Effectively operating your vacation rental property requires the right tools, and a Property Management System (PMS) is at the top of the list. A PMS is essential for efficiently managing your property, providing a better guest experience, optimizing revenue, and simplifying many administrative tasks associated with property management. It’s a valuable tool for both beginners and experienced property owners.

Choosing the right PMS for your property can streamline your operations, maximize your bookings, and provide an excellent guest experience.

In this article, we explore what a PMS does, its key benefits, what differentiates a channel manager and a property management system, and how to choose the right one for your property management needs.

We’ll break it down and show you the 14-part formula for increasing your vacation rental revenue and providing an experience your guests won’t forget.

BookingSync partnership with Enso Connect will help customers create personalized guest experience with the power of AI

Forward-thinking European vacation rental management company adds an innovative integration to equip customers for growth in the New Era of Hospitality 

The need for new technology

Hotels, short-term rentals, and boutique operators are increasingly converging, reflecting a broader trend towards the professionalization of the vacation rental space. This shift underscores the importance of guest experience as a critical factor in the success of short-term rental businesses.

In response to this evolving landscape, BookingSync has enhanced its suite of technology solutions. With a presence in 17 countries across Europe and the US, BookingSync is dedicated to helping short-term rental managers achieve substantial growth. The company’s track record includes facilitating the expansion of companies like Luckey by Airbnb and GuestReady, enabling them to scale to 2,500 properties.

BookingSync’s commitment to advancing technology and streamlining operations positions them as a key player in propelling short-stay businesses to new heights. By focusing on enhancing the guest experience and leveraging cutting-edge tools, BookingSync is setting the stage for continued success and growth in the vacation rental industry.

Partnership with Enso Connect benefits BookingSync users

Customers using the integration will be able to have conversations with their guests through email, text messages, Whatsapp, Airbnb messages or let the Chatbot, Jarvis respond for them, all from one inbox. They will be able to organize and prioritize correspondence in the unified inbox, set up automated flows and even train the chatbot to engage in a friendly manner with guests. 

Enso Connect’s experience lab allows property managers to centralize all steps of the guest journey in one-stop portal. (guest verification, IoT enabled access management, noise control, AI driven review automations) creating a truly personalized experience, all without adding more staff or workload. 

One of the most exciting opportunities enabled by the Enso Connect platform, is customer retention and marketing capabilities, powered by AI.   

Francois Gouelo, Co-founder and CEO of Enso Connect, says: “We are using the latest AI technology on the platform. In fact, the research papers for these models were released just a few months ago. We are one of the first companies to commercialize this AI in the hospitality industry. We are happy to have BookingSync among the first partners to embrace the innovation.”     

What Enso Connect have done for existing clients

• Reduced the average response time of the customers from 56 minutes, down to 2.5 minutes 

• Automated over 70% of customer communications with over 75,000 guests, aiming to go up to 80% in the near future

• Developed the Boarding Pass, a web-based guest super app for streamlined digital guest experience

Learn more about Enso Connect integration with BookingSync.

If you’ve been in the short term rental market for a while, you may have noticed that it has taken up a fair chunk of your free time. If property management is your full time source of income, then you’ll definitely know what I mean. Managing properties can be quite a time and energy consuming activity, as it requires your brain to always be on and ready for any hiccup that may come your way. If you are managing many guests on a regular basis, I can guarantee you’ve thought about different strategies to minimize time spent on each guest, while also maximizing the quality and income of your rental. One strategy that is sure to help is becoming a remote host for your properties.

Becoming a remote host involves leveraging technology and systems to manage your properties from a distance. This approach can significantly reduce the time and effort required for on-site management, allowing you to oversee multiple properties more efficiently. By utilizing automated systems for booking management, guest communication, and maintenance requests, you can ensure smooth operations without being physically present.

For example, remote hosting can involve setting up automated messaging for guest inquiries, using smart home devices to monitor and control property conditions, and employing virtual concierge services to handle guest needs. Additionally, implementing comprehensive property management software can centralize all your tasks and provide real-time updates on bookings, maintenance, and guest interactions.

By embracing remote hosting, you can optimize your workflow, reduce the likelihood of burnout, and focus on strategic growth opportunities. This approach not only enhances your operational efficiency but also provides a better balance between work and personal life. With the right tools and strategies in place, managing your properties remotely can become a seamless and effective solution to meet the demands of the short-term rental market.

What’s involved in becoming a remote host

For those of you who are new to the short-term rental space, a remote host is essentially a host who manages their property from a distance. This model allows you to oversee all aspects of your rental business without the need to be physically present at the property. As you embark on your new business venture, you might find that it becomes challenging to separate your home life from your work life. This blending of personal and professional spaces can lead to burnout and a lack of balance.

Being able to distinguish between your home life and your business life is crucial for maintaining both personal well-being and professional effectiveness. By adopting a remote hosting strategy, you create clear boundaries between your work and personal time. This separation not only enhances your home life but also provides you with a greater sense of control over your environment. It allows you to step away from the constant demands of property management, giving your mind the opportunity to rest and recharge.

Remote hosting can also lead to increased productivity and better decision-making. With the right tools and systems in place, you can manage bookings, communicate with guests, and address maintenance issues efficiently without being tied to a specific location. This flexibility enables you to enjoy your personal time more fully, knowing that your property is being managed effectively from afar.

Obviously distancing yourself from your property seems like a great idea, but what’s the catch? Well, in order to become a remote host, you are going to need some sort of framework that you can depend on to take care of things so you don’t have to. The easiest way in my opinion is to use property management software. As mentioned in other articles, PMS can drastically reduce time spent dealing with the small things that take up the most time. If you find you are spending a lot of time communicating with your guests about trivial things, PMS can actually help you. Some software’s offer scheduled messages for check in, checkout, and anything in between. Other software’s take it even one step further and offer message templates or even automated replies! Just like that, you’ve carved out some time for yourself.

With PMS, you can save time with guest communication and many other areas. Another tricky spot could be the optimization of rental pricing or your rental data. If you’re trying to determine rental prices by hand, and tabulating how well your business did, you’re wasting your time. Property management software’s can automatically do this for you, and even set rental prices to competitive amounts depending on location and events that are happening (think New Years Eve or Labour Day).

If you’re not currently at the stage of thinking about becoming a remote host, or you really prefer to still have a hands on approach, that is totally up to you. But one thing is for sure, and that is property management software can drastically reduce time spent on the small things, while also improving the overall efficiency of your rental business. As always, if you have any questions regarding becoming a remote host or anything else, feel free to reach out to contact@ensoconnect.com.

From day to day, I can guarantee that you’ve communicated with at least one person, whether it’s your mother asking about how to log in to Netflix or your spouse wondering what you are doing for dinner. Communication is key for decision-making and accurately conveying a message in a timely manner. The same principle applies when communicating with potential guests for your rental.

The key difference here is that communication needs to be both quick and precise. Imagine a guest arriving at your rental on a cold winter day, struggling with entry instructions— they’re likely eager for a swift and clear response. In such scenarios, delays or vague instructions can lead to frustration and a negative first impression.

Efficient communication not only helps in providing a seamless guest experience but also plays a critical role in securing bookings. By ensuring that your responses are prompt and informative, you demonstrate professionalism and enhance the likelihood of positive reviews and repeat stays. Leveraging automated messaging systems or real-time chat solutions can significantly improve your ability to manage guest inquiries effectively, ensuring that every interaction is handled with the speed and accuracy that today’s travelers expect.

Communicating with your guests

These replies and guest communication as a whole can be incredibly time consuming and can even cause a fair bit of stress, so it’s imperative that you improve this area of your rental process.  Whether you message guests on Airbnb, Email, Text, WhatsApp, the sentiment is the same: how can this be simplified?  Well for starters, we have to figure out what area of guest communication takes the most of your time.  This one is pretty obvious — actually messaging the guest. But wait, how can you save time in this area? Simple. It all comes down to thinking about a Property Management Software (PMS), and most PMS include some sort of guest communication simplification.

The first step is to identify which aspects of guest communication consume the most of your time. It’s quite clear that the actual act of messaging the guest is a major time sink. But how can you streamline this process and save time?

The solution lies in leveraging a Property Management Software (PMS). Most modern PMS solutions come equipped with features designed to simplify guest communication. These systems can automate routine messages, such as booking confirmations, check-in instructions, and responses to frequently asked questions. By integrating these features, you can ensure that communication is both timely and consistent, without requiring constant manual input.

Leveraging such features as scheduled messages or message templates can help you save time when talking to the people staying in your property! These are just the tip of the iceberg.  A select few PMS actually include intelligent auto replies or even an AI chatbot so that even if you didn’t schedule a message, your guest will still get the answer they’re looking for (like what the WiFi password is).

So a PMS can take care of scheduling and even responding to messages, but what happens if you message a guest on Airbnb and Email?  Well, a good PMS has a unified inbox, so any communication you have with your guests appears all in one place. Gone are the days of searching for the missing Email or Text Message, when everything is in one place you can be sure of what you’ve sent, and that you haven’t skipped a beat.

As you can see a PMS can actually prove to be very useful once you get the hang of it. If you are curious about what other things a PMS can offer you, or how guest communication can be simplified with the use of one, feel free to email us at contact@ensoconnect.com. Here at Enso Connect we want to make sure that every host and guest finishes every rental with that ‘great stay’ feeling.

Stress is a common challenge, and it’s likely that you’ve been feeling its weight more heavily recently due to the pandemic. However, it’s important to recognize that there are various stressors in life, some of which may be entirely unrelated to COVID-19. These stressors might have been intensified by the pandemic, but they exist independently.

At Enso Connect, we understand that owning and managing a rental property can be a significant source of stress. From dealing with unexpected maintenance issues to managing guest expectations and balancing administrative tasks, the demands can add up quickly. We recognize that these challenges, whether pandemic-related or not, can feel overwhelming.

That’s why we’re here to offer support. Our solutions are designed to alleviate the pressures of property management and streamline your operations. By integrating smart technology and automation into your property management practices, we can help reduce the day-to-day stressors and simplify your responsibilities.

Our tools enable efficient communication with guests, automate routine tasks, and provide real-time updates, allowing you to focus on what truly matters. With Enso Connect, you can manage your property with greater ease and confidence, knowing that you have reliable support and innovative solutions at your disposal.

Let us help you navigate the complexities of property management, so you can experience less stress and more peace of mind. Our goal is to make your rental experience as smooth and stress-free as possible, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of property ownership without the added pressure.

Stress from your rental may come about in many different ways.  One common thing that we have noticed is stress from lack of bookings.  It’s no secret that the pandemic has affected the travel industry, thus impacting the short term rental industry, but in order to overcome this we must think outside the box.  Currently, it may not make sense to rent out your property for relatively short periods of time (depending on your location), as possible exposure to COVID can increase, as well as the amount of money spent on cleanings. One strategy you may consider is the medium length stay — approximately 28 days or more.  What this does is create more constant cash flow, as well as making sure you and your guests are also keeping safe.

Another thing that we have learned is that some property owners do not maximize their booking by leveraging the use of a Property Management Software (PMS).  Certain companies that offer a PMS have built in price management tools.  What does this mean exactly? Well, simply it means it always prices your rental so you can maximize your income, as well as filling in empty rental space that you probably wouldn’t have been able to fill anyway.  With the use of this software, you can worry less about not getting enough income, so you can enjoy your day-to-day more.

Communicating with your guests

Another common challenge that many hosts face is managing guest communication effectively. Keeping up with frequent messages from guests can be time-consuming and overwhelming, and poor communication can lead to issues with your rental and potentially lower your host rating.

Fortunately, property management systems (PMS) are here to simplify this process. With advanced PMS solutions, you can consolidate all your guest communications into one centralized platform. Whether you’re texting, messaging through Airbnb, or using email, all these interactions can be managed from a single interface.

This centralized approach offers several benefits. It allows you to streamline your responses, ensuring that no message is missed and that all guest inquiries are addressed promptly. By having all communications in one place, you can easily track conversations, maintain a consistent tone, and quickly access any relevant information without having to search through multiple platforms.

In addition, many PMS solutions offer automated messaging features, which can further reduce the burden of constant communication. You can set up pre-written responses for common questions or automatic reminders for check-in/check-out procedures, ensuring that your guests receive timely and accurate information without requiring your constant attention.

Embracing a PMS can significantly enhance your efficiency in managing guest interactions, improve your responsiveness, and ultimately lead to a better guest experience. With this streamlined approach, you can focus on delivering exceptional hospitality while reducing the stress associated with managing multiple communication channels.

At the end of the day you’ll most likely still have some underlying stress, but hopefully these suggestions will at least make you feel at little more at ease.  And also remember that everyone is in the same boat, so don’t feel like you can’t ask questions! If you’re looking to ask us any questions, like always, our email is contact@ensoconnect.com.

Renting during a pandemic was likely not something you ever anticipated, but here we are. Life during and after COVID-19 has introduced many unique and challenging situations as we strive to return to a new normal. Cleaning protocols have undergone significant changes, and your rental may have even experienced a complete health and safety overhaul. Beyond these adaptations, guests themselves have modified their expectations and procedures when renting properties.

So, how can you as a host maximize your potential by leveraging Property Management Software (PMS) in this evolving landscape? The answer is straightforward.

With Property Management Software (PMS), you will experience a significant reduction in uncertainty across nearly every aspect of your rental. Without a PMS, renting during COVID-19 can present numerous challenges and even health risks, such as maintaining rigorous cleaning protocols and managing safe guest access with minimal touch points.

A well-chosen PMS addresses these issues effectively. It can automate and schedule cleanings, ensuring that your property is thoroughly sanitized and ready for the next guest without the need for manual oversight. This automation eliminates the guesswork and ensures that every cleaning task is completed in accordance with the latest health guidelines.

Furthermore, when it comes to guest access, a PMS can facilitate a seamless experience with minimal physical contact. By integrating with smart lock systems and providing contactless check-in options, the software helps you offer a safer, more convenient process for guests to enter and use the rental. This approach reduces potential exposure to contaminants and enhances the overall guest experience, aligning with current health and safety expectations.

Another major benefit of leveraging Property Management Software (PMS) is the significant ease of use it provides. The pandemic has undoubtedly added a layer of complexity and stress to managing short-term rentals. How much time do you currently spend worrying about COVID-related protocols or managing your rental? With a PMS, you can reduce this stress and focus more on enjoying life and managing other aspects of your business.

A well-designed PMS offers features that streamline communication and operational tasks, minimizing the need for constant manual intervention. For example, automated messaging capabilities ensure that guests receive timely and accurate information without you having to repeatedly provide details like Wi-Fi passwords or check-in instructions. This automation not only saves you time but also enhances the guest experience by ensuring that communication is prompt and consistent.

Additionally, a good PMS integrates seamlessly with your existing rental setup, offering a straightforward and intuitive solution that fits into your current operations. This integration reduces the learning curve and allows you to quickly adapt the software to your needs without disrupting your workflow.

Lastly, if you haven’t been stressing about your rental, but instead spending countless hours trying to make sure it’s perfect, then a PMS can be of help to you too! The main purpose of a PMS is to simplify your existing rentals, and make the process less stressful and time consuming. Having all of your rentals in one place, or having auto messages, or even having a smart AI concierge (like Enso Connect offers), can allow you to be more efficient when running your rental, especially when you can schedule room cleanings.

I know I covered some broad topics, but if you’re unfamiliar with what a PMS is or if your rental needs one (I think it does — but I’m a bit biased), feel free to reach out to contact@ensoconnect.com so we can discuss and better address the issues you are currently facing.