Guest Expertise Archives - Turno

Airbnb WiFi: How to Choose a Broadband for a Vacation Rental

The Turno Team — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 18:26:00 +0000

How Important is it to Have Airbnb Wifi?

High-speed internet rentals are increasing in demand. Choosing the right broadband for your vacation rental property could mean the difference between getting a five-star review.

The reason wifi is so important, even for a traveler, is because it keeps your guests connected. Better wifi speed means that guests have more of an opportunity to share their Airbnb experience with friends and family – promoting your property organically. This may just be the luxury Airbnb amenity you need to scale your vacation rental business.

What are the WiFi requirements for Airbnb?

Airbnb has implemented an in-app wifi speed test for hosts and guests to use when on the property. This allows guests to check the quality of the wifi within a vacation rental.

The starting point for wifi speed is anywhere from 1 to 6 megabits per second (Mbps). The more rooms and guests you plan on tailoring your Airbnb experience to, the higher your wifi’s Mbps has to be. According to Airbnb’s wifi rules, hosts are expected to make sure the speed of their wifi is clearly labeled on their listing.

What Speed Do I Need for Airbnb Wifi?

Get started by working out what speed the property needs. Your Airbnb wifi speed will have to be about 25 megabits per second. This will allow more than one guest to stream or use their devices.

Consider the number of bedrooms, along with what they will use the internet. You may expect some video streaming in the evening and occasional internet access during the day.

Much larger holiday lets will require faster broadband to accommodate the demands of multiple users. However, even some guests may not be using broadband for activities that require very high speeds. The sheer number of devices that connect at the same time could quickly overcome a slower broadband service.

Assessing the needs of the typical guests and comparing this with the size of the property is an important step in deciding an Airbnb’s wifi speed.

3 Best Wifi Routers for an Airbnb

Choosing the best wifi for your Airbnb comes down to connection speed, reach, reliability, and cost. The majority of top wifi providers have easy installation and remote management.

The following are the best wifi routers for your Airbnb:

Archer A7: A wireless router that can be upgraded to 1750 Mbps. Ideal for larger properties and offers high-quality streaming that is compatible with all devices.
Google Nest Wifi: Includes two router units that are easily accessible via the Google Nest app and are compatible with most internet providers.
Archer A8: Similar wireless router to Archer A7. Includes upgraded features like parental controls and allows up to 3 simultaneous data streams with zero buffering.

How to Reduce the Cost of an Airbnb WiFi Contract?

No doubt the cost of broadband is a concern. However, if the property already has a broadband package, and you want to reduce the monthly bill, you have two options. Either switch immediately to a cheaper provider (some will buy out the existing contract) or wait until the contract ends.

But what sort of broadband internet package should you choose? Start by using a broadband comparison tool to find out what speeds are available. Anything with a reliable 35Mbps speed (achievable with most entry-level fiber optic packages) should be enough for general use, including streaming Netflix and similar services.

Be sure to choose a package with unlimited data, as you may face extra fees and disgruntled guests if they exceed the usage cap.

Will your guests require TV or inclusive calls? If not, avoid paying for unnecessary extras, as these can potentially double your expenses. To reduce costs further, look for deals with cashback offers or even gifts.

Airbnb WiFi Fees and Cancellations

You should also find out about cancellations. Long periods without guests means paying for broadband that goes unused. That said, contracts that can be paused or exited without a contract termination fee allow you to save money. Broadband Genie has a guide where you can compare cheap broadband deals.

There are other options here, however.

Short-term or no-contract broadband packages are available but come with higher setup costs and only make sense with seasonal properties when you are certain there will be no visitors for specific times of the year. These will need to be reactivated each time it is required, which will mean paying a setup fee.

A mobile broadband hotspot with PAYG (pay-as-you-go) is another option, although these don’t typically offer much data and running costs could be quite high.

If you do want to use mobile broadband instead of a fixed-line home broadband package, look for unlimited data contracts. These are available from Three and Vodafone and can be an excellent option as setup costs are minimal and there is no requirement to have a landline or wait for an engineer to visit to install it. However, you will need to ensure the property has access to a strong mobile network signal to ensure adequate performance.

In many cases, it is easiest to simply accept that there will be times when the property is unused and factor that into your overheads. It may work out cheaper to simply pay a monthly bill than spend time trying to cancel and renegotiate.

How to Avoid Broadband Dead Spots in Your Vacation Rental Property

Most properties have corners or even rooms with slow or dead spots. These cannot be reached by the wireless network, resulting in slow or non-existent connectivity. Bathrooms, basements, and attics can be especially problematic.

To avoid this, you can set up the router in the most central position possible. This should be on the ground floor, or the floor where the property will be occupied. Before fixing the router to a wall, find the best signal within the data and power cables range.

Some broadband providers (such as Virgin Media) offer a mobile app to help you measure broadband signal strength in each room. This is a handy way to help you determine the best position for the router. But it doesn’t always work out that way, which is when WiFi boosters/extenders and powerline adapters come in useful.

Airbnb WiFi boosters are inexpensive and easy to use, enabling you to extend the wireless network’s reach around the property with very little technical know-how required.

Powerline adapters – which use the property’s electrical wiring to increase network range – can also be used. Modern devices ship with wireless capability, as well as ports for Ethernet cables. Ensure the guests know how to power cycle powerline adapters if used, however, to guarantee performance as they can be somewhat unreliable.

Setting Up Your Airbnb WiFi Router

Some time is needed to ensure your router working properly. First, make sure the guests have easy access to the Airbnb WiFi password. This might be printed in your visitor guide or provided as a QR code that guests can scan with their mobile phones.

For properties where you’re also a resident, you should use the router’s guest network feature to share broadband with guests. This ensures your own wireless network and any connected devices are inaccessible to visitors using the guest network.

For further security, it’s wise to lock the router away to avoid any risk of accidental damage or deliberate tampering, as this can weaken the wireless signal. Be sure to make it easy to power off the wall in case guests need to reset the device.

With the router physically secured, take the time to change the default administrator login details to prevent unauthorized access. Default admin passwords on routers are a major risk with many devices, particularly those provided by ISPs. They are often the same for every router.

While making this adjustment, you can also enable remote administration to allow you to manage and monitor the Airbnb WiFi router without having to visit the property.

This is a guest post by BroadbandGenie, a free, simple-to-use, and independent comparison service that will help you save money on home broadband, mobile broadband, mobile, tablets, and TV.

The post Airbnb WiFi: How to Choose a Broadband for a Vacation Rental appeared first on Turno.

Why You Need An Owner’s Closet For Your Airbnb

The Turno Team — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 20:38:00 +0000

3 Reasons Why Why You Need an Airbnb Owner’s Closet

The owner’s closet, also known as the “cleaner’s closet,” is a locked closet, garage, room, or area of your property that guests do not have access to.

Here are 3 reasons why you need to set up your own cleaner’s closet before your next guests arrive:

Security: Without a locked owner’s closet, your guests have direct access to the WIFI router and modem. With a flip of a switch, they can deactivate your camera and security systems, making it impossible for you to ensure guests are abiding by house rules.
Storage: You need a secure place to store extra linens, inventory for restocking guest essentials, and personal items you keep at your property. Without this space, your guests have unlimited access to items that you may not want them to use.
Smooth Turnover: Having backup items when you need them is crucial to a fast turnover — especially if it’s a back-to-back check-in. The owner’s closet is a perfect place to store your essential cleaning supplies.

The rest of this article is dedicated to helping you install, organize, stock, and lock your Airbnb owner’s closet. Let’s get started.

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How To Set Up Your Airbnb Owner’s Closet

Before you bust out the toolkit you need to navigate to your House Rules and make a quick edit. To prevent your guests from “getting curious” you need to write a short notice, something like the below statement will suffice:

“Any locked closet doors are locked for privacy purposes. Forcing the door open will result in a loss of your security deposit.”

An owner’s closet sign gives your guests a quick warning that the given area is for employees only. This helps protect the area by notifying guests of its intent. Make sure your owner’s closet sign is clearly visible and labeled as private.

You can also place a tasteful sign above your Airbnb owner’s closet for the guests who skim over house rules.

Choosing an Owner’s Closet Lock

No matter where you install your owner’s closet, you will want it to be properly secured. Sometimes an owner’s closet sign isn’t enough to keep guests out. Owner’s closet locks are a great way to protect your privacy and belongings.

It’s highly recommended that your owner’s closet locks be keyless. Juggling keys with cleaners, co-hosts, and property managers is a constant headache. Keyless owner’s closet locks will decrease the chances of guests breaking in, as well. The only time you’ll need to share your lock code with guests is when there’s a linen or cleaning emergency.

Pro-tip: If you don’t want to spend the extra money on a keyless lock for your owner’s closet, then you can purchase a magnetic key hider and affix it to the side or rear of your dryer.

Organizing

A disorganized Airbnb owner’s closet is going to cost you more time. This is the most important step of all. Each item needs its own space so that you can quickly assess when items are running out.

The best “one-stop-shop” for all your organization tools is The Container Store. You can find all the essentials you’ll need to keep your closet organized. You can also repurpose items around your home for organizational purposes (i.e., a shoebox to store all batteries).

Pro-tip: Purchase a label-making machine to categorize each space. This way anyone accessing your closet can know exactly where everything goes.

Cleaner Instructions

Your property is special and sometimes you’re not going to be able to personally clean and stage it before every guest. You may have to outsource this task to someone else. Each property is different and you may have some odd requests for your cleaners:

The bath mats need to be cleaned, neatly rolled, and placed on top of the closed toilet seat. This way guests know that they are clean.
Every couch pillow should be laid flat and then karate-chopped.
All blinds need to be opened at a 45-degree angle.

There’s nothing wrong with being meticulous — especially if it’s going to make your guest smile — but you need to ensure these requests are adequately communicated to your cleaning team.

The owner’s closet is a great place to store additional cleaning and staging instructions for your cleaners. Having a small 3-ring binder inside the owner’s closet with cleaner instructions will help keep you and your cleaners on the same page.

Pro-tip: Post photos of the way you want each room to look before the guest’s check-in on the inside of the owner’s closet door or in the binder.

What Items Do You Store in Your Owner’s Closet?

Your Airbnb owner’s closet will become an asset to your vacation rental business. Cleaners will appreciate the forethought and utilize the items placed in the owner’s closet. This will ensure that your cleaners are always provided with the necessary supplies to keep your property well-maintained.

Below is a list of Airbnb amenities that you should store in your owner’s closet.

Linens

Controlling the number of linens your guests have access to helps cut down on you or your cleaner’s time doing laundry. If they have access to every linen on the property, then they may use every single item. Each bed should have 3 sets of linens: 1 active set, 1 replacement set, and 1 extra in case of emergency.

With your active linen set in place and ready for your new guests, you can safely store replacement and emergency sets in your owner’s closet.

How many of each linen should go in your Airbnb owner’s closet:

Flat Sheet (x2 per bed)
Fitted Sheet (x2 per bed)
Bath towels (x2 per bed)
Hand towels (x2 per bed)
Washcloths (x2 per bed)
Beach towels (x2 per bed, if applicable)
Dish Cloths (x3)
Kitchen Towel (x3)
Spare blankets (x1 per bed)

Paper Products

These items will be replenished before every check-in. Paper products mitigate against guests staining your white towels and having to bleach them each time they are laundered.

Top paper products to store in your owner’s closet:

Makeup removal pads
Cotton balls
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Kleenex boxes
Hygiene products
Sanitary wipes

Restocking Household Supplies

Guests have an expectation of what will be provided when it comes to everyday supplies. What you would typically have in your personal home should be thought of as a supply for your guests.

Keep an extra stock of the following household supplies in your owner’s closet:

Coffee pods
Teabags
Water bottles
Dishwasher detergent
Laundry detergent
Stain remover
Hand Soap
Trash bags

Cleaning Supplies

Even if you have an Airbnb cleaning service, it’s a good idea to have cleaning supplies on hand. Sometimes guests make messes that have to be cleaned right away. If your cleaning tools are consistently used, they should be replenished. Your cleaners will need the extra stock to replace whatever guests used.

Provide the following cleaning supplies inside your Airbnb owner’s closet:

Cleaner instruction binder
Vacuum
Mop and bucket
Spray bottles
Windex
Oven cleaner
Degreaser
Bleach
Sanitizer
Microfiber cloths
Brushes

Pro-tip: Always keep a broom and a small caddy of cleaning supplies available to your guests. It’s never expected for guests to clean while on vacation, but sometimes spills happen. In those instances, it’s helpful for them to have the tools they need to clean up. If you do leave cleaning supplies available for your guests, store them in a place that is out of reach to children.

Backups & Miscellaneous

These items don’t need to be replaced after every check-out. Oftentimes, everyday household appliances and amenities need to be upgraded or replenished. Having backups to blown lightbulbs, dead batteries, and more is a great way of ensuring guest satisfaction is kept.

Important items to have in your owner’s closet for just in case:

Duvet covers
Shower curtain liners
Bath mats
Seasonal decorations
Batteries
TV remotes
Light bulbs
WIFI Router and modem

Owners Closet: Check!
Now to find that reliable cleaner…

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Frequently Asked Questions About Owner’s Closets

How big should my owner’s closet be?

The size of your owner’s closet depends on the size of your property. If you’re listing 1 private room, then you may only need a small cupboard to store everything you need. On the flip side, if you’re listing a 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom, beach house, then you may need an entire room sectioned off for your owners’ closet.

Should I ever allow my guests access to the closet?

This depends on your level of trust in your guest. Sometimes it’s necessary to appease a guest in a bad situation. It will also save you a trip (or paying someone to go to the property) to give your guests access to something they need in the closet.

How do I replenish my Airbnb owner’s closet if I live out of town?

Most out-of-state hosts will have a co-host or family member to help them with these types of issues. If you don’t have either, then your cleaning company is a great option. Ask them if you can ship your supplies to their office and they may be able to restock your closet at their next cleaning.

Make Your Turnover Easier With an Airbnb Owner’s Closet

“By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

It’s a refreshing feeling to be prepared for anything. With a well-organized and locked owners’ closet, you can rest assured that your property essentials (and personal items, too) are fully stocked, safely secured, and readily available when needed.

The post Why You Need An Owner’s Closet For Your Airbnb appeared first on Turno.

Should You Advertise Your Vacation Rental on Multiple Channels?

Jenna Bunnell — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 15:44:25 +0000

How Does Multi-Channel Marketing Work?

Multi-channel marketing involves advertising your holiday home on multiple online travel agencies (OTAs).

Many hosts use their own direct booking websites or vacation rental sites such as Airbnb. Still, it’s also possible to expand to other hosting websites, specialist vacation sites, or virtual tourism websites (where users are given a virtual experience of the location).

There are various ways to manage your vacation rental across multiple platforms. Property managers generally use hosting tools or a channel manager to automate tasks like pricing, key exchanging, and cleaning. With several properties advertised on multiple platforms, multi-channel marketing can become overwhelming if you don’t have the tools to help.

Equally, hosts working on a smaller scale may choose to manage these channels themselves. For example, homeowners renting out a room or hosts with a single property may find this is a cheaper and altogether preferable option.

The Pros of Multi-Channel Advertising

So, what are the advantages?

Grow Your Income

If your rentals are empty, they aren’t making money. Advertising on multiple channels means you’re more likely to fill the gaps in your calendar. If you struggle to make a profit on your Airbnb property, it may be a sign it’s time to branch out to other platforms.

More Exposure

As you increase your advertising, your rentals become more visible online. Still, think of quality over quantity, and choose the channels you use carefully. You want to make sure your property is being seen by potential renters, not just anybody.

Customers like to read other people’s opinions before parting with their cash. Glowing reviews across multiple platforms are a great advertisement for your rental.

Diversify

Advertising on different platforms gives you the option to widen your audience. For example, if you have a dog- and family-friendly property, you may want to advertise it on pet-friendly sites. This could help you target couples without children but with pets, who wouldn’t necessarily be looking for a child-friendly rental, thus increasing your target audience.

The Cons of Multi-Channel Advertising

Now for the downsides.

Differing Levels of Profit

Each vacation rental website will have its rules, especially regarding fees. This means you’ll have to choose between different prices for customers or differing levels of profit. You may be offering rentals cheaper on your main website, so you need to think about whether it’s worth a cut of your profits to advertise elsewhere.

You should also look at other areas that could affect your income, including cancellation policies, service charges, and cleaning fees. Some of these payments will go to the hosts, but the website may take others.

Communication Issues

There are a lot of factors to juggle when working with vacation rentals, including bookings, checking in, checking out, and cleaning. If you add multiple channels to the mix, it’s easy to make mistakes.

Keeping customer service levels high as you expand can be difficult. Double bookings are an important error to look out for. Not only could this result in bad reviews and the need to refund money, but there is the potential to ruin someone’s vacation.

Keeping Track of Analytics

When working with multiple channels, it can be hard to keep on top of the business side of your rental. If you started as an Airbnb host with one property, you may find it overwhelming to track multiple channels. Some hosts use project management software to automate daily tasks, while others use phone number apps for business calls to help keep things separate.

It’s easy to let the day-to-day tasks take over, but if you don’t keep track of your analytics too, you won’t know what’s happening within your business. You may be wasting money on a website that isn’t profitable or charging too little for your property during peak season.

Things to Consider When Looking Into Multi-Channel Marketing

Are you an independent host or a property manager?

If you’re a property manager, you may want to invest in property management software so you can list your rental on as many sites as possible. If you’re independently renting out your vacation home, you may prefer to handpick a couple of easy-to-use hosting platforms instead.

How many properties do you have?

The number of properties you have may impact where you should advertise them, as some sites are better for advertising multiple listings. You also may want to select specific rentals you think you will do better on different websites, or prioritize properties that haven’t been receiving as much attention.

What type of properties do you have?

Are they houses or apartments? Are you renting out a single room? This will help you decide where’s best to advertise your vacation rentals. And don’t just look for the most popular websites where it’s easy for your listing to get lost. Check for local and specialist sites too, where your vacation rental will stand out.

Should You Advertise on Multiple Channels?

Multi-channel advertising can be a key part of transforming and optimizing your business, but it’s not something that should be taken on lightly. Always do your research before making major changes to your marketing model, as advertising in the wrong places can quickly become a money pit.

Consider your market before deciding which channels you’ll use. Market research with your current customers may offer the answers you need. Look at how many channels you can realistically manage, and set out a plan before getting started.

The post Should You Advertise Your Vacation Rental on Multiple Channels? appeared first on Turno.

7 Important KPIs to Keep Track of in Property Management

Jenna Bunnell — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 19:35:10 +0000

1. Repair and Maintenance Costs

Wear-and-tear is inevitable. But when you’re in the property management business, wear-and-tear is a cost that can cut into your profits. Whether you look after just one property or thousands, this is one KPI that you need to track very closely.

If you are looking at scaling up your business, remember that this cost scales as well. You can’t ignore yearly boiler checks or a sudden problem like a pest infestation. Don’t forget that regular maintenance and a swift response to minor crises both contribute to your overall professional reputation.

Keep track of all your maintenance costs on an ongoing basis to make sure they don’t get out of control.

2. Cost of Unit Turnover

A related cost is that of unit turnover, which refers to what it costs to prepare the property for the next set of guests once the previous guests leave. In general, this includes the cost of cleaning, laundering the bed linens, and carrying out any necessary repairs.

One crucial point to bear in mind is that this cost increases the shorter the average guest’s stay because you incur it each time one set of guests departs. If you can find ways of encouraging guests to stay longer, do. This might include discounts for additional nights, for example.

3. Occupancy Rates

This is an absolutely essential metric to be aware of at all times. You can calculate it by dividing the number of days per given time period your property is rented out by the total number of days it’s available. In remote property management, it’s vital to be able to assess the performance of each of your assets.

Keeping an eye on each property’s occupancy rate is useful for benchmarking purposes. First, you can compare yours with the market average to get an idea of how well each property is doing.

If the occupancy rate of a property seems particularly low, it suggests room for improvement. Is the rent set too high? Is there a problem with the property that needs to be fixed? Or, perhaps you should be focusing more on marketing.

4. Average Nightly Rate

Connected with this are the average rate figures. This is evidently crucial because if rates are set too high, you won’t attract enough guests. On the other hand, if they’re set too low, you could be selling yourself short, which is bad news for your bottom line.

Make sure to keep track of the average prices of vacation rentals in the markets where your properties are located. Raising the nightly rate in line with the market is standard procedure. However, it’s not the only important factor in deciding how to price your short-term rental.

Obviously, your rental income has to cover all your costs before you can start making a profit, so it needs to be able to pay for all mortgage and maintenance costs. Finding the perfect balance can be tricky, but never feel tempted to operate at a loss just to fill a void.

5. Average Days-to-Lease

How quickly are you renting out your properties? Is there barely enough time for a quick change of bedsheets and professional carpet cleaning, or do your properties stay empty for weeks?

To calculate the average days-to-lease metric for a given property, count the number of days between bookings for a particular time period. Then, divide the total by the number of bookings during that period.

This is another metric you’ll want to compare against the market average. If your properties are falling behind, look into upping your marketing efforts. You might even want to look into your booking system to see whether there’s anything you can do to make the process easier for potential customers.

6. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

So far, we’ve mentioned quite a few traditional property management metrics, but let’s take inspiration from a little further afield. The Net Promoter Score is commonly used by companies of all kinds to assess customer satisfaction.

To arrive at your NPS figure, you need to get your customers to answer a short survey about their experience of your service. If you’ve not compiled a marketing survey before, don’t worry. There’s a lot of help out there. All you need is a marketing freelancer and a cloud collaboration service you can work with them on, and you’ll have your survey set up in no time.

The survey should include a question like “How likely are you to recommend our property to a friend, family member, or colleague?” Ask them to answer on a scale of 0 (very unlikely) to 10 (highly likely). Then, divide the responses into these three categories:

Promoters: answered 9 or 10
Passives: answered 7 or 8
Detractors: answered 6 or lower

The NPS is the total percentage of promoter responses minus the total percentage of detractor responses. It may seem too simple to be useful, but it’s a very accurate way of tracking customer satisfaction over time.

7. Net Income

Perhaps the most important KPI of all, your net income tells you how profitable your business is. There are many great tools out there to help you keep track of your net income, or you can simply use a spreadsheet. Useful for everything from report compilation to inventory forecasting, Excel is one of the best-known pieces of office software out there for a reason.

However you decide to track your net income, you’ll find it encourages you to think about aspects of your business you might not have previously considered. Is there any way you could create additional income streams to give the net income figure a boost? Maybe you could begin to offer complementary services like grocery delivery to your properties, for example.

Keep Watching Those Numbers

In the end, running a profitable business of any type is all about keeping an eye on the numbers, and property management is no different. All it takes is some dedicated customer service and careful attention to detail, and before long, your properties will be full of happy guests.

The post 7 Important KPIs to Keep Track of in Property Management appeared first on Turno.

How to Create a Successful Marketing Plan For Your Airbnb Cleaning Business

Jenna Bunnell — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 22:01:20 +0000

Does Your Airbnb Cleaning Business Need a Marketing Plan?

A marketing plan is a framework that’s used by businesses to carry out their marketing strategies in a way that’s organized and allows them to keep track of the entire process. It breaks down the steps you need to take in order to successfully implement your marketing strategy.

There are many benefits of having a marketing plan:

Helps you define an angle to successfully market your service
Helps keep the process streamlined and organized
Allows everyone on the team to work together toward common goals
Assists with identifying your target audience and competitors
Allows you to have measurable goals that you can keep track of

A marketing plan is vital whether you’re aiming to attract new customers or retain current ones. Now that we’ve looked over some of the benefits of formulating a marketing plan, let’s look at what it takes to create an effective plan for your cleaning business.

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8 Steps To Creating a Successful Marketing Plan

1. Define Your Cleaning Business

To market your services, you first need to be able to answer the following questions:

Who are you?
What’s your purpose?
What sets you apart from others?
How does your service benefit people?

Once you have this information, you can put together a brand image that will help you connect with potential customers, create content, and market your services. Knowing what makes you stand out from other cleaning businesses and the specific ways in which you can benefit others is an important part of marketing your company.

Why should vacation rental hosts come to you for their cleaning needs? If you don’t know the answer to this, you can’t expect your target audience to either. Therefore, defining your unique selling point (USP) and value proposition will help you define your service and set yourself apart from competitors.

2. Set Your Goals

Once you’ve figured out who you are, you need to specify what it is that your business aims to achieve. At this stage, you should be detailing particular goals that you want to reach in a specific period of time. Then you can decide how to reach those aims and which tools you want to use in order to do so.

For example, one of your goals might be to improve your customer service. You may have noticed consumers complaining about not being able to reach you on the phone. To solve this problem, you could use a business call forwarding service so that any unanswered calls are routed to another number.

3. Determine Your Target Market

Looking at what your goals are and what defines you will help you determine your ideal target audience. This will also help you formulate a buyer persona.

A buyer persona is a profile that has been put together using research data of what a target customer would typically look like. This can include information about what a typical customer’s day looks like, the types of activities they like to do, and how they might make purchasing decisions.

Buyer personas allow you to develop marketing strategies and plans that are aligned with the needs and wants of your customers, as well as respond to the challenges frequently met by said customers.

4. Create a Brand and Stay Consistent

A brand is what makes a business recognizable to potential consumers and stands out from the crowd.

Before putting your brand together, make sure that you’ve carried out the appropriate market research. This will give you insight into what works for your kind of business and what doesn’t. Of course, the goal here isn’t to replicate what someone else has done but to use successful ventures as a source of inspiration for your own brand development.

Brand development research will also help you decide what kind of logo to go for, what color scheme would best suit your business, and generally guide the design of your brand strategy and plan.

In addition to brand development, brand consistency is also very important — and not just on the visual front but also when it comes to fostering trust in your brand, presenting a professional image, and making a good impression.

Given the many ways in which a customer can reach a business, consistency has become very important for managing customer experience and service. Because of this, it’s not only your visual elements that need to be consistent, but your brand message also has to be in line with the customer experience you provide.

It would be very off-putting for a business to offer enterprise application integration solutions and promise 24/7 support but not follow up on their promise. This lack of alignment between what a business says it does and what it actually does can result in a negative impact on its reputation.

For this reason, ensure that your brand image is consistent and that you deliver the services you promise to your customers.

5. Optimize Your Online Presence

Though some still debate traditional marketing vs digital marketing, having an online presence has become imperative for any business. The wonders of the internet allow businesses to extend their reach to potential customers.

For this reason, your marketing plan should include establishing or updating your online presence. You can do this by designing a website for your business or revamping the one you already have. As always, research is key. Knowing what appeals to your target audience will help you determine the kind of website design and functionality you need.

Moreover, social media marketing is an important aspect of marketing and should also have a place in your plan. This is why there are so many tools and resources out there geared toward social media marketing, such as the PandaDoc social media marketing proposal template.

The content you put out if properly prepared will help you connect with your target audience and improve your brand image.

6. Build Your Reputation

One of the biggest elements that drive customers to purchase a service is the brand’s reputation. If your service is well known for its excellent customer care and the delivery of great service, it’s far more likely that people will come to you and recommend you to others.

To build a positive reputation, and provide a great customer experience. An example of this is implementing business text messaging; free trials are usually available for businesses looking to try it out. These types of resources facilitate communication between businesses and their customers.

You can also use tools such as a cloud phone for business to help you streamline the ways in which you communicate not just with your customers but also with your team.

Beyond this, you can use positive customer reviews and testimonials to show potential consumers that you can be trusted and that your service is worth their money.

You can also use tools such as podcasts or social audio to establish yourself as a knowledgeable source in the field and foster a connection with your audience. Holding podcasts during which you give well-needed tips and tricks to keep a vacation rental clean will attract hosts who may eventually turn into potential customers.

Another avenue to explore is certification. People are much more likely to trust you if they can see that you’ve received some sort of certification attesting to the fact that your company knows what it’s doing and has knowledge of the field.

7. Use Feedback to Your Advantage

In the previous section, we talked about using positive reviews to our advantage. Now, we’re focusing on bad reviews or constructive criticism.

Although on impulse, it’s easy to dismiss negative reviews, they’re actually important and can tell you what needs you’re meeting and which you’re not. Work on meeting those needs and using this to market your Airbnb cleaning service.

8. Prepare Stellar Content

When it comes to marketing, content is key. But as with most things, research is needed for you to know what sort of content to make.

For example, market research might show you that cleaning hacks on how to remove common stains are trending; this is your cue to then produce a blog post, Instagram post, or even podcast on cleaning hacks that your business uses.

You can also look into email marketing content and how to best deliver it. Compiling an email list of potential clients allows you to reach out to them and send newsletters, keep them engaged, and inform them of discounts. It’s an easy and inexpensive way to market. You can use your website to collect the email addresses of potential clients.

Constant emails without interesting content that are always pushing a sale or pitching some new product can rapidly get irritating. However, with the right tools and some research, you can make sure that your approach to email marketing hits the sweet spot between interesting content and converting leads.

Vacation Rental Hosts Are Looking For Cleaners Like You!

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Market Your Airbnb Cleaning Business to Success

The idea of developing and implementing a winning marketing strategy can be daunting, but a well-designed marketing plan will help your Airbnb cleaning business stay on task and keep track of progress. Using the eight steps we’ve provided in this article, formulate a plan that is right for your business and guides your marketing efforts efficiently.

The post How to Create a Successful Marketing Plan For Your Airbnb Cleaning Business appeared first on Turno.

A Guide to Broadband for Rural Vacation Rental Properties

The Turno Team — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 13:16:35 +0000

Does Your Vacation Rental Property Need Fast Wi-Fi?

Adequate fast Wi-Fi broadband should be considered an essential feature for modern vacation rentals. Properties listed for rental online, by their very nature, are targeting a connected clientele who expect web access. Listings across services like Vrbo, Airbnb, and Booking.com all see impressive Wi-Fi provision to be a key influencer on booking decisions.

Put simply, reliable high-speed Wi-Fi broadband will make your vacation rental property more attractive and more profitable.

The best option for vacation rental Wi-Fi, where available, is “fixed-line” regular home broadband. It uses existing landline phone connections or special “cable” solutions like Virgin Media.

Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is the entry-level, basic broadband with a maximum speed of 8 megabits per second (Mbps). ADSL+ enhances this up to 24 Mbps where applicable. Standard fibre-based broadband upgrades this again with average speeds of 30, 52, and 76 Mbps depending on availability.

As the most common option, these home broadband packages have numerous providers. There are many competitive deals that make it cheaper, with plans typically offering unlimited data.

Top Home Broadband Alternatives for Rural Vacation Rentals

Keep in mind that if you can get ADSL in your location, it may be too slow — especially if your vacation rental property is in a rural area. Speeds could be below 10 Mbps, which might be insufficient for the property size and likely amount of guests.

To help ensure that your Airbnb Wi-Fi broadband will be fast enough and have enough bandwidth for everyone staying at your vacation rental, consider the following alternatives to home broadband.

Mobile Broadband

If your location has signal coverage, why not go completely wireless instead?

Mobile broadband may be ideal if your rural vacation rental property can receive 4G, or preferably 5G, data networks. All the leading providers have signal checker tools on their websites you can use.

Requiring no phone or fibre lines whatsoever, home mobile broadband still uses a Wi-Fi router. Speeds are variable but can range from 12 to 50 Mbps on 4G and up to 100+ Mbps on 5G. Unlimited packages with no maximum data limits are available at a higher cost, with rolling or long-term contracts possible.

Summary of the Drawbacks

Aside from being 100% reliant on network coverage, mobile broadband has certain conditions worthy of consideration:

Data download limits are common on many entry-level plans.
4G speeds may exceed ADSL connections, but 3G is quite slow.
Inconsistent performance, subject to network traffic and weather conditions.
Some plans include a Wi-Fi hub but you might need to buy a 4G/5G router.

Satellite Broadband

Largely considered a last resort option, satellite broadband can reach the remotest of locations. Data is received and relayed down to a dish installed at a property from outer space.

For vacation rentals that really provide the experience of living on the fringes of civilization, satellite broadband is probably the only choice. Speeds range from being equivalent to ADSL, all the way up to 300 Mbps. However, the exclusivity of such a service will come at a premium rate.

Summary of the Drawbacks

Installation is far more expensive than simply mailing out a router. These initial setup fees are usually up-front and there may be ongoing equipment rental. Other drawbacks include:

Satellite broadband tends to be less affordable with added installation costs.
Account plans generally have limits on data download allowances.
There are high latency or “lag” times that can slow responsiveness.

Full-Fibre Broadband

For some rural areas, the ultimate solution will undoubtedly be “full-fibre” broadband.

This fixed-line connection uses 100% fibre optical cabling with no copper wiring to deliver average speeds of 1,000 Mbps or more. Monthly costs are reasonable and comparable to regular home broadband services.

However, full fibre availability in rural areas is limited. Coverage relies on local projects and specialist providers like B4RN and Gigaclear. These particular internet service providers work with small communities to develop new networks using funding from the government’s Building Digital UK scheme.

Summary of the Drawbacks

Speeds are as quick as fixed-line fibre broadband can get at affordable prices, but national availability isn’t widespread yet. Additional drawbacks of this option include:

Network coverage is limited, so check availability.
This type of broadband may require community action to pitch for funding.
Very remote fibre line installation can be extremely expensive.

Rural Airbnb properties may qualify for funding for gigabit broadband installation. Check if your address is eligible for a UK Gigabit Voucher.

Connection Conclusions

To finish, it’s always a good idea to think generally when considering your broadband options:

What speed broadband does your Airbnb actually need? Think about the type of usage your guests will expect and how many users the connection will likely cater for.
Will it encourage more people to book? Is it worth it? Rentals with better broadband are undoubtedly more attractive, but investing too much may not justify the return.

Alternative broadband solutions can be very costly. For this reason, is advisable to weigh up what’s best for your business — both logistically and economically.

Written by Mark Billen, in collaboration with Broadband.co.uk.

The post A Guide to Broadband for Rural Vacation Rental Properties appeared first on Turno.

Top 6 Tips to Manage Your Rental Property Remotely

Jessica Day — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 13:14:00 +0000

What Are the Advantages of Managing Properties Remotely?

The number of people working remotely skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic, meaning that last year 1 in 4 Americans were working from home.

Increased flexibility for scheduling and no need for a commute have made remote work an appealing option for many people. But why is it so useful for rental property management, specifically? Simply put, it’s just more efficient.

Remote property management means that you spend less time driving around meeting tenants or maintenance workers in person so that those hours can go into improving your portfolio instead. Managing properties virtually also keeps every contract and inquiry in one convenient digital space.

Keep reading to learn our top 6 tips for managing rental properties remotely. Whether you’re managing short-term holiday lets, family homes, or apartments for college students, these tips will help you get the most out of your business and reduce any rental stress you may be experiencing.

1. Integrate Technology at Every Stage

Technology and the digital world can help at every step of the property management process. To run a successful remote business, every element needs to be optimized for that way of working. Having a fully remote system will create the most seamless experience for both you and your guests.

Listings

Property listings are probably the most well-established part of the remote renting process. Listing properties online opens up a much wider net of potential renters. On an online listing, make sure to include all essential information about the property: amenities, location, and pricing.

Great listing photos are key to advertising any kind of property. Working remotely means that you may not be able to go and take these photos yourself, so it’s a good idea to hire a local photographer.

Even the website domain you use plays a role in reaching potential tenants. For example, a .ae domain defined by its association with the United Arab Emirates would work best for a vacation rental in that region.

Viewings

You only get one chance to make a first impression. In real estate, this is the first property viewing. Modern listing websites now allow you to provide this crucial experience when both the guest and host are remote.

360° photos and video tours are both great ways to show guests around a property without them needing to travel at all. They also let guests view the property at their own pace and as many times as they want.

2. Keep a Digital Filing Cabinet

As a vacation rental business owner, you already know that it is impossible to be successful without also being well organized. This is especially true when running a business remotely.

Keep track of all Airbnb expenses and income, and more in a digital filing cabinet. This could be on your computer hard drive, but we recommend using a cloud service instead. Cloud systems can be more secure than local storage and make your documents accessible from all your devices.

3. If It’s Broke, Fix It

Part of managing a remote business is also knowing when you actually need an on-site presence. With vacation rental properties, this will most likely be maintenance. Because even with the best internet connection in the world, there’s no way to fix a leaking pipe over Zoom.

Connect with contractors in the local area around your properties and keep their contacts in that digital filing cabinet we talked about earlier. Use a text messaging service for business communications with these local maintenance teams. This will allow you to check in on their progress and discuss any issues.

4. Communicate Clearly

The majority of vacation rental guests cite good communication with hosts as a critical trait of a successful stay. So, communication is something you’ll definitely want to get right.

Here are just a few different methods to communicate with guests:

Online travel agencies’ messaging capabilities
Text
Email
A channel manager’s unified inbox

Try a few different ones and find which option works best for you.

5. Consider Working With a Property Management Company

You can still be the primary management for a property, but it may be a good idea to connect with an agent near where your property is actually located. This keeps a safety net in place for any emergencies where you can’t be there in person.

If this is your first time managing properties in an area, a separate property management company can also offer tips and insight into the location. Networking is always a great way to pool resources together and can benefit all parties.

Look into the best VoIP provider for small businesses to help you communicate with all the different people in this network.

6. Never Stop Improving

No business model will ever be completely flawless. The only way to keep managing your remote properties as well as possible is by tackling any issues as soon as you can.

For example, identify common customer pain points: Where do guests usually come across issues or have complaints? This will give you specific areas to target.

You can also use software such as TestRail to check that any new websites or apps that you’re using for property management are functioning properly. Spotting these early means they won’t become a future complaint from guests.

In today’s digital world, it is easier than ever to manage properties remotely. With the right technology, you can organize every step from listings to maintenance without even being in the same zip code as the property.

We hope that you found these tips useful and apply them to your own remote vacation rental business.

This blog was written by Jessica Day – Senior Director, Marketing Strategy, Dialpad

Jessica Day is the Senior Director for Marketing Strategy at Dialpad, a modern business communications platform that specializes in the features of conference call on Dialpad that takes every kind of conversation to the next level — turning conversations into opportunities. Jessica is an expert in collaborating with multifunctional teams to execute and optimize marketing efforts, for both company and client campaigns. She has also written for sites such as Myraah and DesignLike.

The post Top 6 Tips to Manage Your Rental Property Remotely appeared first on Turno.

How To Clean Stainless Steel: Tips for Vacation Rental Cleaners

The Turno Team — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 16:33:30 +0000

How to Clean Stainless Steel Items in the Kitchen

Many travelers choose to stay in a vacation rental because they have access to a kitchen. The kitchen is a high-touch, high-traffic area in any home or rental property, so it’s no wonder it can get pretty messy pretty quickly.

Short-term rental cleaners cite stainless steel as a one of the most difficult materials to clean since it is prone to unsightly smudges. It’s a tough and durable material, but it still requires some care and maintenance to keep it looking its best.

With enough elbow grease and the right cleaning supplies, you can make stainless steel appliances and fixtures sparkle — delighting your vacation rental host customers.

Cleaning Stainless Steel Surfaces

Believe it or not, there are a few different ways to clean stainless steel, and the best method will depend on the type and severity of the stain. For example, if you have a small smudge or fingerprint, you can simply wipe it away with a soft cloth dampened with water. For more stubborn stains, you may need to use a mild soap or detergent.

To keep hosts’ stainless steel looking its best, follow these simple tips:

First, use a soft cloth or sponge to wipe away any dirt or debris.
Then, dampen the cloth with warm water and mild dish soap, and gently scrub the surface in a circular motion. Rinse the area with clean water, and dry it with a soft towel.
For tough stains, you can also use a paste made from baking soda and water. Rub the paste onto the stain using a soft cloth, then rinse and dry the area.

In general, it’s best to avoid harsh chemicals and abrasive scrubbers, as these can damage the finish of your clients’ stainless steel appliances. If you ‌need to use a stronger cleaner, be sure to rinse thoroughly and dry with a soft cloth afterward.

How to Clean Stainless Steel Pots and Pans

Stainless steel cookware is a kitchen staple. Other than being durable and easy to care for, it also has a sleek, modern look that can complement any décor. But with constant use, anything is bound to accumulate grime and scratches.

You may not need to clean dishes at the Airbnb you’re cleaning, but if you do, here are our top tips for keeping stainless steel cookware looking new:

To remove fingerprints and smudges, use a mild soap and water solution or white vinegar. For stubborn marks, you can try using a damp cloth dipped in baking soda.
If the cookware has started to develop a patina, you can restore its shine with a liberal application of WD-40. Simply spray the WD-40 on the affected areas and wipe clean with a soft cloth.
To remove burned-on food, fill the pot or pan with water and add a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Bring the water to a boil and let it cool before scrubbing with a non-abrasive sponge or cloth.
For really tough stains, you can try using white vinegar or ammonia. Like in the previous step, use a non-abrasive sponge or cloth for scrubbing the pans. Make sure to rinse thoroughly afterward, so a guest’s food doesn’t end up tasting like vinegar.

You can also use these tips for cleaning stainless steel utensils. Remember to be gentle when scrubbing because you don’t want to scratch the items or remove their coating.

Steel Yourself for Some Easy, Deep Cleaning

Stainless steel appliances and fixtures are popular because they are tough, durable, and look great in any kitchen. However, they can be a magnet for fingerprints, and keeping them clean can be a challenge, especially with a high volume of vacation rental guests checking in and out.

Thankfully, when short-term rental house cleaners keep stainless steel appliances, cookware, and surfaces in top condition, they’ll be good to use for many years to come.

This article was written by Maid2Match, Australia’s most reliable house cleaning service. The Schulz brothers started the business in Brisbane in 2014 and have since expanded to cover over 30 locations across the country. They strive to provide a 5-star experience every time through cleaning and full-time customer support.

The post How To Clean Stainless Steel: Tips for Vacation Rental Cleaners appeared first on Turno.

7 Best Beginner Plants for Vacation Rentals

The Turno Team — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 08:22:00 +0000

Spruce Up Your Vacation Rental With These Beginner Plants

The following houseplants are some of the best options for beginners. They’re low-maintenance and prefer indirect light or low light conditions, making them excellent starters for new plant parents. Of course, if you’re still struggling, you can get professional gardeners to help you out.

Ready to begin your plant journey? Skip the finicky fiddle-leaf fig and choose one of these instead.

1. Spider Plant

Spider plants are classic houseplants for beginners. They have a reputation for adaptability and difficulty to kill. This indoor plant is great for hosts still developing a green thumb since it’s low maintenance.

One added advantage of a spider plant is that it filters toxins and impurities from the air. It improves the air quality of any room it’s in. It’s also very simple to propagate if your indoor plant starts sprouting little “pups.”

Botanical name: Chlorophytum comosum
Sunlight: Bright, indirect light, but will also manage in low light
Soil: Well-draining potting soil
Water: Allow topsoil to dry out between watering
Pet-friendly: Yes
Notes: Grows particularly well in hanging pots or planters

2. Boston Fern

You may have heard that ferns are difficult to care for, but the Boston Fern is pretty hardy. These large plants are great for indoors and make excellent beginner houseplants. They like morning sunlight with shade from the hotter afternoon rays.

Emphasis on large, by the way — these plants can reach up to three feet wide. Hanging Boston Ferns are excellent privacy screens around windows, although don’t position them anywhere with direct light.

Botanical name: Nephrolepsis exalta ‘Bostoniensis’
Sunlight: Partial or indirect sunlight
Soil: Light, well-draining soil with a pH of 5-5.5 (e.g., one part potting mix to one part peat moss)
Water: Prefers moist soil
Pet-friendly: Yes
Notes: A humid environment keeps this plant happy

3. Succulents

Succulents such as the Haworthia or aloe vera plant are great for a first-time plant owner. The dark green Haworthia, for example, are slow growers, so they’re perfect for on-the-go hosts who don’t visit their property on a regular basis.

Aloe, meanwhile, is a fast-growing plant that can mature in three to four years. It likes producing “pups” that you can use to propagate new aloe. Note that it is toxic to animals.

Botanical name: n/a
Sunlight: Direct sun to medium indirect light
Soil: Coarse, fast-draining soil
Water: Keep on the dry side, but do not allow to dry completely
Pet-friendly: Depends
Notes: Overwatering can cause root rot, while underwatering can cause brittle roots

4. Snake Plant

The yellow-edged, variegated, deep green leaves of a snake plant are easily recognizable. These plants work well whether they’re on your patio or in an office. Snake plants are very hardy houseplants, both easy to care for and hard to kill.

The snake plant was previously classified as a Sansevieria but had too many common features with Dracaena plants. It’s now the Dracaena trifasciata and is also known as the St. George’s Sword.

Botanical name: Dracaena trifasciata
Sunlight: Bright light to moderate indirect light
Soil: Sandy, well-draining potting soil
Water: Drought-resistant and is susceptible to overwatering
Pet-friendly: No
Notes: Easy to propagate while repotting

5. Peace Lily

Peace lilies are tropical plants, with glossy leaves and striking white flower stalks. At maturity, they can be one to three feet tall as indoor plants. They grow moderately fast, reaching maturity at around three years.

The plants flower in springtime, with white or yellow blooms. They grow best in temperate climates that don’t get too cold in winter. Peace lilies aren’t very susceptible to pests, so you can mostly let them thrive on their own.

Botanical name: Spathiphyllum wallisii
Sunlight: Bright, indirect sunlight to partial shade
Soil: Rich, loose potting soil
Water: Prefer being underwatered, so wait for the top inch of soil to dry
Pet-friendly: No
Notes: Somewhat sensitive to cold, can tolerate being root-bound

6. Golden Pothos

Even if you forget to water your plants, the Golden Pothos will forgive you. It’s a trailing vine with heart-shaped leaves that sometimes feature variegations. They love to trail, so they’re perfect for hanging up on shelves and cabinets.

Pothos grow very quickly, adding about one foot every month if particularly healthy. They don’t cling to trellises and supports on their own, but you can train them to twine.

Botanical name: Epipremnum aureum
Sunlight: Likes direct light but will still thrive in partial shade
Soil: Neutral to acidic, well-draining soil
Water: Keep soil moist but don’t overwater
Pet-friendly: No
Notes: Can tolerate low light or fluorescent lighting

7. Herbs

If you’ve ever dreamed of having a row of little potted herbs on the windowsill of your vacation rental’s kitchen, here’s your sign to get started.

Many herbs, such as lavender or basil plants, are very good for a first-time plant parent. They make low-maintenance houseplants when grown indoors.

Some excellent herbs for beginners include:

Basil
Chives
Mint
Lavender
Cilantro

You can grow them in individual pots, or start a herb garden in a planter. Just make sure the herbs you grow together are ideal for companion planting and don’t conflict with nutrient needs.

Botanical name: n/a
Sunlight: Most need direct sunlight, but will tolerate partial shade
Soil: Well-drained potting mix
Water: Water about once a week in the mornings
Pet-friendly: Depends
Notes: Prune and pick buds and edible parts regularly to encourage more growth

Beginner Plants for Pet-Friendly Vacation Rentals

It’s important to note that some of the plants we’ve suggested — such as the snake plant, peace lily, and lavender — are toxic to pets. Other beginner-friendly plants, such as the ZZ plant and Jade plant, are also harmful to our furry friends. These plants cause mouth and stomach irritation when consumed, which may lead to vomiting and sickness.

If you own a dog, you may be able to keep these plants so long as they’re well out of your furry friend’s reach. For cat owners, however, our curious feline explorers can get onto shelves and cabinets. This means toxic plants are a straight-up no-go.

If you list your Airbnb as pet-friendly, make sure you prep well beforehand and choose plants that are safe for animals.

Get Growing

And that’s our list of the best beginner houseplants for vacation rentals. There are other easy indoor plants out there, but these are some of our favorites.

To all first-time plant parents out there, good luck and get growing.

This blog was written by Lawn.com.au, Australia’s most convenient lawn care and gardening service. You can get an instant quote, book a service, and manage your bookings online. Our professional gardeners will have your yard looking pristine.

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Understanding Airbnb Automation to Save Time and Effort

The Turno Team — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 18:17:00 +0000

Can You Automate Your Airbnb?

Yes, you can automate certain tasks required of you as a vacation rental host.

Even if you only oversee one property, Airbnb hosting can feel like a full-time job. That’s why there is extreme benefit in automating various aspects of your hosting duties and Airbnb property itself.

Automating your Airbnb duties saves you time spent communicating with guests, scheduling professional cleaners, and more. Below, learn more reasons to automate your vacation rental hosting day-to-day tasks.

5 Reasons to Automate Your Vacation Rental Business

Being a host on Airbnb can be hectic because you have to juggle many roles to ensure that everything runs smoothly and your guests are happy.

If you own multiple vacation rental properties, it involves even more work and keeps you constantly busy. It can get extremely overwhelming at times, so you are always looking for ways to streamline your operations and save time.

The good news is that you don’t necessarily need to hire a property management company. Rental software can help you run your business with ease. Keep reading to learn the 5 top benefits of short-term rental automation software.

1. Flawless Communication With Guests

Communication with guests is one of the critical elements of your success as a host. It plays a crucial role in their overall experience and helps in establishing better relationships with them. Excellent communication makes guests feel cared for and enables you to get more 5-star reviews and more reservations.

You should proactively communicate with your guests before, during, and after their stay. They also expect prompt responses to their messages, so it’s one of the most time-consuming tasks you as a host have to deal with daily.

Short-term rental software lets you automate most conversations with travelers using message templates and applying shortcodes to make them personalized. You can schedule automatic messages, such as booking confirmation, and be sure that your guests will receive them at the right time.

The best thing is that Airbnb automation tools never sleep and allow you to interact with your guests when you’re physically unavailable to do so. This way, your guests can get perfect customer service 24/7.

2. Save Time on Routine Operations

Time is your most valuable asset, so it’s critical to use it wisely. You should look at it as an opportunity to do more to achieve your goals.

Spending time manually assigning tasks to your team and managing routine operations over and over again is unlikely to help your business reach its full potential. You can achieve much better results if you automate daily operations and repetitive tasks.

Vacation rental management software saves time, allowing you to focus on the most important aspects of your personal life and on activities that will help you scale your business. And don’t forget that it is much cheaper than hiring a property management company.

3. Manage All Listings From a Single User Interface

If you have listings on several vacation rental platforms, manually keeping your calendars and availability in sync can be a nightmare. If you fail to do it properly, you may end up with double bookings that can seriously damage your reputation.

Rental management software allows hosts to connect multiple accounts on different channels to manage them and update pricing in one place. With instant calendar sync across platforms, you’ll be protected from double bookings and won’t lose any reservations.

4. Get More Positive Guest Reviews

Good reviews are vital in attracting more travelers and getting more bookings. Unfortunately, many guests are reluctant to leave reviews, which means you need to encourage them to do so. The easiest way to get positive reviews is to leave reviews for your guests, but doing it manually can be a daunting task for a busy host.

Rental management software solutions allow hosts to request guest reviews and publish theirs automatically. They can also help you manage bad reviews from guests by publishing your negative reviews at the last moment before the review period is due to expire.

5. Rental Software Is Smart

Rental software solutions are constantly evolving, and some of them use artificial intelligence. This helps adjust communication with guests to ensure that you provide them with relevant information.

Communication can be adjusted according to the type of travelers or a certain condition like calendar availability. For example, information about playgrounds will only be included in messages for guests who travel with kids. Or, you can set up your Airbnb automation software to offer your guests late check-out if your property is available.

Some tools are also capable of detecting questions on common topics in guest messages and instantly sending personalized responses. Your guests are sure to appreciate it if you answer their questions faster.

Airbnb Automation Ideas to Increase Efficiency

There are multiple ways to automate the duties of an Airbnb host. Keep reading to learn automation tips to make your hosting responsibilities simpler — and check out the end of the chapter where we provide top recommendations for Airbnb automation software.

Automating Guest Communication

Guest communication doesn’t just occur when a guest checks into your property until they leave. A 5-star guest experience requires you to communicate with potential and booked guests any time of day, answering a plethora of questions within a reasonable time.

If you’ve managed a vacation rental before, you’ve likely received countless questions about the same handful of topics: the WIFI password, check-in and check-out instructions, early check-in or late check-out requests, and the list goes on.

What if there was a way to automate your responses to these frequently asked questions? Guest communication automation does just that. With this type of technology, you can autoreply to common questions, schedule routine messages applicable to every guest, and customize your communication templates.

There is some work required upfront to set up your automated communications, but you’ll save hours per week in the long run.

Automating Check-In and Check-Out

Automating this aspect of your vacation rental goes hand-in-hand with automating your guest communication. Specifically, you can utilize technology to automatically send check-in and check-out instructions to future and current guests. This will save you time and extra trips to your property to help guests check-in.

There’s also another aspect of check-in/check-out automation that you can employ: keyless entry.

Keyless entry, which involves the use of smart lock hardware and software, means that your guests can automatically check into your rental whenever they arrive at the property without you having to be there. It also means that you’ll no longer have to deal with lost keys and re-keying costs.

Smart locks use custom, temporary codes so that you’re always able to control who can and cannot enter your property. All you have to do is provide guests with their unique codes before they check in and let automation do the rest.

Automating Pricing

Vacation rental prices are a lot like gas prices or the housing market — they change nearly every day. If you’re charging the same nightly rate for your Airbnb every day of the year, then you’re probably leaving money on the table.

Keep in mind that Airbnb provides a Smart Pricing tool for hosts, but since a primary concern of the company is to keep prices low for guests, using this tool may not be in a host’s best interest.

This is where dynamic pricing automation comes in. Dynamic pricing tools use various criteria and insights to provide you with a data-driven pricing strategy. You’ll be able to automatically increase prices when demand is high and lower prices when you’re at risk of a vacancy.

Top pricing automation software seamlessly integrates with Airbnb, Vrbo, and dozens of other channels and property management systems.

Automating Bookings

Many Airbnb hosts, in time, decide to start listing their properties on other online travel agencies or even accept direct bookings on their own websites. This can be a great way to cast a wider net and boost your revenue. The downside, however, is the risk of double booking.

In instances of double booking, someone always gets let down. The Airbnb guests whose reservation must be canceled or rescheduled may decide to look elsewhere for vacation lodging or even leave you a poor review. You can prevent this through automated channel management software.

Channel managers ensure your calendars from all booking sites are organized and compiled into one, easy-to-use interface. You’ll be able to manage all your listings from one place, synchronize your calendars, and organize messages from guests across multiple OTAs.

Automating Vacation Rental Cleaning

When running a vacation rental, not only do you want to book guests to stay at your property as much as possible. You’ll also need to be sure to book cleaning and property maintenance services on a regular basis.

Finding a reliable cleaner or service provider, however, is no easy feat. You’ll have to search for local cleaning teams and assess their credentials and reviews to see if they’re a good fit for your property. You’ll also need to send them numerous messages before, during, and after the turnover process to provide instructions and answer any questions.

Luckily, there’s a way to automate your vacation rental cleaning so that your rental is always clean and ready before the next set of guests arrives. Cleaning automation software ensures that you always have a professional ready to handle the clean-up of your property whenever you need them.

Top software options like Turno also make it easy to find local, experienced cleaners in a pinch.

Automating Reviews

Just like you can send automatic responses to guests’ questions, you can also send automatic guest reviews upon check-out.

According to Mashvisor, “posting a review about your guest encourages them to leave their review of your place in return. And the more positive reviews you can get, the more likely you can attract guests to book your Airbnb.”

If writing reviews for your short-term rental guests is so important, why not let review automation software handle the legwork and give you back hours of your time? After a guest checks out, you can use automated messaging to schedule their positive review to be published after a certain amount of time. If you need to leave a negative review, software makes it easy to do so.

Enhance the Guest Experience With Airbnb Automation

Airbnb automation software is a powerful way to improve the efficiency of your operations and increase ROI without increasing costs while eliminating the tedious manual work that comes with hosting.

It can help you with many responsibilities and will give you the time you need to focus on ways to scale and grow your business.

Written in part by the Hospitable.com team

Hospitable.com is a short-term rental automation software trusted by hosts and managers of 290,000+ properties in 140+ countries. It can take care of 90% of guest communication, save you from double-booking, and help you manage your team.

The post Understanding Airbnb Automation to Save Time and Effort appeared first on Turno.

Guest Expertise Archives - Turno

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Organizing

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Paper Products

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Owners Closet: Check! Now to find that reliable cleaner…

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Diversify

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6. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

7. Net Income

Keep Watching Those Numbers

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Does Your Airbnb Cleaning Business Need a Marketing Plan?

Looking for More Vacation Rental Cleaning Clients? Join the Turno Marketplace Today!

8 Steps To Creating a Successful Marketing Plan

1. Define Your Cleaning Business

2. Set Your Goals

3. Determine Your Target Market

4. Create a Brand and Stay Consistent

5. Optimize Your Online Presence

6. Build Your Reputation

7. Use Feedback to Your Advantage

8. Prepare Stellar Content

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Market Your Airbnb Cleaning Business to Success

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Satellite Broadband

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Full-Fibre Broadband

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Connection Conclusions

Top 6 Tips to Manage Your Rental Property Remotely

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1. Integrate Technology at Every Stage

Owners Closet: Check!
Now to find that reliable cleaner…

Looking for More Vacation Rental Cleaning Clients?
Join the Turno Marketplace Today!