I've been binging your videos for the last week in preparation for launching my STR in Tahoe. I just wanted to say thank you so much! You guys are providing so much value here on youtube. I hope your channel continues to grow and reach more aspiring hosts!
Hi Kaylee and Steven, I have been bing watching your videos. I enjoy that you both are so down to earth and sincere in sharing your knowledge. This video was so on the mark for me as my goals for 2025 is to also "Slay the Dragon" and get my own Direct Booking site. After watching several videos (many of the yours) I was down to Lodgify and Uplisting. I will use your link to move forward with Uplisting. Thank you again for sharing. What did you not like abour Lodgify?
Thanks so much for watching! I don't recall anything about Lodgify that was bad but we liked Uplisting's user interface on the computer and phone app and it integrated nicely with our direct booking site that we already had up and running prior to onboarding Uplisting
I just on-boarded with breezeway and am already rethinking it. I liked a few things that you mentioned here and was wondering if you can share what your process is for paying owners. Ie, what tools do you use to calculate their payout and do you have a nice looking 'statement' that goes with their payment? I have been an owner that received a monthly spread sheet from a management co in the past and it was not impressive in any way and I was constantly wondering if we received the correct amount.
I'm considering remotely self managing our STR after our management contract is up. My only concern is screening guests. I would love to know how you handle that aspect of things.
Communication! Communication is the key. We manage our STR from another country and find that speaking to our guests is what makes everything run smoothly.
@@RanchoBellaVista503 do you have specific limitations in place as far as who you rent to? Does one learn about what red flags to look for by trial and error?
@bugz1292 Yes, we do. I always speak to our guests before they arrive. I have learned that not everyone reads information, I make our house rules very clear. We do ask for a deposit, and I have learned to listen to my gut feeling 🙂
I'm late to the party, but here goes: 1) under promise & over deliver, the best way to get this going is in your listing description & house rules, I state, "My vacation condo is far from perfect. If you want something close to a perfect stay - you may want to stay in a hotel." 2) I call my guests my after they book to help "reset" (if needed) their expectations and I give them the opportunity to cancel with no charge while on the call. 3) approx 24 hours after check-in - ALWAYS sent them a text to check in with them to see of they have any questions
Been handling vacation rentals since 2005. The more communication the better. Preferably get to talk on the phone with each guest but we know that is not always possible or "in the schedule". We now use Forewarn as an additional screening tool. Might be worth looking into.
Hi guys, I have been enjoying your videos on UA-cam. I have a small business in Norway and want to transition to my own booking website. I looked at your recommendation about using uplisting and found out there is only a few countries where Airbnb does not penalize you for using Uplisting. The deal is I currently pay 3% service fee to Airbnb. If I sync to uplisting I have to pay 15%. Sick right!
Hi guys! I’ve been binge watching your videos. Y’all are awesome! We are currently looking for our first investment property to STR. I was comparing Guesty to Uplisting, and I was leaning towards Uplisting, but it looks like Breezeway integrates with Guesty and not with Uplisting. I know you use Uplisting and breezeway. How does that work?
I am loving all your videos! I am new to the business and will only have one large home for the next couple of years. My daughter and I are going to manage the property and she lives in the town we are hosting. Would love to know what you would suggest for only one property for managing and if you think I should also use Pricelab with your suggestions. We want something that is easy for rookies!!!
Quick Question, were you using simplified pricing on Airbnb before going with a PMS, looking for how I will manage the HOST-only fee if I switch. Thanks for the great content.
@@kyleeandsteven To clarify, I meant were you using the 3% host fee or the 15% Host Only-Fee? Btw, I was on track to join Uplisting and asked them to pass the affiliate benefit to you both as a thanks for confirming my expectations were in line. Cheers, Rob
My question is regarding your website calendar functions, we have 3 night minimums, sometimes 4 night minimums seasonally. Does the calendar show guests that they need to book a min. stay when they try for example to select 2 nights?
Thank you for you videos. I’m curious if you collect a security deposit for any of your listings? My research shows only Ownerrez can do this but I love the look of Uplisting’s direct booking website. I’m on the fence. 🤷🏼♀️
Hey, I am currently using Hostaway and I am not a fan of their customer support and limited intergration. Does Uplisting work with Schlage locks and Honeywell smart thermostats?
Lodgify is pretty expensive. If you get their cheapest plan they take a 1.8% booking fee. The more expensive plans don't do that but they cost almost triple. But their prices are almost triple what uplisting charges.
You guys still use uplisting? The customer service has been atrocious. I just started using them a couple of weeks ago and I'm already ready to switch. Is there someone I can speak to that you have a rapport with? They double booked me and now I have to cancel a guest and my listing is very new. It's not the fee that I'm worried about there it's pissing off the guest and also getting penalized in search. But that is after lackluster support on relatively minor issues compared to this one
Sorry to hear about that! Was one of the bookings through a site that was synced to Uplisting via iCal? If yes, we've known for years (before uplisting) that iCal syncing has inherent delays. Vrbo, Airbnb, our direct booking site, and google VR are all synced via API and we've always seen bookings get blocked on the calendar instantly. We haven't had any recurring contacts with any customer support people as we haven't had any issues to speak that we didn't figure out from their AI support or support pages.
@@kyleeandsteven Thank you for replying! It was a direct link to Airbnb. Apparently something happened and the connection had to be "reengineered." I don't know what that means exactly but supposedly they fixed it. I was less concerned about it happening as a fluke than the 8 hour response time to get there. It wasn't the end of the world I suppose but I really wanted to tell the guest what was going on and I had no idea. Plus we had more inquiries coming in while the problem was ongoing without contact from them. I had to turn off instant-book on ABB but I couldn't turn it off for Vrbo or Google and that was very stressful knowing it could happen again at any moment. I might not jump ship just yet but I am looking now. They supposedly sync once every 2-3 hours but in my mind they should sync every time there's a booking AND every 2 hours. When you get a booking is exactly when it is crucial that the calendar is up to date. If I'm looking at it the wrong way, please let me know. Cheers!
We haven't used them, but we've had clients come from them with bad experiences. Their commissions are low, but you often get what you pay for, from what we've heard. If you're looking for a PM, try and find a small local operator. Look on Airbnb and see who's managing multiple listings with great star ratings *and* positive reviews specifically about them as hosts, then find their website and reach out.
We’re super happy with it! We’ve had a big increase in direct bookings this year which we attribute a lot to the exposure from google vacation rentals. There are add ons to the base price that are available but we haven’t felt the need to use those. You can try it out for free if you want to get a feel for it. Use our link in the video description 😉
I've been binging your videos for the last week in preparation for launching my STR in Tahoe. I just wanted to say thank you so much! You guys are providing so much value here on youtube. I hope your channel continues to grow and reach more aspiring hosts!
Thanks, Brandon! And best of luck with your new venture!
You're not the only one Brandon, I'm from England and looking through this.
Hi Brandon! I am based in Tahoe as well. Let me know if you would like to connect!
I appreciate all of the work that you both clearly put into making well thought out videos with useful and succinct information.
Our pleasure!
Need need need a video on how you do statements for your owners and how you've automated that!
Thank you for your detailed review!
Hi Kaylee and Steven, I have been bing watching your videos. I enjoy that you both are so down to earth and sincere in sharing your knowledge. This video was so on the mark for me as my goals for 2025 is to also "Slay the Dragon" and get my own Direct Booking site. After watching several videos (many of the yours) I was down to Lodgify and Uplisting. I will use your link to move forward with Uplisting. Thank you again for sharing. What did you not like abour Lodgify?
Thanks so much for watching! I don't recall anything about Lodgify that was bad but we liked Uplisting's user interface on the computer and phone app and it integrated nicely with our direct booking site that we already had up and running prior to onboarding Uplisting
Hi , how much did your website cost please?
I just on-boarded with breezeway and am already rethinking it. I liked a few things that you mentioned here and was wondering if you can share what your process is for paying owners. Ie, what tools do you use to calculate their payout and do you have a nice looking 'statement' that goes with their payment? I have been an owner that received a monthly spread sheet from a management co in the past and it was not impressive in any way and I was constantly wondering if we received the correct amount.
So do you use both Uplisting and Breezeway?
Correct!
I'm considering remotely self managing our STR after our management contract is up. My only concern is screening guests. I would love to know how you handle that aspect of things.
Communication! Communication is the key. We manage our STR from another country and find that speaking to our guests is what makes everything run smoothly.
@@RanchoBellaVista503 do you have specific limitations in place as far as who you rent to? Does one learn about what red flags to look for by trial and error?
@bugz1292 Yes, we do. I always speak to our guests before they arrive. I have learned that not everyone reads information, I make our house rules very clear. We do ask for a deposit, and I have learned to listen to my gut feeling 🙂
I'm late to the party, but here goes: 1) under promise & over deliver, the best way to get this going is in your listing description & house rules, I state, "My vacation condo is far from perfect. If you want something close to a perfect stay - you may want to stay in a hotel."
2) I call my guests my after they book to help "reset" (if needed) their expectations and I give them the opportunity to cancel with no charge while on the call.
3) approx 24 hours after check-in - ALWAYS sent them a text to check in with them to see of they have any questions
Been handling vacation rentals since 2005. The more communication the better. Preferably get to talk on the phone with each guest but we know that is not always possible or "in the schedule". We now use Forewarn as an additional screening tool. Might be worth looking into.
Hi guys, I have been enjoying your videos on UA-cam. I have a small business in Norway and want to transition to my own booking website. I looked at your recommendation about using uplisting and found out there is only a few countries where Airbnb does not penalize you for using Uplisting. The deal is I currently pay 3% service fee to Airbnb. If I sync to uplisting I have to pay 15%. Sick right!
Hi guys! I’ve been binge watching your videos. Y’all are awesome! We are currently looking for our first investment property to STR. I was comparing Guesty to Uplisting, and I was leaning towards Uplisting, but it looks like Breezeway integrates with Guesty and not with Uplisting. I know you use Uplisting and breezeway. How does that work?
Great video. Does it have an AI that responds to guest if they ask a question? I used Hospitable now and use that feature somewhat often
I am loving all your videos! I am new to the business and will only have one large home for the next couple of years. My daughter and I are going to manage the property and she lives in the town we are hosting. Would love to know what you would suggest for only one property for managing and if you think I should also use Pricelab with your suggestions. We want something that is easy for rookies!!!
how much does uplisting cost?
Like $20 per property per month. It's not too bad I think most charge between $12.50-$100 per property.
Thank you for sharing.
Quick Question, were you using simplified pricing on Airbnb before going with a PMS, looking for how I will manage the HOST-only fee if I switch. Thanks for the great content.
no, we were pricing manually
@@kyleeandsteven To clarify, I meant were you using the 3% host fee or the 15% Host Only-Fee? Btw, I was on track to join Uplisting and asked them to pass the affiliate benefit to you both as a thanks for confirming my expectations were in line. Cheers, Rob
Hi! Can you talk a bit more about the system you use on your website for the direct bookings? Been finding your content super useful! :)
My question is regarding your website calendar functions, we have 3 night minimums, sometimes 4 night minimums seasonally. Does the calendar show guests that they need to book a min. stay when they try for example to select 2 nights?
What’s about hotels with 15 rooms and managing other single
Properties???
Thank you for you videos. I’m curious if you collect a security deposit for any of your listings? My research shows only Ownerrez can do this but I love the look of Uplisting’s direct booking website. I’m on the fence. 🤷🏼♀️
How do you list on Google vacation rental?
How do you list on google vacation rental and is it worth it?
we think it's worth it. We use the channel manager we discuss in the video, Uplisting
Hey, I am currently using Hostaway and I am not a fan of their customer support and limited intergration. Does Uplisting work with Schlage locks and Honeywell smart thermostats?
It has integration with smart lock which integrates with Schlage I believe.
Did this force you to use the host-only fee structure on Airbnb? I want to switch but can’t seem to find a way around this fee structure!
Is Logify a good alternative?
Lodgify is pretty expensive. If you get their cheapest plan they take a 1.8% booking fee. The more expensive plans don't do that but they cost almost triple. But their prices are almost triple what uplisting charges.
@@Sulfen They're actually the same price as uplisting. I'm currently using Lodgify but considering switching to uplisting, pricing is the same though
So, Lodgify for example, will not integrate with Google vacation rentals???
Yes they integrate directly with google vacation rentals
You guys still use uplisting? The customer service has been atrocious. I just started using them a couple of weeks ago and I'm already ready to switch. Is there someone I can speak to that you have a rapport with? They double booked me and now I have to cancel a guest and my listing is very new. It's not the fee that I'm worried about there it's pissing off the guest and also getting penalized in search. But that is after lackluster support on relatively minor issues compared to this one
Sorry to hear about that! Was one of the bookings through a site that was synced to Uplisting via iCal? If yes, we've known for years (before uplisting) that iCal syncing has inherent delays. Vrbo, Airbnb, our direct booking site, and google VR are all synced via API and we've always seen bookings get blocked on the calendar instantly.
We haven't had any recurring contacts with any customer support people as we haven't had any issues to speak that we didn't figure out from their AI support or support pages.
@@kyleeandsteven Thank you for replying! It was a direct link to Airbnb. Apparently something happened and the connection had to be "reengineered." I don't know what that means exactly but supposedly they fixed it. I was less concerned about it happening as a fluke than the 8 hour response time to get there. It wasn't the end of the world I suppose but I really wanted to tell the guest what was going on and I had no idea. Plus we had more inquiries coming in while the problem was ongoing without contact from them. I had to turn off instant-book on ABB but I couldn't turn it off for Vrbo or Google and that was very stressful knowing it could happen again at any moment. I might not jump ship just yet but I am looking now. They supposedly sync once every 2-3 hours but in my mind they should sync every time there's a booking AND every 2 hours. When you get a booking is exactly when it is crucial that the calendar is up to date. If I'm looking at it the wrong way, please let me know. Cheers!
How's the app now?
They’ve made improvements so that more can be done in the app vs having to go on the desktop. We’re happy with it!
Has anybody used Evolve STR Management?
We haven't used them, but we've had clients come from them with bad experiences. Their commissions are low, but you often get what you pay for, from what we've heard. If you're looking for a PM, try and find a small local operator. Look on Airbnb and see who's managing multiple listings with great star ratings *and* positive reviews specifically about them as hosts, then find their website and reach out.
How are you liking uplisting so far?? Have you seen an increase in bookings due to being on multiple OTA's ?? Any hidden fees to know about?
We’re super happy with it! We’ve had a big increase in direct bookings this year which we attribute a lot to the exposure from google vacation rentals. There are add ons to the base price that are available but we haven’t felt the need to use those. You can try it out for free if you want to get a feel for it. Use our link in the video description 😉
Have you guys experienced fewer views on your properties? If so, how are you guys preparing for this recession
Are you still liking uplifting for your channel manager?
Yes! It’s been great.
How do you like Google Vacation Rentals? Is it worth listing on?
BTW, great content overall. I learned a lot from you
"the idea of implementing a channel manager seemed impossible" pff Actually no. it is very easy.
Audio very low. Hard to hear you as you are both very soft spoken.
Go get checked