The most effective way to manage your property management business is to centralize your channel management strategy into one command center. But what about your own channel? Does it matter if your property management software directly integrates with your website? And does it matter if you have the ability to update and edit your website yourself?
When it comes to creating your own branded website, there are a lot of options on the market. Before making your decision of where to host your website and what website builder to use, it’s best to assess your business’s needs. Do you need a multi-property website or want each property to stand-alone? Do you need a low or no-code platform? Do you want to use industry specific website templates?
The question then becomes should you create your website using a third-party website builder or an integrated website builder within your PMS?
While the differences in the final product’s capabilities might not be that dramatic, the decision you make matters when it comes to managing your business’s operations and brand. We recommend using a website that is integrated with your PMS so that you can easily edit and update independently, and we’ll explain why. First, let’s examine the risks of opting for a third-party website.
The risks of using a third-party to build your website
Websites without direct integrations to your property management software provider don’t allow you to be in full control of your business. The disconnect between your website and your channel management strategy can cause issues in your calendar, pricing, and brand.
One reason property management software is so effective is that it allows you to keep an up-to-date calendar, controlled from one place. When adding in a third-party website to the mix, a disconnect is created. When guests book on your website or through a listing site, you - the property manager - must manually mark off calendar dates or risk double booking a property, which will adversely affect your channel ranking.
In addition to the desynchronization of your booking calendar, a separate website also creates discrepancies in pricing. While you may be able to manage pricing parity across listing sites directly or even through dynamic pricing integrations in your PMS, maintaining fair prices for direct bookings can be difficult. Because your channel prices may differ drastically from your base rate due to seasonality, scarcity, and external factors, it becomes difficult to manage your direct booking prices - and is just one more place that you need to update.
While it is typical for a short-term rental to be discounted when booking directly, a third-party website can end up undercutting your direct bookings by its inability to sync with your listing site prices.
Finally, using a non-integrated website can hurt your potential brand recognition. Those who find or book one of your properties through a listing site should be able to find and recognize your property management business’s brand across all channels. This is a primary driver of repeat bookings and added performance.
Property management software is meant to centralize your entire business in one platform. By choosing to use a separate website, it becomes more difficult to control and manage your business.
Why integrating your website and PMS is crucial
Other than avoiding the aforementioned risks associated with third-party websites, keeping your website and PMS in one central location empowers you to work smarter and use your time more effectively as a property manager. If you are investing in property management software to increase performance and command your business as you grow, keeping all aspects of your business within your PMS will allow you to maintain complete control.
Your properties’ calendars across your channel management distribution network are always up-to-date, minimizing the possibility of double bookings. You can also be confident that your pricing strategy is both competitive and effective across all channels, leaving you with peace of mind.
Not only are you managing your properties’ entire distribution network from one place, but you can also communicate with guests without having to switch platforms. A convenience that, when scaled, can save you hours of time to be reallocated to your business and give you the peace of mind that no guests have fallen through the cracks.
MyVR’s Website Builder
MyVR’s website builder is not only directly integrated within your property management software, but we also offer SEO-optimized, customizable options for property managers of all sizes. We offer single property, multi-property, and owner portal options, all with a powerful booking engine leveraging Stripe built in.
Setting up your short-term rental website with MyVR is as easy as importing your properties’ information from your listing sites to your new website. If you ever decide to rebrand or redesign your website, customizing your website’s template and making any edits can be done from the same platform in a no-code setting using our drag-and-drop editor - not to mention we have a team of short-term rental experts waiting to support you if needed.
In addition to the benefit of cohesively managing your entire business, having a website that is directly integrated with your property management software means that you can have one cohesive brand across all platforms - maximizing brand recognition and ensuring repeat bookings.
