Hospitable Customer Story: Managing Australian Beach and Ski Properties

Who?
Mike Timoney
Where?
The Gold Coast, Queensland and Mount Buller, Victoria, Australia
Properties managed?
8 properties
Favorite Hospitable feature?
Channel manager—"What attracted me to Hospitable is, first of all, its ability to manage the other platforms."
Meet Mike
Mike Timoney has been running short-term rentals for over 10 years. He started on Airbnb, and now he has 8 STR properties across Australia, ranging from ski villas to beachfront rental units, which he lists on four different platforms.
Mike explains that his rentals are pretty unique because of their perfect locations. "Just being on a stunning beachfront is unbelievable, and then when we go to the ski resorts, you know, being able to walk to the main gond in 5 minutes is just a great experience."
Mike chose to rent out his properties short-term because this approach offers a higher yield, and he aims to get at least twice the yield he would get via long-term rentals to justify the extra effort required for operating short-term rentals.
Mike uses Hospitable to streamline daily operations and automate repetitive tasks. Watch the video where Mike shares his experience managing several beach and ski properties listed on multiple booking channels and learn how Hospitable helps him lighten the burden.
Automating Property Management Tasks to Improve Efficiency
Managing listings on multiple booking channels is challenging, so Mike started using Hospitable to automate this process and manage all calendars, bookings, pricing, and messages in one place. "When you have eight properties on four platforms, you manage twenty-four different platforms. That's why I was interested in Hospitable," he explains.
Hospitable helps Mike ensure fast and clear communication with his guests to provide them with the necessary information and save time by automating sending quick responses to common questions.
"I like the add-ons in terms of helping you communicate better to the guests. A recurring question is, you know, can I check in early? Can I check out late? And that becomes very repetitive. Hospitable now automates that so whenever the guests ask that question, they get the automatic answer of "Yes, you can check in early, or This is how much it costs to check in early."
Mike also likes that Hospitable allows him to earn extra income with almost no effort by automatically upselling orphan nights "either to the people checking out or the people checking in as to come early."
Direct Bookings
Mike highlights that he takes advantage of Hospitable Direct functionality. "The other thing that appeals to me is the ability to host my website and take my bookings without using the traditional platforms, which I've never been able to do because there's a big insurance problem."
Hospitable gives STR hosts the protection they have with OTAs, which includes guest vetting and damage protection, so they can confidently accept direct bookings. "Hospitable allows me to host my booking platform now, so I can take things into my own hands even better," Mike explains.
Get a direct booking website within minutes!
Why Hospitable
Mike reveals that as a marketing and sales person, he enjoys the thrill of a sale, and every booking for him is a sale. He underlines that Hospitable has given him a couple of unique selling points.
"One of them is add-on experiences, which I've never been able to do and wanted to do. And I'll give you an example. At the ski villas, I can now sell all the ski hire equipment and gear that people need to go skiing. I've just gone in conjunction with a local ski hire firm, so it has become a win-win for the local business and makes it easier for the guests. They've now got a one-stop shop—they can book the ski accommodation and have all their equipment waiting for them."
Another important aspect for Mike is the quality of the customer service. He points out that he has never had problems with the support team and that the support team members are "really enthusiastic and engage well."
Mike also highlights that it was easy for him to learn how our tool works to maximize its potential. "It has been an enjoyable experience trying to educate myself and use all the features, which is always an issue with any new software."
Mike thinks that the price of the Hospitable subscription is quite reasonable. "Their pricing and structure is really good. So the more you use them, the more you pay, but you're not paying so much if you are not using that much."
Mike says he has already recommended Hospitable to other hosts and his general manager, who has her own portfolio of properties.