How To Utilize Guest Apps To Improve Your Guest Experience

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Okay, so today we're talking about why guest apps are smart marketing tools and how you can benefit from them. So if you're a short term rental host and you've ever considered how can you improve guest experience, you're going to really want to listen up for the next 20 or 30 minutes as we're really going to dive into that. And to help us, we've got a special guest here. So if this is your first time listening to this, you're listening to the Boostly podcast, the podcast that gives you the tools, the tactics, the trainings and the confidence to go out there and get more direct bookings. I'm Liam Carolan and today we've got Gill Costa. She's the CEO and founder from from Holiday Hero. You can go and check them out@holidayhero.com and we're going to dive into the business and find out all about the app and guest experience. So welcome along Shield. Thank you for joining here.

Thank you so much for letting me join this podcast.

So let's start at the beginning. Can you introduce yourself and what is HolidayHero?

Yeah. So, yeah, my name is Shiu and I'm the CEO and co founder of Holiday Hero. Holiday Hero is a guest experience platform and guest step, and we focus on the vacation rental market and hotel markets.

Nice, Nice. What problem does it solve?

It solves. It solves multiple problems. I think there's a huge gap right now when it comes to building your brand as a vacation rental owner. And it starts with a website, right? With boosting, and then after that, what happens? Right? You want to have as many touch points as possible with your guests. You want to make sure that your guests are engaged and loyal. But how do you create that loyalty? And I think that's where we come in, trying to really help you build that loyalty by also having a brand after the booking is placed with a Guest experience app. So it really helps you drag in your guests each and every time when they come to your place and also try to book additional upsells, for example. So it also helps you with guest satisfaction, it helps you with increasing your revenue, and it helps you with making sure that you get repeat bookings because your guest will be more loyal.

Just before we dive further into that concept, whereabouts is holiday home based? Where do you serve? Is it worldwide? And then we'll find out a little bit more about you as well, Gilles.

Yeah, we are globally and we are multi currency and multilingual, but we will not focus on the Japanese or Chinese market. So that's that. We will leave those out for now.

Absolutely. And when it comes down to yourself, how, how did you get into this? Where did the idea come around from?

Yeah, so I can, I can brag that it was my idea, but like my co founder, my other co founders, Dennis Yalde and Ruth, they have all houses in Ibiza and also, how do you say, a boat here in Amsterdam. And they rent them out. And with that comes a lot of responsibility and a lot of time that you need to invest. And they were like, oh, this is an easy investment. We don't need to spend that much. And then they had their first guests arrive, et cetera, et cetera. And then they were like, okay with their technology background. This is something that we need to optimize. This is something that we need to monetize, automate and digitize. And that's how they came to the idea of Holiday Hero. I think they contacted me somewhere last year, in the beginning of last year and I was still working in a different tech firm. My background is more into go to market strategies and growth and that's also a passion. But I've always worked in tech and especially had a very high affinity with hospitality tech because I worked at Lightspeed. Yeah. So that's, they called me and they were like, Phil, we want you, you to run the show. And I was like, okay, let's, let's go for it. You know, I really believe in the idea. And yeah, now we're here. Fast forward. Yeah. Launched the products two to three months ago.

Amazing. So it's quite a young product in China, but that's exciting to see it all come together. And of course the world of tech is, is so, I mean, it's changing all the time. I mean, just from a host's point of view. When I first started doing this, I mean, I'm quite new to short term rental. I consider myself quite new. Quite green 2019 is when I started with my first unit. But back then it wasn't unusual where you just literally print the house manual and you just have it inside. And of course then we got into Covid and the world kind of changed when we all took out, you know, the printed version and all of a sudden people were sending links or just emails across and stuff like that. I feel like apps are taking it to the next level. So this feels like a good time to ask the question, why have an app instead of a house manual? Or even, you know, there'll be people listening to this. We've got hosts all over the world who've still got a printed guide inside their property. What is the advantage of the app?

Well, it's, it's all about making your life easier and that you don't need to update it. Right. If you have a printed PDF file, information gets outdated quite fast, especially if you inform your guests about local recommendations, which restaurants they need to go to or what activities. If these things don't exist anymore, you need to update your PDF file again and then you need to print it out again, et cetera, et cetera. And I think it's also more convenient to look at it more from the guest perspective. What is your guest behavior, what do they do, where do they go? And I think a PDF file, it could be a solution. I'm not saying, you know, skip the PDF file. If you think it's a great way of working on it, leave it there on the table because there will be guests that may be a little bit more elderly guests that like to have it printed out and have it there. But there are also these younger generations which are very tech savvy and very mobile first that are looking into more like these type of solutions where they're like, okay, you don't have it on mobile, you don't have it somewhere where I can just open it and I can check it and it will be updated right away. And I think it's really about accommodating this future, the future guests. Right. And that's where we're going if we like it or not. You know, it should be mobile first, 100%.

Does it help with any kind of data collection from your guests who use the app? And I'm thinking from a direct booking point of view.

Yeah, yeah, for sure. So the app words where it's. It gets in the information from the main booker, of course, but we also have a feature where you can ask additional information from the other guests. It's also an app which will help with guest engagement and group engagement. So we will also have features where we try to engage the group to have access to the same information on the guest app. It always happens that, at least in my friend group, I'm the one usually that arrange where we're going and then the restaurants, et cetera, et cetera. And I always get these questions like, sheil, where are we going? Like, what's our budget? And it would be like such, so, such convenient. If I can just say, you know, everything is in the app. There's our travel itinerary, you know, you can all check it out there, all the local recommendations are in there and let me know if you want, if you want to book something and then we can do it as a group. Right. And that's really something that the app accommodates.

Nice, nice. And ultimately, if I was a host and I have decided, okay, I'm going to make the move to an app, what do you need from me as a host? What can I expect? The experience and how much work, I guess, do I have to put into to get this app working?

Yeah, it's really about time to host. So we're really trying to make that timeframe from wanting to use Holiday Hero as your guest experience provider. The short, as short as possible. So we really try to keep it like up to three to five minutes to create an account and then you will have your own guest app. And the way that we do that is that we work with information from providers that's already out there, like Airbnb or booking, where we can easily, easily, you know, get that information about what amenities are you using, like what kind of pictures do you have? And then it only takes a few steps to really set up your account. And then you have like your full guest app already ready. If you don't want to customize it or you say, okay, certain things I'm not completely happy with, then you can still change it in the back office.

That's cool. That's cool. And then if we flip that question around, so if I'm the guest, I've just booked, I don't know, Elaine's Beach Holiday Hut, you know, place to stay. What happens? How do I know about the app and how easy is it for me as a guest then to use.

Yeah, as a guest, it's really about changing the way that you inform your guests. Right. I think even on the side of the host, it's like changing your behavior and it's changing the way that you communicate with your guests. Because the app will save a lot of time because the guests will interact with it. What happens is that the guest gets an automatic invitation to either download the app or go to the web app link and then they can access all the information. If there's a step where it is more going into the check in and like more crucial information, then we require them to do some kind of verification because you don't want anybody to just check into your home. Right. So that's how it will work. So even there for the guest, it should be as easy as possible to just get the information without any friction.

That's cool. And there's going to be lots of hosts at different stages, some listening to this, who had just got one, maybe on Airbnb or booking.com for the more professional hosts who have got property management systems, channel managers. Is there any kind of integrations on the cards for those?

Yeah, we can integrate with basically anything. We have an open API. So that makes it very easy to integrate with any kind of PMS system, smart locks, like anything you want to integrate with. Yeah, the possibility is there. So even if there's not a current integration live, you can, if you have a development team or anything, then we can make it happen.

That's cool. That's cool. And is there any other features or aspects of the app that you want to want to share with us?

Well, I think at Boostly is also about, like direct bookings and building loyalty. And for Holiday Hero, that's also what we find very important is that as a host, you get the opportunity to really build your brand. So there's a lot of flexibility within the guest app to just put your brand forward. And it really starts with the web app link, where you already have your brand mentioned there, and then your logo, etc. And your colors and all these things. So it's very important to. Yeah, to. To show your guests that you have a brand and that they can book with you directly. And if you don't do it in that way, yeah, they might not book with you next year. They might go again to the brands that they know, which is usually Airbnb or booking. And so the only really way to gain guest loyalty is to build your brand and let the guests know that you have a website or that you have a web app where they can go back to book for next year 100.

And this is where that brand, I mean, we call it the billboard effect, where if you've got your logo, your image, colors within some of your listings, and when they come and find you on the website, you know, that matches the same experience. And then they book, they download the app and this matches that kind of experience. They say it takes like seven touch points for people to start to trust a brand. And that is, you know, having these different touch points is going to help. And the other thing is that when I think about the hosts that I know locally, and I don't know many of them who have got an app, in fact, locally is where I am, the city. I'm based in the uk. I don't think there's anybody locally using apps. I know there's a few people who I know within the Boostly community and there's a few people sort of starting to dabble in that. But by having that and being ahead of the curve, you know, I think these things may become the norm in years to come. So I'd be in an early adopter. You get first mover advantage, you're able to show your brand, build guest loyalty and ultimately just have a bit of wow, you know, is something which not everywhere has. So that is really cool.

If you're struggling on how to get direct bookings and overwhelmed on where to start, then I recommend you go and book in a call with Boostly and our team right now. We can walk you through exactly what we're offering, how we can help you and give you a portfolio of websites that we have worked with that are matching not only your niche, but could be in your location as well. Boostly has helped over 2000 hospitality businesses all over the world. Increase their direct bookings. And if you are interested, then all you need to do is go to Boostly. B O o s t l y.co.uk call and book in an appointment with one of our sales team.

It's really how you stand out, right, against the competition and not only like building out your brand, but also the additional experiences or services that you put into the app where the guests can view, like what's, what they can do in the neighborhood, what are the local recommendations you can offer them an early check in or extending their stay, like all of these things which can really help improve the experience. And that's why I think in the beginning you said why a guest app is a smart marketing tool. It's really about increasing those touch points and giving them notifications about certain things that you're offering, about local events that are happening or things that they can do during their stay. And guests are really willing to receive those tips. They are really willing to book extras if you put it in front of them. But if you don't do that, if you're not proactive about it, they will never know that it's even there. So that's why guest steps are also very important, not only for the branding side, but also to really increase revenue from the same booking.

Yeah, absolutely. And I 100% agree because if you're making an extra, you know, 50 pounds, $100, whatever it is, you know, extra euros on, on each book and even if that's just a small amount by the end of the year, that that all adds up. And one thing which I've found works really well is an upsell for late checkouts, early check ins, all of that stuff. I was speaking to a host earlier on today who we were talking about additions, you know, upsells, things like that, and they wanted it before the person had actually booked. So as you were going through the booking process and you know, our line at Boostly is quite clear that what you need to do is to actually keep it very simple. The aim when somebody lands on your website is to go from, you know, the point where they've seen your brand to actually book a stay with you. And then as soon as they're booked, that's the time to send them the app and personalize their stay. And that's the cool thing about all this tech that is, is available is people can really, you can pinpoint the journey of your customer and then still get the, the upsells which across.

Indeed. Yeah. Usually there is like months in advance where certain people are booking their stay. And if you don't do anything in the meantime, between. Between the two months of that they booked and then the moment that they are arriving at your vacation rental, you know, it's a waste of time. You know, you can really use that time to upsell anything or to give them information or to check in with them if they need any additional things. And if you do that, you're really going to see that you will increase your revenue drastically.

And again, for those guests out there who book maybe one or two places and hedge their bets, the ones that they're likely to stay with and keep the bookings for are the ones which impress them the most. And that's where the tech comes in with the app. So you mentioned the company's only a few months old. What does the future look like for Holiday Hero?

Yeah, we have. We have a lot of plans and a lot of catching up to do because there are already some players out there since 2019, and we are like the new B on the block. And yeah, I think there are a lot of things that we can do. Right. You can think about the AI elements, how quick it is to really create your guest app, how easy you can offer upsells, and how you can get paid. You know, then it's really about the guest profiling and understanding your guests. The more information you have about your guests and the not only the main booker, but also the rest of the group, the better you can market to them for the next years. And I'm not only talking about their behavior in the app, but also, like, what are their interests, what is their budget, where do they like to go? Do they like adventure? Or do they like to go out to just have food? If you have that information, you can tailor your guest journey and accommodate all of their needs. And again, that creates guest loyalty 100%.

And of course, then you've got. One thing we talk a lot about is referrals and affiliates. If you're reaching out to these places that you're recommending, they can see a cool app that you're recommending their place. You might be able to get deals for your guests, but also for you as a host as well. So there's so many avenues that hosts can take this down. And I'm excited about it.

I think. Sorry. The one thing that I wanted to add to that is, like, guest experience. Technology has been accessible more for the larger hotel chains. Right. I think you can look at Le Collectionist or Marriott Von Foy, like large brands that already have guest experience apps for years for their guests. And the reason that they do that is to build loyalty programs. But to have a guest app for the smaller vacation rentals or even the property managers, if they are a little bit larger, they need to invest huge, huge budgets to create their own guest app. And not only that, they need to hire a development team to maintain it. So it's very cost intense and it is also very. It costs a lot of time to create it and to maintain it. So now with Holiday Hero on the market, we make it accessible for a way lower price to a larger audience where you can create your guest step in a few minutes.

Nice. And before we throw open the mic and find out where we can find out more information from you, we love to just do a couple of get to know your questions, fun questions. So you've traveled and obviously stayed in Airbnbs. Is there any memorable things that hosts have done or good service that you've received where you can think, you know what that is? Something which a tip that I can share with all hosts who are listening to this. Something which, you know, I really loved the fun.

The fun thing is if you're asking me this, like, yes, I traveled a lot, especially in the past three years, but I always remember more the things that ruined my stay than that made my stay more enjoyable, you know, And I think there, I think I was in San Sebastian last year and it was the first time that there was no person welcoming us. And we opened the door with a smart lock app and I was like, this is so convenient because we are with a group of girls and if we go out, everybody, you know, has their own idea of like, how late they want to go home. And we never have this issue again with opening the door again because we have that smart lock feature. And that was, I think, what I can remember the latest thing where I was like, okay, this is really convenient. This is really something where they really help and think about the guest journey and making it easier. Yeah.

Nice. And I'm going to flip that around now with what was some of the things that guests should def or hosts should definitely not do.

I think it's all about communication. The better your communication, the better you can really be proactive about things that can go wrong. Especially in Bali, there's always like, they, they're always building new buildings and new houses and filas and like, I've had multiple times when I was staying there for over five weeks or something that there was like literally next door, like they were building a new house and I was like, in that noise the whole day and you're on holiday and you would just want to enjoy your time, you know, and they didn't inform us about it and they even said like, yeah, that didn't happen yesterday. And I was like, no, but it happens today. You know, it's like, how do you, how do you communicate with your guests? You know, and that really can make a difference. Yeah.

One of the things which we really keen on is combined the modern tech. We've talked about smart locks, we've obviously talked about Holiday Hero, the app, and all the things you can do tech wise. But one of the most important things is to just call your guests. Just literally if you've got a guest is just give them a phone call.

Yep.

I did it today with one of our guests who were staying in one of the short term rentals for my business outside of Boostly. And yeah, it was just great. I found out the restaurant that they're going to tonight and I've contacted the restaurant and stuck a bottle of wine on their table, ready for this.

That's amazing.

Things like that can really make a difference and you find out so much more from your guests, don't you?

That's actually a great point. I remember now also in that stay from San Sebastian, we stayed at two different Airbnbs and the other Airbnb, it was more from a property manager that had multiple listings on Airbnb and they also called me and I was like, why are you calling me? And they were like, we are just checking in if you're happy, you know. So I was like, oh, this is great because if I wasn't happy, this was the time to communicate about that. But everything was good at that place. So it's really about. When I did my research into the vacation rental market, the question that I asked a lot of vacation rental owners is like, how do you make your guests the happiest? And the common answer that I got was you need to exceed expectations and you have need to have the basics right, but then you need to on top of that, exceed expectations and if you do that, then you can really be successful.

What a nice way to, to bring it towards an end. Just before we find out about how we get in touch with you just for fun, if you could have any superhero ability, what would it be and why?

Super. I think I would just be able to disappear or how do you say it? Be transparent. So I can just go around and nobody will see me and I can just listen to everything that happens that would be very interesting.

Visibility. Nice. Nice. Okay, so I'll throw the mic open. How do we get in touch with Holiday Hero? What's the best way to do so? Are there any social media accounts we should be aware of?

Yeah, so you can follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn and we have our own website, of course, holidayhero.com. so yeah, and then you can also add me on LinkedIn.

Awesome. We'll share the links as well within the show notes if you listen to this on the podcast. Finally, is there a mantra or a saying that really resonates with you?

Well, my dad always says stagnation means decline. And I think that also comes down to how you run your business. If you don't improve, if you don't exceed expectations, you will fall behind. Yeah. So that's how I want to end it.

Nice. Nice sentiment to end on. Well, thank you very much, Shield for joining us today. I'm sure there's a lot of people who will go and check out. That's holidayhero.com so as it's spelled holiday hero h e r o.com and yeah, you can go and check them out. Thanks for listening to us on the Boostly podcast. If there's other people you know who would get value from this, please do share it. If you're watching on YouTube, hit the subscribe so you're notified for when the next time we go live. And yeah, thanks again. We know there's a lot of places you can put your attention. Really thank you for putting it with Boostly. That's it for now. Thanks very much. Bye.