For some time now, the vacation rental industry has been a mom and pop field. Many smaller businesses run and owned by families or small companies that tend to play on the safer side of all things, whether that be their vacation rental software, marketing, budgets, or any practice.
Tags: Rental Market, Vacation Rental Software, How to market vacation rentals, Property Management Software, Vacation Advice, Management Software, Rental Software, Rental management Software, rental marketing, Property manager marketing
Tags: Vacation Rental Management, Vacation Rental Industry, Rental Market, Vacation Rental Software, Rental Management, Property Management, Property Management Software, Management Software, Competitive Advantage, Rental management Software
Labor day weekend has always been synonymous with “the party’s over” for summer lovers. The nights cool down, the school busses re-appear, and white pants are no longer fashionably acceptable. With all of that remaining the same, save the white pants myth for you fashionable readers out there, the meaning of Labor Day remains the same, summer is over. For most vacation rental companies, this means fewer bookings, less revenue and the ever dreaded off-season. So how do you battle this as a vacation rental company, ending your season earlier than you wish is never desired.
The answer is a simple two words that will change your business, shoulder season! What is the shoulder season you ask? The shoulder season is that awkward limbo period where you are not quite in the off season but you are out of your peak season. Most companies look at these as just residual income, not an opportunity to grow your business. Follow these 4 simple steps to grow your vacation rental shoulder season.
Tags: Vacation Rental Software, Rental management Software, Rental Shoulder Season, Labor Day Vacation
With the unveiling of information regarding Elon Musk's latest venture, the Hyperloop, set for 4:30 et today, my mind has been running wild with all the possibilities this could mean for vacation rentals. It is almost scary to realize how little attention this incredible possibility has garnished in some circles. If you haven't heard of the Hyperloop, it is a new transportation method that will cut cross country travel to a matter of minutes!
Tags: Vacation Rental Management, Vacation Rental Industry, Barefoot, Rentals, Vacation Rental Software, Rental Management, Property Management Software, Management Software, Competitive Advantage, Rental Software, Hyperloop, Elon Musk
Barefoot Technologies is headed to Music City, USA! Be sure to check out our booth at the upcoming Vacation Rental Managers Association Annual Conference Oct. 20-23 in Nashville, Tennessee. This event brings together the key players in the vacation rental industry for education, networking, best practices and, last but not least, fun! We’ll be there, talking about our vacation rental software, and giving away a Wine and Chocolate basket to a drawn winner, so stop by and put your card in for a sweet treat. We hope to see you there! To learn more, or to register, visit www.vrma.com. Don’t miss out—registration prices go up after Sept. 5!
Tags: Vacation Rental Industry, Barefoot, Vacation Rental, Rentals, Vacation Rental Software, Software, Rental, Property Management, Second Home, Property Management Software, Management Software, Vacation Home, Vacation
In the world of Vacation Rentals, there are sometimes too many numbers and trends to search through to find the value. In these cases, large companies tend to excel and HomeAway is no different. In a recent purchase, for a yet defined amount, HomeAway is purchasing the majority of travelmob, an online startup with vacation properties in Asia Pacific. While this may seem like an odd move, HomeAway backs it with strong numbers, reporting that "over 100 million people will enter the Asian middle class each of the next several years, and Asia will have an increasing influence over the world's economic growth" as told by Brian Sharples, chief executive officer of HomeAway.
Tags: Vacation Rental Management, Vacation Rental Industry, Barefoot, Rentals, Rental Market, VRBO, HomeAway, Rental, Rental Management, Property Management, Second Home, Property Manager, Management Software, Rental Software, Vacation Rentals
In the constant attempt to bring you new and relevant information, today's blog is coming not from me but from HouseSittingjobs.com. This article is about what to look for in vacation rentals when children are part of the equation. One massive perk our industry offers is the ability to tailor better to a family than a hotel room ever can. We read the article and found it well written enough to reccomend it to you, our readers. Without much more babble, here is the 10 things to look for in a Vacation Rental when travelling with kids.
Tags: Vacation Rental Management, Vacation Rental Industry, Vacation Rental, Client Expectations, Rentals, Rental Market, VRBO, Property Management, Vacation Advice, Vacation Rentals, Vacation Home, Vacation, Offerings
The vacation rental industry is changing, almost daily, as you are well aware. Home Away, Wyndham, Marriot, Trip Advisor and other large companies are moving us to places we have never been before. It can be a very challenging environment to work in. The good news is that these companies all bring awareness to our industry that there hasn’t been here before. PhoCus Wright, which is a travel research company, recently published a report, PhoCusWright’s U.S. Vacation Rentals 2009-2014: A Market Reinvented. It is a very expensive report, but brings some very valuable information to us. It was said that only 10-15% of travelers knew or considered vacation rentals. Well in this report, 20% of the travelers surveyed stayed in a vacation rental in the past two years. An additional 27% considered a vacation rental, but ultimately chose another option. Why? Well, part of it is the misconceptions of our industry, that vacation rentals are only suitable for longer trips and larger groups, as well as vacation rentals not having the “amenities” that hotels offer. Today, this is not necessarily the case.
So the good news is that more and more folks are looking at vacation rentals, but the bad news is that still, only 20% of travelers are actually choosing our industry to meet their vacation needs. How did it get from the 10% that it was 5+ years ago, to the 20%? And how do we get it from 20% to 30% and more? Most of us will agree that the national economy hasn’t improved that much. Unemployment is going back up, and so many people are still out of work. So why is it that our business is so much better? I would suggest that the marketing awareness created by these large companies, as well as the internet providing more and more innovation, is finding the average consumer, and we need to take advantage of it. So some thoughts on how you can get on board:
Tags: Barefoot, Vacation Rental, Rentals, Rental Market, Rental, Rental Management, Property Management, Property Manager, Property Management Software, Management Software, Competitive Advantage, Rental Software, Rental Management CRM, CRM, Break
So its national Vacation Rental month this July and we hope that you are preparing for the blast of business and overwhelming amount of guests. What’s that you say, you’re not doing anything to push this news to your potential guests? Surely there is a mistake here as this is some free publicity. If you have not been publicizing this then you are falling into the shadows of large companies like Wyndham, who are playing on the national level. Fear not, here are 5 ways you can still make the most of the free publicity of this month!
Tags: Vacation Rental Management, Vacation Rental Industry, Barefoot, Vacation Rental, Rentals, Rental Market, Vacation Rental Software, Rental, Rental Management, Property Management, Second Home, Property Manager, Property Management Software, Vacation Advice, Management Software, Competitive Advantage, Rental Software, Vacation Home, Vacation, Rental Management CRM
