LoveSud benefits from specialized software integration

Active since 2014, LoveSud manages a large portfolio of vacation rental accommodation in the Salento. Founder and Director Diego Trane shares his experience.

“I personally started in the travel industry 3-4 years ago working for a hotel. I also travelled a lot staying in hotels and sometimes tried private apartments. Living in Salento I realized that our area, the South of Italy, was an emerging market for vacation rentals. The first holiday homes started appearing on OTAs and caught my attention from the very beginning. It was then that I decided to start my business. It was understanding the potential of offering private accommodation as short-term rentals.”

With a hospitality background and eager to apply his expertise, Diego focused on expanding business and acquired numerous properties in the Salento area. It soon became clear that a channel management software was indispensable to manage a growing portfolio.

“Two years ago I decided to use a Channel Manager to fully manage the business that grew rapidly to 70 properties. For our staff, it became too complicated to update everything. I decided to use a software with both channel manager and PMS, all-in-one software. I tried but unfortunately, I wasn’t happy with the experience.”

“I then studied the channel manager systems, spend a lot of time researching the channel connections and this is how I found Rentals United. I was looking for the best as it’s highly important for us to build a strong base for the future. Our aim is to grow our inventory and become the largest provider in our area. After a while, we realised that we needed a Property Management System too. Our Sales Manager Notis was exceptional in helping us choose the right software: Holigest.”

“We are expected to add hundreds of properties by next year and expand business internationally. Tools like a channel manager, revenue manager (maybe new to vacation rentals unlike the hotel where I used to work) are very important for us. Connecting to many listing sites and not depend on a few is what we like about Rentals United. As well as updating the static content of our adverts. We believe that in a few years everyone will understand the importance of new technologies.

In the future, we wish to integrate Pricelabs as a revenue manager, of course through Rentals United.

The connection now is streamlined. We took our time to set up all the details with our new PMS but we’re in line with the occupancy rate and revenue, which is the most important thing for us.”