Do you have a self-updating rate calendar?
Friday 12, Jun 2009 - 02:00PM
INTRODUCTION
Savvy vacation homeowners and managers use an online calendar so renters can see their availability online. However, one of the biggest renter complaints is that calendars are not up to date. On some occasions, we call the owner or manager to find out that they had a cancellation, which did not get updated in their calendar. Well, if it’s not updated, chances are that you are likely to lose bookings if someone does not take the effort to call you and find out. Since calendars are so important, we’ve worked on highlighting features that are really important to keeping you fully booked.
IMPORTANT CALENDAR FEATURES
Help the renter figure out the rate from any day to any other day
This can be fairly complex because most owners have different rules for different times of the year, holidays, weekend rates, weekly rates, etc.
Here are some sample rates from a popular listing site.
Spring .. $ 900/week
Summer .. $1475/week
Fall .... $ 900/week
Winter .. $ 675/week
Contact us for partial week rates or further information.
Off Season ... Sep 15-Apr 30 .. $225/night .. $1150/week.
Peak Season .. May 01-Sep 14 .. $300/night .. Reduced to $1500/week
Minimum one week stay in Summer 2009. $300 deposit required to hold.
Cleaning Fee of $100
Balance is due 2 weeks prior to rental.
Ask about our monthly discount rate (only available in the Fall and Winter).
June-Aug, Oct...... $995/week - $192/night (3 nt. min.)
Sept & Nov-May......$995/week - $192/night (2 nt. min.)
50% deposit (including 1/2 rent, taxes (13%) & security deposit) due at booking.
Balance due 30 days prior to arrival.
Cancellations receive refund, less 15% processing fee if cabin is rebooked.
All prices exclude Taxes, Deposit and Service Charges, Call for Quotes
- How does the renter know what you consider Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter?
- What happens if the rental starts in one period and ends in another period?
- How do you deal with special situations such as holidays?
Obviously, since this varies quite a bit, the trick is to organize these rates in a way that the rate can be calculated automatically for the renter, minimizing mistakes, busy work and eventually increase customer satisfaction. Once you can organize these rates, it’s fairly simple to incorporate these rates into a calendar so that a renter can find a rate automatically.
Here’s an example of what a renter should see.
Help the renter reserve and book your home
Online bookings account for 12% of reservations in the Vacation Rental Space. So, at this time, most bookings still take place the old-fashioned way by phone. However, you might want the renter place a tentative reservation on our site. This does not block the date, but sends you an email indicating that someone is really serious.
Integrate Payment Processing with your Calendar
Even though only 12% book online, a large number of renters use credit cards to book their property. Given that, you probably accept credit cards. If you accept credit cards, wouldn’t it be convenient to integrate payment processing with your booking process.
Automatically update the calendar when your property is booked
When your property gets booked, you need to let the online world know instantly that it is not available for those days? Why waste everyone’s time and energy by having them call you about days that are not available? Once the property is booked, wouldn’t it be convenient if your calendar software automatically sent an email confirmation to the renter?
Automatically update your calendar when you cancel a reservation
Most people forget to update their calendar if there is a cancellation. Using an automated calendar that can do this ensures that you continue to attract renters.
Display availability across multiple properties
If you have multiple properties, it’s really important to show availability across multiple properties, so the renter can still book with you.
Get Started Now with a Free Rate Calendar that automatically updates when you make a booking as well as sends a confirmation to your renter. Visit http://rentexpert.com/owners