Booking Automation

Pros

Our company is VacaRent and we own the website [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] (an advertising site for vacation homes for rent as well as hotels and resorts)

Back in 2019 we decided we would include a property management platform along with a channel resource manager to our clients who list their properties on our site for free. We spent months evaluating numerous other PMS platforms and some of them were exceptional while others were difficult. Booking Automation continuously landed in the top spot for ease of use, technical support, and cost for features.

With their well documented API we were able to easily integrate the 2 platforms (theirs and ours) together allowing our clients to seamlessly upload and download new reservations as well as providing financial reports, triggered emails, channel management and much more.

Probably the feature that we were most amazed with was the click and drag interface for moving existing reservations around. No platform we reviewed had this feature and it was virtually assured from that moment on Booking Automation was the final choice.

Cons

It would be easy to say the onboarding is complicated as many others have written, but honestly we have removed all of this from the setup and made it simple to handle. In the end, we just assign a user ID and password and from there our clients only have to concern themselves with taking reservations and generating revenue. But yes, I will concede, when we first started out, it was complicated. Now... not so much.

Pros

BA offers an extremely wide, and growing, suite of features that make managing various properties a breeze. There is a learning curve but once you figure it out it’s a fantastic platform. Having used others that are easier to setup, the pay off with BA is that it works consistently. We tried other software and routinely had issues.

Cons

It’s a steep learning curve (that is still very worth it) but it is a steep one.

Pros

I had an experience using the app, I was an assistant using BA. Can have the same feature as any other app but nothing so special about it.

Cons

Not user friendly, and the interface is so poor and outdated you won't love using it.

Pros

Integrate several places like PayPal, QuickBooks, and Google Analytics

Cons

sometimes for new users isdifficult to navigate and set up. its extensive features can be overwhelming.

Pros

very user friendly and very good to use

Cons

nothing exactly .maybe it has some delay to respond

Pros

Amazing features
Very thoughtful functionality, you can tell this is designed by a property manager
Customer Support is excellent
Channel Manager & Linking is very simple

Cons

User Interface can have some improvement, but excellent customer support gets you through any trouble

Pros

The functionality of different programs that are attached to BA. The program is overall flawless.

Cons

BA could be a bit more eye appealing on the website.

Pros

To be honest, I am still learning the software and making sure that I have it all set up correctly. The interface isn't perfect and pretty, but it is intuitive and easy to learn.
The BEST thing, however, is the customer service. My rep helped me get everything set up in the beginning and responds to all of my questions within a very short amount of time! He is so fast and knowledgeable, and it has made this learning curve and experience stellar! I highly recommend it!

Cons

Some items are unclear what they pertain to, and some things I feel like I need some coding skills. But I am still learning my way around the software.

Pros

Super customer care
You can reach out to them through live phone call with screen share, ticket , email or chat.

Cons

The system is bit hard to understand because they have lot of functionalities

Pros

Detailed with various options depending on the level of oversight and control you’d like over your properties

Cons

Nothing this product has been a life saver

Pros

The customer service is sensational...builds complete confidence in my ability to master the full utility of the software

Cons

The customization is useful eventually, but overwhelming for a beginner with the software. I would appreciate more recommendations for critical default settings during onboarding assistance

Pros

This is our 4th year of using booking automation, we have grown from just 10 properties to 50+ and we are thankful we found this gem. It is very advanced and robust software which is the reason we have been able to scale our operation. The functionality and flexibility of the product never cease to amaze me

Cons

It takes a while to learn about all the features of the software, 4 years later we are still discovering cool features we wish we found out earlier

Pros

Given me the ability to focus on growth and the things that matter most in continuing to grow my business.

Pros

They have thought of every possible feature that can save you time while managing your short-term rentals. The dashboard page is my favorite is it summarizes everything I need to know in one place. The charge-automation feature is a huge time saver as well - it used to take me 3+ hours every night to charge all my booking.com and Expedia credit cards for my bookings. Now its only a few minutes.

Cons

Given all the features there is a bit of a learning curve. While the tool does everything well, it could use a face-lift to make it look nicer.

Pros

I have to say that this tools is extremely powerful.
It can do almost anything you dream of!

Cons

Can be overwhelming at the beginning, but when you pass that, OMG what a change!

Pros

This does just about everything that you should need it to. If you would like the application to provide a feature, it probably will, just wade through the manual or ask the team.

Cons

Being incredibly comprehensive does mean that it is quite a steep learning curve but I'm getting there. It's best just to jump in with just one property and see how that works.

Pros

my company team really liked the support from booking automation. They actually do the job for client to set up all listings and that makes it very much easy .
they are always available to help for any question or any guiding .
The best part of that is the channel manager that has integration to all rental pages .
if a person has listed his property in Air b n b , or booking.com or home away ,etc .. and lots of complication to take care bookings, I recommend booking automation to avoid any mistake in bookings and much more comfortablity ,since the host will have all his bookings from different places only in one master calendar .

Cons

perhaps the price is bit high and would be great if they consider discount or offer to their permanant customers .

Pros

Ease of use, and the ability to manage all my properties on one screen. I can set my rates, select which dates to make available, and organize cleanings across all properties.

Cons

What I like the least about this software is the occasional double booking, but that doesn't happen very often.

Pros

It’s is easy to use and much better value than my previous channel manager kigo.

It’s integration with Airbnb and BDC is very easy. When changing over it’s quite stressful and the support person walked me through the process and got it done in a day. I was live the whole time and doesn’t miss one booking.

Cons

I’m still not sur if there are any cons. I’m still understanding the extra person fee, I’d like to add to my own bookings but so far customer support has showed me what I needed.

Pros

The ease of different platforms working together and communicating between each other. The ability to edit reservation or listing info. Also ability to edit and visually see dates and units in the screen view. Hands on onboarding support is phenomenal as well as the ease.

Cons

At this time there are no cons. The only thing I would suggest is if you could import complete listings from active platforms into new ones

Pros

I can View, review, cancel, update Scheduling, and managing all my booking in a page, its simple and user friendly, and updates me with all the changes

Cons

None, so far, i will add when i use the software over a year. As the time goes by, would like to see an updated vetsion

Pros

- Flexible pricing
- Mobile-friendly
- Real time Channel manager
- Secure payment collection from guests
- Personalised communication with guests

Cons

- Not all lock system integrations have been setup yet (August Locks)
- With multiple log in accounts for our team, the main one is the only one that can be used to create new listings, would prefer all logins to allow this

Pros

I love how you can integrate all channels onto one calendar so it's almost impossible to get double bookings

Cons

I had trouble setting up everything at first then was promptly contacted by the technical consultants. We had an online tutorial on how to set up and operate, it was straight forward and quite simple

Pros

I really like that it was easy to navigate after learning all the features. The charge automation feature is honestly my favourite function.

Cons

It takes a while to learn the platform, but it becomes easier over time

Pros

How easy the compatiblity was to utilize

Cons

Nothing not to like about this software

Pros

Comprehensive and feature rich. A good software for businesses looking to grow and scale. Customer service and technical support was responsive and very helpful too.

Cons

Not much. Wish I could make use of all its other features.

Pros

I won't name names for privacy reasons but "T" was amazing during our two on boarding calls, attentive and patient he made the process really simple and has given me a lot more confidence using BA as my channel manager. I have dithered unnecessarily for weeks, but have no regrets having taken the plunge. Thank you Booking Automation, thank you Mr T!

Cons

It's a bit daunting at first which is off putting but with use and clear explanations during onboarding it becomes easier. If you have a min. night stay MAKE SURE YOU UPDATE IT ON BOOKING AUTOMATION AS IT WILL OVERRIDE EXISTING SETTINGS, I fell foul of.that on booking.com

Pros

Easy and stable
I love the way it builds
I love the help support.

Cons

Some small function that still doesn't work
Like the auto action mailing that Doesn't send pictures, still, have to do it manually
And emails to customers from Airbnb still doesn't work

Pros

Automated replies have been helpful to reduce our work efforts.
The guides are effective at explaining the attributes and how we can integrated into our messaging. We are able to manage rates using over encompassing tools.

Cons

The UI needs some work to become more modernized, but its not a deal breaker.
Some of the features could be better explained in advance to prevent issues.
As well the feedback loop is lacking, such as "on-success" is not relayed back to the user.
The guides need to be updated more frequently to meet the changes the OTAs are applying.

Pros

What I love most about this booking software is the time it saves me. I'm very happy with using it and I look forward to keep using it. This booking software just brings me amazing value

Cons

I didn't find any cons dealing with this booking software. So far, so good.

Pros

the amount of options you have for everything

Cons

that they don't have unified inbox but they are already working on this and will be release soon :)

Pros

Amazing and smart product. I used different channel management programs but this one the winner.

Cons

A bit too sophisticated for my use. Having say that the customer service is always available

Pros

It works for single unit properties at a reasonable price

Cons

Design could do with a bit of a refresh, feels out of date. Not entirely intuitive.

Pros

I love all the options and it gives me the best for my money

Cons

Nothing I can think of, it’s a great resource

Pros

Easy to maneuver and get used to. Having every other booking services in one makes it a lot easier and efficient.

Cons

I really don't have any cons using this service. Having the calendar sync is definitely an A plus approach.

Pros

Easy to use, excellent support, makes everything easier! Don't have anything else to say but you are making me type more...

Cons

A little robust for the average user to figure out, but they are great about helping. Don't have anything else to say but you are making me type more...