General Help and Questions

Latest Activity...

Settings/seasons help 2 replies

BlueMtnCabins
Apr 16, 2017 9:44 AM
Member for 10 years 1199 posts

Hi, this year I noticed that someone took a week before Easter Sunday with check out on Sat Apr 15. Therefore no one else would book Easter weekend. How do I set up to require to take Sun (or thereafter) check out for next year's Easter? For instance, they can book Thu-Sun, Fri-Mon, they can book all week with Sun check out, but not something that checks out on Sat preceding Easter Sunday? I am trying to avoid same issue next year when Easter is Apr 1st.
I tried to set up custom "Holiday" but that does not seem to have effect on limiting when check in/check out can be, only number of nights in mandated. Thanks in advance!

Occupancy reports and blocked off time 10 replies

Marina's Edge Re
Apr 12, 2017 1:37 AM
Member for 13 years 206 posts

Awesome, works perfectly. Now for the icing on the cake (I know I ask a lot🙂). I want to compare my business year to year, so to have the reports have option to compare previous years occupancy for bookings created up to same date as current date would be awesome. Here's an example- I pull the occupancy report on April 11, 2017. If like previous year's occupancy for bookings created through April 11, 2016 (including any bookings for 2016 that might have been booked in 2015).

Right now I have a sense that my bookings are down from last year. This report allows me to know from the data if they are.

Occupancy reports and blocked off time 10 replies

Chris Hynes
Apr 11, 2017 1:21 PM
OR Team Member Member for 13 years 1406 posts

OK, the deploy just went out. If you look at the Booking Stats and Occupancy reports, there is now an option to include blocked-off time in the report.

different auto-response by channel? 1 reply

Chris Hynes
Apr 11, 2017 10:34 AM
OR Team Member Member for 13 years 1406 posts

We don't currently have a criteria for this, but it's coming soon -- similar to the listing site criteria on triggers.

holiday 3 night minimum? 3 replies

Chris Hynes
Apr 11, 2017 10:33 AM
OR Team Member Member for 13 years 1406 posts

How do you define holiday weekends? Would it still be a 3 night minimum during other times of the holiday week?

Right now, there's not a way to limit the book now widget only. However you could do a property rule for max days ahead, which would apply to everything. Then if you're sending out a quote to repeaters, you can override the rule to allow it.

Occupancy reports and blocked off time 10 replies

Chris Hynes
Apr 11, 2017 10:31 AM
OR Team Member Member for 13 years 1406 posts

Yep, we're working on a hotfix for this.

I was hoping it would be out over the weekend, but it looks like the next day or two.

Occupancy reports and blocked off time 10 replies

Marina's Edge Re
Apr 11, 2017 9:17 AM
Member for 13 years 206 posts

Just following up to see if you have any advice?

Mailing address change 2 replies

cp9293
Apr 10, 2017 2:57 PM
Member for 14 years 395 posts

The credit card should have the new address already. I have been her since August.

Mailing address change 2 replies

Sam Westcott
Apr 10, 2017 2:29 PM
OR Team Member Member for 16 years 238 posts

@Claudia: That would be in the account/billing page. You'd want to change your credit card on file. That's the only place where we hold a mailing account for users.

Mailing address change 2 replies

cp9293
Apr 10, 2017 9:34 AM
Member for 14 years 395 posts

Hi guys. How do I change my mailing address on your files? After receiving your receipt, I noticed my old address.

Thanks,
Claudia

holiday 3 night minimum? 3 replies

Jacques L
Apr 7, 2017 7:00 PM
Member for 12 years 51 posts

Is it possible to set a 3 night minimum for holiday weekends only?

Can I limit 'book it now' to a certain distance in the future? I'd like to reserve a window for repeat customers to book before unknowns take all the prime weeks #niceproblems ...

thanks,
-JJ

Failed To Send Messages 3 replies

Chris Hynes
Apr 7, 2017 12:54 PM
OR Team Member Member for 13 years 1406 posts

Looks like that was te***@yahoo.com, yes? It looks like they pressed a "mark as spam" button on the "How can I help?" message from yesterday, which blocks us from sending to them. Sometimes people do that on accident, or don't realize that it will block further communication.

Can you contact them outside OwnerRez and make sure they're aware they will be receiving emails relevant to their booking from us? Let me know and I'll reach out to our email provider and get the block lifted.

Failed To Send Messages 3 replies

Marina's Edge Re
Apr 7, 2017 9:31 AM
Member for 13 years 206 posts

Just received another bounce. Can u check it?

Occupancy reports and blocked off time 10 replies

Marina's Edge Re
Apr 5, 2017 8:35 PM
Member for 13 years 206 posts

I was using the occupancy reports (awesome, by the way) and it looks like they ignore "blocked off time". While I understand the reasoning behind this, I would like the option of including blocked off time as the ical calendar import for VRBO shows "blocked off time" even though it's a reservation. The reasoning for this is I have a 3rd party (evolve) running my bookings and their backend system syncs with VRBO to call it "blocked" even if somebody booked through VRBO (they are integrated into VRBO).

Thanks!

different auto-response by channel? 1 reply

BlueMtnCabins
Apr 3, 2017 9:32 AM
Member for 10 years 1199 posts

I use Airbnb but I do not think I can set up auto responder for it? it may be technically doable but rather pointless.
1. AirBnB does not allow links (so the link to quote will be stripped)
2. due to AirbNb pricing settings ( I use 3rd party dynamic price product) quote would be different anyway (vs my OR prices)

So question is, can I set up >>distinct<< auto responder for channels that do not allow links, something of a more general nature (like list of general info bullet points and "we will get back to you soon")? Same will soon apply to VRBO.

I would keep my regular auto responder (with quote link) for TA, direct inquiries etc.
Thanks!

Facebook Pixel Conversion Tracking 12 replies

Chris Hynes
Apr 2, 2017 4:47 PM
OR Team Member Member for 13 years 1406 posts

I believe the warning is in error. What's happening is that the pixel helper is monitoring the outside page (http://www.marinasedge.com/inquire) and not considering the widget.

The widget actually has multiple pages -- Inquire is the form view, and then Inquired is the message displayed after the inquiry has been made. So the widget is actually going to multiple pages, registering each as a page view which is correct -- but the pixel helper doesn't realize its a new page because the outside page hasn't changed, hence the warning.

If you see any spurious tracking once you have some data flowing in, let us know and we can look into it further.

BTW, while looking at your widget, I noticed you could make it blend into the site a lot more if you made a small tweak. There is a setting on the widget for text color. If you set that to white instead of black, and then remove the white background you have behind the widget, it would be seamless. Widgets are transparent by default to fit in with your site.

That'd look something like this: https://i.imgur.com/HYXDFjq.jpg

Facebook Pixel Conversion Tracking 12 replies

Marina's Edge Re
Apr 2, 2017 2:57 PM
Member for 13 years 206 posts

That fixed part of it...but still get this:

PageView
WARNINGS
The Facebook pixel activated 3 times on this web page, which can cause errors in your event tracking.Learn more
EVENT INFO
URL Called: Show
Load Time: 38.35 ms
Pixel Code: Show
Pixel Location: Show
Frame: Window

Failed To Send Messages 3 replies

Chris Hynes
Apr 2, 2017 2:04 PM
OR Team Member Member for 13 years 1406 posts

Thanks for the heads up! We're looking into this and have identified an intermittent issue that's causing this problem. It's a 1 in 1000 case, but occasionally pops up as you've seen. We're working on a fix which should be in place in the next day or two.

In the meantime, if you see the issue, send the email a second time and it should work.

While I was reviewing your account, I noticed that your triggers going to an email of village*****@aol.com (*'s for privacy since this is a public forum) are currently bouncing -- either the address is gone or its been reported as spam. Is that a correct address? If so I can look into getting it unblocked.

Facebook Pixel Conversion Tracking 12 replies

Chris Hynes
Apr 2, 2017 1:00 PM
OR Team Member Member for 13 years 1406 posts

This should now be fixed.

Can you check again?

Failed To Send Messages 3 replies

Marina's Edge Re
Apr 2, 2017 12:15 AM
Member for 13 years 206 posts

I've gotten a few of these recently even though I'm able to email to the recipient from my primary email account. Here's an email with an example failed to send message:

ORE7007008

Damon

Facebook Pixel Conversion Tracking 12 replies

Marina's Edge Re
Apr 1, 2017 11:49 PM
Member for 13 years 206 posts

Just testing this using the Chrome Facebook Pixel Helper (great tool, by the way). Got this error when inquiring from my website with the inquiry widget installed:

Please advise

PageView
WARNINGS
The Facebook pixel activated 2 times on this web page, which can cause errors in your event tracking.Learn more
EVENT INFO
URL Called: Show
Load Time: 16.99 ms
Pixel Code: Show
Pixel Location: Show
Frame: Window
Lead
ERRORS
The Facebook pixel code on this page didn't load, so no information was sent to Facebook.Learn more
EVENT INFO
Pixel Code: Hide
fbq('track', 'Lead', {
content_category: "OwnerRez Property",
content_name: 'ORP10981',
value: 798.95,
currency: &#39;USD&#39;
});
Pixel Location: Hide
https://app.ownerrez.com/widgets/inquirybookinquired?key=da34f820-1a62-4daf-af9d-ac21e5a8698e&propertyKey=3c420993-e792-41a7-b138-e9ae94a0172e&actionType=Inquire&quoteTotal=798.9500&hostUrl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.marinasedge.com%252FInquire#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marinasedge.com%2FInquire
Frame: Window

VRBO and Subscription Options 30 replies

Floridaloha
Apr 1, 2017 6:11 PM
Member for 10 years 56 posts

Chris, I'd be happy to. I'm working now to set up the Google Analytics and the Facebook Tracking Pixel integration. I use Rapidweaver for my website and I think they have a way of letting me put this info into the site code, but if I run into trouble I might be sending you a request for help ;-)

Next step will be to upgrade the site and the FB pages, and then to start running some test ads.

I'll keep you posted. Thanks so much for your support. With you guys having my back, I feel so confident that this is going to work out great going forward.

Rates 1 reply

Chris Hynes
Apr 1, 2017 11:31 AM
OR Team Member Member for 13 years 1406 posts

We don't have a separate spot pricing capability, although that is planned to be added later this year.

For the time being the best way to do this is to create a specific dates season for those dates with a higher priority and create a rate inside it. That will override the normal pricing for that period with the different rate.

Set that up and use the rate tester to verify it. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll take a look at what you get set up.

Facebook Pixel Conversion Tracking 12 replies

Marina's Edge Re
Mar 31, 2017 11:55 PM
Member for 13 years 206 posts

Awesome!

VRBO and Subscription Options 30 replies

BlueMtnCabins
Mar 31, 2017 3:17 PM
Member for 10 years 1199 posts

www.smoky-mountain-cabins.com

VRBO and Subscription Options 30 replies

BlueMtnCabins
Mar 31, 2017 3:14 PM
Member for 10 years 1199 posts

I have all those things: website(2 of them), Facebook pages with integrated booking tabs, I am listed all over the place including homeescape and tripz (latter 2 for free). While my own site provided fair number of bookings, it is still not a full replacement of big sites. Also facebook is quite a big disappointment - I got maybe 3 bookings total between my 2 cabins. one was a prior guest finding the cabin's facebook page. I have pinterest and instagram. All in all, it appears that social media as marketing tool has not lived up to its hype.
I am open to constructive criticism and suggestions www.facebook.com/BlueMountainLodge and www.facebook.com/AppalachianEscape
I know almost nothing about SEO, and I had a feeling that all the good SEO terms are all gobbled up by big listing sites anyway. I do not want to pay for something I do not know.

What I am trying to say is while my calendars look good, there is still more dependence on big listing sites than i would like.

SMS to Third Parties 2 replies

Michelle J
Mar 31, 2017 12:52 PM
OR Team Member Member for 15 years 582 posts

Hi Glenn,

We don't have built-in SMS messaging yet, though that is on our radar.

Depending on the cleaner's cell carrier, you can probably send her text messages through an email address. Check this out:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/how-to-send-e-mail-to-sms-text/

If you scroll down, it gives you carrier-specific email addresses that you can email which forward through to a text message.

-Michelle

SMS to Third Parties 2 replies

Glenn Moore
Mar 31, 2017 11:22 AM
Member for 13 years 80 posts

I apologize if this has been asked in the past or not. I can't seem to find a search function on the forums.

My Cleaner has asked if I can send her text messages as well as emails when I have a new booking and cleaning needs to be notified. Is there a facility to do that here in OR. If not, does anyone know of a good way to get the OR generated message through a bridge over to SMS?

Tx.
Glenn

VRBO and Subscription Options 30 replies

Chris Hynes
Mar 30, 2017 7:23 PM
OR Team Member Member for 13 years 1406 posts

Nancy E said:


So, in summary, what I've decided to do is primarily focus on Facebook. I have pages for each of my cottages plus for the "umbrella" brand. I link this information to my own website which is set up for OwnerRez inquiries and bookings. I keep a mailing list of previous guests whom I mail. I offer these people a $50 bonus for referrals. I will spend a fraction of what I spent on VRBO and Homeaway on ads targeted to Facebook users.

My priorities going forward will be this:
1. Get my website totally current, including improving SEO.
2. Get Facebook pages current, meaning current photos, etc., and links to the website.
3. Target FaceBook ads to my most likely demographics.
4. Get AirBnB rates and photos up to date.
5. Investigate other listing services. Consider pay per booking services on the majors.
6. Look at unconventional marketing opportunities in conjunction with local merchants and media.


This is exactly it! In a way, the death of VRBO/HA as viable marketing channels is actually a good thing because it drives people to take charge of their brand and diversify marketing rather than just putting up a listing on one or two big sites.

Would you be interested in doing a guest post on our blog about your experiences as you get into the detailed marketing venues? We love featuring folks like yourself that are taking charge of their brand and stories about what sorts of things work and what isn't as effective.

Also wanted to mention we just released Facebook Tracking Pixel integration: https://www.ownerrez.com/blog/facebook-tracking-pixel-added-google-analytics-ecommerce-tracki so that may help with your FB ads, enabling retargeting etc.

Facebook Pixel Conversion Tracking 12 replies

Chris Hynes
Mar 30, 2017 7:07 PM
OR Team Member Member for 13 years 1406 posts

Facebook Tracking Pixel integration has been released: https://www.ownerrez.com/blog/facebook-tracking-pixel-added-google-analytics-ecommerce-tracki

We also added Google Analytics eCommerce tracking while we were at it.

There's a doc about setup and what is tracked over here: https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/analytics-tracking

Let me know if you've got any questions.