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Nearly six months after our inaugural Property Operations Summit, Elevate, we wanted to reflect on some of the key lessons and pieces of advice from participants of the event. We were honored to have 40+ panelists who are experts in the hospitality and vacation rental industry participate in Elevate. They shared countless insights and best practices to help operators meet the demands of clients, provide professional guest experiences, and run a successful rental management business. Here are the top quotes from this year’s sessions:
1) Ashley Kubiszyn, CEO of River Ridge Rentals, on how texting transforms guest services...
“Guests are more willing to communicate things over text message, and it takes a lot less work to send a text than it does to make a phone call. We also get the opportunity to check in with them multiple times and offer them the opportunity to communicate anything that went wrong to us. In the past about 10% of guests had issues that they never told us about and we found out about it in the review process. Now I'd say we're down to maybe 1% of guests doing that.”
2) Merilee Karr, Founder & CEO of UnderTheDoormat, on the new opportunities for vacation rentals...
“We've got to believe that doing things right is important. If a guest has a great experience and they come back and they're willing to pay a slight premium for that extra bit of service and effort on cleaning, that's worth it. I think we've all got to see that bigger picture because the long-term gain for us as a sector in the minds of consumers is worth it.”
3) Robin Craigen, Co-Founder & CEO of Moving Mountains, on using housekeeping to instill confidence...
“There's been a number of things said in the last 12 months about housekeeping and one that really sticks in my mind is that nobody was really that interested in just how clean our homes were until we had a pandemic. If you weren't cleaning to a high standard before and you wanted to stay in this business during the pandemic, then you needed to start. I think people needed that reassurance in this time of great uncertainty and it has been a tremendous opportunity for professional vacation rental managers to build more trust with their customers than ever before and I think that's been pretty exciting.”
4) Jason Sprenkle, CEO of Key Data, on using tools to automate your business...
“It's not about having the latest technology and tools just to have them; it's about solving a problem. You want a seamless experience for your guests, and you want an easy process for your employees. You just want tools that make these tasks easier, right? We have enough hard things to do, so let's make them easier if we can.”
5) Jon Eskin, Property Manager at Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices, on showcasing technology to impress owners...
“When I meet with new owners, I bring the technology we use to the forefront. I show them the PMS system, our dynamic pricing system, and I definitely show them Breezeway. I think more than anything owners really want to see how you run your operation and want to make sure that their property is going to be cared for.”
6) Justin Ford, Director of Safety Programs at Breezeway, on expectations for safe rental properties...
“We have a huge obligation to make sure that the renter is having the safest experience possible. The short-term rental industry is growing so fast and we haven't really kept up with that consumer expectation in terms of safety. I think that property managers who are taking the steps to make their properties safe have a huge opportunity to broadcast that and share with their guests that staying with them will meet their expectations.”
7) Jeremy Gall, Founder & CEO of Breezeway, on property manager vs. hospitality provider...
“The title ‘property manager’ sounds really transactional and I think it under serves a lot of the work that people in the industry give. The title ‘property manager’ sounds like someone who will just react and be there if something comes up, it’s not really proactive. But we know people in this industry do so much more than that, it just doesn't do it justice.”
8) Matt Landau, Founder of VRMB, on embracing technology to operate & thrive...
“The businesses and the entrepreneurs who are winning during the pandemic were the ones who are embracing technology and more specifically those who are embracing distribution. When their bread-and-butter clientele couldn't arrive at their destination, they needed to find new markets. When they couldn’t physically get close to their housekeeping and maintenance teams, they still needed to communicate well. All of these tools help out the independent growing manager to continue to operate and really to thrive.”
9) Mike Bayer, Co-Founder & CEO of Vacation Rental Formula, on focusing more on vacation rental safety...
“I think one of the most interesting aspects of safety is that it seems like common sense. This is something that should have been at the forefront of property manager’s and owner’s minds from the very outset of renting their property. Years ago, when I used to go and visit owners' properties, the safety of the property would only come up if there was something blatantly unsafe. Now having gone through the short-term rental safety inspectors program that Breezeway and Justin have put together, it has really highlighted some of the really mind-blowing safety issues that we have to take care of.”
Want to hear more? Check out our Videos page for the highlights! To sign up for ELEVATE 2022 and learn more about our annual Property Operations Summit visit our events page.