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Hosting tips

Share tips and best practices, ask other hosts for their short-term rental tips.

34 Topics
SplitStay Anita
New Participant
SplitStay AnitaNew Participant
asked in Industry Conversations
Legacy Plan

Hi there,Has anyone done a detailed comparison between PriceLabs and Hospitable’s dynamic pricing?Also, I’m wondering why don’t Legacy plan users have the option to simply pay extra to add dynamic pricing? Forcing a full plan upgrade seems unfair, especially considering the major differences between the Legacy and newer plans. Switching plans would be a big downgrade for me in terms of features, so that doesn’t feel like a reasonable solution.Thanks in advance for any insight!

292
Brian Seelos
Hospitable Team Member
S
New Participant
SteveBarshNew Participant
asked in Industry Conversations
Generating a Guest Pass from Hospitable Booking Info?

Hi all. We have the need to generate a guest pass for guests staying at one of our properties. We send the pass to the guest as a PNG or JPG file. They then show the Guest Pass to the restaurant staff and others, allowing them to enjoy their complimentary breakfast buffet (it’s amazing!) and access other benefits at this luxury location.Today, I have the Guest Pass template in Google Slides and manually copy and paste information from Hospitable about the booking over to the template. I need to move over:Guest NameCheck-in DateCheck-out DateNumber in PartyI would LOVE to do this programmatically! Manual copy and pasting is time-consuming and error-prone. I want the pass to “look nice,” so not just plain text.So, the question is: Does anyone know of a way to do this programmatically from Hospitable? I was trying to see how a simple integration, e.g., sending data as variables in a URL, could achieve something like this with Google Slides, Canva, etc.The desired outcome is a guest pass w

93
Andrew Schorr
Hospitable Team Member
jay
New Participant
jayNew Participant
posted in Industry Conversations
Cleaners Can Only Work Certain Days

Unfortunately Hospitable doesnt let you allocate cleaners to particular days for check out cleans. So for example, I have a cleaner who is available for two days a week and another one that is available the other 5. I cant automatically send all cleaning jobs on the two days a week to one and the rest go to the other. But, I have been told that other platforms do this, like Turno. Then when I investigated Turno, it became obvious that they will try to encourage my cleaners to go onto their marketplace - potentially poaching my very hard to find cleaners!  So no, I wont be using Turno. I am now looking at Breezeway. Which costs $20 per month per property (first one free if you apply within hospitable).  Has anyone had experience with Breezeway?  Or is there anything else I should look at? Thanks!Jay

352
jay
New Participant
Rose
New Participant
RoseNew Participant
posted in Industry Conversations
Introduction

Hello from Cape May NJ!I am NEW to this platform and community.  I just wanted to introduce myself.  This forum is so helpful already! 🎤 Name: Rose Veltri  📍 Location: Cape May & Wildwood, NJ, USA 📅 Number of years hosting: I hosted my personal cottage by myself for 4 years, but I am now helping a team build their company through this site!  🤝 What you do: I will assist in the management of this platform for the owners of a direct booking company.  🏡 Number of properties managed: right now, 2, but more to come….. 🎨 Interesting fact about you: I am a business consultant who is 1 year into my own company, Rose Business Assist Pro.  I help others streamline and manage their businesses and help them grow their entrepreneurial visions into reality...also walked on hot coals at a Live Tony Robbins Event…Have a great Day, Ro!

233
Petra Podobnik
Hospitable Team Member
P-Ranchers
New Participant
P-RanchersNew Participant
posted in Industry Conversations
AirBnB doing well but zero bookings from VRBO

We’re getting 85-90% occupancy on AirBnB. But VRBO has absolutely ZERO bookings. Listings are as identical as can be, dnyamic pricing is synced. Is anyone else facing the same issue?

10112
Evolz373
New Participant
Jay Walk
New Participant
Jay WalkNew Participant
asked in Industry Conversations
2 night minimum stay shows in Airbnb but is not enforced

Hey everyone!I have three properties on Airbnb and Hospitable. I have a 2 night minimum stay for all of them, but Airbnb only enforces this for one of the three properties. Even though the Airbnb app says and maintains 2 night minimum for all three listings, for two of the three listings, guests can still request and book for a single night. What is going on, and is anyone els experiencing this??

162
Jay Walk
New Participant
Solandmarfl
New Participant
SolandmarflNew Participant
posted in Industry Conversations
Prices

My prices showing on my OTA’s are almost doubled from what is showing on my pricing software and PMS (PriceLabs & Hospitable) I don’t know what else to do. I checked everything under calendar, pricing and customizations. I need help. 

244
Petra Podobnik
Hospitable Team Member
Doug MacMaster
New Participant
Doug MacMasterNew Participant
posted in Industry Conversations
Business Valuations

I’ve done business valuations for acquisitions before, but not for STR property management.  Any advice or recommended resources?Key metrics to dig into? P&L - EBITDA or something else? Typical multiple?   Happy to take convo offline, if that’s better.  Thanks in advance.

240
Doug MacMaster
New Participant
AGAPE
New Participant
AGAPENew Participant
posted in Industry Conversations
What is the most cost effective way to have branded email address?

Hi all!I’ve purchased a domain, what is the most cost effective way to have a branded email address.I’ve tried google workspace but it is too expensive. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

413
Petra Podobnik
Hospitable Team Member
Larry
New Participant
LarryNew Participant
posted in Industry Conversations
Pet Friendly STR's ?

I have a small Covered Wagon STR that I am considering making pet friendly to help drive more traffic and so I don't have to keep denying booking request or inquires.   The area it is parked on is gravel.  We do not have a fence up at this time.  The interior floor is wood with some insulation below it.   I am considering putting in plank flooring to seal and protect the wood and insulation.   Maybe a small kennel area and doghouse with artificial grass outside close to the Wagon.Any direction on linens to use in a pet friendly space? Any cleaners that work really well to keep out pet odor? How do you add a pet fee only to the people with pets with price labs? What kind of pet fees should be charged? What limits do you put on the pets?  dogs only, dogs and cats only, no Bird or exotic animals? How much extra do you pay cleaners for a stay with pets? Any direction or stories you can share to help us make the final decision to help us decide to do this or not would be greatly appreciated

240
Larry
New Participant
Steven
New Participant
StevenNew Participant
asked in Industry Conversations
Agoda search

How do you find your property on agoda? When I try to search by the city, it doesn’t even show the city listed? If I search a nearby city, I see properties around my area but mine doesn’t show up. 

260
Steven
New Participant
I
New Participant
IgorNew Participant
asked in Industry Conversations
Airbnb altered reservation after guest complaint

Hello everyone.We have situation when guest decided to leave the accommodation after two night staying (reservation was for 3 weeks). Guest cut off water in the apartment, sent that to Airbnb and said they don't have water. They also complained that the property doesn't have parking (we explicitly mention that the property is located in historical centre without parking on the listing page, at the moment of the reservation and five days before arrival). And also that the property does not have aircons in each bedroom - again this is historical building and putting aircons everywhere was not possible when we were doing renovation.Guest also left us one star review on Google Maps and Airbnb.So the Airbnb altered reservation and withheld the payout without any consultation with us. We got just a cleaning fee and two nights instead of full reservation for three weeks.We appreciate your suggestions how to deal with that. Thank you.

643
ppdupuy
New Participant
mary
New Participant
maryNew Participant
posted in Industry Conversations
Experience with VRBO Bookings especially on Maui

Hello,I own one condo on Maui, and self-manage it since 2019.  Up to about 2 years ago, my bookings were pretty evenly divided between Airbnb and VRBO.  Ever since VRBO restructured to One Key, my bookings from them are way down.  Now only about 25% of my bookings, but the ones I get are often for longer stays during the high season, so I still see value staying with them.   I’ve asked my “rep” what is going on, and they just tell me to make my cancellation window less strict, and offer more discounting.  But VRBO has the same settings as my AirBnB account. Overall my occupancy is 85 - 90% so Airbnb seems to filling a lot of the holes left by VRBO.   I am just curious what other hosts are experiencing.  I appreciate your time.

321
Eli Stoughton
Participating Frequently
shorewaymgmt
New Participant
shorewaymgmtNew Participant
asked in Industry Conversations
Rental Agreements - compliant?

Hi! We are currently using Hospitable rental agreements and occassionally will get pushback from a guest who doesn’t want to sign something off airbnb’s platform. However this guest seemed to suggest we need to disclose all the terms of a rental agreement prior to a guest booking. This seems impossible with the limited characters airbnb gives in disclosing house rules. We currently have listed in our house rules “must sign rental agreement after booking, failure to sign will result in cancellation.” What is everyone else doing to stay compliant with this? 

291
Mahmodul
Top Contributor
H
New Participant
HostNew Participant
asked in Industry Conversations
Direct Booking Site Setup – Mid-Term Rental Settings vs Airbnb Sync

I’m looking to set up my direct booking site exclusively for mid-term rentals (30-day minimum stays), while keeping my Airbnb calendar settings at a 3-night minimum.The last time I tried to configure this, the 30-day minimum setting on the direct site also applied to my Airbnb listings through calendar sync. Can you confirm if there’s a way to separate these settings so that:    •    The direct booking site enforces a 30-day minimum stay, and    •    My Airbnb calendar remains at a 3-night minimum?I’d like to use the direct site for corporate housing and longer stays while continuing to host short stays on Airbnb.Thanks in advance for your guidance on how to make this work.

443
Mahmodul
Top Contributor
Lil Gem
New Participant
Lil GemNew Participant
asked in Industry Conversations
Guest verification review & Security deposit

I am new to hosting and have a potential guest with a failed verification. The recommendation is to host the guest but the review does state 15 accounts. Should I be worried? Can i enforce a security deposit? I can’t afford any downtime in guest turn around as it is peak season and have back to back bookings. What’s the best way to hand a guest in this situation? Appreciate any suggestions or tips. TIA

445
Jason
Inspiring
ppdupuy
New Participant
ppdupuyNew Participant
posted in Industry Conversations
How to Juggle STRs and Events

We have a large historic place that has STRs, as well as weddings, etc. I need help juggling the calendars and automating the processes as much as possible. Ideas?

232
ppdupuy
New Participant
Miles Hobson
Hospitable Team Member
Miles HobsonHospitable Team Member
posted in Industry Conversations
Are Q2 bookings up ⬆️ or down ⬇️ for you?

Our recent podcast episode with Key Data called out an interesting data point for the US market 🇺🇸. On April 5, 2025, reservations per property had decreased 20% year-over-year for the US as a whole.How are Q2 bookings looking for you, compared to last year, in your part of the world?

9110
Scottm
Inspiring
WadeSATX
Participating Frequently
WadeSATXParticipating Frequently
posted in Industry Conversations
Anyone Using Intellihost for Pricing

I signed up for the basic plan with INtellihost and considering putting a property with them to manage my rates.  Wanted to check here first to see who is using them?

1118
WadeSATX
Participating Frequently
Silvysilv
New Participant
SilvysilvNew Participant
asked in Industry Conversations
Marketing to Past Guests

I would like to harvest all of the names, phone numbers and email addresses from all prior reservations to send special offers and marketing by text and email. Does anyone have any ideas to do that? Thank you very much. 

1586
StayFi_Ivan
Hospitable Partner
J
New Participant
jjwang100New Participant
asked in Industry Conversations
calendar is unavailable in airbnb, but available in hospittable

airbnb calendar unavailable and  said "edit availability in your property management software". But the calendar is open in hospitable, calendar is unavailable in airbnb.  airbnb say it is not their problem.I attached airbnb screenshot.  Someone please help me.

162
Yle Labata
Hospitable Team Member
K
New Participant
kcfan78New Participant
asked in Industry Conversations
Turno

I just added Turno to my Hospitable account. Will my cleaner from Turno automatically be added to my teammates in Hospitable?

232
Scottm
Inspiring
Alina Blanchard
New Participant
Alina BlanchardNew Participant
posted in Industry Conversations
Calendar Open

How far out do you keep your calendar open?  Pros and Cons please.  I currently am at 9 months and wondering if should open for one year or even 2 years.Thank you 

986
Scottm
Inspiring
ellesbnb
Participating Frequently
ellesbnbParticipating Frequently
asked in Industry Conversations
VRBO Co-Host Percentage

Hello to anyone using VRBO!This is my first booking for VRBO and I need to manually invoice the owner for my 25% Co-Host commission rate. I do not need to do this for AirBnB, because I am already set-up as a Co-Host on that platform to received my 25% commission rate plus the cleaning fee.Is anyone able to help me mirror AirBnB’s fee split for VRBO, so I can explain to the owner how I got to the 25% commission for this VRBO booking? I know AirBnB deducts the Host Service Fee (3%) and the Cleaning Fee, prior to the split and they do this off of the Host’s Payout (not what the Guest paid), and AirBnB does leave in the pet fee, for the Owner and Co-Host to split, but luckily no pet fee here.I guess my last questions other than calculating the 25% Co-Host percentage + Cleaning Fee, is if there is any way for this invoice split to happen automatically? 

611
Scottm
Inspiring
WadeSATX
Participating Frequently
WadeSATXParticipating Frequently
posted in Industry Conversations
Consideing Airbnb non refundable option for 10%

Has anyone tried offering this option?  10% seems high, but there might be a tweak to raise your price some to offset a portion?  Any thoughts or experience with this?  Copy n paste from Airbnb:  How a non-refundable option works You set your discount, which is typically 10% off the base price in everywhere but China Your discounted rate appears in search At checkout, guests either select your standard rate—subject to your cancellation policy—or the discounted, non-refundable rate If they cancel, you keep your entire payout for all nights booked, minus the cleaning fee if they cancel before check-in A reservation would be eligible if the check-out date is within 60 days The discount is applicable if the reservation is not booked with a pre-approval or special offer

130
WadeSATX
Participating Frequently

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