Ben runs short lets in Manchester. The hard part came with growth: a second channel, a second property and a cohost to help. This is what went wrong before Ben moved to Zugrow, and what changed once the business ran on it.
A second channel, and bookings that crossed over
Ben added Booking.com alongside Airbnb because he wanted more guests to see his listings. Different sites reach different kinds of guests. But once the two were combined, it got out of hand: bookings crossed over and led to cancellations.
On Zugrow, Airbnb and Booking.com connect directly, never through an iCal link, with one calendar, one inbox and double booking protection for every property.
A cohost, and one shared Booking.com login
By the second property, Ben had a cohost helping. The cohost needed to see the same inbox across both properties, and Ben could not give them that. On Booking.com they had to share one login, which meant the cohost could also see the other property, not only the one they helped with.
On Pro, each person has their own access, to only the properties and jobs the host chooses: messages, guest vetting, prices, revenue, the calendar or bookings.
Messages at night, and guests locked out
The messages were overwhelming. Late at night, when Ben was not around, nobody could answer. Guests were unhappy, or locked out, and at weekends Ben could not sleep for worrying about guests coming back late.
Now Zugrow’s Inbox agent answers Ben’s guests, from what it has been told about each property. Ben runs it on Auto, where it replies on its own, and finds it spot on with property knowledge. When he needs to step in, it flags the conversation to him at once, as it did the time a guest locked themselves out.
Guests who broke things, and no time to screen them
Ben kept getting guests who broke things, because there was no time to screen them.
Guest Vetting now reads each booking request and recommends what to do. It learns from the guests Ben accepts, questions or turns down, and it knows his absolute no goes. In Ben’s words:
“We have reduced our damage claims to almost zero.” Ben McCarthy
Extras on top of the monthly price
With his earlier software, Ben paid for extras on top of the monthly price, such as an inbox agent. Plans change, so check each company’s own pricing page for what it charges today.
On Pro, every agent is included in one price per property: £19.95 per property per month, or £16.60 billed annually (2 months free), with no setup fee and 0% booking commission.
Taking on a second property? What Ben would do
- Connect your channels directly, not by iCal.
- Decide who will help you, and what each person should see.
- Make sure guests get an answer at night, and that urgent messages reach you.
- Screen every booking before you accept it.
- Add up every extra before you sign up for anything.
Where Zugrow fits
If you have more than one property, a cohost or a team, Zugrow Pro gives you the professional hosting tools that go with them: one inbox, the Inbox agent, Guest Vetting and access set property by property. If you run one property, Zugrow Solo is a free channel manager for Airbnb and Booking.com.
Zugrow is invite only. You can join the waitlist at zugrow.com.
Ben McCarthy is a co-founder of Zugrow.