General Help and Questions

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This is strange:

"Deck/Patio (uncovered)"

"Lanai/Gazebo (covered)"

Where the heck is porch - (covered)?? 80% of the older homes in Pennsylvania seem to have this! As in that thing with a roof you pass through via the front or back entrance? That either is open or may have screens/windows? I certainly don't call it a Lanai or Gazebo!!!

OK - below. No one here calls is a veranda. Can you at least do "Veranda/Porch (covered)"? Not sure why it is deemphasized. A lot more people have a porch than a gazebo!

Getting "double title" effect in hosted website

I get the large title, then a smaller grey one next to it. I have tried to delete a couple things to get rid of it, but not sure what is causing it

For example, top of this page: https://www.jimthorpevacationrentals.com/asa-packer-suite--luxe-3-br

yes I increased in to 120 after the message. It is shown when i log in to their dashboard and they also sent me an email. "here is email " Dear Partner,
Currently, your last available date is 2 June, and after this your property will no longer appear on Booking.com.
To change this, simply update your calendar so that you're still visible to the millions of guests who like to book their accommodation early.
You can update your calendar via your channel manager, OwnerRez.
Kind regards,
The Booking.com Team

Can you send a screenshot of the rates & availability section in booking.com? Is it actually showing unavailable there or just in the message.

The channel is set from 3 to 120 days so I'm wondering if it's seeing that initial 3 days of unavailability or general unavailability off bookings and showing the message erroneously.

Right now there's no way to delete those because they're usually used historically on bookings -- so even if it's not applicable to new ones you still want to keep it for the old ones.

Yep, that's the way to do it! You don't even need to set the priority -- shorter seasons take priority over longer so it will automatically be the least priority.

I have booking. com channel set to be bookable 90 days put. yet on booking portal it says:

" Your property isn't bookable beyond 08 May 2019 . Add availability up to October 2020 so you don't miss out on reservations."
90 days from today is not May 8th. What is happening?

I have custom listing site under Channels that became obsolete. How can I delete? there is no delete button. TIA

I do not use hosted site, so...

yes there is . I usually define it as recurring rate that is valid from jan 1 thru Dec 31, and give it lowest priority, like 1. I give mine the name "standard". So all other seasons you have defined with higher priorities will take precedence over default rate for their respective date periods. if there is not specific season defined for given period, it will use default "standard" rates. That way you do not have to define rates in gaps between seasons and also do not have to define it every year.

Is there an option to set a base rate? Can't seem to find it.
Also, what is a Spot rate?

I am hoping that I can set a base rate to $XX/night and then add my seasonal rates. Any inquiry will quote my base rate unless those dates fall into a seasonal period. Is this how it's programmed?

Well,, my VRs are going to be managed by under an LLC with an address, so " Sales or leasing offices, however, are eligible for verification." seems to fit the bill

Also, with them now showing vacation rentals prominently, this seems a strange limitation...

It's buried in one of the back support areas. If you go here:

https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en

And click on Ineligble Businesses, it says:

Search Engine Result Page. It's what a search engine shows when you type in a word or phrase. Google "Place" results (which are a mix of GMB and other things) are returned in that content with high relevance and special presentation.

I would like to see ownerres create a listing site, where owner res owners could put their hosted or personal website as inventory there. It may also help us get some pagerank value.

Any little thing to get more direct bookings

True. They tested in Europe has several hundred vacation rentals, and it looks like they will be doing about 2,000 homes in the United States. Really a very minor play but it is always nice to have someone competing with the OTAs.

I would love for eBay and Amazon to jump aboard in a major way with perhaps a lot lower commissions for hosts/guests. And a lot less control over the hosts

Didn't know that VRs not supposed to be in Google like that. Where did you read that?

Anyway as I said before, vacation rentals cannot be on TripAdvisor cost-per-click, so I position my unit as a hotel apartments or suites. Perhaps Google my business will allow that. So maybe I can do both with one strategy like this.

what is SERP?

i like houfy esp since it allows to upload ownerrez rates spreadsheet. a lot of owner support and enthusiasm behind it. i am more passive lister as i chose to dedicate my efforts to my own site/marketing. but folks who do not have or wish to build their own website see, to be very avid users and use houfy listing in place of their website.

Not surprising. Everyone in travel is licking their chops for vacation rentals. Only a few like Booking.com have managed to make it work. It takes a lot of time and capital, and I don't think they realize just how much. They say it as just "adding VRs like hotel rooms" to their current model. VRs are not hotels and take different options, presentation, payment structures and management.

Yes that's correct - up to the day of their final payment. Here's what we check before passing the request across to Travel Guard for processing:

- We validate that the booking is in USD currency

- We validate that the property address exists (some OR users have no address entered)

- We validate that the property address is in the US.

- We validate that it's either the day of booking or before the final payment date or 30 days before arrival (whichever comes later)

Beyond that, we let Travel Guard kick back an approval or decline.

Yes, this is normal. When we send emails out of OwnerRez (to the guest on your behalf) we use your email address as the REPLY-TO header. When the guest replies, their reply goes back to you directly, not to OwnerRez. We do this on purpose to keep the communication between you and the guest. We have designed and worked on some "Unified Inbox" stuff but it's been back burner'd several times. It's a major undertaking and not necessary for a lot of users. It's something that needs a lot of work to really get right and be useful, otherwise it just gets in the way.

PS. You can have your email address be set the FROM header too, but you have to join our Verified Sender program to do that (which is free but requires setting some DNS records with your domain registrar).

Thanks, BlueMtn! That's exactly it. You can also add a lot more customization by creating a custom template and a trigger to send it. But the easy option is what BlueMtn said.

There is no way (currently) to disable the system hard-coded ones but you can create a template with your own message. We are actively working on fixing this area to be much clearer and, as part of that, allow you to "do not send" the system hard-coded one. Probably 20%+ of our support tickets are about this issue alone. 😜 They don't all go out automatically. Many of them only go out when you phsycially do something or request something.

And FYI - it's a great thing to do if you can get validated and set it up. Google My Business listings show photos, reviews, etc right in the middle of SERPs bypassing the major listing sites. It can be a great source of business and a way to show off your reputation. You can also link to the "write a review" page on your GMB "place" page.

Technically, vacation rentals are not supposed to be on Google My Business - it's one of their listed "does not qualify" biz types. However, like all things Google, it's all automated on their side and nobody knows the difference. The only real validation they do is sending a physical post card in the mail to your address with a PIN # on it for you to enter as validation that you own the property (or that you're a creep hanging out in the bushes nearby, checking their mailbox? 😉)

I wanted to add my two cents... I've seen rentals on Tripz now for many years that have yet to get a single lead from it. Of course, the leads could have happened without realizing it (because there's not a good way to measure that click traffic). Houfy is the same way. HomeEscape as well. However, we like the Houfy and HomeEscape teams a lot because they're the last major independent old-school listing sites out there and both teams have spent a *lot* lot time building out their systems. We've asked Houfy to do a direct API integration and will commit resources to it if/when they are able. They've agreed to do it but we haven't been able to get it off the ground yet. On your side, press on Houfy and HomeEscape to do an API integration with OR and then your content/rate/rules will be a lot easier to manage. ECBYO is in planning stages as well.

Great shout-out, BlueMtn. FYI - later in 2019, we'd like to build out a "resources" area of the site where users can share renter agreements, email templates, triggers, website content etc. As part of that, we'd like to start creating "regions" as well so that OR users in the same areas can do exactly what you're looking for - get to know each other and do mutual linking. At some point, OR meetups...? 🤪🏋

Do you want to participate? having a mutual referral page scores high on google search./ here is sample.
https://www.smoky-mountains-cabin.com/rentals-by-owner

General Qualifications to be included in Ownerrez common widgets:

1. Must have Ownerrez set up to be bookable, rates, etc
2. Must have populated SHORT property description ( no more than 440 characters please) using Helvetica 10pt font.
Sample:
True Appalachian style log cabin in the vicinity of Arts and Crafts, between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Classic "cabin in the woods" set on several acres with a peaceful wooded view, privacy and seclusion of nature surroundings. Outdoor covered decks, hot tub and ample back yard with firepit will make you feel like you are camping without leaving the comforts of upscale home. All wood interior is a blend of warm cozy charm with all the modern conveniences and amenities. No indoor smoking. No pets/animals.

3. Ensure that your property(s) set up in OR has:
a) number of people and bedrooms
b) rates (or min and max rate)
c) configure your website URL ( we recommend NOT the HOME page but individual property’s page on website if you have more than one property; the page should be where your inquiry/book widget for given property is located)
5. Ensure you have a property PHOTO configured in Ownerrez.
6. Notify me when done (mybluemountainlodge@yahoo.com) and provide your Ownerrez property number (ORP number). I will ask OR owner Chris to add your property(s) to the widget.

If you are Smoky Mountains TN cabin/property owner and fully set up on OR and wish to participate, pls let me know. Happy booking!

Yea, I definitely plan being on houfy. I want at least to be on one significant listing site that supports direct booking.