If there’s one tool that you need in this industry, it’s a vacation rental property management system. Regardless of whether you’re managing two properties or 200, this software has the power to automatically streamline your operations onto a central platform and save hours of work.
That’s right—instead of wasting your time on task management or updating calendars, bookings, and payments on several OTAs, you can sync information to your property management system within seconds.
We know how important this technology is so we’ve put together a complete guide to help you understand what vacation rental property management systems are, what features you should look for, and what options can you choose between to find the best software for rental property management.
Want to manage your vacation rental property hassle-free?
Use Avantio to supervise your vacation rental properties in a highly efficient manner.
What is a vacation rental property management system?
A vacation rental property management system, also known as PMS, is software that centralizes key information and operations in one place. This technology was created to help short-term rental property managers and homeowners to:
- Be more efficient
- Eliminate double bookings
- Sustainably scale their businesses
- Increase direct bookings and vacation rental profitability
- Boost visibility
Keeping tabs on every calendar, payment, message, and reservation can be absolutely mind-boggling if you have to constantly jump between platforms.
Let’s say your properties are on online travel agencies like Airbnb, Vrbo, HomeAway, and Booking.com, and on top of that, you’re also managing a direct booking website. If you wanted to change your rates or listing descriptions, you would have to manually make those adjustments on every single channel. With vacation rental software, changes only have to be made once.
Each property management system specializes in a few features but most of them encompass bookings, task management, finances, calendars, revenue management, online payments, housekeeping processes, and performance reports.
Types of vacation rental property management software
The two main types of property management software are:
- Server-based systems
- Cloud-based systems
Server-based systems require an application or program to be installed on your computer, which can be inconvenient if you’re traveling or working out-of-office. Cloud-based software like Avantio can be accessed from any device as long as you have an Internet connection, making it a much more practical and reliable solution.
Features to look for in the best software for rental property management
Before committing to a vacation rental property management system, take a look at the following features to make sure that it’s checking off all the boxes.
- Feature 1: Integrations
Integrations allow you to sync your properties and data from multiple platforms onto a single platform. The more integrations your property management system has, the more opportunities you’ll have to scale your business without adding to your workload.
- Feature 2: Automation
Vacation rental statistics show that as technology evolves, many property management companies and homeowners are finding that automating certain laborious and repetitive tasks can drastically improve their profitability. By leaving the heavy work to computers and finding a PMS that can automate your bookings, guest communication, and payments, you can focus on growing your business and enhancing your guest experience.
- Feature 3: Channel management
Not all property management systems come with an integrated vacation rental channel manager but we recommend finding one that does so that you can avoid dealing with third-party companies. An all-in-one software solution will improve the connection process and boost your efficiency in the long run.
- Feature 4: Availability calendars
A dynamic and central calendar can help you organize a more productive guest turnover and spot vacancies ahead of time. By automatically synchronizing reservations across all channels, you’ll also be able to avoid double bookings.
- Feature 5: Performance reports
If you want your business to grow, keeping an eye on your property management KPIs and vacation rental metrics is crucial. By generating automatic performance reports, you can easily analyze trends and growth opportunities for each individual property.
- Feature 6: Website design
Having a website with your brand colors and logo will improve your brand awareness and online reputation. As part of your direct booking strategy, you should make sure that the property management system that you’re investing in has a website design tool that’s customizable.
What is the best software for rental property management?
To help you out, we’ve put together a list of 10 leading vacation rental property management systems based on their key features, integrations, and pricing.
Avantio
With over 20 years in the market, Avantio is a top choice for anyone looking for a fully integrated property management system and channel manager. Its two-way API integration ensures a stable connection with over 60 global and local channels so that you can rank higher and increase your bookings.
Avantio creates professional and custom websites that focus on search engine optimization (SEO) to increase visibility. What’s more, the websites come with advanced marketing tools to help retain clients. These include personalized banners, cart recovery, highlighted messages, exit tools, and a dynamic homepage.
We also offer world-class support with dedicated onboarding and partner success teams that provide PMs with training and ongoing assistance making the most of our platform.
Key features:
- Channel manager with a two-way API integration
- Website design and marketing tools
- Multilingual tools
- Unified Inbox
- Adapted to local regulations
- Flexible contracts and payment automation
- Booking and Occupation Statistics Dashboard
Integrations: Avantio is integrated with 60+ of the best channels in the rental industry. Some of its partners include Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Vrbo, Homes & Villas by Marriott International, Google Vacation Rentals, Tripadvisor, HomeToGo, HVN, and Holidu.
Pricing: Personalized plans are made to cater to your needs. Book a demo with Avantio to get started.
Want to manage your vacation rental property hassle-free?
Use Avantio to supervise your vacation rental properties in a highly efficient manner
Hostify
Similar to Avantio, Hostify is a property management system with an integrated channel manager. The platform focuses on Airbnb hosts and is known for its responsive design, 24/7 Premium Support, and WordPress integration.
Key features:
- Website builder
- Payment processing
- Reports
- Automation tools
- Unified inbox
Integrations: Hostify integrates with major platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com, HomeAway, Expedia, and TripAdvisor.
Pricing: Pricing tariffs start at $20 per unit/month for businesses with 5-19 units.
Guesty
Guesty is a property management platform that integrates with both online travel agencies and third-party solutions. These third-party management tools range from revenue and guest management to payment processing and allow short-term rental managers to optimize their operations significantly.
Key features:
- Channel manager
- Unified inbox
- Multi-calendar
- Automation tools
- Accounting tools
- Revenue management
Integrations: As mentioned above, Guesty integrates with online travel agencies, booking channels, channel managers, and third-party tools.
Pricing: Contact Guesty for a custom quote.
Hostfully
Aside from being a property management platform with a variety of innovative tools, Hostfully also provides digital and offline guidebooks to enhance your guest experience. Its all-in-one dashboard is extremely convenient to use and makes it easy to stay organized no matter how many new bookings you receive.
Key features:
- Pipeline management
- Upselling tools
- Property owner reporting
- Centralized calendar
- Digital guidebooks
Integrations: Hostfully integrates with an extensive list of tools. You can connect to external tools for home automation, cleaning, payments, digital signatures, and spatial visualization.
Pricing: Starting at $79 for businesses with less than 5 units. Each plan includes a $400 implementation fee.
BookiPro
BookiPro is a cloud-based PMS that includes a booking engine and channel manager. Property managers and vacation rental owners have the option to connect their websites via API and increase the number of visits they receive with an integrated SEO engine.
Key features:
- Channel manager
- Website builder with CMS
- Easy-to-use calendar
- Police reports
- Multi-company invoicing
Integrations: BookiPro has a bi-directional integration with channel managers like Rentals United, Yield Planet, Siteminder, and e-Edge and connects with the most popular online travel agencies.
Pricing: Contact BookiPro for a personalized quote.
Lodgify
Lodgify’s property management system consists of a professional website builder and channel manager. Because its integrated booking engine allows guests to make direct bookings on a commission-free and SSL-protected website, Lodgify helps property managers and owners increase their revenue and exposure.
Key features:
- Channel manager
- Booking system
- Guest management
- Reporting tools
- Accounting
- Automation
Integrations: Aside from its API integration with top listing sites like Airbnb and Vrbo, Lodgify also supports iCal integrations with channels like Trivago.
Pricing: Starts at $12 per month for the Starter plan. Check out their pricing calculator.
MyVR
MyVR is an all-in-one vacation rental management software and channel manager that helps you streamline your workflows and scale your business. It includes a drag-and-drop website builder that can be used to grow your brand. The platform is modern, user-friendly, and result-driven.
Key features:
- Channel manager
- Website builder
- Availability calendar
- Reservation management
- Workflow automation
- Unified inbox
Integrations: MyVR has an open API with online travel agencies and third-party integrations with tools that specialize in payment processing and marketing.
Pricing: Request a personalized quote.
Hostaway
Hostaway is a property management software and channel manager that focuses on growing vacation rental businesses through innovative tools. Along with its customer success team, Hostaway simplifies processes from communication and marketing to sales and reporting.
Key features:
- Channel manager
- Performance dashboard
- CRM and lead management
- Unified inbox
- Guest portal
- Occupancy reports
- Automated messaging and tasks
- WordPress plugin
Integrations: Hostaway integrates via open API to a variety of vacation rental software and tools. You can choose from categories like booking sites, contact management, business intelligence, and guest services.
Pricing: Contact Hostaway for a .
Vreasy
Vreasy is another cloud-based property management system with a built-in channel manager and guest experience platform. With Vreasy, you can control every aspect of your business with a master calendar and manage reservations from any device. The platform will soon be a part of another property management software called FantasticStay.
Key features:
- Channel manager
- Owner statements
- Automation tools
- Staff management tools
- Payment gateway
- Website builder
Integrations: Vreasy has an API connection with over 60 channels including Booking.com and Airbnb. You can also sync your vacation rental website through the Vreasy Channel Manager System.
Pricing: Contact Vreasy for a personalized quote.
Smoobu
Smoobu is a property management software and channel manager based in Germany. It includes a booking engine and a free website that can be connected to your existing domain. The platform helps rental managers track their KPIs from a single platform and requires no commission fee for bookings.
Key features:
- Channel manager
- Booking system
- Free website
- Automated templates
- Guest guides
- Availability calendars
- Shared accounts
Integrations: Smoobu currently connects to over 100 channels and 15 of them are through API integrations. You can enhance your services by connecting with platforms that specialize in smart pricing, online check-ins, and maintenance.
Pricing: Starts at $22 per month.
Choose the best software for rental property management, and enjoy its benefits
Every vacation rental manager looking to improve their business should consider investing in a property management system. Here are the main benefits of incorporating this technology into your toolkit:
Expanding your portfolio
Without software to streamline your operations, there will always be a limit to the number of properties that you can manage. With more free time and tools to track your progress, you can expand your portfolio without risking quality or overworking yourself.
Better communication
Using a unified inbox with message automation tools will ensure that your guest communication is better than ever before. Respond to clients as soon as questions arise and provide a professional line of communication to impress everyone that walks through your doors.
More time
With the best software for rental property management, the hours that were once spent doing repetitive and administrative tasks can go towards growing your business, improving your existing operations, and providing an even better guest experience.
Increased revenue
By promoting your properties on multiple channels, providing top-notch customer service, and tracking growth opportunities, you’re more likely to increase your bookings and revenue. Guests that are satisfied with their stay are likely to recommend it to friends and family, so you’ll also see your client base expand over time.
Conclusion about the best software
Now that you have a complete guide on the options you have to find the best software for rental property management , you can make an informed decision on which tool is right for your business based on the features and services that each platform provides.
Whether you choose an all-in-one cloud-based software like Avantio or an alternative solution, you’ll find that as you improve your operations and increase efficiency, you’ll soon be able to manage more short-term rentals and evolve as a property manager.
Want to manage your vacation rental property hassle-free?
Use Avantio to supervise your vacation rental properties in a highly efficient manner
