Vacation Rental Management 411

CHAPTER 11: INTERNAL AND CONTRACT SUPPORT TEAMS LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1. Describe the configuration of your management team. 2. Review traditional lodging property departments and functions. 3. Discuss how family members may assist with your STR business. 4. Note the need to recognize and address host burnout. 5. Introduce contracting service providers and how they can assist your team. 6. Trace workflow schedules and delegation. 7. Evaluate the signs of host burnout and identify coping strategies. 8. Define your command center and front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house duties. 9. Reflect on the role of hospitality in STR and team functions. 10. Explain accountability, transparency, and segregation of duties. 11. Introduce Mystery Shopper or Operational Review Services. 12. Describe reservation agents and hosting platforms as team members. 13. Identify marketing and promotional functions of an STR team. 14. Increase understanding of legal issues related to outreach and networking. 15. Discuss teamwork between community organizations, trade associations, and businesses. “Elementary, my dear Watson.” Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Even the most brilliant minds may need a ‘Watson,’ someone to keep you on track, document for you, be a ‘sounding board,’ take care of details, or just to be there for support. This may be your family members, friends, employees, contract service providers, agencies, or other internal team members. It can also be external team members. Enlisting a trusted team is an elementary principal of good management. STR Management: A 'One Person Show' or Team Effort? There are STR owners who do everything by themselves, from designing the home, to securing licenses and permits, to creating the listing and all of the market planning, to handling bookings and accounting, to greeting guests, to cleaning and preparing the home for the next guest, and the list goes on. Sometimes it can all be done well by the owner. Other STR owners simply invest, then contract or hire people to do everything else. And there are a variety of options in between these two extremes. Each lodging category and property has common management components and tasks, whether it's a luxury hotel in New York City, a budget motel along Route 66, a hostel in San Francisco, a historic B&B on the coast of Maine, a Las Vegas celebrity mansion, a cabin near Yellowstone National Park, or a homeshare rental room in Iowa. When we look at the traditional departments within a large hotel, it about covers what may be needed to manage a small lodging property, like your STR. The scale and organization may be different, but attention to essential details can make every type of lodging run more smoothly, at a better profit, and with less risk. Some of the normal departments and functions in a hotel may include: General Management (the Manager/'the Boss'/the Decision Maker/the Host): ● Organization of Work ● Licenses/Permits/Compliance ● Contracts ● Purchasing ● Financial and Regulatory Reporting ● Insurance Coverage and Contracts ● Legal Notices and Issues ● Mission and Vision ● Building and Design ● Defining and Managing the Team ● Vendor, Government, and Community Relations ● Corporate Relations (if applicable) ● Ultimate Decisions for the Property Rooms/Reservations/Guest Services: ● Reservations Systems/Hosting Platform Relations ● Setting Prices ● Managing Calendars ● Reservation Policies and Acceptance ● Reservation Processing and Tracking ● Check-in/Check-out Details ● Guest Relations ● Concierge/Bellman/Host ● Communications Housekeeping (usually functioning under the rooms division but separate in an STR): ● Inspections ● Post-Stay Cleaning ● Pre-Stay Cleaning ● Deep Cleaning ● Incident Reporting and Work Orders ● Guest Room and Bath Amenities ● Chemical Safety ● Inventory Management ● Laundry Procedures and Functions ● Linen Selection and Controls ● Contracting Daily Service Marketing and Sales: ● Branding ● Positioning ● Marketing Plans ● Forecasting ● Sales ● Creating Listings ● Obtaining Photos, Videos, and Graphics ● Advertising ● Brochures, Business Cards, and other Collateral Materials ● Neighbor Relations ● Community Relations ● Guest Relations/Feedback/Reviews ● Public Relations and Social Media ● Promotions, Upselling, and Outreach Maintenance (and Engineering): ● Design ● Repairs ● Regular Maintenance and Seasonal Tasks (Work Orders) ● HVAC ● 'Green Initiatives' or Energy Saving Measures ● Improvements (Capital and Regular) ● Landscape ● Waste Removal and Management ● Amenity/Recreational Item Upkeep (pool, spas, game room equipment, etc.) ● Electrical and Electronics, Wi-Fi, Internet, Cable, Smart Devices ● Emergency Preparedness and Response (Disaster Plans) ● Bids for Work/Contracts/Contractors/Vendor Relations Security: ● Locks ● Key Control ● Cameras and Devices ● Security of Guests ● Security of FF&E ● Security of Host and Staff ● Perimeter Control/Parking Management ● Damage Documentation and Follow-Through ● Risk Management and Response ● Incident Report Follow-Through ● Law/Code Enforcement Connections Accounting: ● Tracking Reservations, Invoices, Deposits, Payments, Refunds ● Tax Calculations and Reporting ● Budgets, Financial Statements ● Payment of Bills ● Tracking and Balancing Accounts ● Managing Banking Duties ● Reports for Investors Human Resources: ● Division of Work (and description/communication of job tasks) ● Recruitment, Hiring, Discipline, Termination ● Training ● Contract Worker Relations ● HR Regulatory Compliance and Reporting ● Labor Relations ● Team Building Food and Beverage (where applicable): ● Guest Amenities/Gift Baskets ● 'Share Items' for Guest Use ● Kitchen and Dining Equipment ● Meals and Snacks (Food Purchasing, Preparation, and Service) ● Sanitation and Food Safety ● Contract Catering or Service ● Water and Other Beverages Manage or Delegate? It's important to decide which functions you can reasonably manage and what tasks you will need or want to delegate to others. Some of the things to consider when setting up your management structure may include the following: ● There are hosts who can do everything by themselves, but it can become a full time, 24/7 job--- and even an overtime job for some hosts, especially if you have multiple properties. ● You can hire employees and manage their work (or hire a manager to do so). This may give you the most control over your team. Employment laws and tax reporting will apply. ● Families sometimes divide responsibilities and manage as a team.