It finally happened.  The date: November 3^rd, 2016 at approximately 12:45 am.  The Chicago Cubs won a World Series for the first time since 1908, the first time in 108 years.  I am one of many (until recently) long suffering Cub fans that have endured years of disappointment and the moniker of lovable losers.  There have been years of moderate success, but most of us by now know that the Cubs had not been to the World Series since 1945.  A 71 year absence that legend has it was the result of a curse.  And what was this curse?  It was because at the last World Series in 1945 in the beloved Wrigley Field a patron (and local business owner) was made to leave Wrigley Field because he had a live goat with him.  When he was told to leave he put a curse on the Cubs stating that they would never be in a World Series ever again. 

Encryption. The S in HTTPS stands for secure, it also means that the connection to the website is encrypted. It ensures that your vacation rental website's visitors are safe transacting on your website, and lets them know they are really dealing with you and not an imposter.

I thought I would have some fun with the great “holiday” of Halloween this month.  I have written and countless others have written about the paying guest, how valuable they are, focusing on making them repeat guests, and doing everything you can to enrich their experience with things you can control.  However; what happens when your guest becomes a trick and not a treat?  Let’s take a look at some nightmarish scenarios I found online.  I am not sure if these are urban legend, if they have been embellished or if they are true.  Anyway…It was a dark and stormy night…

I know we are all busy with the details of our business, but I believe that it is important as a vacation rental manager to regularly step back from time to time and take a look at the big picture.  From my perspective the big picture is that while we book rooms, those that come and enjoy those rooms are here for something much bigger. They are here for a vacation and a vacation is not about the unit, it is about the memory. 

What can a property manager do to attract guests? Being flexible and proactive to meet guest needs is a goal that can be met through improving the reservation process. At Barefoot Technologies, we provide our clients with different payment options and integrated partners which can lead to improving the reservation process by offering payment options.

Now that the summer season is officially over for most property and vacation rental management companies, it is common to take a brief step back and assess the season that seems to fly by quicker and quicker each year.  (I mean wasn’t it just Memorial Day like three weeks ago?) 

Hello everyone! Happy September! Looking forward to speaking with many of you now that the summer season is over.

Barefoot Trust Accounting 101

In April, we hosted our annual Barefoot User Conference prior to the Eastern VRMA Conference. I was completely surprised to discover that out of the 50 attendees only 5 where staying on to attend the EVRMA conference.  When I asked the folks why this was the case the response, in general, was that they “just didn’t see the value in the conference”.

I love the Olympics and in the true spirit of competition let’s talk about the Vacation Rental Industry.  As the Vacation Rental Industry grows so does the competition.  From the Vacation Rental (VR) Company perspective the competition is fierce.  There is competition to attract new and returning guests, competition to attract the best properties and home owners, competition to attract and keep great employees, competition against hotels, competition against marketing channels (VRBO, Airbnb, etc.…).