Discover how Houfy's new integration with OwnerRez streamlines vacation rental management. Enjoy features like calendar sync, automated messaging, and dynamic pricing.
Houfy is delighted to announce its new integration with PMS and channel manager OwnerRez, enabling property managers to simplify their daily tasks. The combined strength of both platforms will allow Houfy hosts to improve guest communication and optimize their booking strategies.
If you're juggling multiple properties across different channels, you need the help of the right tools to elevate your vacation rental business. Working another 9-5 to manage your rentals is no fun, but OwnerRez can take a load off your plate. In this guide, we'll explore the platform's benefits and key features and provide a step-by-step guide to connecting your accounts. Let's dive in!
Why Do Vacation Rental Hosts Need a PMS and Channel Manager?
Short-term rental hosts face a multitude of tasks that can become overwhelming. From ensuring exceptional customer service to managing bookings and payments, the workload can be substantial. Here's how a PMS and channel management tool like OwnerRez can help:
- Revenue management: optimize your occupancy rates with dynamic pricing tools. Adjust your nightly rates based on competition, demand, and property characteristics, and update your prices across multiple booking sites from one dashboard.
- Inventory management: avoid double bookings that can lead to dissatisfied guests and negative reviews. A PMS and channel manager syncs your availability across different platforms in real time to save you time and eliminate human error. This will also give you an overview of your property portfolio's performance.
- Improved guest experience: guest satisfaction is every host's top priority. A PMS will help centralize communication in one dashboard, automate responses to guest inquiries, and handle post-stay follow-ups. As a result, you'll be encouraging more reviews and repeat bookings.
- Efficiency: managing multiple properties across different platforms can be a logistical nightmare. You need a central system that integrates with booking sites like Houfy, Airbnb, or VRBO and manages bookings and listings for you. This won't only simplify your workflow but also automate tedious admin tasks for your business.
What is OwnerRez?
OwnerRez is an elite property management system (PMS) and channel manager designed specifically for short-term rental hosts. Aiming to simplify the complexities of rental management, OwnerRez provides a robust suite of tools that seamlessly sync availability, rates, rules, and listing contents. Built by people who manage vacation rentals themselves, it's a comprehensive solution every host needs.
What Are OwnerRez's Key Features?
OwnerRez offers extensive features that help hosts save money and time. Here are the most important ones:
- Channel management: OwnerRez integrates with major booking sites such as Houfy, Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com, syncing every tiny change across all channels. There is no need to log in to different platforms and waste time on manual work.
- Property management: if you manage bookings for other owners or share rental ownership, OwnerRez will help you calculate commissions and generate monthly statements. You can share reports with your partners, showing revenue and expenses.
- Automated messaging: create personalized templates and powerful triggers to automate guest communication. From SMS to Airbnb messaging, send booking confirmations, reminders, and post-stay follow-ups to enhance rapport with guests.
- Websites: build your own website, and stop relying on third-party apps to generate bookings. Use OwnerRez's website builder, add widgets, and instantly save on service fees from OTAs like Airbnb.
- Accounting and security deposits: OwnerRez supports multiple payment getaways and integrates with QuickBooks to help you manage your finances efficiently. At the same time, it provides travel and damage protection insurance to safeguard your property from problematic guests.
- CRM: customer relationship management is vital to a successful business. OwnerRez stores all guest records to boost your marketing efforts and maintain customer rapport over time. It also helps you generate more reviews to build brand reputation and trustworthiness.
- Renter agreements: OwnerRez makes it easy to sign documents digitally during the booking process. You can configure each agreement for specific properties or channels or choose among premade templates.
- Reporting: access various reports and export them as Excel or CSV files to share with your team. From booking statistics and occupancy to availability gaps and listing performance, get an overview of your short-term rental business and make informed decisions.
- Integrations: OwnerRez offers a ton of integrations and is constantly adding more. Whether you're interested in dynamic pricing, guest communication, housekeeping, or insurance, you can easily access them via your OwnerRez account.
How Can Houfy Hosts Connect With OwnerRez?
You'll first need to generate an Account ID via OwnerRez. Follow the steps in this guide to get it. Then, connecting with Houfy is a straightforward process:
- Visit our channel manager page, and click on connect with OwnerRez to continue. If you don't have a Houfy Lite Plan, please upgrade to access this feature.
- Enter your OwnerRez Account ID to continue.
- Select your syncing settings for each listing:
- Listing basic information: Property overview, room details, location, amenities, suitability, activities, etc.
- Listing rates: Pricing import from OwnerRez to Houfy
- Listing availability: Listing availability import from OwnerRez to Houfy
- Once all settings are completed, click on pull data to import data for the first time.
Important notes:
- Payment options will be hidden for OwnerRez-connected listings on Houfy, and the guest can send you an inquiry message through Houfy.
- OwnerRez-connected owners can manage guest communications and bookings directly.
- When you connect or import listings from OwnerRez, the listing data, rates, and availability will be imported according to your selected settings.
- Listing data (excluding photos), rates and availability will be imported from the OwnerRez API every 3 hours.
Leverage the New Houfy Integration for Your Vacation Rental Properties
To sum up, this new Houfy and OwnerRez integration is a game-changer for vacation rental hosts who want to save on booking fees and increase direct bookings. By combining the strengths of both platforms, hosts can streamline operations, enhance guest experiences, and ultimately, grow their rental business. Whether you're a seasoned property owner or just getting started, this integration will equip you with the tools to succeed in the competitive vacation rental market.