June's Product Update features the addition of same-day booking support and a handful of Unified Inbox updates, including Drafts and various event indicators. There are also lots of design changes around the app to review, and much more, including some welcomed enhancements around PM and channel integrations, all to enhance your short-term vacation rental business workflows.
New Features
Same-Day Bookings
Same-day bookings allow hosts to capture last-minute travelers, fill calendar gaps, reduce vacancy rates, and maximize revenue from spontaneous demand (or those whose other accommodation didn't work out for whatever reason) while maintaining a competitive advantage over properties requiring advance notice. This has been available for a long time with Airbnb, but its expansion all changed in June. You voted, and OwnerRez delivered! With our June 18th release, OwnerRez introduced the capability for hosts to permit same-day bookings for direct bookings, and some channel integration bookings (not including Vrbo, they do not support same-day bookings).
Easiest way to configure same-day bookings is at the property level by navigating to Properties > their specific Property > Rules > Change > Booking Window > Lead Time, selecting the Allow same-day bookings (guests can book today) button, and choosing the cut-off time (12:00 AM midnight is the default) that you allow guests to make a same-day reservation.
Only want to offer same-day bookings on specific listing channels? If supported by the listing channel, you can also configure same-day bookings in the settings for the following channel integrations: Airbnb (like it has for a long time), Avanti Florida Villas, Booking.com, Glamping Hub, Google Vacation Rentals, Got2Go, Hopper Homes, Houfy, LocalOTA, and Whimstay. Again, Vrbo does not support same-day bookings, so this feature does not change that fact.
To set at the channel level, navigate to Settings > Channel Management > Channel Integrations > your specific Channel Integration > Change > Booking Window & Duration > Lead Time, selecting the Allow same-day bookings (guests can book today) button, and choose the cut-off time (12:00 AM midnight is the default) that you are comfortable with for guests to make a same-day reservation.
Unified Inbox
Drafts
Creating Draft messages enables staff collaboration, ensures consistent messaging across team members, allows supervisor review before sending, reduces response errors, and maintains professional communication standards while managing multiple guest conversations efficiently. OwnerRez has added the ability to create draft messages directly in the Unified Inbox with our June 11th release.
After the message is written, click on Save Draft.
Draft messages are shown in the left message list with the red text "Draft to: ". All Drafts can be viewed by selecting Drafts from the Inbox dropdown list.
In the message pane, the draft message is outlined in red dashes with the author's name, date, and time listed below it. This allows other team members or supervisors to review or send the draft message. The Edit option is only available to the original author of the draft message. You cannot edit another user's draft; you can only delete it and create your own or send it as the original draft author.
Event and Date Indicators
Event and date indicators in OwnerRez's unified inbox provide instant context for guest communications, enabling quick prioritization, efficient response timing, and seamless workflow management. To enhance clarity with our June 18th release, we've included clearer event (e.g., inquiry, booking, etc.) and date indicators in the Unified Inbox messaging pane.
Vrbo Cancellation Request Indicators
Nobody wants to see a booking canceled, but sometimes life happens. When Vrbo cancellation requests occurred in the past, hosts didn't receive notifications from OwnerRez but from Vrbo only, which felt disjointed. With our June 25th release, you can now stay ahead of guest cancellations with Vrbo cancellation request notifications and Inbox indicators displayed directly in your OwnerRez Unified Inbox - eliminating surprises or revenue gaps.
Just like other Unified Inbox event indicators, Vrbo cancellations are displayed directly in the message pane.
Then, following cancellation, the Inbox indicator is updated to now show it was canceled.
A new Booking Cancellation Requested notification has also been added. You can subscribe via email and/or push notification.
Here's a preview of the Booking Cancellation Requested email notification sent to users, and if configured, team access users.
Guest Information
Displaying past guest booking history enhances personalized service, fosters guest relationships, helps staff understand preferences, reduces repetitive questions, and creates seamless experiences for returning guests. With our June 11th release, OwnerRez updated the Unified Inbox Guest Information panel to intelligently group multiple bookings, quotes, and inquiries organized by type and status, with current bookings always displayed at the top.
To view older grouped bookings, click on the upper-right arrow.
Design Progress
Properties
The in-app OwnerRez Properties area is the core for managing all aspects of your rental property settings and is a powerful foundation for your rental business. As we did with our January 22nd Amenities release, we turned our attention to the Properties area with our June 25th release. Let's review the changes.
Not only does the Properties area look refreshed with this updated design, but new functionality was also added. First off, the Properties > specific Property > General Info page was updated.
There are two primary ways to edit items for your Property information. If available, when you click on the pencil icons in the upper right of each section, you'll be taken to the corresponding property area, such as Rules, where you can continue editing by clicking Change at the top of the page, just as in the past.Another way to edit Property items is to check and uncheck each item on other Property pages quickly and efficiently. If available, after you've checked an item, you can add additional information by clicking on the Edit button to the right of the selected item. These new check and edit options are now available on the Property > Accommodations, Guest Instructions, Health and Safety, and Location pages.
The Property > Accommodations page has been updated.
The Guest Instructions page now has a fresh new look and improved functionality.The interface and visual layout of the Health and Safety page have been upgraded, too.
And the Location page, along with the associated sections, has been modernized.
The Rooms, Photos, and Rules pages will be receiving further redesign in future releases. Stay tuned!
Reports
As part of our May 14th release, OwnerRez has updated all in-app Report designs to feature a more horizontal layout style.
Enhancements & Tweaks
PM Expenses Booking Status Filter
Organizing and categorizing property management expenses is essential for reviewing property operational costs. For better insight into your expenses, OwnerRez has added a Booking Status (Pre-Arrival, Mid-Stay, Post-Departure, Canceled) option to the PM > Expenses grid and the individual Bookings > Expenses grid filters as part of our June 18th release.
In the PM > Statements & Payouts > Expenses grid filter, the Booking Status option allows you to select expenses by Pre-Arrival, Mid-Stay, Post-Departure, or Canceled.
When selected, you can select individual expense(s) and use the following buttons: Categorize, Set the Vendor, Restore, or Delete to process them in one bulk action. We renamed the "Remove Exclusion" button to "Restore" and made it available as a bulk action in the grid, allowing you to restore multiple excluded expenses simultaneously.
The Booking Status option is also included in the individual Bookings > Expenses grid filter. And when selected, you can select individual expense(s) and use the following buttons: Categorize, Set the Vendor, Restore, or Delete to process them in one bulk action.
PMv2 Owner Statement Booking Expenses
Managing a property requires careful oversight of expenses, effort, and time. To simplify the expense inclusion logic of booking expenses on PMv2 owner statements, expenses will now only be included when the related booking is remitted, removing the ability to include expenses from previous or future unremitted bookings with our June 25th release.
Here's an example of the previous owners' statements regarding booking expense options.
You'll now see that the owners' statement booking expense section has been removed, along with a descriptive banner explaining that booking expenses will only be included on owner statements when the related booking is remitted.
Have you started managing properties for other owners? Explore OwnerRez's powerful Property Management premium feature!
Airbnb Channel Integration
Staying current with Airbnb API updates allows OwnerRez to deliver seamless property synchronization and accurate price quotes for competitive hosts. Our June 4th release optimizes our Airbnb channel integration to support their latest API for price quotes, improved accessibility feature support, and supported room names and configurations.
📋 Updated Room Names (User-Visible Changes)
🏠 Better Room Type Handling
🔄 Removal of Room Ordering Requirements
♿ Improved Accessibility Feature Support
🔗 Legacy Room Type Mapping to Closest Alternatives
Vrbo Cancellation Policy Default
Based on guidance from Vrbo, cancellation policies for all new Vrbo channel integration connections will default to Moderate with our June 18th release. Users can still select other cancellation policies (e.g., Strict, Firm, No Refund, Relaxed) as desired.
Bug Fixes
June 4th Release With 7 Bug Fixes
Fix Full Commission Not Being Displayed After Importing a Booking.com Booking. This edge case occurred when a Booking.com (BDC) booking failed to display the full commission after import. OR fixed this bug, and BDC bookings will display full commissions correctly after import.
Fix Not Detecting Fully Remitted Bookings in Property Management v2. Fully remitted PM v2 bookings were not correctly identified, resulting in bookings not being PM Locked after inclusion on owner statements. We corrected this glitch to detect fully remitted PM v2 bookings correctly.
Fix Older Vrbo messages Not Properly Displaying Sent Status. Very old sent Vrbo messages incorrectly displayed "Message Queued," when it should have displayed the correct "Message Sent." OR fixed this bug to display "Message Sent" for very old sent Vrbo messages correctly.
Fix Sending Quotes With $0 Line Item Instead of Actual Line Items When Using the {QHCTAB} Field Code. The {QHCTAB} field code failed to populate charges correctly, resulting in quotes with $0 line items. We resolved this issue so that the {QHCTAB} field code populates charges correctly.
Fix Showing Incorrect Options When Editing a Yes/No Trigger Condition. Any trigger conditions that should be only Yes/No options, displayed other incorrect options in the dropdown list. OR corrected this glitch to only display the correct Yes/No options in the dropdown list for trigger conditions.
Fix Slow Loading Times for Listing Quality Analyzer (LQA). Even while filtering for one property, users with a large number of properties were experiencing slower-than-expected LQA load times. We resolved this issue by optimizing the LQA for faster loading times.
Fix Viewing the Inbox After a Guest is Deleted. After a guest was deleted, the Unified Inbox was not rendered or displayed correctly. OR fixed this bug, and the Unified Inbox will be displayed correctly after a guest is deleted.
June 11th Release With 19 Bug Fixes
Add Saint Barthélemy to the Country Selection Options. We've added Saint Barthélemy, also known as St. Barts, to the country selection options at a user's request.
Adjust Anchor Link Positioning for Bay Grande Templated Hosted Sites. The anchors added to Bay Grande templated hosted websites were not positioned correctly, obscuring the text in the top banner. OR resolved this issue so that anchors added to Bay Grande templated hosted websites will function correctly.
API for Channel Integration Now Returns 403 Instead of 500 for Invalid Keys. The API for Channel Integration endpoints would return 500 errors when given invalid keys or channel types. We corrected this glitch with the API, which now correctly returns 403 responses with clear error messages when validation fails.
Ensure Consistent Drop Shadow on Hosted Site Headers With Spill Segments. Drop shadows did not display consistently on hosted website headers and were displayed incorrectly when a segment was set to "spill." OR fixed this bug, and drop shadows will now appear consistently across different header configurations.
Ensure Correct Formatting for Extra Rows in Excel Exports. When generating report export files that contained more rows than those preformatted in the template, the file included unformatted rows. We resolved this issue so that report export files contain the correct formatting for extra rows.
Ensure Photos Unassigned to Rooms Sync Correctly to Airbnb. While it was possible to assign a photo to a different room, once photos were assigned to rooms in OwnerRez, it became impossible to reassign those photos to listing-level photos after syncing. OR fixed this bug to ensure that photos unassigned to rooms sync to Airbnb correctly.
Ensure Skipped Properties in Channel Bridge Reviews Import are Correctly Processed. Even when some properties were selected as "Skipped," reviews were incorrectly added for that property in the Channel Bridge reviews import process. We resolved this issue to prevent skipped property reviews from being imported during the Channel Bridge process.
Fix JavaScript Error for Partial Google Analytics Configurations. Some JavaScript errors occurred when loading hosted websites with partially configured Google Analytics because conditions prevented the tracking code from functioning correctly when only some tracking IDs were supplied. OR corrected this glitch so JavaScript errors will not occur when partial Google Analytics tracking IDs are provided.
Fix PayPal Payments Pro Security Deposit Re-authorization by Ensuring Unique Invoice IDs. Some PayPal Payments Pro security deposit re-authorizations encountered failures due to duplicate invoice IDs. We resolved this issue by adding timestamps to PayPal Payments Pro security deposit re-authorization invoice IDs to ensure uniqueness for each transaction.
Fix Special Character Encoding in Links on Guest Conversation Page. Special characters in links were not displayed correctly on the guest conversation page. OR fixed this bug to correctly render and display those special characters in links on the guest conversation page.
Prevent Airbnb Updates From Altering Listing Sync Status Without User Interaction. This edge case occurred when a user discovered that their Airbnb listing sync status was updating without requesting the change. We resolved this issue by ensuring that the sync status of the Airbnb listing cannot be updated without user action.
Prevent Confirmation Loop When Creating Airbnb Accounts Through OwnerRez. Some users inadvertently got caught in a confirmation loop when creating Airbnb accounts directly in OwnerRez. OR corrected this glitch to prevent the confirmation loop when creating Airbnb accounts directly in OwnerRez.
PMv2- Remove Bookings and Expenses Columns From Owner Statement Grids. Potentially misleading Bookings and Expenses columns on PMv2 Owner Statements and PM Statements grids often displayed values that differed from actual statement amounts when using statement views that contained hidden expenses, causing confusion for property managers and owners. We fixed this bug by removing the Bookings and Expenses columns on PMv2 Owner Statements and PM Statements grids.
- Fix 404 Error When Removing PM Expense Exclusion. Clicking the Remove Exclusion button for expenses marked as "permanently excluded" incorrectly caused a 404 error. OR corrected this glitch to ensure that the Remove Exclusion button functions correctly.
Remove Deprecated Payment Methods. The following deprecated payment methods have been removed from OwnerRez: BridgePay, Innovative, NMC, NETBilling, PSiGate, Redsys, Sage Payments, SecureNet, and TrustCommerce. All affected users have been emailed multiple times with instructions to configure to another payment method.
Remove Deprecated Worldline (Bambora) Authentication Fields. Bambora (Worldline) no longer accepts username and password credentials, and connections using the old authentication have been deactivated. Affected users have been emailed multiple times with instructions on providing the required API Access Passcode to continue using Bambora (Worldline) as a payment method.
Restore Airbnb Room Types: Darkroom, Sunroom, Library, Game Room. Following our June 4th Airbnb Channel Integration release, we realized that Airbnb had restored some previously removed room types, so we have restored the following room types: Darkroom, Sunroom, Library, Game Room.
Strip More Invalid Special Characters From Property URLs. This edge case arose when a user used an invalid special character in their property URL, causing their hosted website to go down. OR has resolved this issue by stripping more invalid special characters from property URLs.
Unified Inbox- Fix Unread Message Count for Limited Access Users. Users with limited team access noticed that incorrect unread message counts were shown, but they could not access those messages. We fixed this bug to ensure that users with limited team access can access unread messages correctly.
June 18th Release With 9 Bug Fixes
Add Additional Error Message for SMS. SMS messages that exceeded the content size (e.g., too many characters or bytes) did not return a helpful error message to the user. OR resolved this issue by adding a more friendly error message to users when their SMS messages exceed the allowed content size.
Add Error Message When a Lock is No Longer Available in a Schlage Account. When Schlage connected door locks were no longer found, OwnerRez did not return helpful error messages to the user. We fixed this bug to return clear error messages to users when a door lock is no longer found in their Schlage account.
Fix Airbnb Tax Calculation When Having Multiple Taxes in the Same Category. Occasionally, users with multiple taxes configured in the same category had some Airbnb tax calculations performed incorrectly due to rounding issues. OR corrected this glitch to ensure that Airbnb tax calculations for users with multiple taxes configured in the same category will be calculated correctly.
Fix Broken URLs of Hosted Sites. Some property URLs that contained special characters, such as emojis, caused broken URLs. We resolved this issue by improving how special characters are handled in property URLs.
Fix Error on Guest Activity Grid. The guest activity grid experienced errors due to a formatting issue. OR corrected this formatting issue to ensure the guest activity grid functions correctly.
Fix In-app Links to Support Articles. In-app links to OwnerRez support articles encountered intermittent "Support Article Not Found" errors. We fixed this bug so that in-app links to support articles will work correctly.
Fix Showing Rates in the Rate Widget for Past Seasons. This edge case occurred when a user's Booking/Inquiry Widget inadvertently displayed rates from past seasons. OR corrected this glitch so that the Booking/Inquiry Widget now only shows rates starting from the current day forward.
PMv2- Fix Error When Exporting Expanded Owner Statement to Excel. Users encountered errors when attempting to export expanded owner statements to Excel. We fixed this bug to ensure users can export expanded owner statements to Excel correctly.
- Fix Showing Payments After the Statement Date on the Owner Statement. Even though the option to only include payments made before the statement generation date was selected, users encountered incorrect owner statements that included payments scheduled to occur after the owner statement date. OR resolved this issue, and owner statements will display the correct payments as configured.
June 25th Release With 17 Bug Fixes
Add "Has All of These Tags" Filter Option to Ribbon Calendar and Booking, Inquiries, Quotes, and Contacts Grids. OwnerRez added the "Has All of These Tags" filter option to the ribbon calendar, booking list, inquiry list, quote list, and contact list views, providing more precise filtering capabilities when working with multiple tags.
Correctly Un-suppress Blog and Forum Notifications When Reactivating Emails. The blog and forum notification email stream was not correctly suppressed when reactivating emails for login accounts, resulting in an unintended re-suppression on all streams when a notification was sent. OR fixed this bug so that login email notifications are not re-suppressed when blog notifications were sent.
Display "Sourced By Expedia" on Vrbo Bookings That Originate From Expedia in Booking Overview Tab and in Notifications. Due to channel messaging limitations for Expedia bookings, OwnerRez has added a "Sourced By Expedia" label on the Vrbo originating from Expedia to the bookings overview tab, along with any booking notifications.
Display a Warning When Attempting to Collect a Security Deposit on a Booking That Already Has an Active One. Users were not warned correctly when attempting to collect a refundable deposit on a booking that already had an active security deposit, creating a new refundable damage deposit instead of collecting against the currently active security deposit hold. We resolved this issue by adding a pop-up warning for users when they attempt to collect a refundable deposit on a booking with an active security deposit.
Don't Display Less Than 24 Hours Before Arrival Booking Window as Blocked on Rates Calendar. Properties with a booking window configuration of less than 24 hours were incorrectly displayed as blocks on the rates calendar. We corrected this glitch to ensure properties with a booking window configuration of less than 24 hours are correctly displayed on the rates calendar.
Enhance "Not yet released" Note in Transactions Grid and Secdep View to Clarify Re-authorization Status, Auto-refunding, and Hold Expiry Timing. For clarity, OwnerRez added a "Not yet released" note in the booking transactions grid and security deposit view to explain and display the security deposit hold re-authorization and auto-release date status and timing.
Ensure Clickable Links in SMS and Channel Messages Work Properly. Some links in SMS and channel messages did not function correctly. OR corrected this glitch, and links in SMS and channel messages function correctly.
Fix Airbnb LQA Error for Multiple Cleaning Fees and Clarify Guidance for Short Stay Cleaning Fee Configurations. The Listing Quality Analyzer (LQA) incorrectly generated errors when both Airbnb regular and short-stay cleaning fees were configured. We fixed this bug, so the LQA no longer generates errors for multiple correctly configured Airbnb cleaning fees.
Fix Airbnb LQA Errors for Supported Guest Surcharge Configurations and Improve Messaging for Unsupported Fee Categories. Even though the surcharge multiplier configured was supported, Airbnb surcharges with "1 above 0" guest multipliers received incorrect Listing Quality Analyzer (LQA) errors. OR resolved this issue by correcting the LQA and improving the error message wording for unsupported Airbnb fee categories.
Fix Calendar Modal Scrolling to Keep Date Picker Anchored During Page Scroll. On some in-app pages, the calendar pop-up was not correctly anchored to the date picker, resulting in a floating calendar pop-up. We fixed this bug to ensure the calendar pop-up is anchored correctly to the date picker.
Fix Errors When Pushing Photos Linked to Deleted Airbnb Rooms. Airbnb sync errors were generated when users deleted rooms directly on Airbnb. OR resolved this issue by gracefully handling missing room errors when pushing photos to Airbnb.
Fix Formula Errors in Excel Statement Exports When Opened in Google Sheets. Formula errors occurred when users opened Excel statement exports in Google Sheets. We corrected this glitch so Excel statement export formulas are correct when opened in Google Sheets.
Fix Issue Where Rule Selection Changes From Gap Required Weren't Visually Updating in the Rate Calendar. This edge case occurred when a changeover rule was updated on the rate calendar, but did not visually refresh the rate calendar. OR resolved this issue to ensure that the changeover rules made on the rate calendar will visually refresh the rate calendar.
Fix PM Statement Excel Export to Stop Summing Non-numeric Columns Like Recorded and PM Account. PM statement Excel export files incorrectly contained sum formulas in non-numeric columns, such as the Recorded and PM account columns. We fixed this bug so that PM statement Excel export files do not contain sum formulas for non-numeric columns.
Improve Invoice Printing via Firefox Browser by Removing Dark Print Overlays. OwnerRez invoice printing via the Firefox browser contained dark print overlays, making them difficult to read. OR resolved this issue to ensure invoice printing does not include dark print overlays.
Unified Inbox:- Fix Issue Where New Vrbo Booking Threads Sometimes Showed the First Guest Message Twice in the Inbox. Occasionally, duplicate Vrbo guest messages were incorrectly displayed in the Unified Inbox for the initial message from new bookings. We corrected this glitch, and initial Vrbo guest messages will be displayed correctly in the Unified Inbox.
- Fix Issue Where Property Names Didn't Appear in the Inbox Template Selector When Multiple Quotes Existed for the Same Guest. When multiple quotes existed for the same guest, property names were not correctly displayed on the Unified Inbox template selector. OR fixed this bug to ensure property names are correctly displayed on the Unified Inbox template selector.
