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Yes! I’d like to track the historical data of what an individual night booked for. The other option is locking out a booked night so the rate can’t be manipulated by linked software. Only have it sync unbooked nights. Then if there was a cancellation those days would repopulate as unbooked and the rates updated.
Since this info is already in OR, when the booking comes in grab the channel rate for each date and record it for reporting or downloading. After all, with dynamic pricing the rates change mostly every ays, some times multiple in a day.
This would be very useful for highly optimized pricing going forward. So many ways it could be used.
Now, for those of us who do it, we record it manually.
Duplicate of request at https://www.ownerrez.com/forums/requests/add-field-that-lists-rent-rate-per-night
Yeah - embarrassed 🫢.
Now, OR automates the sending of a message. If there could be a way to be able to quickly turn it into a "quote" that could be accepted and paid.
Assuming we have a place to set a normal discount% for the offer. Perhaps an option to require a new renter agreement or even perhaps an addendum.
1) Send message asking for interest in the date(s)
2) Guest responds affirmative.
3) Host creates quote, prefilled with dates and discounted costs (using current rate for that channel and showing % as the discounted price). Of course, option to edit.
4) Quote goes to guest and has an ACCEPT similar to a regular quote.
5) Link brings them into OR for payment (with option to change current payment type)
6) Change is made and payment processed.
This isn't perfect as there are probably some security needs around the payment authorization. But all the pieces already exist elsewhere in OR.
Right now, the workflow takes more time/effort than the original booking. But for us has generated over $10K YTD alone. About 90% of this income mostly goes direct to bottom line since almost all costs in the original booking.
Open areas that need more research are:
- Will AirBNB take a change request over the API (I don't think they will currently)
- Is this more important than items already on the 2023 roadmap?
- How many hosts use, or would use, this feature?
Hmm. Rate Checker does do that. Thanks!
Love that y'all are not only adding features and fixing bugs, but also reorganizing around function. Guess I got too used to going into the API area to get API rates.
This can certainly be marked closed.
Great discussion. I have added using syncing Tags on Bookings to Invoices in QB if the same tag exists in QB
@Alin, the feature to run Reports by Parent customer exists in QB today. My customers names are VRBO:John Smith or AirBnB:Jane Doe. I use report filters to run reports on Customers VRBO, AirBnB, etc and it picks up all the child customers. As I mentioned earlier this is well documented and is the recommended method by my current syncing provider and works great
Good news, Ken. Thanks. It certainly would save a lot of us a lot of time I think.
When it is implemented if possible please allow us to include our branding in the reports.
Even better would be if we could have them automatically generated in an interval, such as monthly.
We are planning something called Tag Automation in the future which will allow you to "auto-tag" bookings, guests, etc based on certain criteria. .....
. I could see this applying to the QB perhaps but as a sub-set.
something like this would be amazing. if this TagAutomation can be extended to QBO, than we can use QBO tags for a whole log more than what I outlined as my immediate use case where I want to tag an invoice with the source channel.
something to keep in mind, currently QBO only allows tags on invoices, expenses, and bills. you cannot tag customers or payments.
to answer your questions Manel,
How do you imagine Tags would be configured on the QB end.
Different people will use tags in different ways, really hard to answer this question. I would dare say, from OR perspective it doesn't matter how the tags are configured on QBO end. The way I see it, tags should be created in QBO and imported in OR like classes are imported today. OR doesn't need to know what the tags are used for, it just needs to allow users to add one or more of those tags to an invoice based on rules to be defined.
Would being able to add [Channel] in front of the customer name suffice? It sounds like you would like to add Tags to Invoices based on [Channel].
not sure I understand how appending the channel to the customer name will allow me to run a P&L with channels as columns. it would require QBO reporting to be a lot more powerful than it is...something along the lines of (totally made this up in 10 seconds) "parse customer name by pattern '<string>#<string>', take the first part of the pattern match and use that as a column". i don't see QBO ever building something like that...maybe an add-on (app)
I understand your idea of using sub-customers to get that P&L by channel that I want. is definitely a way to get there. tags do seem a lot cleaner way to me and it does work for that use case you outlined where you can have the same customer returning from a different channel.
If OR does implement tags, is there any other dimension that could use a Tag?
that is an awesome question. i don't have any examples in mind, the sky is the limit here (well, the limit is 300 Groups and unlimited ungrouped tags, which is quite a large number)
If you flush the idea out a little more I can add it to the list at the top. I think Tags can be powerful and we should flush out the possible uses
Tags are very powerful and they can be used for multiple different scenarios. Just so we can start somewhere, i would say the ask is:
Import from QBO the list of existing tags (the same way OR imports classes) and add the ability to tag invoices. Users can chose one or more tags to be applied on an invoice based on a rules engine (or the future TagAutomation)
Thanks for the feedback, Manel and Alin! This is super helpful. Tags might be the ways to go, but as you pointed out, they need to on down-stream on things like reporting. We've seen where classes are supported by QB on reports but not other things like locations. On the other hand, classes aren't allowed in the lower/cheap versions of QB so it sucks to have to pay the expensive QB costs for the upper plans.
I agree with Manel also that it might be an additional thing where you can assign optional tags to be applied based on criteria.... Kinda like our Trigger engine. You have a variety of criteria and depending on what matches (type of channel, etc) you then can do Tag automation.
Putting an even cooler view on it... We are planning something called Tag Automation in the future which will allow you to "auto-tag" bookings, guests, etc based on certain criteria. So if a booking doesn't have an RA signed or is overdue on payment, you could auto-tag the booking as "Urgent Problem". Then when those things change, the tag is automatically removed. I could see this applying to the QB perhaps but as a sub-set.
Hey Chuck,
You can find all the Preview Rate type tools up in the top Tools menu. Look at "Channel Rate Tester" which is basically the same preview rates window you're talking about.
I believe the plan is to the other way actually and remove the Actions > Preview Rates option from the channel dashboard since the top Tools menu has access to it for all and is faster to get to.
You can already run a line item pivot or line item detail report to see where the charge was used.
Admittedly, this isn't ideal - we have a design to create a separate report for this purpose.
Well, we certainly aren't going to have custom reports out within a few days... but, that said, we've been getting hammered by our clients on the urgent and pressing need for this capability, and it is hoped to have something like this available within the first half of this year. Certainly by later this year.
Oddly, while it is possible to view the AirBNB prices on when going to API INTEGRATIONS - AirBNB - Actions - Preview Rates, doing so with a Vrbo integration does not have that option under Actions.
But, if you select the AirBNB integration for the property in question, then Actions - Preview Rates, there is a CHANNEL box and selector you can change to any of the channels.
Would really be nice to be consistent across all the channels by having this under ACTIONS.
Thanks.
Paul,
Thanks for the update.
Also, in relation to Allan's post, I have heard that QB is doing more and more development around Tags. Tags are a more flexible and dynamic way to Class transactions but are also more cumbersome to code/sync as they can have so many uses - there are now 3 dimension which can be used classify transactions. Also Tags tend to be at the transaction level instead of the line item level like Classes and locations
@Allan, thanks for contributing to the thread. The best practice that I have seen seen for what you are trying to do is to create sub-customers for example VRBO:Guest Name; this way you can run the same P&L but by customer and use VRBO as the customer group. After a lot of research that is how I have set-up my QB with customers grouped by Channel - these best practices were set-up before Tags were introduced. The drawback of the method I have is that you will have two customers created if you get a repeat customer coming back through a different channel or direct.
How do you imagine Tags would be configured on the QB end. It sounds like you would like a rule engine that would assign Tags at the transaction level (ie Invoice) were Classes and Locations are linked to Properties in the QB config screen of OR. Would being able to add [Channel] in front of the customer name suffice? It sounds like you would like to add Tags to Invoices based on [Channel]. If OR does implement tags, is there any other dimension that could use a Tag? I could think of PM Customer, or potentially or Owned vs Managed. If you flush the idea out a little more I can add it to the list at the top. I think Tags can be powerful and we should flush out the possible uses
This sounds like a good idea but is there a typo in the Topic title? Can you please provide a little more info of the scope requested? Would it automatically create a quote and email it out? Would it use the triggers engine to define what triggers it and when? I think it would need a configuration page for defining what the % discount would be so maybe the triggers are defined there. Would it need to check if there are any open quotes for the date. I think someone that has practice doing this needs to scope out all the rules so there is a concrete ask
Yes, browser alerts on all major browsers (both mobile and desktop) are on the roadmap, as soon as iOS support comes out of beta:
Ultimately they will work everywhere - Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, etc.
As far as the logout problem, that doesn't sound like it's related to 2FA, but is a different cause. Here are some things to try:
Hi Paul,
Intuit has added the concept of "tags" in QuickBooks online (https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/class-list/tag-transactions-quickbooks-online/L7x3G0aLv_US_en_US). As far as I know tags are available in all versions of QuickBooks online
To me, it is just another way of grouping transactions outside the chart of accounts by user-defined dimensions. You add whatever tag name you want; all tags are part of what they call a "Tag Group" (also user-defined).
I have a tag group called "ShortTermRentals" (see screenshots). You can now tag invoices, expenses, and bills in QuickBooks Online.
Here is one OR-generated invoice that I tagged with "VRBO." QBO terminology: in the screenshot, the tag is "ShortTermRentals: VRBO," which reads as "VRBO tag from ShortTermRentals TagGroup."
What do I do with these tags?
I run a P&L report like this one, where I chose to show as columns all tags from my ShortTermRentals TagGroup. It helps me compare how different channels perform for me.
I hope I answered your question
my ask: the ability to tag the invoice. I created a tag group in QBO where the tags are the OTA's (AIrbnb, VRBO..so on) then I tag the invoices appropriately. this allows me to run a P&L grouped by Tag Group to compare Airbnb vs VRBO vs ...
Hey Alin, can you clarify what you mean by "Tags"? Is that a location or other tracking item in QB. I'm not aware of any feature called "Tags" but then I know Intuit keeps adding a lot of new stuff, so maybe that's there now. And if it is there, can you confirm if it is available in all versions including the lower starter plans?
1) Is it possible to be part of the beta for AirBnB transactions API?
The Airbnb Transactions API is still in testing right now. There is no private beta yet, and we plan to release it to all when it gets through testing. Should be out in Q1 so just a couple more weeks, or maybe the beginning of April.
2) just to be clear the suggestion about customizing the memo / description fields, I may not have used the correct terminology. What I meant is that in setting up the transaction structure (it can be on the same screen that one selects the accounts and classes) allow a way to configure the memo/description fields by using "Field Codes".
Yes, that's a great idea, and I understand what you mean. Field Codes are already a deep part of our system, used in many places, so it would not be difficult to code it. Like everything, it just needs to be planned out, dev'd and tasked.... and in line with current priorities/resources.
I love this thread and I can't wait for the first two points to be fixed. no more manual adjustments on my side.
my ask: the ability to tag the invoice. I created a tag group in QBO where the tags are the OTA's (AIrbnb, VRBO..so on) then I tag the invoices appropriately. this allows me to run a P&L grouped by Tag Group to compare Airbnb vs VRBO vs ...
hope this ask make sense,
Alin
Current messaging features only pull Airbnb messages that are part of a booking. When a guest has an issue and "Airbnb Support" sends a message, there is no way to see this from within OR. OR should pull in all messages in the Airbnb inbox, even those not associated to a particular booking.
While Owners can't set up their own payment processors, it is possible for you to set up individual payment methods for each property (or group of owned properties) so the owners receive payouts directly. That can be easily configured once each owner has been approved for a payment processing account.
I understand the confidential information relating to this, and you wanting the Owners to set up their own accounts. It is likely that this will be added to a future update of the Team Access system. In the meantime, would it be possible for you to do a video call with screen sharing, so that your Owner could type the credentials in directly without having to provide them to you?
https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/payment-processing-common-issues-questions#multiple-accounts
You pretty much nailed it - the 2 payments was built into the original code. We definitely understand that this needs to change, and it will, but it's a major rework effort that hasn't quite made it to the top of the list considering the large amount of work involved. It will eventually for sure, but, I do not know when.
Hi Ken,
thanks for the quick response. I understand we can set the %, the issue is that we need to charge 50% on most bookings as they are within 90-60 days, it's just the minority of bookings that are a few months out that need a different schedule and more than just 2 payments, which goes back to the purpose of the thread that we need to be able to schedule more than 2.
Having said that, I understand if 2 is hard coded, the coding lift to change may be substantial and therefore there is likely other things that are more important. I just wanted to make the business point that not being able to have more than 2 has some financial impact on the business.
You don't have to charge 50% when the booking is made, you just have to charge something. You could set it to 10% or even 1%.
Agreed, this would be a nice feature. One that AB&B could use as well. I only do request to book and no instant booking because of this.
Yes, this is a known need, and we do intend to do it, but it's not a top priority at present.
To add one more reason to create urgency for this request. Being able to not charge 50% when a guest makes a booking that is several months in the future and have this implemented as a process in the system will allow hosts to reduce their risk with merchant CC processors (Stripe) in my case and reduce the amount of risk withholding they make. They want hosts not to collect too much in advance because they are on the hook if we don't deliver on the accommodation.
Paul,
Thanks for the detailed reply.
1) Is it possible to be part of the beta for AirBnB transactions API? As you can see I have a lot of experience with accounting software and QB integrations. I haven't turned on QB yet as I am doing a review to make sure I have a good smooth and planned transition from my previous processes but will happily turn it on to help test the integration.
2) just to be clear the suggestion about customizing the memo / description fields, I may not have used the correct terminology. What I meant is that in setting up the transaction structure (it can be on the same screen that one selects the accounts and classes) allow a way to configure the memo/description fields by using "Field Codes". Another product that I used to sync AirBnB/VRBO transactions in the past added this over a year ago and it was really helpful to have more complete data in QB and it may not be a heavy code lift.
Thanks,
Manel
Are browser (at least Chrome) alerts also part of the same development path? I don't know how much of the coding is overlap between the two alert types.
As a related note, I don't know if it is a bug but my team member gets logged out of her home screen IOS app at least daily (it may be more often) even when checking the remember me box. I don't know if this a result of some setting in Safari or IOS (if it is it would be great to have some sort of note on how to address it) or if it is because the admin login seems to be different from team member log in (ie no 2FA for team member even though they have Admin role). Will the alerts still come if they are logged out of the app? If not, this issue will become more salient once the alerts come out.
Thanks you,
Manel
How does one know if their discount code is getting used? We don't! How can we run different promotions and know which one is most effective if we can't track the number of uses a discount code gets?
OR is not very friendly to marketing efforts, and this needs to change. Marketing is becoming much more important as competition increases.
