Barefoot Technologies Blog- Vacation Rental Industry News

Cultivating Delight: Customer Service in Vacation Rental Management Software

Posted by Claiborne Yarbrough on Jul 9, 2014 10:36:00 AM

This is the second of Barefoot’s blogs about cultivating delight with a focus on a huge part of the customer lifecycle, customer service. I have been doing some research on how vacation rental management companies can provide outstanding customer service.

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Tags: Vacation Rental Management, vacation rental customer support

New Year, Old Scams: More Vacation Rental Scams

Posted by Adam Zippin on Dec 31, 2013 2:44:00 PM

Happy Holidays to everyone and we hope this holiday season treated you well.  Sadly with the ringing in of this New Year, my first post-holiday blog comes with some bad news.  Another market is being targeted by vacation rental scams, Lake Placid and the Olympic village has reported dozens of rental scams this holiday season.

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Tags: Vacation Rental Management, Barefoot, Vacation Rental, Client Expectations, Rentals, Rental Market, VRBO, Scams, Vacation Rental Software, HomeAway, VRBO Portal, rental industry competition, vacation rental scam, RBO, Security, HomeAway.com, rental industry

Will Your Website Ruin Your Business?

Posted by Adam Zippin on Oct 30, 2013 5:11:00 PM

In short, yes, but let me elaborate.  Last week the Barefoot team travelled to the VRMA conference in Nashville TN.  Aside from some great music, awesome food, and southern charm, there were some great things to be learned at the conference.  Douglas Quinby, the VP of research at PhoCusWright gave an eye opening speech at the close of the show.  If you left early you missed out but I will do my best to shed some light here as to why your website may ruin your business.

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Tags: Vacation Rental Management, Barefoot, Vacation Rental, Client Expectations, VRBO, Vacation Rental Software, rental industry competition, How to market vacation rentals, Management Software, Competitive Advantage, rental marketing, future of vacation rentals, Property manager marketing, Vacation Rentals, rental management business, Rental Management CRM, CRM Tips

Apple WWDC and its Effects on Vacation Rentals

Posted by Adam Zippin on Sep 10, 2013 12:34:00 PM


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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

The Hyperloop and What It May Mean For Vacation Rentals

Posted by Adam Zippin on Aug 12, 2013 3:52:00 PM

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!

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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

HomeAway Making International Moves

Posted by Adam Zippin on Jul 18, 2013 6:20:00 PM

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.

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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

10 Things to Look for in Vacation Rentals When Traveling with Kids

Posted by Adam Zippin on Jul 10, 2013 3:53:00 PM

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.

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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

It's Not Too Late To Capitalize On National Vacation Rental Month

Posted by Adam Zippin on Jun 28, 2013 12:44:00 PM

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!

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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

Must Read on Assessing your Marketing Investments

Posted by Adam Zippin on Jun 11, 2013 2:22:00 PM

 I have been in numerous meetings recently at the VRMA conventions where discussions regarding ROI have been addressed, and I believe the ideas put forth can be very useful to those that really want to be able to quantify their marketing investment returns.     

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Tags: Vacation Rental Management, Barefoot, Vacation Rental Software, Software, Rental Management, Property Management Software, Management Software, Competitive Advantage, Rental Software, Break Even, Golden Number

A Bold Claim From Homeaway CEO

Posted by Adam Zippin on May 29, 2013 4:25:00 PM

An article published over the weekend has shed a promising light on the vacation rental industry.  In an interview with Carl Shepherd, co-founder of Homeaway, said that he and his company believes that vacation rentals are the future of the vacation industry.

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Tags: Vacation Rental Management, Vacation Rental Industry, Barefoot, Vacation Rental, Rentals, Rental Market, Rental, Rental Management, Property Management, Second Home, Property Manager, Property Management Software, Management Software, Competitive Advantage, Rental Software, Vacation Home, Vacation, Rental Management CRM, CRM