NAVIS, the number one reservation sales and marketing technology provider for the hospitality industry, this week revealed the first-to-market solution in response to the recent HomeAway changes that have created concern and uncertainty for many vacation rental owners and property managers.
On June 21, HomeAway announced that they would no longer distribute booking lead email addresses and phone numbers, creating concerns about the changing algorithms and policies of listing sites. The NAVIS product and engineering teams rolled up their sleeves and began working on a solution that would enable property managers to maintain their ability to service and nurture rental demand given these new listing site realities. This important product update will allow NAVIS clients’ inquiry data to still be captured and consolidated into one lead with Narrowcast.
ÒWe are extremely pleased to announce to the vacation rental industry that as of August 7, we’ve launched and rolled-out a technology update for our popular NAVIS Narrowcast and NAVIS Reach solutions,Ó said NAVIS President and CEO Kyle Buehner. “This innovation helps property managers maintain control of their rental reservation pipeline generated by HomeAway listing sites.Ó
NAVIS’ innovative update is the industry’s first solution developed among technology providers who serve property managers. ÒWe were able to move swiftly and help our clients quickly adapt because of our technical integration with HomeAway’s listing site,” said Mr Buehner. “We’ve also been through this before, helping hoteliers deal with these same challenges for years.Ó
Listing sites have been inching their way toward more involvement in the booking process for a long time and hotels have been dealing with this same third-party encroachment for many years, investing millions to encourage guests to book with them. Vacation rentals are in a similar, but not new position. Until now, the industry has simply enjoyed more access to the guest, which has, in turn, created greater dependency on listing sites. “Vacation rentals can leverage this inevitable evolution as an opportunity to re-evaluate how they use listing sites going forward,” said Brise Carpenter, Vice President of Client Success at NAVIS. “The most profitable paths have always led back to direct bookings and it’s a great chance to prioritize, strategize, and reinvigorate them. This doesn’t mean listing sites don’t matter because we all know they do, but there needs to be a balanced strategy in place.Ó
NAVIS is the only company that has the ability to capture HomeAway guest inquiry details and integrate them into one lead so that property managers can clearly see the path to purchase, avoid duplicating responses, and continue to track not-booked leads. With NAVIS software every lead can be tracked, from their Google search term to a phone call back to a website and beyond, so it is clear where the conversion initiated not just where it ended.
“This is an excellent time to remind everyone of HomeAway’s research from a few years ago that found 71 per cent of vacation rental shoppers would book online only after speaking with the property manager by phone,Ó said Mr Carpenter. “We strongly suggest property managers review the visibility and accessibility of reservation phone numbers on all of their marketing communications, particularly the mobile, tablet and desktop formats of their website. Remember, we sell vacation experiences that are meaningful to travelers, and a majority of potential guests will call to ensure they find the home that’s perfect for their vacation.Ó
For best practices and strategies that Vacation Rental Managers should be employing amongst these changes and future evolutions of listing sites, see NAVIS’ latest article “10 Ways to Survive the New Reality of Vacation Rental Listing Sites”.
To explore the latest solutions and marketing strategies that deliver the highest ROI, visit The NavisWay.com or call 1 800-777-1864.
Want to keep up to date with industry news? Click here to subscribe toÊeHotelier’s dailyÊe-newsletter.
