Whether they’re honeymooning couples, vacationing families or groups, today’s travelers are becoming increasingly demanding and tech savvy. They know what they want, when and how they want it — and where they can get it. More than ever, running a successful vacation rental property requires an assist from state-of-the art technology to keep up with guests’ ever-expanding expectations.
“Resistance to new technology can cost a vacation rental business dearly,” notes Francois Greffard, VP of Operations for Deerfield Beach-based IQware.
Consumers won’t wait around for vacation rental properties to catch up. If out-of-date processes slow guests down or keep them from having the optimized experiences they know they can get elsewhere, a technologically deficient property’s days are numbered.
Software purchased 10 years ago that hasn’t evolved to today’s technology needs is antiquated. Businesses stalled in their own ancient green-screen, DOS-based systems operate with a significant handicap. Vacation rental managers need a software partner that evolves with technology as well as their renters’ needs. That’s what IQware delivers: a high-tech, high-touch partnership proven to help vacation rental managers boost their business, efficiency and bottom lines.
“When you partner with IQware, you partner with someone who knows your business extremely well and stands by your side,” explains David Perkins, President of IQware. “IQware provides a comprehensive, flexible solution for managing the operations of vacation rental properties.”
Simply the Best
Rental managers who don’t bother to keep up with industry innovations get left in the dust by successful lodging operations that embrace new technology. IQware’s Global Property Management System (IQpms) represents the best of what new technology offers vacation rental managers.
IQware’s developmental team continually works with its vacation rental managers to ensure IQpms delivers sophisticated, expert-class features and functionality designed to make efficiently running a vacation rental property seem almost automatic.
“Our IQware Global PMS is uniquely functional and infinitely customizable,” says Perkins. “Specific functionality is critical to our customers, and IQware is extremely rich in capabilities developed to address virtually any need.
“We are constantly adding functionality and working with our customers to continually improve our IQware Global PMS based on their requests and recommendations,” Perkins adds. “It’s absolutely crucial on both sides to have the ability and commitment to really get into good, two-way discussions, which is why we spend a lot of time up front talking with customers so we can hand tailor our technology specifically for them.”
Protecting Your Investment
Developmental research reveals that one of the hardest aspects of vacation rental property ownership is tracking that which customers notice most: the quality of their accommodations. Things like faulty appliances, broken furniture and damaged plumbing are the things guests remember about their rental experiences.
Any quality issues can have a significant impact on guests’ perceptions of properties, while undermining referrals and eliminating precious repeat business. IQware’s Asset Protection Software (IQaps) is designed with all of these factors in mind. IQaps allows vacation rental property owners and managers to use new technology to audit the quality of their accommodations.
“Our software provides easy access to the asset information needed to quickly impact day-to-day expenses as well as guest service and satisfaction levels,” explains Greffard. “IQaps gathers, summarizes and reports in real time all of the information needed to evaluate actual costs of repairs and maintenance tasks performed within each property.”
By extending the power and functionality of the IQpms, IQaps can be used for scheduling, managing, analyzing and reporting on all aspects of maintenance, including preventative maintenance.
More Than Marketing
In addition to its other offerings, IQware knows how to put the Internet to work for vacation rental property owners and managers. IQware Online Booking Solutions help promote any rental property to the world, while allowing guests and travel agents to interactively book against actual inventories and save on fees and commissions.
IQware’s IQrez module creates a real-time link between IQware and a property’s website — providing additional tools to promote a property, its amenities and packages through the site while securing reservations.
Safe and Secure
As any rental property manager who handles credit card information knows, it is not just important to protect yourself against credit risks; it is a requirement. As many in the hospitality industry already are aware, credit card companies recently mandated that credit card acquirers — including hotels — become PCI (Payment Card Industry) and PA-DSS (Payment Application Data Security Standard) compliant.
PCI compliance means that merchants have taken appropriate steps to ensure credit card data is safe and secure in their systems. PA-DSS applies to the software used by merchants. Any application used that processes or stores credit card must be PA-DSS compliant.
To address this need, IQware developed the IQvault. Launched in the fall of 2010, IQvault is IQware’s PA-DSS-compliant solution developed in response to the credit card industry’s PCI requirements. Used to store and process credit card information, IQvault uses 256-bit encryption.
Reliable Support
IQware delivers myriad Vacation Rental features, such as handling of Internal and External Vacation Rentals, Advanced Owner Accounting, Online Owner Access, Online Owner Booking (including the ability to allow owners to market their own units), Simple End-of-Month Processing, Multi-Tier Yield Management, Package Management and much, much more.
IQware functions with each vacation rental property owner’s instincts in mind. The learning curve for implementing the software within a well-established property is minimal. Employees and management alike receive ongoing customized training and support to keep them up to speed with all that IQware has to offer. Equally important, functionality can be turned off and on to meet each user’s changing knowledge, experience and responsibilities.
IQware’s customer service team is second-to-none in the hospitality industry. IQware customer support is available 24/7 from a team of hospitality experts, as well as a web-based helpdesk, online tutorials and regular R&D updates.
Lifetime software upgrades provide added benefit to IQware’s ever-expanding family of satisfied clients.
Single Source Technology Partner
IQware is one of the few remaining privately owned major hospitality technology players in the market. As such, the company is uniquely positioned and proven to be more adaptable, mobile and responsive to each client’s every need. By integrating software packages together seamlessly, IQware eliminates the hassle of dealing with multiple vendors or incorporating incompatible software and systems that are drags on properties’ efficiency, revenues and profits.
IQware’s solutions are developed — and continually upgraded — with the input of vacation rental property owners and managers who know the importance of having everything they need at their fingertips, along with almost anything else they can dream up.
“IQware provides a comprehensive, flexible solution to managing the operations of a vacation rental property, based on the experiences of hundreds of customers,” Perkins explains proudly.
About IQware
Deerfield Beach, Fla.-based IQware has been “Helping Hospitality Partner With IntelligenceSM” for more than 25 years. Today, more than 5,000 end users utilize IQware software to help best market and manage more than 120,000 units generating more than $3.5 billion in gross room revenue annually. IQware brings with it more than 300 years of combined experience managing hospitality properties and developing and supporting related software. “Built By Hoteliers For Hoteliers,” IQware’s Global Property Management System and more than two dozen add-on modules optimize operations at properties of all types ― limited- and full-service hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, condo-hotels and timeshares — and all sizes — from regional hotel chains to multi-property management companies to small independent. IQware is Your Single-Source Technology Partner through ongoing customized training, user-driven technology development, 24x7 support and lifetime software upgrades. Looking for a competitive edge? Look no further. IQware “Helps Hospitality Better Find, Book, Host, Know & Keep Clients.” IQware solutions offer numerous ROI-generating tools including e-marketing, five-tier yield management, IQrez (Web-Reservations), packages, loyalty point, social media tools, etc. Because IQware’s Global Property Management System has served as the heart of so many hospitality operations for over a quarter century, today IQware also can provide the lifeblood for Point Of Sale, Sales & Catering, Online Reservations, Asset Protection, Spa Management, Marina Management, Central Reservations System and e-CRM (electronic Customer Relationship Management). IQware takes technology partnering to a new level. Just ask our ever-expanding family of clients conducting business in two dozen countries. For more information, visit www.iqwareinc.com or call (877) 698-5151.