Learn more about how Rentals United and Booking.com worked together to bring property managers a connection that exceeds standard channel management in the vacation rental industry.
The vacation rental industry is constantly evolving. At Rentals United, we’re committed to leading this evolution, ensuring our property managers have the tools and support they need to achieve their goals and maximize their revenue.
Unlike traditional channel managers or Property Management Systems (PMSs), we went to great lengths to cultivate a strong personal connection with our channel partners. This relationship is grounded in mutual trust, collaboration, and a shared mission to empower property managers with the tools they need to succeed. When you choose Rentals United, you’re not just getting a channel manager – you’re getting a partner who understands your business needs and makes things happen.
Booking.com, one of the world’s largest and most popular vacation rental channels, is one such partner with whom we strive to build and maintain a mutually beneficial partnership.
How Rentals United and Booking.com Strengthened the Collaboration
In early 2024, Rentals United and Booking.com set on a journey to deepen our collaboration and solidify a connection that goes beyond standard channel management.
Our product teams gathered in Poland for a week-long workshop that aimed to answer the following question:
How can we improve property managers’ lives while maximizing their revenue potential?
Rather than making assumptions, we sent a survey to our property managers asking them what they liked about Rentals United’s and Booking.com’s connection and whether they felt a feature was time-consuming or missing (e.g., having to log into Booking.com every time). Simultaneously, Booking.com conducted internal research to identify features that drive the highest impact for property managers.
Together, we examined the survey feedback of our customers’ experiences, pain points, and wishes, and leveraged Booking.com’s internal research to identify key areas for improvement.
Property managers need access to a channel manager that doesn’t merely connect systems — it actively shapes them to meet their needs. The workshop wasn’t just focused on technical specifications; we wanted to understand the real-world implications of every feature and ensure that each improvement delivers tangible benefits to property managers.
Why Connection Quality Matters in Partnerships
This level of collaboration is rare among channel managers or Property Management Systems (PMSs) — it’s a testament to our commitment to providing our clients with the best possible service and all the features they need to succeed.
There’s a big difference between a basic PMS connection and a developed integration like the one we’ve developed.
With a basic connection, you might need to log into Booking.com separately to adjust rate plans, update property descriptions, or manage guest communications. Each platform switch costs time and increases the risk of errors. Basic connections might even struggle with real-time updates or sophisticated pricing strategies.
The enhanced connection with Booking.com allows property managers to make updates directly through Rentals United, eliminating the need to log into Booking.com for routine changes. You can manage more aspects of your listings directly through Rentals United, saving valuable time and resources. You will have access to a seamless integration with advanced capabilities and instant synchronization across platforms. With greater flexibility and control, you can sit back and watch your profits grow.
Key Updates from the 2024 Rentals United and Booking.com Collaboration
Here are all the updates that resulted from a very productive and hard-working year for the Rentals United & Booking.com partnership.
Pricing and Inventory Management
Managing pricing and inventory is a critical aspect of property management; so, we made it easier to manage your rates and appeal to a larger audience.
Occupancy-Based Pricing
Automatically generate rate plans for different guest numbers, catering to diverse preferences and boosting bookings. Offering tailored pricing strategies that meet various guest needs makes it easy for property managers to appeal to a broader audience.
Multi-Rate Support
Manage all Booking.com rate plans directly through Rentals United, save time with automated workflows, scale successful strategies across properties, and maximize revenue opportunities.
- Automated workflows speed up processes like pricing adjustments, eliminating the need for manual updates in multiple systems. You can manage and update rate plans in Rentals United, and the changes will automatically sync with Booking.com.
- Scalability allows property managers to instantly adjust strategies for different locations or room types, maintaining consistency while catering to property-specific needs.
- Property managers can maximize their revenue opportunities by enabling precise adjustments to price, stay requirements, cancellation policies, and meal plans.
Min and Max Length of Stay Restrictions
Set seasonal stay limits to comply with local regulations and align with sales strategies. This feature ensures that properties remain legally compliant while optimizing their use during peak and off-peak seasons to achieve business goals.
Arrival-Based Restrictions
Define rules based on arrival dates or entire stay periods, improving booking alignment with operational goals. This added flexibility empowers property managers to adapt their strategies to local and seasonal demands and allows travelers to plan accordingly.
Find out more about the updates we’ve been making to our Booking.com connection.
Content and Listing Management
Rentals United has made significant strides in simplifying content and listing management, enabling property managers to present their properties in the best light.
Listing Content Updates for Multi-Room Properties
Update property content for multi-room / units properties directly through Rentals United, saving time and ensuring consistency across all your properties.
Multiple Tags per Photo
Add multiple tags to property photos to showcase your properties’ unique features more effectively, improving your listings’ visibility and capturing the attention of potential guests.
Booking.com Property Profile Updates
Enrich profiles directly through Rentals United, providing comprehensive information to build guest trust and drive bookings. This update streamlines the process of keeping property profiles up-to-date: guests have all the information they need to make booking decisions, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings and improving their satisfaction.
Contracting and Connection
These updates enable property managers to expand contracting and use property mapping without staff approval.
Contracting Process Updates
Streamline and expand contracting to support portfolio growth in new regions. This feature ensures that property managers can easily onboard new properties and expand their reach without unnecessary delays.
Self-Served Mapping Process
Enable linking and mapping new properties without staff approval, speeding up property activation and booking readiness. By reducing reliance on manual approvals, property managers publish their listings faster, maximizing booking opportunities.
Already using RU? Connect to Booking.com to start taking advantage of our great connection.
Operational Efficiency
We’ve significantly improved day-to-day operations with features that make property management more efficient.
Booking.com Listing Status
Enhanced booking status visibility provides real-time insights into the status of key connection elements with Booking.com, such as reservations, rates, photos, and content. This feature helps property managers monitor performance efficiently, enabling faster decision-making and improved responsiveness.
Reservation Updates Reporting
The reservation update reporting to Booking.com ensures that guest communications and booking modifications are handled smoothly and professionally. Report, no-shows, and stay changes directly through Rentals United. This streamlined reporting process simplifies guest management and ensures timely updates to Booking.com.
More Reservation Details
Access additional guest details, like detailed price breakdown, Genius status and smoking preferences, to provide more personalized services to your guests. This attention to detail can lead to better decision-making for travelers and increased booking rates for you.
Property and Room Management
Gone are the days of jumping between platforms to configure your Booking.com listings. These updates bring unprecedented flexibility to vacation rental management.
Multi-Room Support
You can create and manage multiple room types seamlessly within Rentals United, with changes synced automatically to Booking.com. Property managers who previously spent hours coordinating room types across multiple platforms can now manage everything from a single interface, ensuring perfect synchronization and eliminating the risk of double bookings or pricing inconsistencies.
Multi-Room Support
The new Import Property feature allows you to seamlessly import properties from Booking.com into Rentals United, complete with all content. This includes automatic synchronization of room types and rate plans. Say goodbye to manual data entry and platform-switching. With this feature, you can quickly and effortlessly set up properties in Rentals United, ensuring all details stay accurate and up to date. It’s a game-changer for saving time, reducing errors, and streamlining your property management processes.
Add New Room Types
Configure new room types, from setup to rates and availability entirely within Rentals United. You will reduce reliance on manual approvals, improve efficiency and user satisfaction, and manage your properties with ease.
- Save Time: Create and configure new room types without switching platforms.
- Seamless Integration: All changes are automatically synced to Booking.com.
- Increased Control: Manage your listings with full autonomy, reducing reliance on manual approvals.
Whether you’re an existing Rentals United user or are considering making the switch, these improvements demonstrate our commitment to providing the most sophisticated, efficient, and revenue-generating channel management solution. The close relationship we’ve built with Booking.com, exemplified by our year-long collaboration and dedicated workshop, shows that we’re not just another channel manager – we’re your partner in success.
Ready to experience the difference a truly advanced channel connection can make? Contact us to learn more about how Rentals United can transform your vacation rental management experience.