6 Hot Tech Trends in Vacation Rentals
May 11, 2022
Technology has been a driving force behind the growing success and demand of vacation and short-term rentals. Its advancement has skyrocketed to meet the needs of the hospitality industry and stepped up to resolve health and safety issues, better the guest experience, and reduce inefficiencies. Almost a third of property managers are using efficiency driving technology this year as a major part of their revenue generation strategy.
Why is this? Travel tech provides an incomparable convenience to guests, and they are beginning to expect this efficiency throughout their travel journey. So, to appeal to these savvy travelers and create experiences that keep them coming back to your properties time and time again, consider adding the following tech amenities to your rentals:
How smart home tech creates return guests
1. Automation technology – Quick, reliable service is something every guest wants. Right from the beginning of their travel journey, guests will be looking for simple, easy-to-use processes and great customer service.
Guests will judge your service way before they step foot on your property. First impressions form during their experience with the booking process and communication leading up to their trip. Luckily, automated tech smooths out this entire process by providing a seamless service that sets guests up for a successful trip.
Automation tech can continue to better their stay from within the vacation rental, for example, heat monitoring software keeps properties at optimized temperatures that guests and property managers can control remotely from their phones.
2. Voice search – Many guests use technology in their daily lives and homes, so will be accustomed to its convenience. Up to a quarter of US households reportedly have an Alexa device and the global market for voice assistants is expected to grow by another 32% this year.
A benefit of being an Xplorie member means you can offer guests this familiar in-room virtual concierge technology solution, SmartHost which is currently able to answer over four million different questions.
Voice search tech allows guests to quickly resolve any queries and frees your staff from answering basic questions. Since SmartHost was asked almost two and half million questions by guests last year alone, the need for this kind of technology is evident.
3. Guest Experience – Guests don’t want budget ‘good-enough’ vacations anymore, they want quality, memorable trips that meet their needs every step of the way. Appeal to guests looking for these higher value trips by partnering with local trusted activity providers. These partnerships mean you can help guests book day trips, give recommendations, and create unforgettable experiences.
A current top travel trend is the Connected Trip. Guests are seeking simplified travel, so give them the ability to plan their whole vacation in one easy-to-use platform. All-in-one providers allow guests to access properties with contactless tech, communicate, and control their rental, such as adjusting the temperature, all from their phones!
4. Hyper personalization – Offer guests a tailored experience using AI tech, such as chatbots for 24-7 guest services, pre-stay update messages, and targeted emails. These are all features that can lead to return customers.
Help guests create the perfect vacation by equipping them with the appropriate connections in the local area to plan their stay, with in-room technology. With voice search tech personalized to the location, they can easily find out ‘where’s the nearest Italian restaurant’ or ‘what is the best hiking trail’.
Virtual concierge technology can also answer questions tailored specifically to each individual vacation rental, for example, ‘what’s the WIFI password?’ or ‘what time is check-out?’.
5. IoT – Data is your best friend. Utilize the information gathered by monitoring systems to streamline your business, save money, time, and resources, and gain insight so you can better tailor the experience to the needs of the market.
Monitoring tech allows your properties to be more energy-efficient and sustainable – another huge attraction for travelers who are looking to take trips with less environmental impact.
6. Hygiene tech – Contactless tech helped short-term rentals thrive under recent circumstances because it offers added protection from viruses and decreases the need for face-to-face interactions. Since cleanliness is a quality many travelers now look for when booking trips, it’s vital to mention how you keep your rentals safe for guests in listings to reassure and attract guests.
Direct entry systems such as smart locks and virtual concierge services, like in-room technology SmartHost, allow guests to minimize human interaction while improving the efficiency of processes.
Tech solutions are continually improving and integrating with partners, creating a smooth-running ecosystem within hospitality. These innovations keep pace with the growth of the vacation rental industry, so as long as lodging and activity providers stay up to date with what guests want, everybody’s a winner.
Xplorie
Xplorie is the leading platform in guest acquisition and retention solutions for leisure lodging providers. Since 1996, Xplorie has leveraged local and complementary activities to help lodging providers differentiate their properties, improve guest loyalty and increase top-line revenue. To learn more about how Xplorie enables lodging providers to deliver an unforgettable vacation experience to guests, visit xplorie.com/partner.
