Spring is wrapping up, and so is another month of improvements to OwnerRez. May delivered Passkey support for faster, more secure logins, the redesigned "new card" guest form that streamlines the payment experience, more visible support of new listing discounts for Airbnb & Vrbo, and OwnerRez-powered lock notification additions.
New Features
Passkey Sign-In Option
Passkeys enhance security by preventing phishing and password theft, enabling sign-in with biometrics like Face ID, Touch ID, or hardware security keys rather than passwords. OwnerRez implemented optional passkeys as part of our May 13th release, allowing users to add one to their OwnerRez accounts.
To add a passkey, navigate to your Profile > Safeguards > Passkeys > + Add a passkey.
You may have to verify your identity by entering the code sent to your email during this process. On the Add a Passkey pop-up, click the Create Passkey button.
On the Add a Passkey pop-up, add an optional name for your passkey, and click Save Passkey. Continue following the prompts to determine where to save your passkey (e.g., in the browser, an authenticator app, etc.). Once your passkey is saved, it will appear in the Passkeys list.
New Card Guest Form
There may be times when hosts need to request a new credit card from guests if a guest's card expires or is declined. OwnerRez redesigned the New Card guest form for enhanced user and mobile-friendliness, allowing guests to easily update their payment information with our May 13th release.
To see this new guest form in action, navigate to an individual Booking > Transactions > Request > Request New Credit Card > Request new credit card from Guest Name > Preview.
Airbnb and Vrbo New Listing Discounts
Offering Airbnb and Vrbo new listing discounts helps your property gain early traction by attracting first bookings faster and by generating ranking signals that drive long-term visibility and guest confidence. On May 6th, OwnerRez introduced standardized 20% new-listing discounts for Airbnb (automatically disabled after the third booking) and Vrbo (automatically disabled after 90 days) listings to help attract initial bookings more quickly. These New Listing Discounts are available for all new Airbnb and Vrbo channel integrations.
Create your new listing discount by navigating to Settings > Pricing > Discounts > + Create Discount > Channel Specific Discounts, then selecting New Listing Discount for Airbnb or Vrbo.
Configure your new Airbnb or Vrbo New Listing Discount.
OwnerRez-powered Locks Notifications
Proactively tracking door access events and battery levels, and automating alerts for timely battery replacements, is essential for a successful short-term vacation rental business. On May 6th, OwnerRez implemented a release of notifications for door lock usage and low battery levels for our OwnerRez-powered Schlage, igloohome, and Hubitat door lock integrations.
On individual bookings, you can see the door lock attempts by clicking on the booking Overview > Door Code section and clicking on the Actions attempted icon.
And the Actions attempted pop-up will display the time when the door was attempted to be opened or unlocked.
Here is a preview of the First Action Is Attempted by Guest push notification.
These highly requested features include the ability to set when you get notified about a low battery level.
Users can configure device notifications for when guests first attempt to use the door lock, or anytime they use the lock, and to receive a low battery warning notification by navigating to their Profile menu and selecting Notifications > Device notifications.
Here is a preview of the Low Battery Warning push notification.
Interested in exploring OwnerRez-powered locks? Check out our Schlage, Hubitat, and igloohome support articles.
Enhancements
Triggers
Adding multiple triggers with different conditions and settings was time-consuming. With our May 27th release, OwnerRez added the ability to copy existing triggers to new ones, allowing you to duplicate them in an automatic draft status and then tweak as needed before saving. Copying existing triggers is an excellent way to start configuring your triggers with various conditions and settings.
In the Triggers grid (Settings > Messaging > Triggers), click on an existing trigger dropdown list and select "Copy to New Trigger" to automatically generate a copy in an automatic draft status.
OwnerRez triggers enable users to automatically send system or custom messages (via email, channel, or SMS) based on specific conditions or events. However, some older triggers have conditions that will never match again. The OwnerRez system now automatically detects and disables triggers with conditions that will never match any bookings, quotes, or inquiries with the May 20th release.
When a trigger is disabled, the account owner will receive an email notification explaining which conditions caused the issue, along with a link to edit and reactivate the trigger if needed.
Broadcast
Urgent situations may require notifying all guests. OwnerRez Broadcast messages can inform guests of unplanned maintenance, emergency storms, or any changes affecting multiple guests. With our May 13th release, we improved the Broadcast feature, which now displays sending results by listing channels with detailed delivery success or potential error summaries before sending, removes the 30-day date-range restriction, and allows sending Broadcast messages to up to 20 bookings per property.
When users verify that they want to send a Broadcast message, a pop-up appears that displays summary details about the listing channel messages and SMS messages. Click Send Broadcast.
After you click Send Broadcast, the Sending Broadcast Name of your Broadcast pop-up will confirm that your message has been sent.
After you click View Messages, you'll be taken back to the Inbox, where you'll be able to view all of the Broadcast messages sent. Individual filtered Broadcast messages will appear in the Inbox. Click the small X next to your Broadcast Name filter to clear it.
Tasks
OwnerRez's Task area helps you stay organized by creating and tracking tasks, requests, and issues across your properties by centralizing management for housekeeping, maintenance, and other property-related tasks. OwnerRez improved the Tasks grid to display the most recent activity, display photos and attachments inline, and link URLs automatically with our May 20th release.
The Tasks grid now sorts by last activity (instead of created date) by default, shows photo and file attachment counts in a dedicated column, and automatically converts URLs in task descriptions into clickable links.
Photo and File attachments allow for quick preview access and can now be viewed in a full-screen carousel that includes all images from all notes on the task.
Email notifications for new Task notes display attachment counts.
Credit Card Voids
Nobody wants to see a booking canceled, but guests sometimes cancel within 24 hours for various reasons, including booking the wrong dates or changing plans. When that happens, voiding the charge before it settles means the guest never sees a debit on their statement, avoiding refund delays and fees. OwnerRez attempts to void the credit card charges for cancellations (excluding Stripe) within 24 hours when eligible first, before refunding for recent unsettled credit card charges, with our May 27th release.
Standard Discounts
While strategic OwnerRez Standard Discounts can significantly boost your vacation rental's performance, it was frustrating when those discounts were unintentionally stacked with direct bookings. With our May 20th release, OwnerRez updated Standard Discounts behavior to prevent stacking on direct bookings.
Smart Reviews
Airbnb and Vrbo encourage guest reviews, but many guests don’t leave them. Hosts can encourage guest reviews by writing one themselves or using OwnerRez Smart Reviews, which automates Host Reviews for Airbnb and Vrbo bookings. OwnerRez added Smart Reviews status information to the existing and new Airbnb and Vrbo channel integration setup process with our May 20th release.
When connecting a new Airbnb or Vrbo channel integration (Settings > Channel Management > Channel Integrations > + Connect a Channel), you can enable Smart Reviews by clicking the Manage Smart Reviews button during the connection process.
Alternatively, when editing an existing Airbnb or Vrbo connection (Settings > Channel Management > Channel Integrations > and selecting an existing Airbnb or Vrbo connection), you can edit your Smart Reviews by clicking on the Manage Smart Reviews button.
Smart Reviews will remain disabled by default if they are turned off on another channel, preventing accidental activation.
Rezzy AI Messaging (Private Beta)
Rezzy AI, OwnerRez's messaging assistant, knows your properties' availability, bookings, cancellation policies, and guest history, and messages directly within the Inbox for seamless communication. OwnerRez modernized Rezzy AI messaging in the May 20th release by adding structured reasoning and automatic quality validation.
What does that mean? OwnerRez reviewed your Rezzy AI thumbs-up or down feedback (e.g., Drafts, Draft Deletions, Host Preferences, Escalation, Timing, and Conversation Tone) to improve Rezzy AI by mapping Rezzy's responses within a strict "step-by-step" procedure that meets predefined specifications, ensuring Rezzy provides the most accurate guest messaging possible.
Looking to incorporate AI guest messaging into your own tech stack? Explore OwnerRez's Rezzy AI!
Airbnb Channel Onboarding (Private Beta)
Airbnb's global marketplace connects your property with millions of travelers, delivering built-in trust, streamlined booking tools, and exposure that could take years to build on your own. With our May 6th release, OwnerRez improved our Airbnb channel integration by allowing you to select the sync type before going live, providing more granular import controls, rate adjustment options, and a simpler disconnect process.
When importing a listing from Airbnb (Settings > Channel Management > Channel Integration > + Connect a Channel > Connect Airbnb, or an existing Airbnb channel integration > Connect Properties > From Airbnb to OwnerRez > Import Listings from Airbnb > What to Import), you now have the ability to select the sync type (Everything or Only Availability) and what content (e.g., Amenities, Bedrooms & Bathrooms, Description, Nightly rates, Photos, Rules, Surcharges) you want to import.
On the Change Property Mappings > Import Listings > Import Listings from Airbnb page, users can easily disconnect their property by clicking on the Action to Take dropdown list and selecting Disconnect and Save.
Type-ahead Filters
Type-ahead filters or searches suggest and filter results instantly as users type, enhancing speed by removing non-matching data, reducing keystrokes, and updating suggestions in real time.
With our May 6th release, OwnerRez enhanced single-select type-ahead searches for 10+ items across the app, including quotes, surcharges, locks, triggers, and more. An example of a single-select type-ahead search appears in the Tasks > Add Task > Property dropdown list.
OwnerRez improved the layout of multi-select type-ahead dropdowns by making the "Select all" and "Clear all" controls clearer across the app, including properties, rates, PM, and more, with our May 20th release.
Users can click Select All to select all, click it again to deselect all, click Clear All to clear their selection, and use type-ahead in the Filter fields that contain 10+ or more items to search for specific items or properties.
Tweaks
May 6th Release with 4 Tweaks
Add support for the Fijian Dollar (FJD) currency. OwnerRez added support for the Fijian Dollar (FJD) currency.
Adjust the check-in or check-out times for Booking.com channel-integrated properties to the nearest half-hour upon connection (rounding later for check-ins and earlier for check-outs). Since non-half-hour check-in or check-out times are not supported by Booking.com. OwnerRez will adjust the check-in or check-out times for Booking.com channel-integrated properties to the nearest half-hour upon connection (check-ins rounded later and check-outs rounded earlier). A warning is displayed in Listing Quality Analysis showing which times will be rounded and their new values.
Ensure hosted website videos open directly in the gallery with auto-play and sound enabled. Rather than having to click the gallery to open it, then locate and click the video again, OwnerRez has improved hosted website videos so they open directly in the gallery with auto-play and sound enabled.
Improve Rezzy AI Quality Center promotional messaging. OwnerRez improved the Quality Center's visual design and messaging when Rezzy AI is disabled, enabling users to enable Rezzy AI directly in the Quality Center rather than directing them to the in-app Settings page.
May 13th Release with 3 Tweaks
Add property filter to Quality Center to filter properties without owners. OwnerRez added a property filter to the Quality Center Overview, Reviews, Listing Health, and Sentiment pages that allows hosts to filter by individual properties or property groups and supports selecting properties without owners.
Clarify that Guest Applied Discounts are only applicable for direct bookings. The Guest Applied Discounts section (Settings > Pricing > Discounts > + Create Discount) now displays a subheading, "Only supported for Direct Bookings," to help users understand when these discounts are available. Additionally, the Qualifying discount tile now includes an example "(e.g., Military, AARP)" to clarify what types of qualifying discounts can be created.
Relocate Reviews menu item to Quality Center. OwnerRez has removed the Reviews section from the main in-app menu and permanently relocated it to the Quality Center area.
May 20th Release with 3 Tweaks
Add grace period details, when in effect, to the cancellation policy section on the Confirm & Pay guest forms. When a cancellation policy includes a grace period but otherwise offers no refunds, the Confirm & Pay guest form now displays a "View Details" link that shows the full grace period information, rather than just stating "no refunds."
Integrate rate adjustments directly into nightly rent calculations rather than display them as separate surcharges. Rate adjustments now appear as included in the nightly rent amount on quotes, bookings, and channel pushes, ensuring that percentage discounts (e.g., "rent only") and taxes apply to the adjusted rate. The per-night rate shown to guests reflects the final adjusted amount, and channel integrations send the adjusted rate rather than a separate surcharge line item.
Simplify door lock push notification format to only display device, property, and time. Push notifications for door lock and unlock events now display as "Door Name locked/unlocked at Property Name at Time" with a 12-hour time format, making it easier to quickly understand when and where the event occurred.
May 27th Release with 2 Tweaks
Add Bar and Non-smoking rooms facilities to Booking.com channel integration property sync. OwnerRez now pushes Bar and Non-smoking rooms facility information through the Booking.com (BDC) channel integration. Properties with a Bar room type or smoking set to No will automatically sync these facilities, removing the "answer required" status in the BDC Extranet.
Remove Select All and Clear filter options from Airbnb host review tag dropdown. The Airbnb host review form now displays category tag dropdowns (cleanliness, communication, house rules) without Select All or Clear buttons, simplifying the interface.