Fully Automated Online Booking & Calendar updating Websi

[debk]

I'm boldly taking a total tangent here because I think we may be in danger of veering off-course into inuendos related to whether golfing is more valuable than time spent talking on the phone, working at a job you love, volunteering full-time in your community, or contemplating your navel.

So I'm picking up on some of Fluffy's comments as they have reminded me of a question that's been gnawing at me a bit:

What precisely is VRBO?

I think it's safe to assume that local owners that do everything from inquiry to checkout, including cleaning, onsite support, etc, are definitely in The VRBO Club.

On the other end of the spectrum, I get the strong sense that many VRBO-ers consider those owners who hand everything to a property management company to be outside The Club.

And then we have long-distance owners who personally manage inquiries, bookings, followup, etc, but must use local people for cleaning, emergency support, etc. These folks seem to definitely be "in" The Club. Yes?

What about owners who forgo the payment of a property management company but still remain completely hands-off? That is, with generally no personal interaction with the guests? (I'm not talking about Hanorah here as it's obvious she is very involved in the vacation experience of her guests.) But with websites providing automated booking to the point where a guest has no interaction with the owner, is that VRBO? If so, why is it but property managers are not?

Who cares? Well, I'm asking because I see this sometimes none-too-subtle prejudice against owners with full-time property managers... and then I read WVR's vague comments about upcoming enhancements to the VRBO reservation process... and then we have this interesting discussion about total automation... and I wonder what other owners are thinking about where this fits into VRBO?

(Guests, I believe, can often figure this out themselves during the process and then choose accordingly. In the past year, I've had quite a few people tell me that they chose to stay with us because it was evident from our website that we not only love Lisbon, but enjoy our guests, too. Interesting, as I have never heard this particular comment until recently.)

I've only been a VRBOer for two years and would appreciate hearing various opinions and counter-opinions on what might constitute a VRBO, what doesn't and why... specifically as relates to the Total Automation trend.

Thoughts anyone?

ps-We just bought our fourth VRBO property yesterday, 50 steps from the beach!

[Alan Knighting]

Debk,

If any of my asides are being taken as being patronising or derogatory I apologise, they are not meant to be.

I like the wide spectrum of owners we have on this forum and I acknowledge the inevitable divergence of approaches taken to managing a property.

I might come over as thinking that my way is the way but I don't. There is no right way.

Alan (Fluffy)

[Hanorah]

Don't worry Alan/Debk I do not see any of the comments as relating to me specfically. I just wanted to demonstrate that I do think it is personal preference and not how involved people are with the rental process. For me I have seen no difference being with villa renters apart from the time it saves me on admin (ie terms, deposits, balance requests, sending arrival instructions and paying back security deposits).

I am still in touch with each and every guest, do the travel planning and personalised itinery and correspond as much as I ever have. This is the part of the rental process I really enjoy and I have made some great friends along the way. I am paying 10% on there bookings and 3.25% on my own which is quite a lot and can totally understand why others perfer to run the whole show themselves.

I guess the moral is there is no wrong way what ever works for us as individuals is right.

[debk]

Alan - Absolutely not. I didn't think you wrote anything offensive. Nor Hanorah. Very sweet of you to apologize, though completely unnecessary. I'm afraid I completely missed the mark in my last message. So I'll apologize now!

Honestly, I really do want to learn more about this negativism I sense towards property managers... and, more specifically, I'm curious if it also would extend to owners who implement total automation, eg, no personal contact with guests.

Does VRBO imply (to some) that the Owner is personally present somewhere in the guest-management process?

[paolo]

Does VRBO imply (to some) that the Owner is personally present somewhere in the guest-management process?

To me, it's more than implied. That's what makes it By Owner. If it was by a manager it would be VRBM! I think there is a big difference, even if only in terms of perception, between dealing direct with the owner and dealing with an agent or manager.

[debk]

Thanks, Paolo. I can see the VRBM difference. Nicely put.

But where does "Total Automation" fit in?

There is no Property Manager. Instead, a potential guest visits a website, books their lodging with no owner interaction, receives an automated response (including perhaps a map to the house with keycode), local contact person is not the owner, etc, etc. That is, the guest is never "dealing direct with the owner."

Perhaps that is VRWOO? (Vacation Rental w/o Owner)

Seriously, I'm wondering about this because of the trends I'm seeing... and their possible effects on future market positioning and such.