Dear hosts, it’s that time of the year here in the United States… Football season—wait, is that happening this year? I have no idea. Elections? Wow. Hot topic. For reals, it’s Thanksgiving week, which means quasi family gatherings, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday sales. So in today’s episode, I’m going to discuss the “Hosting Products that Saved my 2020.”
Dear hosts, as you well know I’m recommending products that I’m using at my own vacation rentals. and I’ll tell you why in this episode.
First Product:
The first product is my smart lock: Schlage Encode with Wi-Fi. I spoke about smart locks during Episode 79 The Ins and Outs of Using a Smart lock for Your Airbnb and in that episode, I told you that I selected the Schlage Encode lock; and now that I’ve been using it for almost 2 years, my love for it is still just as strong.
Is it perfect? No. I wish the codes would be set up automatically. But I know you can set it up with other systems to do this.
I like that it has a key, just in case the lock fails. I have two lockboxes outside of the house with extra keys. The batteries are easy to replace. And it’s an easy lock to install.
I did have some issues with the lock at the beginning, but Schlage provided excellent customer service. You want a good company behind a product.
Product Number Two:
The second product—another smart product—is my Ring video doorbell. In Episode 72 Ring Video Doorbell Pros and Cons I go deep all about them, and I never upgraded to a more robust video doorbell. I know that there are some issues with the company lately but after 3 years my Ring video doorbell still works great.
As a remote host, it’s fantastic to see the ins and outs that happen at the house. Whether a guest is bringing you more people that they’re not supposed to or unfortunately whether a guest gets sick and is taken out by an ambulance which is what happened to me in 2020.
Product Number Three:
The third company I’m most grateful for during this year was iGMS. I had so many communication changes this year and was automating so many messages. Everything was done via their system.
When I changed my hosting style from vacation rental to travel nurses, I sent out automated emails. Every time the regulations change in Puerto Rico I just change my automation emails.
Automating my communication was one of my biggest time-savers. This is something that I highly recommend you do this year, with my product Language of Welcome is easy to do.
Product Number Four:
I changed my thermostat to the Ecobee smart thermostat in the winter of 2019. Once again, I liked it that I was able to control everything from my phone.
Product Suggestions From My FB Group:
Now Stephen, a member of my Facebook Group The Hosting Journey, started replacing his old light switches with smart switches. He is amazed at how a small change made such an impact. He is planning on installing more smart products in the future. He is also using iGMS, which also made a big impact.
Robynn, another member of my Facebook Group, found a Thymol-based product made by Concrobium (whose mold-control product is a perennial favorite). I’m going to have to do some research on that.
The Biggest Impact:
The biggest impact came from my team members. As you well know, I talk about how creating a team is the most important part of your business.
Without my cleaning crew, handy folks, electricians, friends, and Javier, I couldn’t have survived 2020.
Remember that the team you build can support you in ways you can’t even imagine right now. Choose your team carefully and then watch them shine as they help keep your guests safe and your property in top shape. If you’ve put together a stellar team, they should be at the top of your gratitude list.
