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150 message templates down to 20 with custom data
How an experienced STR manager saves dozens of hours managing guest communication templates
William Zhong is the co-founder of AlohaHosting, a short-term rental management company based in Liverpool, UK. Operating in the STR space for the last 5 years, William grew AlohaHosting to 40 listings, ranging from aparthotels to full homes.
Thanks to robust operating procedures, in-house cleaners and maintenance crew, and a high level of tech automation, AlohaHosting reduced its overhead costs and can offer free onboarding. Let’s explore how Hostfully contributed.
Overview
Before
- Cheap PMS but with limited features and reliability issues
- 150 guest message templates
- Needed dozens of hours of work to change minor details to templates
- Limited capability for last-minute bookings
After
- 10 guest message templates with dynamic and custom fields
- Less bugs and glitches
- Unique guest message flows for last-minute bookings
Impact
- Minutes instead of hours to edit templates
- Properties better protected from large group parties
“Onboarding new properties and maintaining existing ones becomes more efficient with a single centralized dynamic template. It eliminates the need to create multiple new templates. Any changes can be made by updating the source listing, rather than modifying over 100 individual templates.”
William Zhong, Co-founder, AlohaHosting
Before
AlohaHosting, like many property management companies, initially adopted an entry-level PMS when holding a few properties. According to William, “The basic functionality was everything I needed at the time; it handled the calendar and sent out basic templates.” However, as William expanded his portfolio of listings, he encountered limitations. “The occasional bugs I could overlook, but guest communication became a big issue,” he explains. Due to the PMS’s lack of advanced features, triggers were only based on days before check-in, with no other conditions available. Moreover, each listing necessitated its own unique set of templates and triggers. “Onboarding a new property meant creating three or four templates, and if something affected all the properties like a parking or noise bylaw set by the city, I had to change 150+ templates manually” William adds. Eventually, William transitioned AlohaHosting’s operations to Hostfully after discovering it had all the functionality of an advanced PMS for a similar price as an entry-level one.
After
After completing onboarding, William delved into Hostfully’s triggers and templates feature. As a software developer, he quickly grasped the power of Hostfully’s custom fields for templates. According to him, “I can create a custom field that applies to the listings, which can be anything from detailed check-in instructions to the PIN code for a door, and even parking instructions.” William can then insert these custom fields into a central template, pulling the data from the custom field when the time comes to send out that message. By using custom fields, William was able to cut down his templates from 150 to a mere 20.
Custom fields example for pre-arrival check-in
| Template |
| Dear {guest_name},
In anticipation of your stay at {property_name}, here are a few extra details that aren’t in the listing:
|
| Examples of what guests receive |
| Dear Ash,
In anticipation of your stay at the Kempstone Estate, here are a few extra details that aren’t in the listing:
|
| *the template above was simplified to facilitate reading |
| Examples of what guests receive |
| Dear Jane,
In anticipation of your stay at your downtown flat, here are a few extra details that aren’t in the listing:
|
| *the template above was simplified to facilitate reading |
| Examples of what guests receive |
| Dear John,
In anticipation of your stay at the Blacksmith’s Cottage, here are a few extra details that aren’t in the listing:
|
| *the template above was simplified to facilitate reading |
| Template |
| Dear {guest_name},
In anticipation of your stay at {property_name}, here are a few extra details that aren’t in the listing:
|
| Examples of what guests receive | ||
| Dear Ash,
In anticipation of your stay at the Kempstone Estate, here are a few extra details that aren’t in the listing:
|
Dear Jane,
In anticipation of your stay at your downtown flat, here are a few extra details that aren’t in the listing:
|
Dear John,
In anticipation of your stay at the Blacksmith’s Cottage,
|
| *the template above was simplified to facilitate reading | ||
This small nuance in templates and triggers meant significantly less headaches for William. “Custom fields save me so much time. If I ever want to change my central template, it doesn’t take me hours like it used to,” he adds.
