All Forum Posts by: Patricia Andriolo-Bull

For one property I wouldn’t use anything but the OTAs. Start with VRBO and Airbnb and use their iCal function to sync calendars. 

Depends on the item but I usually use Amazon and Costco for those kinds of items. I price compare. 

Sounds interesting...maybe ways to drive direct bookings?

What the others have said. I'm I. Marco Island and was considering homes on canals or off and condos on the Gulf. I ran a full analysis and ended up with 2/2 condo on the Gulf ( I now have 3 ). I charge more or the same per night as cabal front homes which cost at least double the price. I have higher fees with HOA but overall, I believe I do better. I also looked at non canal homes which were a bit cheaper and they can do similar to canal homes but cost less so end up with better profitability. Run the numbers and see what works best. Also think about your ideal guest. I preferred couples rather than families due to liability and damage. I still get families but they are smaller.

Personally, I hate glass. I had some beautiful pieces personally and realized that they always look dirty in sunlight. For a vacation rental, I could see people thinking they look dirty / streaky. 

I also like Schlage but have to use Igloo in a couple of installations because of mortise locks.  I highly recommend them as well (BTW, their pricing is going up at the end of this month I believe).  No WiFi is required with Igloo which is a great benefit and it syncs with AirBNB, too.  I liken it to magic!  You can remotely create codes for guests, vendors, etc.  The only downside is you have to be local with Bluetooth to make edits to anything already created but it does allow for one time use as well as duration codes.  I have to use the lockbox in my installation and not the actual door lock.

As I'm down to the wire on making my decision to keep it or toss it, I've decided to keep it but for different reasons.  I find the interface easier to manually update rates across my portfolio, OwnerRez doesn't easily let me match rates across my properties on a spot basis (unless anyone here has other recommendations that uses OR).  And I like the reporting (how far in advance are people booking, etc.).  It makes it a little easier for me than going into AirBNB, VRBO etc. and taking a look at data.  I may change my mind after a couple of months but we will see how it goes.  I am still manually adjust my rates beyond what they recommend.

Congratulations.  I would say hire another you when your value proposition begins to slip (e.g. you can't stay true to your boutique goals because of the volume of work) or when the work is too much for you alone.  Assuming the financials make sense to do this of course.  Good luck to you!

I periodically go on and change the order or add a new one but honestly, I haven’t seen it make any difference.