Property management for single listing

[Megan1142]

I have a dilemma. I currently use Host Tools, Beyond Pricing, VRBO, Airbnb, and Booking. My property tends to book last minute a lot, and Host Tools has constant syncing issues, resulting in double bookings.  I also have not been successful syncing Host Tools and Booking after weeks of trying. I feel it is important to at least have Airbnb and Booking, because my property is in an area that does not have any hotels. 

Is there an affordable property management software that people recommend?  I don't have multiple properties. Do I even need a property management software?  Is there a calendar system that can sync everything effectively instead? I also use Turno and smart locks, so something that integrates well with that is ideal. 

In my super ideal world, I would be able to set Booking to only book on Monday-Thursday to fill holes, but also still sync with my Airbnb calendar. Not sure if this is feasible. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Megan1142 I bow to your ability to use all these technologies. In my ideal world synching different platforms/tools would be banned as it just causes issues!

[Helen744]

@Megan1142 you need to synch the calendar manually to prevent VRBO double booking every time you recieve a booking as the calendars only synch once every twenty four hours , which can allow two bookings at once... H

[Bob297]

I did not have a PMS when I had one or two properties.
Connecting the AIRBNB, VRBO, TripAdvisor calendars, and booking.com was pretty easy.
But I had to check because occasionally the connections dropped
If I remember correctly, between booking and VRBO. I then had to cut and paste the codes again.

[Megan1142]

I have a very busy work schedule, so it's not always possible for me to block off the dates immediately. I'm hoping to find a solution that syncs them instantly without a lag!  Booking.com also does not allow manual blocking, which is very frustrating. 

[Bob297 · Accepted solution]

@Megan1142 
I use smoobu as a property management system

I advertise on multiple platforms, and they swiftly get the reservations from one platform and forward them to another.
It also manages the prices per platform, min-max stays, last minute discounts.
Never had a double booking in 2 years

[Cindy1363]

This is really helpful @Bob297 

[Megan1142]

Thank you for the suggestion! @Bob297 

[Denial1]

Wow, I'm impressed with how much you're using. I have a small hotel and I want to find a way to manage everything more efficiently. I read a post not so long ago about the ** property management system and it seems to be quite helpful. Are you using some kind of PMS for all this?

**[Link removed due to safety reasons - Community Center Guidelines ]

[Megan1142]

Right now I'm using host tools, but I'm starting to research alternatives.  It doesn't integrate well with booking.com, and the founders have not been able to resolve my syncing issues. I'm going to give it until the end of the pay cycle, but it's looking like I will need to use something else. 

[Emmanuel1086]

I've been able to manage up to 5 properties both on Airbnb and VRBO without using any softwares. Unfortunately when I did use a software it had connection issues so I'm able to block out dates vise versa as they come in.  

[Shyam-Sunder1]

Hi Megan,

I have started listing my property on Airbnb, but i need help to create room categories of my property. My property is located in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India.  Can you help sharing me the contact number of the person in India or Tamil Nadu it will be useful to contact them.

Thanks & Regards,

Shyam Sunder R

**[Contact details removed -  Community Center Guidelines]

[Heather289]

I used to list on both Booking.com and Airbnb, but frequently there were syncing issues.  

And of course, if you have to cancel because of a syncing issues, you get fined. 

In the end, I gave up Booking.com, because I did not like their interface, nor how the guests could not be reviewed, which I felt made the Booking.com guests worse behaved than Airbnb guests. 

I only use Airbnb now, and it's made my life so much easier.