos and amenities. Rental guests can log in to their secure tenant portal account and make payments on existing bookings with credit cards or electronic check, if the rental company chooses to accept these payment types.

Rental Retreat Tenant Portal For Vacation Rentals“Today’s traveler is used to planning their vacation online. In addition to RealTimeRental’s property links that integrate with existing websites and our property owner portal, we wanted to give RealTimeRental clients another way to interact with their rental guests online” said Tomasso. “The Tenant Portal was designed with not only the professional vacation rental manager in mind, but also the overall rental guest experience.”

Designed to be user friendly, the RealTimeRental Tenant Portal has a video tutorial menu that walks the rental guest step by step through the payment process. Rental guests can also update their personal contact information on the Tenant Portal, and it will be automatically updated in RealTimeRental vacation rental software.

All payments received through the Tenant Portal are seamlessly integrated with RealTimeRental’s, industry leading, trust accounting package.

“One of the main benefits of RealTimeRental’s trust accounting package is the fact that it is fully integrated with our comprehensive reservation system,” said Joseph Testa, co-founder of RealTimeRental.

Whether payments are received through the tenant portal or processed through the rental office, RealTimeRental creates a full audit trail from the moment the money is received through payout. Rental offices can keep track of their finances all in one system without having to purchase or use additional accounting software.

“Many RealTimeRental clients are vacation rental companies who have built lasting relationships with their rental guests and have repeat tenants year after year. Because of our client’s high guest retention rates, we decided to include guests’ past rental history in the Tenant Portal,” said Testa.

The RealTimeRental Tenant Portal displays the past rental history of the guest, as well as details about the vacation rental properties that they have stayed in. The lease history section of the Tenant Portal also features a rebook request form. Rental Guests can inquire about availability on their past favorite rental properties and send a message to the property manager right from within the RealTimeRental Tenant Portal.

The launch of the Tenant Portal follows the successful release of www.RentalRetreat.com, RealTimeRental’s distribution portal that was launched earlier this year.

“It is very important to have an online presence in today’s vacation rental industry. We are constantly working to bring digital marketing opportunities to RealTimeRental clients,” said Tomasso.

Unlike many other popular distribution channels, RentalRetreat exclusively hosts professionally managed vacation rental properties.

“Our fifteen years of experience in the vacation rental industry has truly shown us the extra value and protection that professional vacation rental companies provide to travelers. Rather than letting home owners list their own properties, we wanted our distribution portal to exclusively host vacation rentals that are professionally managed,” said Testa.

RentalRetreat has over 40,000 professionally managed vacation rental properties across the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Travelers can have the peace of mind that every rental property hosted by RentalRetreat has been inspected and approved by a legitimate vacation rental company.

RentalRetreat is a subscription based distribution portal, meaning that the Real Estate and property management companies who host their inventory do not pay by the leador by a percentage of the transaction.

“We are pleased with RentalRetreat’s lead conversion rates and how well the distribution portal has been received by the RealTimeRental users. We are looking forward to allowing any professional vacation rental company to participate with RentalRetreat, regardless of their rental software provider,” said Tomasso.

Currently the ability to host rental inventory on www.RentalRetreat.com is only open to RealTimeRental clients, but the programming team at RealTimeRental is working towards allowing non users to host their inventory on the distribution portal.

 

About RealTimeRental

RealTimeRental is the premier vacation rental software solution for 200+ rental offices in the United States, Caribbean, Mexico, and Costa Rica. As the first web based vacation rental system on the market in the year 2000, RealTimeRental has consistently provided a comprehensive reservation and accounting system for the past 15 years. As a cloud based application, RealTimeRental vacation rental software clients have the peace of mind that their reservation management system can be accessed 24/7 via the cloud. For more information about RealTimeRental, the Tenant Portal, or RentalRetreat please visit www.RealTimeRental.com or call 888-828-2303.

5 Killer Interior Design Tips For Your Vacation Rentals from Rentals United

By
VRM Intel Staff
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0
Kokopelli Property Management Focuses on Owners

By Robert Lawley, Rentals United –Interior designing a vacation rental can be a difficult task. Knowing the tastes of all the different types of people that will be staying there is frankly, impossible. Having the time to do it, when we barely have time to eat breakfast on most days, is potentially an even greater challenge. But unfortunately there isn’t an app for growing money (yet?!) so investing in your vacation rental is the next best thing. Read on for some killer creative and simple design tips that will not only turn your rental into something straight out of a magazine but will also put you on track to get more bookings than Copacabana on New Year’s Eve!

1. BE DURABLE

A vacation home can suffer a lot of wear and tear, especially ones on the beach or at a ski resort. Make sure that your home has flooring that is built to last such as hardwood or stone. Carpeting is difficult to maintain clean whereas rugs can be easily washed or replaced. The furniture should be no frills and sturdy. Buying used furniture, that is in good shape, is a great way to get high quality items without having to think twice about if it’s worth the investment or not. Quality furniture will last longer and guests are more likely to opt for your vacation rental when deciding between similarly priced and located options.

 

2. BE BOLD

Your vacation home is THE opportunity to decorate in a more adventurous way. Use colors and fabrics you like but are somewhat bolder than what you would live in. Statement posters and vintage items are easy to find and look great alongside modern features. Creative spaces such as a funky reading nook, a hammock, or an extra comfy chaise under a window give the home an edge and something your guests will greatly appreciate: privacy. Using red is bold and is known to stimulate senses, however, due to its intensity, use it in small quantities such as in cushions, and small details. Make sure to keep it simple and stylish but some bold patterns and unique features will make your place memorable and lead to more and repeat bookings.

 

3. BE PAMPERING

Holiday is a time to unwind and indulge in luxuries not available in our day to day lives. Your vacation home should provide as many of these opportunities to your guests as possible. Spa-like bathrooms with waterfall shower heads and oversized towels invite guests to relax and enjoy a VIP experience. Give the bedroom a romantic touch with an elegant headboard by using artwork or making a niche in the wall. Soft, high-quality sheets under a layer of blankets and pillows and a plush rug on the floor will make your guest, and their Facebook friends, never forget how comfortable and special their stay made them feel.

 

4. BE YUMMY!

It’s no wonder that the kitchen ranks the number 1 amenity that motivates travellers to book: a vacation is an opportunity to spend quality time with those closest to us and do the things we don’t have much time for usually, such as cooking! The dining and kitchen area in your vacation rental need to give your guests the ability to make those moments special. Having extra bar stools around so people can watch the chefs of the family work their magic without getting in the way, makes cooking inclusive and fun for everyone. Getting a dining table that can expand from seating 4 to seating 8 or more is a great way to give your guests flexibility in their dining needs. Amenities such as coffee machines and fresh juice makers are becoming essential items to have in your rental home’s kitchen. Surprise them with local cookery books and all the utensils you can get hands on.

 

5. BE LOCAL

Celebrate the beautiful location of your vacation rentals and reflect it in the interior design! Shop around in local stores for things that can only be found there, like artisanal decorations and artsy event posters. The paint used on the walls and ceilings in your property should remind your guests of nature and peaceful scenery. White ceilings and light blue walls, where they fit, will make your guests feel like they’re outside under the sky. If your home is at the beach, decorate with shells and light blue and green tones. If your home is in the mountains, use wooden furniture and warm flannel linens. City rentals should reflect the culture of the city they are in, this way, guests can still feel like they are exploring while enjoying the comforts of the house.

Once these design ideas have been implemented, make sure to flaunt them in your pictures and in your description. Tired of updating all your descriptions and photos manually? Try Rentals United, the synchronization platform!

Homeowners sue claiming property value drop a result of rental restrictions

By
VRM Intel Staff
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Flagler County Commissioners were served this morning with letters and copies of property appraisals from 35 property owners showing that the county’s anti-vacation rental ordinance passed this spring will cost each of them an average of $650,000 in lost property value. The appraisals were submitted as part of litigation filed by the property owners under the Bert J. Harris Private Property Rights Protection Act.

“County officials have placed an inordinate burden on these property owners by severely restricting and vindictively targeting their properties with this ordinance,” said attorney Pete Heebner, who represents a number of the property owners. “We’re going to fight tooth and nail to protect the private property rights of everyone in Flagler County. These county officials have no right to single out one type of property owner over another. If they keep it up, it’s going to cost all county taxpayers millions of dollars.”

The majority of the properties are situated in the Cinnamon Beach area, and the $22,704,000 total property value loss is linked directly to the Flagler County ordinance that restricts how these 35 homes can be used.

“When these properties were purchased, this overreaching ordinance wasn’t in place,” said Heebner. “Homeowners rightfully had the freedom to use the properties as they wish, just like everyone else. But now, Flagler county commissioners have decided to single out certain types of properties and restrict their use, which has resulted in a significant drop in values.”

If successful, the claim against Flagler County would represent one of the largest judgments against any local government for the taking or inordinate burden of private property values.

“Not only are county leaders stripping rights from property owners and driving down home values, they are opening up county taxpayers to even more liability,” said Heebner.

The lawsuit was filed on March 6th, 2015. Mr. Heebner’s law firm recently won a $30 million judgment against the city of Ponce Inlet, Florida. A jury there found that city leaders stopped citizens from completing a development project after they had already invested substantial sums of money.

OPMA Suppliers & Management Companies Working Together on Behalf of Owners & Guests

By
VRM Intel Staff
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To this point, the Onsite Property Managers Association (OPMA) has utilized one publication to communicate – The OPMA PULSE. Regardless of topic, all information has been included in the Pulse. As we have grown, we need to create different publications to address different business functions. Today, we are introducing The OPMA Suppliers’ Platform.

Each edition will feature one of the OPMA suppliers. They will tell their story; their goals and how the products and services they provide benefit your company, owners, and enhance the vacation experience of your guests. OPMA continues to attract the best condo hotel management companies and leadership to dominate the lodging inventory in the most visited vacation markets. They have a major economic impact in their respective communities. At the same time we have also attracted the best suppliers. Both management companies and suppliers are represented on the OPMA Board of Directors and it is important that we have the same working relationships in each marketplace.

A top priority of the association is to deliver leading edge superior products and services for owners and guests, as they are the ones who drive the profits for all of us. To achieve this, OPMA is differentiating from other organizations by minimizing the number of suppliers. This leads us to the relationship between the management companies and the suppliers. OPMA is providing the opportunity to move into the future with a different approach to work in a more cohesive environment. It is paramount for the OPMA management companies and suppliers to work in tandem.

The formula for success is for all parties involved to follow a simple process. When any management company requires products and services, they contact the OPMA suppliers FIRST. If a supplier cannot satisfy the needs, the management companies should go elsewhere. When they can meet or exceed the needs, it enables the suppliers to go back to their sources for better pricing or go to parent companies for additional funding to create better products and services for OPMA owners and guests. This results in OPMA management companies maximizing their savings and OPMA suppliers maximizing their buying power.  Everyone wins, especially the owners and guests.

The goal of the relationships is to maximize the profitability of all OPMA entities. To achieve this, new practices must be incorporated while many traditional methods are abandoned. To look ahead and to shape the future of the lodging industry is a major mission of OPMA. To collectively be on the leading edge by incorporating creativity, innovation and differentiation to our thinking and actions is what OPMA is all about.

It all starts with commitment from within. OPMA management companies and suppliers working on behalf of the owners, guests and each other is the foundation of the future. This publication is designed to support that OPMA internal commitment.  OPMA’s commitment is that suppliers will not be charged to create their own copy and have it distributed to all members and to provide properties with an in-depth understanding of the suppliers.

 

TripAdvisor in Crosshairs of Vacation Rental Group

By
VRM Intel Staff
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By Heather Bayer –Dissatisfied after TripAdvisor ignored their letter asking for issues to be fixed, more than 100 vacation rental companies will meet in New Orleans to discuss an action plan.

More than 100 vacation rental companies representing over 15,000 individual vacation rental properties around the world will meet on October 25th at 4:00 in New Orleans to discuss joint actions to be taken against the Boston-based online reservation company TripAdvisor (TRIP).

“This year, our sales through TripAdvisor listings have dropped by more than 50%, and to top things off, their website randomly deleted more than 100 customer reviews of my properties,” said Alfonso Vergara, owner of AYP Rentals. “What’s really frightening is that I’m not alone. More than 100 other major TripAdvisor clients are having similar experiences.”

Listen to the Podcast with Heather Bayer and VRM Intel’s Amy Hinote about What’ Going on with TripAdvisor

 

Vergara and other vacation rental property owners and managers made plans to meet after TripAdvisor’s senior management ignored an August 15th letter sent to the company. The letter outlined major problem areas within the TripAdvisor website that are creating significant problems for TripAdvisor’s clients, resulting in lost revenue, missed business opportunities and customer dissatisfaction, including:

  • Major internal technical issues at TripAdvisor are causing inaccurate price listings that are damaging for property managers and vacationing guests alike.

  • There does not appear to be a systematic process for accessing technical support. Property managers asked TripAdvisor for a transparent support ticketing system that allowed for the entry, tracking and timely follow-up of requests to address problems.

  • Extensive staff turnover at TripAdvisor has resulted in inconsistent support, unfamiliarity with important issues, and overall poor customer service.

  • Lack of consistent pricing and customer review policies resulting in unfair and inequitable treatment of vacation managers vs. rent-by-owners.

 

“The first step toward solving a problem is acknowledging that there is one. Unfortunately, TripAdvisor either doesn’t care, or is so disorganized they don’t realize the magnitude of the issues we’re dealing with. But, if they won’t work with us, we are going to pull off our properties,” said Joyce Thomas, general manager of a property management company in Solana Beach, California. “I’ve never experienced such disregard toward a major segment of a company’s customer base.”

In the letter, TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals Account Managers Tracey Zhen and Dermot Halpin have been invited to join the discussion in New Orleans. However, the company has yet to respond or even acknowledge the letter. During the meeting, property managers will discuss a strategy for how the industry plans to proceed in order to resolve these concerns.

Property Managers interested in attending this can join by clicking on this link

https://cottageblogger.leadpages.co/tripadvisor-advisory-meeting/

HomeAway acquires Dwellable, moves team to Austin

By
VRM Intel Staff
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Dwellable gets $2M in Funding

By John Cook, —Dwellable has found a new home. The Seattle vacation rental startup — founded three years ago by developersNathan Kriege and Adam Doppelt — has been sold to its primary rival HomeAway.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but CEO Kirby Winfield said it was a positive outcome for investors. Dwellable raised just $2 million in funding — a pittance compared to other heavily-funded competitors in the online vacation rental arena. For example, publicly-traded HomeAway boasts a market value of $2.6 billion.

Screen Shot 2015-10-07 at 12.19.14 PMAs a result of the acquisition, six members of the Dwellable team — including Doppelt and Kriege — will move to Austin. (Winfield will not join HomeAway, staying in Seattle). In addition, HomeAway plans to phase out the popular Dwellable app and service in the next 30 days, and the company is no longer facilitating new reservations through the service. Property owners are now being directed to HomeAway.

Winfield said he been talking to HomeAway since he joined as CEO in June 2013. “Their massive reach into consumers globally was something that just made sense,” said Winfield.

On a shoestring budget, Dwellable built an immersive and highly-rated app which in many ways outperformed the offerings from the much larger HomeAway. Last year, after raising the company’s $2 million venture round, Winfield said that they liked the idea of competing against a big rival.

“It is always great when you can put a target on one player, instead of 10 or 20,” he said. “There is still a real vacuum when it comes to brands in the category.”

The acquisition makes sense for HomeAway, which gobbles up top mobile developers and engineers. That mobile DNA will be injected immediately into HomeAway, which has been working hard to improve its mobile apps.

“The Dwellable team has built an incredible product with an impressive and growing base of travelers who use the app to book vacation rentals,” said HomeAway co-founder and CEO Brian Sharples in a release. “With 48 percent of travelers coming to HomeAway from mobile devices, it’s important for us to continue improving our mobile experience, with an even stronger emphasis on functionality and design for the traveler. Dwellable will help us take that next step.”

Doppelt came up with the idea for Dwellable after a horrible Hawaiian vacation rental experience, one which featured rodents in the ceiling and a noisy construction project next door.

It marks the second successful outcome for Seattle entrepreneur Doppelt, who previously co-founded restaurant director service Urbanspoon. Urbanspoon was sold to IAC in 2009, and then sold again earlier this year to Zomato, which subsequently shut down the service.

It also marks the second positive outcome for Winfield, who previously sold AdXpose to comScore for $22 million.

Backers of Dwellable included Howard Schultz’s Maveron and Boris Wertz’s Version One Ventures, as well as prominent Seattle angel investors like Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff; Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman; Mixpo CEO Jeff Lanctot and Farecast founder Oren Etzioni. In addition, former HomeAway board member and ex-Groupon president Rob Solomon was an investor.

 

John Cook is GeekWire’s co-founder and editor, a veteran reporter and the longest-serving journalist on the Pacific Northwest tech startup beat. Follow him @johnhcookand email john@geekwire.com.

Update: Over 100 Vacation Rental Managers Unite to Address Service and Support Issues with FlipKey/TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals

By
VRM Intel Staff
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0

Throughout the second half of 2014 and into 2015, vacation rental managers have been reporting a multitude of support issues with their listings on FlipKey (TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals). From customer service to technology integration flaws, inability to address reviews and pricing complaints, property managers have been struggling with listing their properties and are questioning TripAdvisor’s dedication and direction regarding professionally managed vacation rentals.

One property manager said, “I’ve talked to several other managers around the country and they all agree FlipKey’s service to property managers is absolutely horrible. When you call their office their voicemails are always full and they’re always traveling around the country. Somebody needs to bring attention to them so they can get their act together.”

In Maine, Justin Ford, owner of On the Water in Maine Vacation Rentals, said, “The biggest issue we had with FlipKey and TripAdvisor was that a property that had previously been managed by another rental company switched to us for management. We, of course, listed it on FlipKey as we have a relationship with them. FlipKey ‘identified’ that the property was the same one listed with the previous agency and not only re-attached previous negative reviews for that property to our new listing of it, but they also copied over the horrible responses to those reviews from the previous agency, and attached our logo to those responses making it out that we responded to the negative reviews.”

Annee Martin, founder of Sanctuary Vacation Rentals in Pacific Grove, CA, said, “We have been thoroughly disappointed in the fundamental lack of stability in their service and technology. Uptime is something that we have come to expect from marketplaces, and we do not have these issues with any other providers. The folks at FlipKey have developed a business model that is counter to the goals and practices of professional managers. Their current model may be better for RBOs.”

Read FlipKey GM’s Tracey Zhen’s Response

In an effort to bring to light the service and support issues, over 100 property managers representing 15,000 properties crafted and signed a formal letter of complaint to TripAdvisor CEO Stephen Kaufer.

According to the group, “Our intention is to offer feedback on the Vacation Rentals division of TripAdvisor with hopes to make TAVR executives aware that there is a serious problem that many managers are talking about with the hope that ‘mismanagement and technical issues’ will be addressed and customer communications and response time can improve.”

At the time of publication, there had been no response to the letter from TripAdvisor CEO Stephen Kaufer. Read “Letter to TripAdvisor from Vacation Rental Managers” in its entirety.

Data Security Failure at VacationRentPayment

By
VRM Intel Staff
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0

Payment services provider YapStone (VacationRentPayment) sent out a letter last month notifying property managers and owners who had applied for merchant accounts through HomeAway that personal information in their applications may have been compromised between July 15, 2014 and August 5, 2015. Reportedly, the VacationRentPayment application was stored by YapStone using an inadequately secured URL and may have been accessed by unauthorized users during this timeframe.

In the letter dated September 11, 2015, YapStone CEO Thomas J. Villante wrote, “Unfortunately, due to this application being available, your email, Social Security number, driver’s license, date of birth, and bank account were potentially exposed.”

When YapStone discovered the problem on August 5, they immediately blocked unauthorized access to the URL and began an investigation.

In a statement provided to VRM Intel by Steve Davis, HomeAway Chief Information Officer said:

“YapStone, one of HomeAway’s payment providers, notified us that a private URL containing vacation rental owner’s and manager’s personal information was made publicly accessible, resulting in an information disclosure that occurred on YapStone’s systems. The issue was immediately corrected and potentially impacted customers were notified.  No exposure of credit card information or passwords occurred, nor were HomeAway systems compromised in any way. We continue to support YapStone through this process and work closely with their team to ensure they continue to meet HomeAway’s high standards for security and data protection. HomeAway and YapStone sincerely regret any inconvenience this has caused our customers.”

As a result of YapStone’s failure to protect their customer’s application data, the company is facing a data breach class action lawsuit filed by a customer who claims the company is negligent and in breach of contract because it failed to protect customer data from a possible breach. In the complaint, Plaintiff, Jonathan Koles alleges YapStone failed to take reasonable measures to protect its customers’ personal information, promptly notify them o f the possible breach and specify exactly what information may have been compromised.

According to the lawsuit, “As a result of Defendant’s ongoing failure to notify consumers regarding what type of [personally identifiable information] has been compromised, consumers are unable to take the necessary precautions to mitigate their damages by preventing future fraud.”

As outlined on BigClassAction.com, “Because VRBO customers were required to accept payments online and provide their bank account information, YapStone breached an implied contract with customers in failing to safeguard their financial information, the complaint adds.”

In an email posted to HomeAway’s Community forum, HomeAway also said, “YapStone has sent letters to customers who were affected. Each letter includes personalized information and a detailed FAQ that addresses many of the questions you may have. If you did not receive a letter, your information was not exposed.”

By Amy Hinote

Virtual Resort Manager Offers Webinar: “Things YOU can do in VRM to improve your Website’s SEO” with Special Guest Connie Hutchins

By
VRM Intel Staff
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0

Date & Time: November 12th, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.

Overview:

I have a very special friend of mine with me this month for “Tea with Brittany Lea“, Connie Hutchins. Connie will be walking us through some basic (and easy to do) things in VRM we can use to improve our website SEO!

If you are tired of your website working against you rather than for you, this is the webinar for you! Connie Hutchins is VRM’s own Director of Website Marketing Services and our resident SEO maven and has worked on dozens of websites over the years, helping Vacation Rental Managers from all over get the results they want from their Search Engine Marketing efforts.

If you have questions for Connie you want to be sure get answered make sure you Tweet them ahead of time to @VRMbrittany with #TeaWithBrittanyLea and tune in to see if it makes it into the webinar Q & A time!

 

register-now

 VRM-software-system

Bill Furlong Promoted at HomeAway to VP North American Business

By
VRM Intel Staff
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0

HomeAway announced the promotion of Bill Furlong to vice president of the North American business and Matt Laessig to vice president of global business development.

Furlong is filling the position vacated earlier this year by Jon Gray, who was promoted to chief revenue officer. Furlong has been with HomeAway® since 2010 and most recently served as vice president of HomeAway Software®, the leading provider of property management software for professional vacation rental managers. Furlong will oversee HomeAway’s operations in North America, including HomeAway Software, which will continue to operate as a separate division.

As the former chief executive officer of Escapia®, Furlong has more than a decade of vacation rental industry experience. He also spent five years as a product manager at Microsoft and has a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Laessig is taking over business development responsibilities from Taleeb Noormohamed, and previously served as the general manager of HomeAway’s BedandBreakfast.com®, a role now filled by Lisa Westlake Chen, who previously headed up marketing for the brand. In his new role, Laessig will craft strategy, identify partnership targets and negotiate deals that enable families and groups to experience the beauty of whole vacations.

Prior to joining HomeAway, Laessig led business development for North America at Bazaarvoice. He has a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

“Bill and Matt have been significant contributors to the success of HomeAway over the years,” said Brian Sharples, HomeAway co-founder and CEO. “Their leadership and vision for our business will continue to be critical as we enter the next phase of HomeAway’s growth.”

Also, as announced in April, Carl Shepherd retired from his role as chief development effective September 11 but will continue to serve on the HomeAway board of directors.

LiveRez Taps Navy SEAL, Best Selling Author Marcus Luttrell to Headline 2015 Partner Conference

By
VRM Intel Staff
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0

LiveRez announced decorated Navy SEAL and New York Times Best Selling author Marcus Luttrell as a keynote speaker at the 2015 LiveRez Partner Conference, Oct. 19-23 at the iconic Sun Valley Resort.

Marcus Luttrell is a retired United States Navy SEAL and author of New York Times Best Seller Lone Survivor. He received the Navy Cross for his actions in 2005 facing Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wing. Luttrell always knew that he was born to serve his country and do everything with discipline and commitment. Luttrell’s Lone Survivor is his story of the bravery, perseverance, and dedication of four Navy SEALS who fought dozens of Taliban fighters in the mountains of Afghanistan.

According to his website, Luttrell joined the United States Navy in March 1999. He began Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training with Class 226 in Coronado, California. He graduated with Class 228 after suffering a fractured femur early in his training. Marcus graduated 18 Delta in 2001, making him a team Medic.

Operation Red Wing

On June 28, 2005, Luttrell and SEAL Team 10 were assigned to a mission to kill or capture Ahmad Shah (nom de guerre Mohammad Ismail), a high-ranking Taliban leader responsible for killings in eastern Afghanistan and the Hindu-Kush mountains.The SEAL team was made up of Luttrell, Michael P. Murphy, Danny Dietz and Matthew Axelson. Luttrell and Axelson were the team’s snipers; Dietz was in charge of communications and Murphy the team leader. A group of goat herders stumbled upon the SEALs, the four SEALs immediately took control of the situation and discussed what to do with the herders. After taking a vote and basing their decision on ROE, Michael Murphy made the final decision to let them go. The herders were subsequently released and disappeared over the mountain ridge. Luttrell believed they immediately betrayed the team’s location to local Taliban forces and within an hour, the SEALs were engaged in an intense gun battle. In the ensuing battle, the rest of the SEAL team members were killed. Team leader Michael P. Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the battle. Danny Dietz, Matthew Axelson, and Marcus were awarded the Navy Cross. An MH-47 Chinook helicopter was dispatched with a force consisting of SEALs and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment “Nightstalkers” to rescue the team, but the helicopter was shot down by an RPG. All 16 men on the Chinook were killed.

Luttrell was the only survivor. Badly wounded, he managed to walk and crawl seven miles to evade capture. He was given shelter by an Afghan tribe, who alerted the Americans of his presence, and American forces finally rescued him six days after the gun battle.

Following his physical recovery from Operation Redwing, Marcus went back and completed one more tour before being medically retired. He then wrote the book, Lone Survivor, to share the amazing story of his brothers who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

In 2010 Marcus started the Lone Survivor Foundation and is fully involved with The Boot Campaign.

In 2012 Luttrell released a second book, Service, that follows up with unanswered questions from Lone Survivor and gives honor and praise to other members of the military.

In the summer of 2013 Marcus went on his first public speaking tour along with Capt. Chad Fleming which included special appearances by Debbie Lee and Taya Kyle.

In early 2014, a major motion picture was released depicting the story of Lone Survivor starring Mark Wahlberg.

“I will never quit. My nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies.” 

– Lone Survivor

HomeAway responds to Yapstone/ VacationRentPayment Letter to Homeowners

By
VRM Intel Staff
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1
HomeAway

A few days ago, homeowners received letters from Yapstone/VacationRentPayment notifiying them of what many homeowners referred to as a security breach for the time period between July 15, 2014 and August 5, 2015.

Here is the explanation/statement from Steve Davis, HomeAway chief information officer:

“Yapstone, one of HomeAway’s payment providers, notified us that a private URL containing vacation rental owner’s and manager’s personal information was made publicly accessible, resulting in an information disclosure that occurred on Yapstone’s systems.  The issue was immediately corrected and potentially impacted customers were notified.  No exposure of credit card information or passwords occurred, nor were HomeAway systems compromised in any way.

We continue to support YapStone through this process and work closely with their team to ensure they continue to meet HomeAway’s high standards for security and data protection.

HomeAway and YapStone sincerely regret any inconvenience this has caused our customers. For additional information, people may contact YapStone at (877) 238-3816.”

Vacation Rental Pros Acquires Orlando-based Five Star Vacation Homes

By
VRM Intel Staff
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0

Orlando, FL, September 20, 2015 – Vacation Rental Pros, LLC, one of the fastest growing vacation rental management companies in Florida, reached an agreement to acquire Five Star Vacation Rentals, based in Orlando, Florida.

The move adds an additional 60 Orlando-area vacation rental properties to the management portfolio of Vacation Rental Pros, giving the company over 1,000 total properties under management.

“We are thrilled to expand our existing presence in the Orlando market, which plays host to more than 65 million travelers per year,” said Steve Milo, founder and president of Vacation Rental Pros. “In addition to Five Stars’ existing client base, their top-notch management team brings a wealth of experience in new and growing markets, and puts us in an excellent position for even more growth in the near future.”

Prior to the acquisition, Five Star Vacation Homes had doubled its size year after year under that company’s CEO, Juan Delgado, who will join Vacation Rental Pros and focus on new business development under Milo. Five Star’s occupancy rates, superb customer service strategy and owner retention programs made the company an ideal platform for Vacation Rental Pros’ continued expansion.

“Florida’s rapidly growing Spanish and Portuguese-speaking markets gives Vacation Rental Pros a competitive advantage,” said Delgado. “I couldn’t be more excited at the prospect of joining forces with Steve and his team.”

The deal is the second major announcement this year for Milo’s company, which in August announced revenue growth up over 54% year over year, the completion of a move into the company’s new, 7,000 square foot headquarters building in Ponte Vedra, and the creation of seven new positions to help manage the rapidly growing client and customer base.

 

Potential Yapstone/ VacationRentPayment Hack on HomeAway?

By
VRM Intel Staff
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0

Over the last two days, there have been several reports that home owners listing on HomeAway’s sites received a letter from Yapstone (VacationRentPayment) informing them that personal information from HomeAway payments application may have been accessed by unauthorized persons between July 15, 2014 and August 5, 2015.

According to the letter, if you did not get a letter, your information was not exposed.  You can contact Yapstone at  877-238-3816, Monday through Friday 9 AM to 7 PM EDT.

One customer wrote, “Just received my letter. Possible unauthorized access to email address, date of birth, bank account info, and in some cases names, physical address, and social security numbers.”

Update: On Sep 20, HomeAway responded to the situation with a statement. 

Vacation Rent Payment Security Breach on HomeAway

 

Vacation Rent Payment Yapstone Credit Card Breach HomeAway

In the thread in the HomeAway Community forum, there is significant confusion and concern regarding the letter that many home owners have received.

We will research this more, but if you also received the letter, please comment below.

 

19 Kitchen Projects Every Homeowner Should Know About

By
VRM Intel Staff
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0

The kitchen is the most important room in the house. We’re constantly calling it our main hub, where we cook fresh meals, entertain guests, do homework, post messages and, yes, every now and then watch TV.

But with the increased focus on function comes a lot of stuff that needs fixing, replacing, tweaking, cleaning and organizing. For that you’ll need to arm yourself with some kitchen knowledge so you can stay on top of what’s most important. Here are 19 projects good for every home dweller to know about.

 

RealTime Rental

By
VRM Intel Staff
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0

RealTimeRental

Are you a scalable leader?

By
VRM Intel Staff
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0

By Matt Juarez, VP Operations, NAVIS  —  One of my employees recently asked me, “As you continue to move up in the company, how do you stay on top of everything?”  As I processed the question I quickly reflected on how much my role has changed over the years. My focus now as a leader is to help others get their job done; not try to get everything done myself as in my early years. I’ve had to make this shift in my career otherwise the business would’ve run right over me. My answer then came almost immediately. I don’t stay on top of everything – but the team I lead does.

As leaders, sometimes we make the mistake of thinking we will always be the resident expert and need to know all that goes on in our organization.  I know I have. In reality, this isn’t humanly possible. When we try, we not only disempower those around us, but we also impede our ability to scale ourselves as leaders, ultimately keeping us from moving to the next level.

 

3 Things that Make Us Un-Scalable:

 

1. Insecurity

Insecurity feeds the need to control – control outcomes, control people’s behavior, and control results.  We often think controlling situations is “leading”, but we are fooling ourselves when we do so.  “Nothing gets done unless it’s run past me first” or “Have them come to me directly from now on” are all dangerous statements that will stunt our growth as a leader and ultimately as a company.  People like to be led, not controlled or micro-managed.  Leadership, in its purest form, is influencing someone to do something without controlling or imposing your will.   It’s like the old saying, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.”  This is true – unless you make them thirsty.  This is how real influence works.

 

2. Ego

More than likely we became leaders because we are good at what we do.  I’ve never seen a strong leader without quality skills and experience.  The problem with this is we sometimes think we are so good, that no one else can do it better.  This may be true in some cases, but we need to let others step up and more importantly, we need to get out of the way.  If others cannot do what we do, we will always be “doing” instead of “leading”.  We need to let go of our ego and empower others to use their skills. If we don’t, we create our own cap on any upward movement.

 

3. Greed

Over our careers we’ve gained loads of knowledge. Attaining this wealth of information is partly what has gotten us to where we are today and frankly, we’ve worked hard to get here, right? If we’re not careful, we have a tendency to be overly protective of our spot on the ladder – forget about telling someone else how to get here. We make the mistake in saying, “I can’t impart this to them, it could mean I am no longer needed” or “This will take me way too long to teach them, I’ll just do it myself.” If we are stingy with our knowledge we limit our capacity to lead because our knowledge transfer stops and in turn, so does our influence.  Our knowledge needs to flow to others like a fresh stream; otherwise, it will turn into a stagnant pond that doesn’t have the ability to expand.

 

“The best leader is the one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Theodore Roosevelt

 

5 Ways to Scale Yourself as a Leader:

 

Surround yourself with people smarter than you. 

This can initially feel counter intuitive and even threatening. Back to our insecurity, we tend to hire people below our skill level – which I’ve learned is a big mistake.  In order for us to move up, it’s essential for the people around us to have the potential to be better than we are. You say, “But what if they replace me?” I say, “PERFECT”. If our people are so good that they can replace us – beautiful. This means our current areas can be tended to nicely and allows us to take on other, higher impact areas within the organization. How will your boss ever consider you for a greater opportunity if they see that only you can cover your current area?

 

Listen to these people.

Ask a lot of questions. Be curious. Often times these people are closer to the client than you are so give them your full attention when they share their perspectives. When they present ideas, hear them out as opposed to saying things like, “We’ve tried that before, that will never work”. Who knows, maybe it will this time since business is always evolving.  Then again, maybe it won’t, but at least you heard them. People don’t necessarily need to get their way all the time, but they do need to feel heard. This doesn’t mean that everything they say is the gospel, but you can always use what they are telling you as one of your key data points.

 

Expect them to fail.

The difference between expectations and reality always equals the level of disappointment you will feel in any situation. If your people are taking risks and trying new strategies, they will inevitability fail so keep your expectations realistic. If they aren’t failing, they probably aren’t taking enough risks and/or pushing themselves beyond their limits. When this happens, instead of telling them what went wrong, ask them what they learned or, what should we do differently next time? Let them identify what went wrong. If they are good, they will be their own worst critic and be quick to fix the issue on their own so it doesn’t happen again.

 

Establish KPI’s and Dashboards. 

These are our safety nets. As much as we want to empower those around us to make their own decisions and think strategically, the buck still stops with us. Having key performance indicators (KPI’s) and Dashboards in place allow us to be separate from the day-to-day, but still gives us a good pulse on what’s going on in the business.  These dashboards should monitor areas that have high impact and give us early indications when things are going in the wrong direction. Also, keep air in your scuba tank.  What I mean by this is be prepared to “dive deep” if need be. If KPI’s are going south and/or you are hearing “noise”, move quickly. Go to your people and ask questions to find out what is affecting performance. Keep probing deeper until you identify the root cause of the problem. A problem solved is a problem clearly identified.

 

Lean on more than your gut. 

As you continue to move up in the organization, you will still need to make key decisions even though you are no longer close to the front lines.  Instead of reacting purely on your gut, go gather the data. Once you’ve collected all your data points, connect them with your first-hand knowledge of the situation and compare it against the wisdom you’ve gained in your career. Then, listen to your gut. And, for good measure, compare the decision against your core values to ensure there is alignment. Following this process should provide the best course of action when you are far away from the day to day.

 

As an operations person, I see un-scalable processes and technologies getting replaced all the time as businesses grow.  The sad reality is this can also apply to people, including us as leaders.  However, if we follow the above guidelines we will ensure our chances of success and continued growth in our careers; thus, making us all scalable as leaders.

 

Learn More About the Author: Matt Juarez, vice president of operations at NAVIS.

USA Today Blasts Add-On Fees for Vacation Rentals

By
VRM Intel Staff
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1

Today USA Today posted the article “Dreaded Fees Come to Vacation Rentals” in which National Geographic Traveler Editor Chris Elliott says, “Don’t look now, but vacation rental companies are piling on the fees, many of them pure junk.”

Elliott interviewed VacationFutures CEO Andrew McConnell who explained to him: “Rental managers only get a commission on the rental part of the transaction, but most negotiate that they get to keep 100% of fees. In this way they can make owners think they are getting a great deal with a lower commission, but actually take more of the all-in revenue by shifting more of the revenue to other fees.”

Elliott advises: “Some fees, like the ‘convenience’ fee and the ‘hot tub’ fee, are so absurd that a company may have some trouble justifying them. If you’re confronted by a surprise fee, even after doing your homework, challenge it. You may be able to negotiate your way out of paying it.”

 

Dreaded fees come to vacation rentals

by Christopher Elliott, Special for USA TODAY

First, there was a $25 “check-in” fee when she arrived, which, though disclosed in the fine print of her contract, was unexpected. And then there was a mandatory $200 “cleaning” fee for her unit after she checked out. Neither was part of the original price.Rhonda Moret’s vacation rental in Park City, Utah, came with a few surprises.

To add insult to injury, a construction crew in a nearby unit woke her at 7 a.m., on her first morning at the mountain resort.

“So much for relaxing with the mountain breeze,” says Moret, a healthcare marketing consultant who lives in Del Mar, Calif.

Don’t look now, but vacation rental companies are piling on the fees, many of them pure junk. Among the most common: booking fees, change fees, cleaning fees, hot tub fees, parking fees, reservation fees and — everyone’s favorite — amorphous “convenience” fees.

Simply put, rental fees are exploding. And there’s a reason why.

“Rental managers only get a commission on the rental part of the transaction,” explains Andrew McConnell, the chief executive of VacationFutures, an online vacation rental marketplace. “But most negotiate that they get to keep 100% of fees. In this way they can make owners think they are getting a great deal with a lower commission, but actually take more of the all-in revenue by shifting more of the revenue to other fees.”

It’s a model that closely follows the one used by airlines, which quote a low base fare but then add fees for everything from carry-on luggage to seat assignments — items that had traditionally been included in the price of a ticket.

These fees seem to be getting worse, although no one formally keeps track of them. Reputable vacation rental companies are resisting the surcharges, but eventually, the lure of easy money may prove too difficult to turn down.

Read More

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