Many vacation home owners wonder… how do other owners manage their vacation rental business?
Anyone who has managed a vacation rental knows that it can be a lot of work responding to inquiries, maintaining calendars, communicating with staff, managing payments and providing renters with all of the information they need to prepare for their trips.
There are many rental management software packages out there and many require purchase and/or installation on your computer. However, the trend has rapidly moved towards web-based services.
Just a few of the advantages of a web-based system:
More convenient for your renters Access your reservations from anywhere Ongoing improvements and updates to the software Regular back-ups of your data Better integration with other web sites and social media
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Reservation systems are fairly complex and expensive to build. This is one of the reasons why most web-based rental management solutions have targeted the larger rental management companies, until now…
BigBridgeTravel.com has developed such a system that works for individual owners and managers of vacation rentals. It is called “Property Studio” and it’s completely free to use.
Big Bridge Property Studio is redefining value in the vacation rental market place. With integrated email for inquiry processing (regardless of which listing site the inquiry comes from), the system helps owners manage the process from beginning to end.
What do owners get from Big Bridge?
1. Dynamic Last Minute Advertising. This is a very unique feature of the application. Owners set discount parameters for upcoming vacancies, and last minute discounts are then automatically advertised on BigBridgeTravel.com. This is something that can only be done effectively with a full reservation management system behind it.
2. Property Studio is a comprehensive but easy to use web-based reservation management system designed for individual owners and managers. Availability calendars are automatically updated and color-coded to reflect reservation status. The online reservation/booking confirmation process, used by the renters, is customized for each property. Integrated email allows owners to process inquiries (regardless of source) through the system and use customizable templates to respond quickly and professionally. Big Bridge Travel offers PayPal payment integration for free, to owners who accept credit cards through PayPal. Once renters complete the online booking process, reservations are automatically updated with all of the necessary details. Owners have complete control over the process, while the system does all the work (such as calculating payments, due dates, etc.). The renter’s online summary provides all the appropriate links and information that owners want to publish for confirmed bookings (such as directions, house & arrival info, activities, etc.). PayPal payments are then processed directly to owner PayPal accounts and automatically recorded in Property Studio. Owners can also schedule automatic reminders to be sent to renters when items are needed to complete the reservation (payments due, signed policies, etc.). Email correspondence is always tracked and stored with the reservation itself.
3.BigBridgeTravel.com is the public search portal where vacation property listings are advertised to the renting public. The system has built-in support for multi-unit properties, google map integration, and all the usual bells and whistles of other listing sites. Owners have full control over managing the content of their listings.
Big Bridge Travel is a great new venue for advertising vacation property rentals, and the Property Studio tools help manage the entire rental process with ease, all the while providing renters a better way to book and obtain information about your property. And don’t forget, everything is completely FREE.
Tags: availability calendar, back ups, bridge 1, management software packages, minute discounts, rental management companies, rental management software, reservation management system, reservation systems, vacation home owners