Technology Rules - Lodging Newsletter June 30, 2022

By Wm, May
Published: 06/30/22 Topics: Lodging Newsletter Comments: 0

Do you yearn for the "old days" when life was slower, more peaceful and serene?

It isn’t necessary to go all the way back to caveman day to realize how much lives have changed. Just a few comparisons are enough.

It was not long ago that telephones had dials, but it cost a dollar a minute to call from Seattle to New York. Cars had no seat belts and deaths in auto wrecks were far higher. Homes used far less electricity, but summers sweltered without air conditioning.

We were not interrupted with texting and emails and internet browsing, but the only way to find out most anything was to buy a book or visit a library for days on end. We are now better informed.

You may think that technical changes to the Vacation Rental industry are something new. You may not even have known of early changes that no one would abide by today.

There was a time when guests had to stop at an office and pickup towels and linens to make their own beds. There were cabins deep in the woods, where the toilet was in a smelly old outhouse. Some homes had no electricity, but, if you were lucky, there was a gas stove for cooking. Maybe you even had to pump water out of a well.

Long ago, vacation rental cabins were just a step or two up from camping. Nothing wrong with sleeping in a tent in the great outdoors, but today's travelers want far more.

This newsletter covers some of the changes we have been testing, installing and proving.

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The Vacation Rental Industry is no stranger to technical changes, but the pace of technology has accelerated. Avoiding new ideas risks fewer bookings, lower rates, and increased management time. Here is what is coming to a home near you.

DISTRIBUTION: It s not new now, but we were innovators in Advanced Programming Interfaces (APIs) that connect our properties to hundreds of websites, including the giants of AirBnB, VRBO, Expedia and others. It takes constant testing, oversight, fiddling, tweaking and alteration to give clients maximum advertising exposure. And all to generate higher income.

ELOCKS - Handing out keys or using keysafes has worked well. But elocks provide more flexibility and control. Owners, housekeepers and managers can have their own codes. Each guest can get a code good only for their stay. Unapproved early check-ins are avoided, because codes are scheduled to become functional at a certain time. Lock usage can be monitored and controlled remotely.

SECURITY: Owners may be tempted to put in cameras, microphones or even intrusive door bell cameras as they mistakenly think those will provide security. But as public spaces, courts have ruled that guests have a "Reasonable Expectation of Privacy" and landlords must not infringe on it.

SURVEILLANCE: Territorial surveillance cameras, such as those mounted high that point at driveways or streets, are acceptable. Any closer and guests (and their invitees) will rebel, demand a cancellation with refund, claim invasion of privacy, post belligerent online reviews, or even press criminal charges.

GUEST MONITORS: So how to maintain good guest behavior and avoid over occupancy? We are now recommending new legal devices that report calculated sound levels (a bit like decibels) inside and around homes. They also count the number of mobile phones and devices at the property, which can reveal excess occupants. All this is transmitted to managers, so they can intervene or even evict guests who misbehave.

WIFI - Offering Internet is no longer a luxury, but as necessary as water and electricity. But as guests bring more devices, they devour more bandwidth. So we are recommending a technology that "withholds" Wi-Fi modem passwords and instead requires guests to register for accounts. Not just the registered guest, but all invitees, too.

DASHBOARDS: All of the above tools can be displayed on dashboards monitored by managers. Should noise exceed reasonable levels, especially at night, should there be excess occupants, or if other rules are violated, bookings can be canceled and guests evicted.

Prior to the technical revolution, rule breakers were few, but we aim to make them non-existent. Better yet, when guests know of monitoring, compliance should be even better. The costs are low and the pay-back is fast.

LEGALITY: With the onslaught of ever changing permits, laws, rules and regulations from cities, counties and even home owner associations, we employ a dedicated attorney who follows the iterations, advises on application processes and even lobbies a bit.

By combining that oversight with technology, every house can be a good neighbor and all because we use technology to improve service further.

Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0912 – 06/30/22

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com