Vacation rental is a rapidly growing industry, and ultimately depends on smart technologies for its success. You may think about choosing the best vacation rental software, but you will be uncertain about which software is the most appropriate for your business. The good news is, we have prepared some good reviews for you to choose from. We’ll see the top vacation rental software companies in 2021.
You’ll get the best possible experience, not just with our products and services, but throughout your entire working relationship! We’re a team of vacation rental software companies that believes in doing what’s right for the customer and delivering a great product.
Planning a vacation can be a difficult task. It’s hard to know where you want to go, and more difficult to find accommodations that are suitable for you family or group. While there are cheap hotels conveniently located in most cities these days, many of them aren’t geared toward your specific needs. To alleviate this problem, a lot of people in the travel industry have created software packages that you can use to more easily book your vacation. Using software, you can choose locations according to your interests and budget, select one or several hotels based on their amenities, and book directly through the system. Today we’ll be talking about some of the best vacation rental software on the market, and try to determine which is truly the best resort software system .
We aim to help vacation rental owners and property managers gain back their time and save money. Our software simplifies the process by automating tasks and helps companies better manage their inventory. There are free resources on our website, including industry articles and eBooks, such as Ten Ideas for Automating Your Vacation Rental Business, The Essential Guide to Improving Your Vacation Rental’s Ranking in Search Engines and more.”
What is Vacation Rental Management Software?
In short, a property management system centralizes the reservations and operational tasks for your vacation rentals. Rather than logging into Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com separately to manage reservations and communicate with guests, a property management system lets you do it all in one place.
Most vacation rental property management systems offer these basic features:
- Multi-calendar: One calendar where you can see all reservations from all channels for all of your listings.
- Reservation management: The reservation system module or CRS as it’s called in more sophisticated hotel software gives the ability to change dates, prices, and other details for existing reservations.
- Channel management: Synchronizing rates, availability, and sometimes content across all listing sites such as AirBnB, VrBO, Homeaway and Flipkey. With a channel manager, you can change your availability in your property management system and let the change be sent across all of your listing channels.
- Booking engine: Booking software provides the ability to enter direct reservations booked offline (over the phone or in person) or online (via your own website or booking widget) and increase revenue coming from direct channels.
- Integrations: Most property management systems offer a library of integrations that range from payment processors to dynamic pricing systems to keyless entry solutions.
- Mobile app: Many vacation rental owners run their properties remotely so if you fit into that category you’ll want a dedicated mobile app to run your business on the go wherever and whenever.
Guesty
As one of the most well-known companies in the vacation rental technology space, Guesty offers a lot of value to short-term rental owners and managers who are looking to take their businesses to the next level. The company has generated a lot of buzz, having graduated from the Y Combinator startup incubator and raising nearly $60M in funding (including a $35M series C investment in 2019).
Guesty offers all of the standard property management system functionality: a multi-calendar, a messaging tool, and reporting and analysis tools. The system also allows you to set up multiple user accounts with different access levels, create automated message templates and tasks (charging the balance of a reservation on the day of arrival, for example), and manage your listings’ content and photos from one central place. Guesty pushes rates, availability, content, photos, fees, and policies to its direct integration channels, so you don’t need to update this information on each channel individually.
Unique features: The owner view allows you to configure special accounts for property owners to view only their specific properties – a major plus for property managers who manage listings on behalf of several owners. With certain subscription plans, you may also receive access to a dedicated account representative or a 24/7 support line.
Integrations: Guesty offers full, direct integrations with Agoda, Airbnb, Booking.com, HomeAway/Vrbo, Misterb&b, and TripAdvisor. Guesty also connects to Rentals United, a channel manager, which provides connections to more than 60 additional channels like Expedia, Housestay, Trip.com, and Google. Guesty’s extensive Marketplace offers integrations with dynamic pricing software (Wheelhouse, PriceLabs), payment processors (Stripe), home automation and monitoring systems (Noiseaware, Minut), luggage storage solutions (LuggageHero), and keyless entry solutions (RemoteLock) – just to name a few.
Pricing: Guesty charges a commission between 2% and 5% per booking (including cancelled bookings), depending on how many listings you have. Accounts with more listings receive a lower commission rate. Guesty may also charge a setup fee (sometimes over $1000) depending on the plan you choose.
Disadvantages: While Guesty’s direct integrations with the most popular channels are handy, the system does not offer iCal integration. If you use smaller, regional channels (or use an iCal feed for some other purpose), then Guesty may not be the best solution for your business.
Bottom Line: Guesty is one of the best short-term rental property management systems available, due to its impressive set of features and integrations. However, the system is also one of the most expensive (especially for high-end properties due to the commission structure), so you will need to decide for yourself whether Guesty’s features justify the cost.
SimplifyEm
Designed by real estate professionals, SimplifyEm offers the ideal balance of price and features, making it the perfect choice for landlords that need help managing a few properties and don’t want to pay the high cost of other software plans.Pros
- Supports one to 2,000 units
- Designed by real estate professionals
- Has advanced features
Cons
- High fees for online rent payments
- If you have more than 2,000 units, the platform can’t grow with your portfolio
While SimplifyEm supports any number of units from one to 2,000, it’s the best fit for a few properties, because you can keep your costs as low as $20 per month if you’re starting out with fewer than 10 properties.
The price starts at $25 per month for 10 units and increases by $10 for every 10 units after that. At 50 units it is $60, increasing to $75 for 75 units and 100 for $100 units. You can create a free 15-day trial account without needing to enter a credit card. It does not require a dedicated professional to manage this platform. Independent property owners should find this accessible regardless of their experience.
All packages include email and phone support, income and expense tracking, tenant and lease management reporting, and renters insurance.
SimplifyEm is designed to give a simple and easy way for landlords to manage their properties while also saving time and money. It allows users to track income and expenses, collect rent and tenant applications online, screen tenants, generate and analyze owner reports, track maintenance requests, store documents, and automate repetitive tasks. You can get started immediately because it is cloud-based.
SimplifyEm integrates with some of the leading names in the finance and real estate industry, including Zillow, Trulia, NARPM, ACH.com, Fidelity, TransUnion, and more.
Founded in 2006, SimplifyEm has a goal of utilizing the latest in user experience and web technology to develop a software solution that meets the needs of busy real estate professionals. With almost 15 years of experience and clients across the U.S. and Canada, SimplifyEm has been used to manage over $42 billion in property assets and has been verified by Authorize.net and GeoTrust, with high ratings from Software Advice and Capterra.
Hemlane
Hemlane has several unique features that make it stand apart from many of the tools on this list.
Features include agent match that can match you with local agents for showings as well as other leasing tools.
The trade-off is that Hemlane is one of the priciest options on the list, depending on how many units you have.
Hemlane features
- Leasing tools such as tenant screening
- Unique local support features such as agent match
- Maintenance management
- Online rent payments
Hemlane pricing
Hemlane has a relatively straightforward pricing model, though it can be a bit on the pricey side. They balance this somewhat with a 30-day free trial to make it easier to decide if you want to invest.
Their Basic plan starts at $30 per month with $2 per unit per month after the first unit. In other words, if you have 20 properties, you’d pay $70 per month.
Their premium-level Complete plan starts at $60 per month and a whopping $32 per property per month for every property after the first.
TenantCloud
TenantCloud is one of two options on this list that offers a 100% free version. Plus, it offers that plan up to a whopping 75 units.
What’s the trade-off? While their free plan is unique, TenantCloud as a whole offers a limited number and scope of features, lacking many of the premium features most property management tools have.
TenandCloud features
- Basic accounting features such as online rent payments and reports
- Work order management
- Vendor payments
TenantCloud pricing
TenantCloud offers a 100% free plan of up to 75 units.
However, if you’d like to get some of the features not available to the free plan, you can move up to the starter paid tier at $9 per month for up to 150 units, and $35 per month plan up to 500 units for TenantCloud’s complete list of features.
Lodgify
Based in Barcelona, Spain, Lodgify offers a beautiful property management system that’s user-friendly and functional. The multi-calendar works well for multiple units, and it’s easy to input reservations manually. The customer service team is always friendly and quick to respond (you can even take advantage of personalized onboarding support), and the company maintains a robust library of resources and blog articles.
Unique features: Lodgify’s website builder is one of the best in the market. The tool includes several templates so you can quickly drag and drop widgets and add your own custom text. You can even add videos, maps, and custom code.
Integrations: Lodgify connects directly to Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia for rate and availability synchronization. A direct Vrbo is also available if you manage at least 5 properties. For all other channels, Lodgify uses an iCal connection that syncs availability and reservations, but not rates. The system also has free integrations with Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Zapier, and PriceLabs. Some integrations, like Stripe, come with an additional monthly fee.
Pricing: After a 7-day free trial, Lodgify’s annual subscriptions for one property start at $12 per month with a 1.9% booking fee, or you can opt for the Professional version ($32 per month) which has no booking fee. For 25 properties, the Professional version costs $220 per month. Monthly subscriptions without an annual commitment cost slightly more.
Disadvantages: Lodgify’s automated messaging tool falls short; it does not allow for much customization, especially with trigger timing and contact assignments.
Bottom Line: Lodgify is an excellent choice for property managers who want a solid property management system and an eye-catching website without needing to hire a website designer. However, Lodgify doesn’t offer many integrations with third-party services, like keyless locks and dynamic pricing software (only with PriceLabs), so if you use many of these ancillary services, you may want to opt for a different system.
FantasticStay
FantasticStay recently acquired Vreasy, a popular short-term rental property management system, but luckily FantasticStay is retaining much of Vreasy’s functionality. The system offers the standard package of calendar management, booking management, and a channel manager, plus a website builder and automated messaging. The user experience is smooth, and the system has a clean, modern look.
Unique features: One of FantasticStay’s add-ons is a 24/7 guest response service, so your guests can receive quick responses to inquiries and messages even during the middle of the night or when you’re busy with other things. You can also purchase a revenue management add-on that provides pricing guidance and a customer support add-on that gives you phone support around the clock.
Integrations: Direct connections to Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com allow you to update rates and availability from FantasticStay rather than on each site individually. For all other sites, you can sync reservations and availability with an iCal connection. Through Vreasy, integrations to PriceLabs and Quickbooks are available.
Pricing: FantasticStay’s basic plan has no monthly subscription fee, just an 0.8% booking fee, for an unlimited number of listings. This plan does not include integrations or any add-ons, like customer support. Higher-tier plans include all integrations, no payment processing fees, and personalized support. The annual Pro plan costs $214 per year for 20-29 listings.
Disadvantages: FantasticStay does not offer a direct connection to Expedia (yet), and since the software was originally built for the European market, some tax settings may not work properly for other markets.
Bottom Line: FantasticStay is a fantastic choice for Europe-based property managers. It’s also great for property managers who want a low-cost, basic software to manage listings on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com with no additional integrations via the free plan.
Hostfully
In 2018 Hostfully acquired Orbirental, and today Hostfully’s property management system still looks and feels a lot like Orbirental. The system offers a multi-calendar, automated messaging, a booking engine, and channel management for Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, and Tripadvisor. Hostfully also connects to a couple other channel managers, like Rentals United and myBookingPal, which allows you to distribute rates and availability to additional sites.
Unique features: When many property management systems are shifting toward self-service customer support, Hostfully offers plenty of phone support. Even the most basic plan includes two setup calls with a support rep. Hostfully also offers its Digital Guidebooks feature, which is actually separate from the property management system. Even if you don’t use the property management system, you can still purchase a guidebook-only subscription.
Integrations: Hostfully has a huge “Integration Zone” which includes integrations with dozens of complementary systems. You can connect to dynamic pricing tools, home automation solutions, cleaning management systems, and even HelloSign for digital signatures.
Pricing: Hostfully offers three plans: 1-4 properties pay $79 per month, 5-19 properties pay $189 per month, and 20+ properties pay on a sliding scale depending on the number of listings. 50 listings cost $375 per month. Monthly subscriptions come with a $400 setup fee, but the fee is waived (and you get a small discount!) if you sign an annual contract.
Disadvantages: Some features, like automated text messaging and multiple user access, are not available for accounts with fewer than 5 properties. Hostfully itself doesn’t offer an Expedia connection, but you can connect to Expedia via an integrated channel manager like Rentals United.
Bottom Line: Hostfully is perfect for property owners or managers who want a little extra support in the setup process and on an ongoing basis. Though it’s slightly more expensive than other systems, there are no hidden fees or add-ons.
Hostaway
As noted front and center on their home page, Hostaway truly is an all-in-one vacation rental software offering not just the essential property management features to manage reservations and guests, but they also offer a massive library of integrations, communication tools, analytics, automation and so much more.
Unique features: This list could go on for a while because there are just so many. Features like detailed financial reporting, process automation, revenue management and cross listing optimization all highlight the depth of professionalism and polish to the Hostaway product suite.
Integrations: Like many top tech firms, Hostaway has an open API which means that developers can build right to their product which is a common best practice in the tech world and is typically a leading indicator that a company offers tons of valuable integrations and in Hostaway’s case this is absolutely true. Hostaway’s marketplace boasts integrations ranging from key distribution channels to payment processors all the way to advanced pricing optimization software so you can run your vacation rental with the sophistication of a major hotel chain.
Pricing: Plans start at $100/mo and vary based on which features you add on to your package as well as the scale of your operation.
Disadvantages: While depth of functionality and integrations are ideal for professional owners with multiple properties under management, many of Hostaway’s features may not be needed for a single unit owner partaking in the sharing economy.
Bottom Line: The Hostaway feature set, integrations marketplace and UX make it an outstanding SaaS solution for professional property managers with dozens or even hundreds of units under management empowering managers to run their operation with the sophistication of a major hotel company.
What are the Benefits of Vacation Rental Software?
Although property management systems do come with a subscription fee or commission, that fee is far less than what it costs vacation rental managers in time and lost bookings when trying to complete those same tasks without them. From the moment you set up your system and sync all of your channels, you can rest assured that you won’t receive a double booking or lose a reservation in the shuffle. These systems also allow vacation rental owners to automate many operational tasks from bookings to guest experience. For example, you can configure check-in templates to be sent automatically before arrival. You could also set up automated text messages for your cleaning staff to alert them when you need a new cleaning. Many property management systems also offer a booking engine, which lets you easily accept direct bookings with major credit cards and other mainstream payment methods to rely less on the online travel agencies.
Conclusion
Vacation rental software companies have been taking over the market, opening thousands of new doors to entry level businesses and experienced entrepreneurs who are trying to build a resort beach vacation business. Vacation rental software provides more tools, lower fees, and increased flexibility to create a more profitable online business.
Vacation rental software is the best passive income business. With upgrades, the user interface and functions of this technology may become much better. The business is not that easy to start and requires hard work to get profits from it, but when you do it, then there is no turning back. Vacation Rental Software can be a very powerful tool for people who are looking for ways to make more money easily and more effectively in the shortest time possible.