Latest / Host Planet: Airbnb, Holiday Let, and Vacation Rental Insights / How AI & Automation Can Help STR Hosts Win Back Time

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How AI & Automation Can Help STR Hosts Win Back Time · Host Planet: Airbnb, Holiday Let, and Vacation Rental Insights

0:00
Make a habit of regularly checking in with your software
0:02
providers who've seen tremendous amounts of development, both the
0:07
capability of the technology but also in people's understanding
0:10
and people's day-to-day use of it.
0:12
Airbnb would like more of a share of that guest journey of
0:16
that guest relationship. How?
0:18
Can short term rental hosts utilize automation to save time?
0:23
Why should property managers embrace AI?
0:27
And when exactly should you be communicating with your guests?
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Adam Bookmaster from Avivo is the special guest on today's
0:34
Host Planet podcast, and he'll be answering all these key
0:38
questions. Adam, thank you so much for
0:45
joining us on the House Planet podcast.
0:48
How can hosts and property managers save time through
0:52
automation and AI? Hi James.
0:55
Well, it's great to be on the pod with you and it's an
0:58
excellent question. I mean working for a technology
1:02
company, I think technology can play a massive part in in saving
1:07
hosts time and in giving property managers time back to
1:11
then reinvest in, in other areas.
1:13
So yeah, clearly technology's a big part of that.
1:17
And within that, I think, yeah, automation plays a massive part.
1:21
And within that, AI plays its own little part, which is which,
1:24
which is growing and is becoming, you know, becoming
1:27
clearer and more widespread as as we go.
1:30
I think technology first and foremost, it has to, it has to
1:33
work well, it has to be quick, it has to be accurate, and it
1:37
has to be working for you around the clock.
1:40
So all of that running in the background, you know, the
1:43
automation can, can save you time across different stages.
1:46
I think of the, you know, of your operations and we, we
1:49
generally break that down into different stages of the, of the
1:53
guest journey. So, for example, you know,
1:56
having something robust in place is first and foremost, I think
2:00
because it's automation is all well and good and we can talk
2:03
about some of the examples, but it's no use, no use automating
2:06
if, if you're going to get loads of overbooking.
2:08
So you know, you need that robust system in place, you're
2:11
going to be listing your, your property and your properties on,
2:14
on multiple channels. At least that's what we'd
2:16
recommend. You know, all the OTAs direct
2:18
website as well, you know, so having one source of truth that
2:23
can seamlessly, you know, communicate out to all of those
2:26
platforms and receive back communications as well is, is a
2:31
time saver, mainly because if it's all working fine, you're
2:34
not having to manage those exceptions.
2:36
You know, you're, you're, you're in one place, you're managing
2:39
your, your listing. So we can take it through and
2:42
I'll, I'll try and briefly go through some of those stages and
2:45
where automation can have an impact.
2:47
Obviously, when the guest is not yet a guest, but is, is looking
2:51
and gets to the point of booking, they're going to be on
2:53
the lookout for information for, for pricing.
2:57
They're going to be asking lots of questions.
2:59
So already there. If you're not on top of the, the
3:02
answers and, and answering those questions, then then someone
3:05
else will be and they won't become a guest.
3:07
So firstly, having some form of automation of responses, whether
3:11
it's from the information that's already on your website, whether
3:13
it's from a chat bot built into the website that can take all of
3:17
your FAQ type of information and then respond to the guests.
3:22
That's obviously, you know, time is of the essence.
3:24
So having that kind of automation built in gets you off
3:28
to a good start. Anecdotally, we've, we've heard
3:32
some of our clients say that that sort of chat bot can answer
3:36
twice as many questions as they ever could.
3:38
Which when you think about it, if the question comes while
3:41
they're sleeping or if the question comes in a language
3:43
that they don't speak, then then yeah, it's it's self-evident.
3:46
So that that obviously gets you on the way.
3:49
And then it needs to be a smooth process for the guests.
3:51
Otherwise they'll, you know, they won't even get to, to
3:55
actually making the booking. So it needs to be clear what
3:58
they're booking. You need to be able to take
4:00
payments, you know, the various types of payments from deposits
4:03
to security deposits through to balance, you know, making
4:07
refund. All of that needs to be needs to
4:10
be seamless. And then as you get through to
4:13
the the pre arrival stage and the guests actually arriving,
4:16
that's where you know, the great communication that you have,
4:20
which can be assisted by automation.
4:23
That's what really leads to a great experience, a great review
4:27
and then hopefully the guests starting the process all over
4:30
again. You know, so there's various
4:32
points in the journey at which communication can be automated.
4:37
Again, AI can come into it. But I think first and foremost,
4:40
getting your getting your templates in place, having your
4:44
your sets points in the journey at which those those messages
4:48
can be sent. And obviously you can get your
4:49
system to do that. Make sure you personalize it.
4:53
Of course, you know, so the content is on brand for you, but
4:57
in terms of making sure it's sent to the right point with the
5:00
right information for that guest, not only giving them the
5:04
information, but encouraging them to perhaps book something
5:07
additionally and book an book, an extra that you'd like to add.
5:10
So, so clearly communication goes throughout the journey all
5:13
the way through to the reviews that they're that you prompt
5:15
them to leave and that they then leave at the end of the at the
5:19
end of their guest journey in terms of replying and keeping on
5:24
top of those messages. Again, automation adds the
5:28
cherry on the cake, but having everything in one place, it is
5:32
critical so that you know, you know what you still need to deal
5:34
with when you need to intervene and override that automation.
5:38
Because again, automation is great and can keep you ticking
5:42
over. But there will come a point
5:43
where your AI assisted responses have gone so far, but the guest
5:47
really wants to talk to you. So, you know, having freed up
5:51
the time for you, the automation then hands it over to you so
5:54
that you can really make the difference between, you know,
5:57
the guests having a great experience and, and not.
6:00
So then obviously through the the stay and then into the post
6:03
stay, we can talk about the experience of the guest, often
6:08
contactless and seamless experience that smart home
6:11
technology can provide. You know, so having lock codes
6:15
that you've communicated ahead of time, having them be valid
6:18
with a slight grace period either side of check in and
6:20
check out. And again, that's not
6:22
necessarily saving you time, but it is if you, let's say that the
6:27
guests left the suitcase in the property and then they locked
6:30
themselves out and then had to contact you in order to get back
6:33
in. If you'd programmed everything
6:34
up so that the code was still valid, they could then go back
6:38
in and get the suitcase without having to bother you.
6:40
So I think it's a, it's a balance between leveraging the
6:44
automation and and also making sure that you can intervene as
6:48
and when needed. And hopefully those those times
6:50
are a lesser and lesser portion of of the time that you have
6:54
available. OK, real talk now for all you
6:57
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7:00
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sorted with Housefully. I'm thinking of the guest
8:15
communication journey at the moment.
8:17
What's the optimum times that you should be communicating to
8:22
your guests? If we run through that journey,
8:25
obviously when they book, maybe before they arrive, during their
8:29
stay, afterwards. What are the best examples that
8:32
you've seen from some of your clients?
8:35
Yeah, it's a good question. I mean, as everything, I think
8:38
it really depends on your, your profile of accommodation and you
8:42
know, who you are, what your brand is.
8:46
But, but yeah, having a, having a schedule that, that you're,
8:50
that you're comfortable with, you know, whether that's
8:54
immediately upon booking confirmation, providing
8:56
reassurance, then X number of days before arrival and all, all
9:03
of these trigger points, you know, are conditional.
9:06
And by that I mean that if I'm a guest and I've booked two days
9:10
before, then obviously my, my three days before arrival will
9:14
get sent, you know, straight away or it will get skipped,
9:17
depending on your on your setup. So I think in terms of pre
9:21
arrival, you know, some, some clients like to be more noisy,
9:25
some like to be a little bit less hands on.
9:28
You know, personally as, as a guest, I'm not overly enamoured
9:32
if if the host of emailing me every day, you know, I know, I
9:36
know I'm going there. But having those touch points
9:40
before arrival, particularly if it's a long period between
9:43
booking and checking in is, is useful.
9:46
And as I said before, can can lead to additional revenue.
9:50
You know, you can send them a link to upsell, for example.
9:54
So, yeah, I think 1 common theme that we've seen more and more of
9:58
is, is particularly where the hosts are not going to be
10:02
physically present, where, you know, when the guests are and
10:05
they might never see each other. Providing some sort of
10:07
personalized information, whether that's, you know,
10:10
images, video or link to a link to a tour, pictures of where you
10:15
know, where to find certain things.
10:17
I think, yeah, in terms of content, that's something that's
10:20
that's useful a short time before, before checking check
10:25
in. And then, and then while the
10:26
guess is there, I think you can even veer into more kind of
10:31
physical, should we say prompts to, you know, whether it's a
10:35
prompt to buy that extra excursion or, or extra service
10:40
that you want to provide, whether it's a reminder to leave
10:43
that review. You know, that's where we see
10:46
our customers leaving, you know, something more, you know, a
10:49
printed, a printed book or a printed sheet, you know, with
10:53
information to go alongside what they've sent online.
10:56
Because with the best one in the world, guests won't read
10:59
everything that you send them. So I think it's, it's a fine
11:02
balance between keeping on prompting them and and, you
11:07
know, too much of that would be, would be annoying.
11:09
So I think you can also combine that with something a bit more,
11:13
a bit more tangible, you know, in the property, whether it's a
11:15
plaque on the wall or a QR code printed out.
11:19
And then, yeah, as a follow up to, to check out, you know,
11:22
sending through confirmation of payment, you know, accurate
11:28
reconciled OTA invoices, you know, reflecting what the guest
11:31
has paid, not what embarrassingly what you've paid
11:34
to the, to the OTA, for example, as well as those, those prompts
11:38
to leave a review and, and hopefully become a become a
11:41
guest and hopefully become a direct guest next time just to
11:45
continue that, you know, to strengthen that, that brand
11:48
loyalty and, and so that they can spread the word and the
11:52
whole cycle starts again. So yeah, no one-size-fits-all, I
11:55
think, but having your version of it in place and being able to
12:00
override it as and when you need to, I think is important.
12:03
Yeah, I think overriding it is pretty important.
12:05
I mean, I've noticed a few times when a guest books, I'll send
12:09
them an automated message about, you know, thank you for booking,
12:13
Here's some key details. And often when a guest books,
12:17
they'll send a question at that point and the automatic message
12:21
doesn't necessarily answer that question.
12:24
So I mean, how important is it to be keeping a very close eye
12:28
on the communication that the guest has been sent?
12:32
Yeah, I think I think it's important, particularly at the
12:35
outset of your journey of, you know, automation.
12:38
Once you've, you've put these templates in place, you know,
12:41
we, we often like to say set and forget, you know, set your
12:44
templates up, then forget about them because they're going on in
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the background. I think.
12:49
And this is the same as with any kind of AI powered assistance,
12:54
let's say to your, to your replies, it's always good to
12:57
monitor how things are going, you know, at the outset and then
13:01
perhaps over time, you know, to, to, to, to step back a little
13:07
bit from that. But I think it's important to be
13:09
able to, to be able to intervene.
13:11
I mean, one example I can think of that is, you know, if you're
13:14
setting an automated review of, of a guest through, you know, if
13:19
the guest is put through a platform where you can actually
13:21
review them and you as a host, it's great that you can set
13:26
things like automated reviews to go out.
13:28
But then if, if it hasn't been an experience that correlates to
13:32
the, the review template that you've set up, you, you need to
13:35
be able to, to override that. So I think there's an element
13:38
and you know, it's better than I do, James, as a host of, of, of
13:42
knowing when to check in, you know, so we, I talked to, you
13:46
know, our customers and other hosts in the, in the space, you
13:50
know, who have their daily routines, whether it's, you
13:53
know, I wake up and have my morning coffee and I'll check
13:56
the app so that I can, I can remind myself, OK, what's going
13:59
on today? Who have I got arriving this
14:00
week? And you know, you'll have your
14:03
own version of that. But I think I think as part of
14:06
that, as I said before, automation can, can be the, the,
14:11
the engine and can be the basis of, of you setting yourself up
14:15
for these great guest experiences.
14:16
But unless you're on hand and available, wherever you might
14:21
be, you know, you might be out and about, you need to be on
14:23
hand to, to check in if you get that call, if you get that ping
14:26
message, whether it's through the app or e-mail or WhatsApp or
14:30
whatever it may be, you need to be able to, to act on it.
14:33
So I suppose it's coming up with your own sanity check mechanism,
14:39
I suppose to, to, to just check on, you know, your technology
14:44
that it's that it's doing the, the grunt work.
14:47
You're there to sort of make the put the cherry on top.
14:51
I suppose there are some hosts and property managers out there
14:55
who are still a little bit sceptical about too much
14:58
automation and relying too much on AI.
15:01
What do you say to those hosts and property managers who are a
15:03
little bit reluctant to to get involved with this?
15:06
Kind of, yeah. No, I say I, I totally
15:09
understand that. And I think you know this, this
15:12
past year, a couple of years, we've seen tremendous amounts of
15:16
development in both the capability of the, of the
15:20
technology, but also in, in, in people's understanding and
15:24
people's day-to-day use of it. And it seems to me that people
15:29
in general, you know, both hosts and guests are slightly or tend
15:35
to be slightly less skeptical than they were a few months ago
15:38
because they've seen, they've seen it in action.
15:42
I mean, we've concierge, which is the online chat bot on a, on
15:48
a property website or property group website.
15:52
We've had that in place for a couple of years now.
15:54
And I think hosts, as they've got to grips with it, are able
15:58
to, yes, let it run in the background, but also make a
16:03
deliberate effort to analyse what's, what's going on.
16:06
You know, what questions are being asked.
16:07
Take advantage of the, of the information that's coming in.
16:12
And of course that the, the answers that that your AI
16:16
powered chatbot will be giving is based on the information that
16:19
you've, that you've put manually onto your website.
16:22
So you know that there are and, and yeah, there are ways of
16:28
automating the generation or the optimization of, of a
16:32
description that you put up, but ultimately you're deliberately
16:35
putting up the information on your website.
16:37
And what I'd say is that the to people who are slightly more
16:41
skeptical is that there's no, you're not being thrown in the
16:45
deep end here. I think you're being given tools
16:48
that you can dip your toe in the water with, start to analyse and
16:54
then use the the data that they're that they're giving in
16:57
return to be able to again, manually and deliberately
17:02
enhance your information and your offering.
17:05
So, so, and then that's one version of AII think I'd agree
17:11
that, you know, to completely take the reins off a guest
17:18
response tool and to allow AI to completely hold court in the
17:25
conversation with your guests is potentially risky because, and I
17:28
can see people's concerns about that.
17:31
And that's why it's important to, to oversee what's going on.
17:34
And as I say, to, to intervene as needed, because hopefully
17:38
it's doing the, the, the basis of what you need to do, IE
17:43
responding in QuickTime with useful information based on the
17:47
information that you've put there.
17:49
You know, it's not conjuring it up out of nowhere, but you're
17:53
able in one place to see, or you should be able to see all of
17:56
these conversations going on, to see when they've come in, when
18:01
the reply has gone out, and to be able to stick your ore in as
18:04
and when needed. So I think it's, it's
18:07
fascinating because there's lots of new use cases, you know,
18:11
coming along for UI, for AI, you know, as time goes by and as I
18:16
say, people are getting more comfortable with it and are
18:19
perhaps more willing to, to try things out.
18:21
So I think those who are still skeptical, that's absolutely
18:24
fine to, to be so. But I think there'll be more and
18:27
more chances to to try it out and see what you can get from it
18:31
and what works well for for you. Let's have a little look now at
18:36
what's happening in 2025. Recently, Airbnb's come out with
18:40
its summer release. They're talking about services
18:44
and experiences. What do you make of it?
18:49
Yeah, it's interesting, isn't it?
18:50
Because I remember Airbnb Experiences had a Deja Vu when I
18:54
saw the announcement earlier this week, because I thought,
18:56
I'm sure that they have that already.
18:58
And of course they did. And then it just took a back
19:01
seat for a while. But this is obviously a
19:04
significant announcement and release for them because as you
19:08
say, there's also, there's also services in there alongside
19:11
experiences. And then within experiences,
19:13
you've got the originals as they're calling them so far be
19:18
it for me to, to promote, promote Airbnb product.
19:21
They're doing good job of that. But I think it, it's indicative
19:26
and it's reflective of, of the, the, the shift towards and
19:30
perhaps movement towards more focus on the experiences that
19:35
that guests will have in stay. And it's something, you know,
19:39
it's new for Airbnb to package it up and to offer to be offered
19:43
alongside the, the accommodation piece.
19:46
But I think it's something that, you know, in, you know, in our
19:50
world and with our, with our customers as well.
19:53
It's something that it's nothing new to, to want to offer
19:57
something bespoke, something new to want to offer something
20:02
customized that's really going to enhance that guest
20:04
experience. And as I said before, make them
20:08
more likely to want to, to come back with you.
20:11
And again, hopefully directly. Obviously again, this is nothing
20:15
new in itself. Airbnb as a as a third party,
20:19
want more of a share would like more of a share of that guest
20:23
journey of that guest relationship.
20:26
You know and understand another aspect to it is if you're, you
20:30
know, as an Airbnb guest and travelling with other guests,
20:33
your records get somehow linked and communications can can
20:38
follow. So I think it's, it's important
20:39
as always for, for us as technology companies and also
20:44
for hosts to, to keep abreast of, of these kind of
20:47
developments. You know, certainly I know you
20:49
have as well been to lots of events this year.
20:52
And it's always interesting to exchange ideas with, you know,
20:55
with other hosts and other, other other technology companies
21:00
about, you know, how best to, to, to make use of it.
21:03
And as we say with, you know, listing your, your property out
21:09
there, you know, it's, it's best from our point of view to, to
21:13
list in as many places as you can as a way of getting the, you
21:16
know, getting your, your billboard up there, getting
21:20
your, your name out there. If you can direct them to your
21:23
direct booking website, then all the better.
21:26
But it's, it's often a great way of, of getting new business.
21:29
So, yeah, with the advent of this new experiences, then, you
21:33
know, why not try out this new feature and, you know, partner
21:37
up with, with people who are offering excursions through that
21:40
platform. From my point of view, it's,
21:42
it's in that sense, it's just another platform because I know
21:45
lots of companies who are already offering that.
21:47
And I'm sure lots of hosts are already quite sadly partnering
21:51
up with, with with local offerings in order to enhance
21:55
their, their own product offerings.
21:57
So I think, you know, looking to package up their, you know,
22:02
their room or you know, their accommodation offering with
22:04
something more experiential and memorable is, you know, is is
22:09
nothing new in itself, but it's interesting that Airbnb are
22:13
moving that way as well into more of a kind of lifestyle wrap
22:16
around brand. Airbnb is always a new trend,
22:20
they're always coming up with something new, but what are the
22:23
other trends that you're seeing in 2025 that house and property
22:27
managers should be aware of? Yeah, I think we've, we've
22:30
talked about AI and I'll mention that just because it's, you
22:33
know, with every new year, there's, there's a new aspect of
22:36
it that it, it develops and it, and it takes on new, new use
22:40
cases. I think it's, you know, from
22:43
guest communications to, you know, descriptions, images, you
22:47
know, we're all becoming more accustomed to it and you know,
22:50
and it will continue to grow. So I think that's it almost goes
22:53
without saying, but I've said it anyway.
22:55
And beyond that, I think So what we've seen certainly is, is an
23:01
abundance of more diverse property portfolios.
23:04
So where, you know, traditionally maybe you would
23:07
have seen PMCS with, you know, more or less identical
23:12
apartments, you know, in a given region or perhaps across regions
23:15
done up to the standard that you know, they know works.
23:19
And that's an obviously an absolutely valid model.
23:22
I think we're seeing more proliferation, but proliferation
23:27
of of diverse portfolios perhaps combining you know hotel
23:31
boutique hotels with other apartments, apart hotels,
23:36
glamping pods and other outdoor accommodations perhaps in
23:39
combination with the pubs with rooms.
23:42
You know, some of those have been in our client base, which
23:45
has historically been quite diverse anyway across hotels and
23:49
B&B's and and apartments and other sort of short term stays.
23:53
But I think we're certainly seeing more of that and that
23:57
become a more popular option where perhaps the lines a little
24:02
bit blurred now between what is a hotel and what is a, you know,
24:06
what is a short term rental. So that's, you know, that that's
24:10
something that we're quite at home with, but it's definitely
24:13
over the last, you know, even before 2025, but into 2025, it
24:17
seems to be on the rise. And then obviously here in in
24:22
London, we've had some not today, but some unseasonably hot
24:25
weather in the last couple of weeks, which obviously you can't
24:29
not think about summer season and gearing up for that.
24:32
So I think, as I mentioned before, with, you know, the
24:35
various industry events that have gone on the last couple of
24:37
months have now fed into full gearing up stage for summer
24:44
season. So, you know, the kind of themes
24:46
we're talking about people looking at, well, how can I use
24:50
and not just AI, but how can I use technology to really get the
24:54
most out of the system or the systems that I'm using?
24:57
You know, where can I expand My Portfolio?
25:00
What, what can I do that's that's new?
25:03
Tell us. About Avivo then how does Avivo
25:07
stand out in the PMS space? Yeah.
25:11
Well, as I mentioned, our beginnings are in independent
25:15
accommodation, you know, from, from, as I said, BMBS to guest
25:20
houses to restaurants with rooms and now firmly in the, the short
25:24
term rental space. So it's relatively unique in, in
25:29
spanning, you know, all of those and having a, a robust feature
25:33
set to, to serve their needs. But I suppose there's a few
25:37
things we're really proud of, but to, just to pick out a
25:39
couple, the connections that we have and the integrations that
25:43
we've built with the major OTAs are really, they're really
25:48
functional. They're really, really deep.
25:50
And what I mean by that is that we, we go for quality of the
25:55
connection over quantity of connections.
25:58
So we do integrate with the, the main global ones, obviously
26:01
booking.com and Airbnb and Expedia Verbo and so on, as well
26:05
as as regional, regional OTAs and, and much more.
26:10
But what, what we insist on is having a really good connection
26:13
where the data goes both ways. And it's not just a case of that
26:18
initial setup I talked about before, you know, forgetting
26:21
about it and then it just runs. Obviously hosts and property
26:24
managers need to update things as they go.
26:27
So whether it's updating a rate, you know, blocking something
26:30
out, we've got, you know, very, very good instant connections to
26:34
avoid over bookings, of course, but also some of the things that
26:39
maybe you wouldn't think about updating.
26:41
But you know, when you need to update attacks here or policy
26:44
there or photo there, that will instantly go to all the major
26:47
platforms. So for us, it's about it's about
26:50
avoiding having to go into the ODAOTA extra Nets because
26:54
inevitably if you have to do that, forget to do something.
26:57
So we really want that to be a one stop shop.
27:00
And I think with our with our deep connections, it's that's
27:03
what you can achieve. As well as that, we've got a
27:07
fantastic mobile app. So it just means that when posts
27:12
are on the move, as they inevitably are, they should be
27:15
able to and they can do everything that they could do on
27:19
the desktop as well. So, you know, having that,
27:21
whether it's part of your daily routine, as I mentioned earlier,
27:24
you know, waking up and having, having a cup of coffee and just
27:28
checking out what's there on the dashboard from, you know, who,
27:32
who's in house, who's going to be checking in, what the
27:35
cleaning situation is and communicating with the cleaning
27:38
companies you might work with on, you know, what's ready where
27:41
there's a problem flagging maintenance issue.
27:43
You know, that's, that's all there from within the app.
27:45
So, you know, mobile, I think generally has become more
27:51
integral to our sort of online experience than than desktop.
27:54
I'm sitting in front of a desktop now and, and of course
27:57
there's rich functionality there, but having it in the
28:00
mobile app and being able to deal with inquiries, bookings,
28:03
payments, it's just, it's, it's Peace of Mind, but it's also the
28:07
difference between, you know, missing out on that booking and,
28:10
you know, not saving the time and revenue that goes along with
28:13
that. And the last thing I mentioned,
28:15
James is, is as an indication of our, you know, how we work with
28:21
our, with our customers. Obviously, we talk to our
28:24
customers a lot and we talk to companies who, who aren't our
28:27
customers. We learn a lot from them.
28:29
A couple of years ago, we actually came up with an
28:32
established day on the 24th of March, which is now recognized
28:36
as independent accommodation day.
28:39
And, and so we've just had our third edition of that and it's,
28:42
it's growing every year. And it's a chance to, to
28:44
celebrate and, and put in the, in the forefront of the
28:47
limelight, unique independent properties around the world.
28:52
You know, with our, with our global reach, we're basically in
28:55
the UK, but we do have, you know, offices across the US and,
28:58
and, and around Europe. And, and it's not just for our
29:02
clients. You might be interested there as
29:04
well. It's for, you know, any, any
29:05
property that wants to be part of it is, is more than welcome
29:08
to take part. This year we've published 2
29:11
books as well, one which was a collection of, of experiences
29:16
curated by, by the contributors, which as I say, a range of, of
29:22
unique, unique independent properties around the world.
29:25
And the other one, interestingly, was a cookbook, a
29:28
recipe book with recipes inspired by these, by these
29:31
different properties. So, yeah, made me quite hungry
29:35
looking through it, but it was, it was nice to see that output,
29:38
which which is sort of indicative of, of the way we we
29:42
work with customers. So yeah, we're very proud of
29:44
that. And we think that that that that
29:46
sets us apart in the in the PMS space.
29:49
Superb, Yeah. Lovely.
29:51
Yeah, Yeah. Great to hear those recipes
29:52
that's. Yeah, look, look at that.
29:54
Nice way of looking at it And in terms of helping your clients to
29:59
get direct bookings as well, how does Aviva operate in that
30:02
space? Yeah.
30:04
Well, as I've mentioned, we, we, we encourage clients to, you
30:09
know, to, to work with OTA partners to, to, to use them as
30:13
a really useful way of, of getting bookings.
30:16
It's spreading the net globally, expanding the global reach of
30:19
your property. You know, speaking as a guest as
30:23
well, you know, OTAs are often a starting point for a, for a
30:28
search. You know, you might search by
30:30
destination, you might, you might just go to a site that you
30:33
like because you've, you've booked on that site before as a
30:36
guest. So I think, you know, we
30:39
acknowledge and, and host as well acknowledge that, you know,
30:42
the OTAs provide a large chunk of bookings in many cases and
30:47
for good reason. Getting direct bookings is good
30:52
because it can cut out the Commission element of that.
30:55
Obviously we recommend spreading the net wide because you're not
30:59
paying Commission until you get the bookings in.
31:01
But then we will say once you have those bookings, you know,
31:05
you should leverage the technology and do what you can
31:07
to, to, to really get to know the guests.
31:10
And that includes, you know, getting what contact information
31:14
you can in order to, you know, promote other things that you're
31:18
that you're doing. And I think by definition,
31:22
giving that guest a memorable experience will will make a
31:28
connection between the guests and you and you as a band over
31:32
and above the connection they might already have with with the
31:35
OTA, which is, which is also important.
31:38
So I think clearly you need a, you need a place where the
31:42
guests can go and book direct. So whether that's the first time
31:45
around or the second time around or the third time around or at
31:48
some point in the future, having that smart looking, you know,
31:52
professional looking, easy to use website, There's got to be
31:55
easy to use because otherwise they'll go to a place that they
31:57
know is easy to use. It's a place where you can
32:01
store, you know, a treasure trove of information, which, as
32:04
I said before, can then power your, your communication.
32:09
But then interestingly, I'm sure a lot of hosts are doing this as
32:13
well. The direct booking platform, I
32:18
suppose should be somewhere where you're offering added
32:21
value. So where you would be, you know,
32:24
potentially saving on Commission versus OTA bookings, you can use
32:28
that that saving to really work out well.
32:31
What value add can you give, you know, is it a free breakfast,
32:36
you know, adding additional service onto the same room rate
32:41
as you're perhaps advertising without breakfast elsewhere?
32:44
Could it be a perk like an early check in late check out gift?
32:49
You know, again, as I said before, it's, it's how do you
32:53
differentiate your offering from from others and that the direct
32:57
booking website would be the place to do that.
32:59
Obviously getting them there can be the can be a challenge, but
33:03
there are obviously ways, ways to do that.
33:05
And as I said, there are different points in that overall
33:08
guest journey over the various trips that they do that you can,
33:12
you can capitalize on that. But once you do, the goal would
33:15
be to, to keep that in house and keep that customer, a direct
33:19
customer, which go back to what I was saying before, you know,
33:23
takes effect before the trip, after the trip, before the next
33:26
trip. So, so yeah, it's something we
33:30
obviously encourage and we have the tools to, to enable hosts to
33:35
do that. But it's, yeah, it's an
33:37
interesting one. Fantastic.
33:40
And if people want to find out more information about Evivo,
33:42
where should they go? They can go to
33:44
ourwebsite@evivo.com. There's two IS eviivo.com and
33:50
we're very active on social media, so do check us out there
33:54
and yeah, look forward to talking to you.
33:57
Superb. We'll put those links in the
33:59
show notes. OK.
34:01
Then, Adam, we've got a few questions to finish your
34:04
favorite brand in the STR space and why apart from Aviva, of
34:10
course. Yeah, this is a tough one.
34:12
This is a tough one. There are lots of lots of
34:14
fabulous brands out there. Of course, I've got to know
34:17
quite a few of them. I think James are going to go
34:20
with Key Data Dashboard. They give some really key data,
34:25
excuse the pun, but really nice looking clean dashboard, you
34:29
know, to give, to give the information, the data that you
34:32
can then use to inform, you know, the key decisions you want
34:36
to make, whether that's the pricing you want to set or area
34:39
in which you want to expand your portfolio.
34:42
So yeah, heard very good things about that and yeah, good, good
34:46
team as well. Yeah, great team.
34:48
Great shout out there for Key Data, one of our sponsors of
34:50
course. An individual in the STR space
34:53
you'd like to give a shout out to and why?
34:55
Well, this is, this is also very tricky because of course, yeah,
34:58
we, there's so many people we could give a shout out to, but I
35:02
want, I want to give a shout out to to our clients.
35:06
Very difficult to to pick among them.
35:08
But I think I'm going to go with Anna Harrison.
35:11
Anna runs Panda Sanctuary. It's APMC in the southwest of
35:17
England in and around Bath portfolio of luxury self
35:22
catering homes in that area. I know in the time she's been
35:25
with us, she's she's grown significantly into into double
35:29
figures of property and she's expanding in that region.
35:32
But it's always great to work with clients like Anna who are
35:36
willing and ready to, to share feedback, to try new things out.
35:41
So we've talked about AI, but you know, anything new that we
35:45
develop, whether it's new features or, you know, new
35:48
integration, you know, a number of clients including Anna, you
35:52
know, are often on hand and, and able to help us.
35:55
And we couldn't really, we couldn't do without that.
35:57
So shout out to Anna. Finally, then, Adam, you're #1
36:01
tip to hosts who want to save time.
36:04
Well, if I may, I'm going to give to James very quickly the
36:07
first one. We've already talked about it,
36:09
but just to hammer home the point, I think automating your
36:12
guest communications properly is, is, is a top tip and not
36:17
just with the basics, but really honing it to your, to your
36:20
style, to your brand. You know, looking at upsells,
36:23
looking at your key information FAQ and, and check out requests
36:27
and things like that. And that will lead to better
36:28
reviews and hopefully more time and maybe more sleep for you.
36:33
And another tip that I wanted to give, because it's, it's one
36:36
that's more periodical, let's say something that you can do at
36:42
a, at a particular interval. And that would be to make a
36:45
habit of regularly checking in with your, your software
36:48
providers, learning what it is that they do in depth, looking
36:54
through the release notes, talking to the team, finding out
36:57
about what's new. Just so that you can make sure
36:59
that you're, you're making the most of the solutions that
37:02
you've, that you've got and that you know, what's out there, you
37:05
know, talking to competitors, looking, looking at the ever
37:08
changing landscape. So my tip would be to, you know,
37:11
pick an interval, let's say every three months and then just
37:14
make that your task to go and look at what you've got and to
37:19
verify that you're using it in the in the optimal way.
37:23
Two superb tips, Adam. It's been a real pleasure.
37:27
Thanks for joining us on the House Planet podcast.
37:30
Pleasure's all mine. Thanks very much, James.
37:32
Great to chat to Adam Bookmaster there from a vivo.
37:34
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