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Interview with our partner – EM Property Agency

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EM Property agency is a young tourist agency from Rovinj, Croatia that manages property units. They finished the successful tourist season with the help of Vacation Rental Software Booker Tools, and the owner of the agency, Ivana Crnković, told us more about that.

Tell us a little more about the agency – since when do you exist, how many property units do you manage and what services do you offer?
EM-Property is a small agency that currently manages 17 property units that we advertise on 4 sales channels. We have been on the market for a relatively short time and the first season has been successfully completed. We offer several service packages: from the basic package where we manage reservations for clients, advertise properties on various accommodation booking platforms and respond to guests’ inquiries, to a complete property management service where clients let us take complete care of their property, from reservations to check in, administration, cleaning and preparation for new guests. Because of the complexity of this job, I needed quality technology to make it easier.

Booker Tools is software for Property Managers that automates and simplifies the Vacation Rental business and saves time by offering many tools such as Channel Manager, Revenue Manager, Centralized Calendar, Mobile Application etc.
During many years of experience in tourism in jobs such as reception and property agencies, I came across various technological solutions of similar but more modest content. It is for this reason that I immediately opted for Booker Tools which offers a large number of features. I was familiar with Direct Booker company for a long time and I have followed and been interested in their business and technology. I found out everything I was interested in by visiting their website and Facebook page.

The time savings obtained by using a technology solution such as Booker Tools allows Property Managers to dedicate time to other work processes that will improve the quality of their service.
Since Booker Tools is a technological solution created by Direct Booker, which is one of the TOP 10 World Vacation Rental Agencies, I knew right away that it would also suit all segments of my business. Although I am still in the process of expanding my business, I know that it will save a lot of time I have spent so far on closing reservations on various sales channels. This will allow me to redirect my time to working with clients, working in marketing, fieldwork, learning, and improving the presentation of my services to future clients. The biggest advantage of BT is a large number of tools in one, and I focused the most on the website. The whole system is quite practical and simple.

As you have already mentioned, the key to the practicality and simplicity of the system lies in the fact that it was developed by Direct Booker, an agency that manages vacation rentals that developed it according to its needs to improve and facilitate its business, and today uses it to manage over 8,000 property units. That is why BT is different from other softwares on the market and is specially adapted for all Property Managers. Do you agree?
Yes, I will be happy to recommend BT to other Property Managers as it is software that will suit their needs if they want to do this business professionaly. It will make their business much easier because the system will close all reservations on all sales channels, solve long-term administrations, give them security, and what is very important – for all questions and ambiguities, they can always turn to technical support. They answer all questions very quickly, have a professional approach and are very friendly. I am really happy and feel relaxed because I know I can always ask whatever interests me. It is an extremely professional, approachable and inspiring team. They have a lot of knowledge and experience in property management and patience for education and consulting. They appreciate every partner and it is really felt. Although I just started using BT, I already know that it will be very useful to me and that this is the beginning of a long-term collaboration.

If you are also a Property Manager and looking for a technological solution that will facilitate and improve your business, contact us.

 

BOOKER TOOLS CONNECTIONS

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Using Channel Manager is a basic requirement for success in the Vacation Rental Industry. Besides providing more visibility, automatic content, rates, restriction, and availability management on all booking channels, Channel Manager is a time saver and scalability precondition. 

Being present on multiple sales channels will help you to develop your business as Channel Manager allows you to advertise your listings on multiple channels by managing them from one place.

Booker Tools features Channel Manager connected by two-way connection with 10 sales channels. Our partner NextPax Channel Manager provides a connection to additional 40+ sales channels directly via Booker Tools.

Booker Tools Channels Manager is connected to:

 

#1 Booking.com

Booking.com was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It has become the go-to booking website for all things travel. Booking.com dominates the industry, along with Expedia. According to HotelTechReport, Booking.com and Expedia control approximately 95% of the online travel market.

In Europe, Booking.com drives 50% of all European online hotel bookings (Source Tnooz).

Booking.com charges a commission of 10-18% (15% global average) per booking depending on the location and the status of the property. Being a global leader in listing properties online, Booking.com caters to travellers of all kinds. Any accommodation type including hotels, hostels, motels, B&Bs, apartments, vacation homes, cottages, cabins, villas, resorts, boats, luxury tents, etc lists their properties on Booking.com.

Booking.com listed Booker Tools as Premier Connectivity Partner, showing our technology meets the highest technology standards in the industry . 

#2 Airbnb

Airbnb is becoming one of the largest community for hosts and guests, with over 150 million users. Airbnb was founded in 2008 as a startup, and today is the most popular booking website that completely revolutionized the way travellers book their stay and how owners market vacation rentals.

Airbnb’s crowd-sourced, cultural approach to distribution has transformed the hospitality industry.

Airbnb travellers want to experience a destination like a local look, as 74% of properties are located outside main hotel districts.

Airbnb listings range from air beds in apartments to enhanced castles. Guests can find property types such as hostels, bed & breakfasts, apartments, castles, hotels, camping, farmhouses, lodges.

#3 Expedia

Expedia is the world’s largest travel company handling flights, car rentals, cruises, activities, hotels, and vacation rentals. They have localized sites in numerous countries and as a channel, it has a strong global presence. Adding Expedia to the vacation rental marketing mix will generate extra exposure on the numerous sites that belong to the Expedia Group.

Expedia charges a commission of 12-20% (on average 16.5%) depending on the market and property type. Expedia attracts a large audience as they are offering a variety of travel products.

Expedia listings include property types such as hotels, hostels, bed & breakfasts, campgrounds, lodges, pensions, apartments, palaces, townhouses, farmhouses, and other vacation rental types.

Expedia listed Booker Tools as 2021 Preferred Connectivity Partner among best technology providers for Expedia.

#4 Agoda

Agoda was founded in Thailand and is headquartered in Singapore. Agoda has over 2 million listings and it is the strongest in Asia, particularly Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. It forms part of Booking Holdings; the parent company behind Booking.com.

Agoda is one of the fastest-growing travel booking platforms in the world. In terms of its marketing approach, the company places a strong emphasis on providing customers with cheap or discounted accommodation.

Agoda charges a commission fee of 15%, and Agoda guests are travelers wanting to travel to less popular and rural areas in Asia because Agoda is often their only choice.

On the Agoda sales channel, every type of accommodation can be listed, from Luxury hotels to budget ones, apartments, villas, vacation rentals, and bungalows.

#5 TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor is most well known for its extensive library of over 600 million travel-related reviews on properties, restaurants, airlines, activities, and more. It also allows travellers to book and reserve services through the website. Reading about the experience of others is a great way to book (or not) with confidence.

With 455 million monthly visitors, according to TripAdvisor’s sources, this website is the top choice for travellers.

TripAdvisor charges a commission of 12-15% (on average 15%) per booking. The user of TripAdvisor is generally interested in reading candid guest reviews of everything from hotels to restaurants and attractions that are listed on the platform. Travel services offered by TripAdvisor include hotels and vacation rentals, tours and tickets, flights, and restaurant reservations.

#6 E-domizil

E-domizil was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Today it is one of the leading vacation and holiday home sites in the world with more than 450.000 properties localized in countries such as Croatia, Hungary, Cyprus, Greece, Denmark, Italy, Montenegro, Spain, Bulgaria, and many more.

E-domizil travellers prefer character, privacy, space, and a variety of amenities as well as a larger audience of families and group travellers. Listings include property types such as hotels, hostels, bed & breakfasts, campgrounds, apartments, farmhouses, and other vacation rental types.

#7 HomeToGo

HomeToGo is a price-comparison search service for vacation rentals, offering 18 million offers in over 200 countries. Founded in 2014 in Berlin, they work with more than  2,000 vacation rental companies worldwide in over 200 countries. The platform sees over 23 million visitors every month.

The portfolio of vacation rentals ranges from vacation homes, apartments, hotels, boats, castles, hostels, lodges, resorts, bed & breakfasts, campgrounds, pensions, and farmhouses.

#8 HomeAway / Vrbo

Vrbo is part of the Expedia Group and has its focus on providing vacation rentals in the United States. Vrbo is a network of 50 sites around the world, receiving 75 million visits per month. It focuses on non-urban markets, which has made it one of the strongest channels in 2021.

Vrbo caters to a wide traveller base. However, they tend to be more of a reference point for families than other channels.

On Vrbo guests can find a vast offer of property types including houses, apartments, cabins, cottages, bungalows, studios, townhouses, villas, resorts, hotels, guest houses, lodges, chalets, caravans, farmhouses, estates, bed & breakfasts, country houses, boats, and even houseboats.

#9 HostelWorld

Hostelworld has more than 13 million reviews across 17,700 hostels in more than 178 countries, making the brand the leading online hub for social travel. HostelWorld lists Hostels around the world, and headquartered in Dublin it has offices around the world such as London, Shanghai, Sydney, and Porto.

Hostelworld receives a commission between 10% and 25% for each booking that is made through their website or app. Travellers who crave unique experiences that Hostelworld facilitates with the best choice of hostels around the world.

#10 HotelBeds

Since the establishment of HotelBeds in 2001, their hotel portfolio now holds 180,000 hotels, including globally recognized brands like the Hilton, Sheraton, Intercontinental, Hyatt, and many more. They span over 185 countries covering Asia Pacific, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East.

Travelers seeking quality standards with exclusive standards that they cannot find anywhere else will book their stay via HotelBeds. Hotels, resorts, apartments, villas, bed/breakfasts, hostels, boutique hotels, apart-hotels they all list on HotelBeds.

We stay at your disposal to get more information on how to list your properties via Booker Tools Channel Manager.
If you want to further develop your vacation rental business be present, be active and generate more bookings.

 

 

Our new international partner from UK

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We had a lovely chat with our new international partner VillaMore from the United Kingdom. Adam Thompson, Commercial Director, and Ian Sheekey, CEO, recently visited Direct Booker in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The senior management team at VillaMore has over 50 years of experience in the Vacation Rental industry.

“VillaMore delivers first-class villa holidays, catering for the mid to high-end market. Currently, we have over 3000 properties live across Portugal, Spain, France, Cyprus, Greece, Croatia, and Malta, with new destinations being added all the time.”

Offering a diverse range of villas to suit everyone’s requirements, they aim to become a one-stop shop for all destinations, focusing on families, groups of friends, and couples looking for a first-class villa experience.

This past year has been a challenging period for travel and vacation rentals due to the ongoing pandemic, with expectations of further difficult times ahead. VillaMore has implemented new safety measures across all of their villas to ensure the safety of all visiting guests and offered flexible booking if travel restrictions change.

“We would say our biggest success is establishing the brand in a very challenging climate and working with our suppliers and guests to ensure everyone receives the best outcome in this rapidly changing environment.”

VillaMore has used the past year to focus on streamlining the business, making the guests’ booking experience quicker and easier while maintaining a safe and secure booking environment. Part of this process was to change Channel Manager due to increasing villa numbers and automation across all processes.

“We have been using an alternative channel manager for a few years but realized as we increased our offering, the limited functions and unworkable speed limited our progress. Booker Tools has been great to work with, developing the system constantly, and we are excited about the huge potential of the system as we grow the business.”

Booker Tools is a Vacation Rental Software developed by Direct Booker, a globally awarded Vacation Rental company. It was completely adjusted to the needs of agencies and is intended for anyone in the vacation rental industry looking for a technological solution.

“As VillaMore grows, the speed, flexibility, and automation of Booker Tools will be advantageous for our suppliers and guests. We aim to move the business towards 100% automation, including booking, payments, reports, and additional services.”

“The market is growing exponentially, and we see our business growing the same way.”

If you’re a Property Manager looking for a quality technological solution that will help you improve your business, try Booker Tools for free 15 days.

How does Revenue Manager work?

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One of the essential tasks for any Property Manager or Vacation Rental Company is having successful Revenue Management. To understand how a Revenue Manager can help your business, it is crucial to understand what a Revenue Manager is.

Like a module that can significantly affect your revenue streams, being a successful and up-to-date Property Manager, revenue management should be an essential task for successfully developing a business.

What is Revenue Management?

Revenue Manager is a tool that strategically uses performance data, competitor rates, local market information, and other analytics that optimizes property availability and its price to maximize your revenue growth. What a Revenue Manager does is that it anticipates the demand 365 days in advance so that during high seasons you do not have to stress whether the selling price should be increased or decreased to optimize the sales for each property.

When appropriately used Revenue Manager module can increase your revenue and boost your business to a higher level in the long run.

Setting price for Revenue Manager – You will define the standard selling price for your property as a Property Manager. In your Revenue Manager, you will define the deviation of the price to which level the price can go down and to which level the price will go up. The module will follow the market trends and, according to your predefined information, will automatize the selling process

Setting Stay Restrictions (LOS) – LOS pricing model defines rates per length of stay. Some properties will demand a minimum length of stay of 4 nights, while some properties will be fine to accommodate travelers for two nights or less. Revenue Managers will strategically target to have a consistent occupancy pattern during high demand periods or special events. Travelers will be able to make reservations for shorter periods by paying higher rates or having a discount if they book a more extended stay.

Why is a Revenue Manager important?

Using a Revenue Manager should be an essential factor in any professional development in the Vacation Rental Industry. The goal of working with Homeowners is to increase their revenue and provide them with a successful business model.

Furthermore, this module can help you lower your operating cost as automation tools will do operating processes.

It is precisely the task of the Revenue Manager to raise average prices in addition to the maximum number of days sold so that the end result is the best possible.

How does Revenue Manager work?

Booker Tools has developed a Revenue Manager module that can help you automate the process and help you increase the revenue for your properties with less time invested.

Revenue Manager module makes regular calculations where the software will do three things for you:

  • Change rates and restrictions on all sales channels by the predefined rules and market trends
  • Sends you reports in case of excessive booking deviations
  • Sends reports to your Homeowner regarding the modifications (if preferred)

Furthermore, by using Booker Tools Revenue Manager, you will be receiving:

  • Optimization report – you will receive the request (ideally after the season) to make adjustments to initial rates & restrictions based on data and experience created in the previous season
  • Statistical report – your Homeowners will receive the report about their property market status (if preferred, according to your business model)

If you would like to get more information on our Revenue Manager module, Booker Tools Team stays at your disposal.

info@booker-tools.com

Software solution for professionals

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Booker Tools, Channel Manager and PMS, was developed for the needs of the World-Award-Winning Short Term Vacation Rental Agency, Direct Booker. By using this software, agencies are the first on the market to get advanced functionalities with which this agency records successful business results for years.

We are proud to present you with our first partner in Montenegro, the agency Cipa Travel. We talked to the founder and owner, Petar Ivković, an entrepreneur with almost 30 years of experience in tourism.

How would you introduce yourself to the public?

I was born in 1964 in Subotica, Serbia. My parents moved to Sveti Stefan in Montenegro in 1968, where I still live today due to circumstances and destiny.

My career as a tourist worker began as a seasonal operative in the travel agency Kompas during my high school education.  Shortly after finishing school, I got a permanent job in the Montenegro Express agency, where I acquired basic knowledge and skills, with a special engagement in the operation of then already organized private accommodation. This was the second half of the 80s, and in that period, I was the Head of the Operative Department for private accommodation.  I am especially proud of the cooperation and service of the first organized programs in private accommodation with Yugotours, ADAC, Neckerman,…

At the beginning of the wars in the former Yugoslavia, and the Western market’s loss, Montenegro began to rely on neighboring markets. The Great Recession, sanctions, and the economic downturn in tourism in Montenegro forced me to open my travel agency in 1992 and to do what I know the best.

From the founding of the travel agency until today, there have been many downturns and re-rises, especially adjustments to market trends. Thus, in 2004, following the example of several well-known online booking agencies, I set up a complete offer of private accommodation online. Even then, I realized that this trend would be the direction that will be inevitable in future business. Since then, with our complete accommodation offer, we have been present on the Internet, changing our access to the market several times to survive and follow the competition.

What is success in tourism for you as a long-term tourism worker with great experience?

Success in tourism is undoubtedly a satisfied guest and partner— when the same guests come back to you for years.

How did you decide for the Booker Tools software, and how did you find out about it?

Since my agency manages more than 500 accommodation units, it is impossible to do quality work manually. For this reason, I was looking for an advanced and proven technological solution. With the recommendation of Viktorija Midžor from Petrovac, otherwise an associate of Booker Tools, I decided to use this software.

Which booking channels have proven to be the most successful in your business?

Booking.com, Airbnb, Tripadvisor, Despegar, E-domizil, HomeAway.

We know you use Booker Tools briefly, but can you tell us your first impressions?

First of all, ease of use is one of the essential items. Of course, specific prior knowledge is necessary for ease of use.

What are your predictions for tourism in 2021?

It is difficult to predict business in 2021 when it comes to tourism. Indeed, in light of the knowledge that vaccination against COVID-19 has begun, this year should be better than 2020, especially because Montenegro had an extremely restrictive attitude towards the entry of tourists into the country last year.

If you are an agency, such as Cipa Travel, which manages accommodation units, contact us with confidence and try our software for 15 days for free.

 

Golden Leaf Properties: “We do 99% of our business and will do it through BT”

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Booker Tools, Property Management Software (PMS) and Channel manager is a Croatian product intended for professionals: agencies, ho(s)tels, camps and vacation rental owners. The software was developed by Direct Booker, a world-award-winning short-term rental agency, which uses it for its own needs. The number of BT users is increasing daily and is currently used by thousands of users with over 8000 accommodation units in 9 countries.

One of the satisfied partners is Golden Leaf Properties, Property Management Company specialized in high-quality short-term rentals of villas and apartments. We spoke with Ivan Staničić, the General Manager of the company who revealed the specifics of their business, as well as satisfaction with the use of BT software.

– Tell us the story about Golden Leaf?

The Golden Leaf Properties brand provides services for people who don’t know a foreign language and don’t know how to work on a computer, cannot for any reason, or simply don’t want to manage their own property intended for short-term renting.

Golden Leaf has been around for more than 6 years and the company’s founder is Maksimilijan Šprung, a Croat from America who entered tourism by successfully managing his private real estate, which delighted his neighbors and friends who asked him to do the same for them. I joined him in 2018 when we connected so that together we could offer clients more.

I got into the business 2015. when my friend left Croatia and asked me to take over the management of accommodations and reservations for several of his clients… Since then, the business has grown steadily and I hope that it will continue despite the whole situation with the corona virus and the bad impact it has on business in general and us in particular in tourism.

– What is your position in the company?

At Golden Leaf tours d.o.o. who owns the Golden Leaf Properties brand, I hold the position of General Manager, but in this time of crisis due to the Coronavirus, I have to admit that only at the end of the day can I say what I actually did that day. In case someone did not understand me, I suggest that they try to deal with tourism 2020. 🙂

– What’s the secret to your success?

As I was between several jobs and I am an experienced entrepreneur(in my opinion, an entrepreneur becomes experienced when he goes bankrupt at least once), I quickly realized that this type of job is something that suits me and that I will certainly be able to make “something” out of it.

Since then my inventory has been growing and the business has become more and more automatized.

Automatisation is something that helps the business immensely, but the secret ingredient of this business is that we still do not automatize certain things because this business is successful only as long as the owner is satisfied with our service. I mention this because the relationship with property owners and our employees is our “secret sauce”. We will always pay attention to that.

We are constantly using all available technologies that will make our job easier and differentiate ourselves from the rest of the companies and individuals involved in this business, so we have become the first and for now, the only ones in Croatia to have cooperation with Homes & Villas by Marriott International. This is definitely one of the greatest achievements and something we are proud of.

Our mission is to have healthy growth in the number of facilities we manage and customer satisfaction with our service with maximum sustainability in all fields. We strive to make our actions speak for us and our greatest recognition is when our clients bring to us new clients because that says everything about us and what we are trying to accomplish in this business.

– Where is the headquarters of the company, how many units do you have?

The company’s headquarters are in Split, in Mostarska Street, and the branch office is in downtown, near Vestibule on the Peristyle.

The number of units that we fully manage, which means we replace the owner 100% is slightly more than 40. The number of units for which we work exclusively on the realization and processing the reservations is slightly more than 100. The number of units for which we work exclusively on the realization and processing of reservations with other agencies is slightly more than 200.

– What are the specifics of your business compared to other similar agencies?

Our company records with a top-notch 3D camera that contains the latest technologies and generates shooting results in the form of a 3D virtual walk that we have not yet seen with our competition. Walks can be uploaded to Google Streetview, mention in the description on Airbnb that the walk is posted on another website and it can be published on HomeAway.com. This is a representation of space as we predict it will be a “must-have” in the future.

Except for the cooperation with Homes & Villas by Marriott International, the fact that we know all of our vacation rental owners by name and we maintain contact with them on a personal level if it suits them is one more thing that makes us special.

We also have a “data scientist” who makes additional estimates of prices for each object regarding the situation on market to maximize their profit at full potential.

– How did you find out about Booker Tools?

I am responsible, along with Maksimilian, for our company and employees, so finding an optimal software on which we can base our business was a must. I found it literally on Google a couple of years ago, but at that point, I had no need to change the PMS I was using at the moment. We made many presentations with Croatian and foreign service providers and concluded that BT gave the most “correct” answers from the first call to the sales department, all the way to the presentation itself.

– Which Property Management Software did you use and why did you stop using them?

We used PMS Vreasy and BookingPal. Vreasy is now shut down after it was bought by FantasticStay, and their new software doesn’t suit us, so we took BT for that part of the business, and we use BookingPal because it’s our only choice to update the channels for one big partner we work with.

In other words, we do 99% of our business and will do it through BT.

– How long have you been working and are you satisfied with Booker Tools?

We have to wait a while for a full assessment of the functionality of PMS until we see how it will look like in practice when we start using it in full form. What we can say right away is that we are very optimistic about the potential of BT for our business and we believe that in the future it will prove to be the right choice for our needs.

– How satisfied are you with customer support?

For the customer service, especially Mario, we have only words of praise and we expect to continue our long-term and successful cooperation in the future.

If you are looking for a technological solution that will make the managing of camp, ho(s)tel, agency, or private accommodation easier, try BT free for 15 days.