Barefoot Technologies Blog- Vacation Rental Industry News

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.

Read More

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

A Successful Year For Vacation Rentals: Beating Hotel Occupancy Rates

Posted by Adam Zippin on Sep 26, 2013 5:06:00 PM

Congratulations are in order to the industry as a whole for a solid summer season.  According to an article by RIS Media, the average rental per week rose 19% over the same time last year.  In this numbers thick report, the stats are in and it was another banner year!  While we are always happy to see your success, we can't help but feel a bit of deja vu.  To add some juice, here are a few of our favorite numbers.

Read More

Tags: Vacation Rental Industry, Vacation Rental, Client Expectations, Vacation Rental Software, How to market vacation rentals, Property Manager, Competitive Advantage, future of vacation rentals, professional management, rental indusrty competition, rental management business

How to Stay For Profit When Responding to Non-Profits in Rentals

Posted by Adam Zippin on Jul 30, 2013 4:30:00 PM

Read More

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

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.

Read More

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 Merry Go Round – Are You Onboard?

Posted by Adam Zippin on Jul 2, 2013 4:05:00 PM

 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:

Read More

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

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!

Read More

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

Vacation Rental Scam Avoidance - 101

Posted by Adam Zippin on Jun 13, 2013 2:46:00 PM

The summer is here with warm weather, boat shoes, cookouts, Frisbee’s and family.  Did you notice the one thing missing?  Correct, vacation rental scams are missing this year because you have read this article on 5 steps to avoid a vacation rental scam!

Read More

Tags: Vacation Rental Industry, Barefoot, Vacation Rental, Rentals, Rental Market, Scams, Vacation Rental Software, Rental, Property Management, Second Home, Property Manager, Vacation Advice, Rental Scam, Rental Software, Vacation Home, Vacation

The Top Ten Reasons You Need To Move Away From FRS

Posted by Adam Zippin on Jun 4, 2013 3:56:00 PM

     Over the past few years, there have been some great advances in the software that vacation rental management companies are using.  At the same time, there are still people using outdated vacation rental software.  All this begs the question of, why are people using Dos based systems still? With all the current trends in software, apps, smartphones, tablets, Wi-Fi, 4g, and all the other technical terms that are no longer limited to an IT department, a business would do just about anything to tap into some of these resources.  But there is more to it than simply being able to tap into the internet to run your business.  Browser based systems offer regular updates, most free; Barefoot updates its system every month.  This means that once you purchase the system, the updates allow you to maintain the best system available without additional cost.  A Dos based system is only as advanced as it was the day you bought it, or that you pay to upgrade to.  It may make you nervous to consider what else you still use every day that is from the same time frame.  Without further ado, here are the top ten reasons that Agent 3.0c is better than your current FRS system.

 

1. CRM Tools- The ability to send quickly and easily email correspondence toprospective owners, prospective and returning customers, and vendors from the software without the need to recreate that database in a third-party provider and send reservation data as an attachment.

Read More

Tags: Vacation Rental Industry, Barefoot, Vacation Rental, Software, Property Management, Property Management Software, Management Software, Competitive Advantage, Rental Scam, Rental Software, CRM

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.

Read More

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

Change Your View: Vacation Rental Property Vs. Asset Manager

Posted by Adam Zippin on May 21, 2013 4:55:00 PM

Read More

Tags: Vacation Rental Management, Vacation Rental Industry, Barefoot, Vacation Rental, Software, Rental Management, Property Management, Second Home, Property Manager, Vacation Advice, Management Software, Rental Software, Vacation Rentals, Rental Management CRM, Golden Number