The maths behind two direct bookings a year
Casa del Roble let for four nights in July at 1,240 euros. Booked through Airbnb, 192.20 euros of that never reached the owner's account. Booked directly, all of it did.
Blog
What we're finding out building StaySuite with real agencies and property owners: what works, what doesn't, and the real numbers.
Everyday problems
What really happens in the business, told from the side of the person living it.
The German-speaking guest who calls at midnight
Twenty past midnight, a guest phones in German to ask if the pool is heated in September. The owner is asleep and doesn't speak German. Somewhere nearby, another house is still awake and answers first.
The guest who writes to three places at once
A guest planning a week in Spain doesn't wait for one owner to reply. They message three, and book with whoever answers first, in a language they understand.
What the product does, feature by feature
Each feature explained in full: what it does, what it does not do and which plan includes it.
One calendar for Airbnb and Booking.com, joined up with iCal
How StaySuite reads your Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo calendars every twenty minutes and publishes yours back, and why it is not a real-time channel manager.
Prices and minimum stays: seasons in the panel and what the assistant quotes
How you set the nightly price, seasons and minimum stay for each property in the panel, and what the assistant tells a guest who asks whether dates are free and what they would cost.
Your own page, with direct contact and no commission
A public page for each of your properties with a "Check dates" form that says whether dates are free and what they cost, and an assistant that does the same by phone and chat. The request lands in your panel and you confirm it. No commission to StaySuite, and no online payment.
A guest assistant that answers in the guest's own language
It answers from your property sheet, in the language the guest speaks on the phone, and checks the calendar for free dates and what they would cost, and passes you a request instead of confirming a booking.
Reporting your guests to SES.Hospedajes, step by step
What the law says, which details you must report, the deadline, the fines the law provides for and the mistakes that keep happening. With the official sources linked and the date we checked them.
Your house, answering in the guest's own language
Photos show what a house looks like. They don't show how to find the turning every map gets wrong. Put those answers on the property sheet once and the assistant gives them to every caller, in the caller's language.
Try the assistant's call from your browser, with no dialling and no number given
StaySuite's assistant takes a call made from the browser, with no dialling and no phone number given, and your own number is left alone.
Every conversation, recorded, and you can read it back
The question an owner asks most often isn't about a single guest. It's what did we actually tell them, asked a week later when a review mentions something that doesn't match what's remembered.
Ten things that happen in an ordinary week at a holiday let
No week at a holiday let looks like the listing photos. It looks like ten small things landing in whatever order they land, most needing an answer faster than there's time to give one.
One phone line, one assistant, and the same question about check-in
A call from the airport, a WhatsApp message, an Instagram comment, an email the night before: the same check-in question arrives in many ways. What StaySuite answers today, and what it does not read.
How a booking actually reaches your holiday let
A booking looks like one thing from the guest's side. From the property's side it's five separate jobs, and if any one of them slips, the booking either doesn't happen or turns into a problem mid-stay.
The market and the comparisons
Who competes, what each option costs and who each one suits, with pros and cons for both sides.
Holiday let software compared: which option suits a small owner in Spain
Smoobu, Lodgify, Avantio, Chekin and StaySuite do different jobs. Who each is for, how they charge, and where StaySuite does not compete.
StaySuite vs Smoobu: calendar sync or guest conversations?
Smoobu is a mature channel manager and property management system. StaySuite is an AI phone assistant with a public page for direct contact. Where each wins.
StaySuite vs Lodgify: website builder or guest assistant?
Lodgify connects directly to Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo and builds your booking site. StaySuite answers your guests. An honest look at both.
StaySuite vs Avantio: a manager's suite or an owner's assistant?
Avantio is built for professional managers with large portfolios. StaySuite is for owners with a few properties. How they differ and who needs which.
StaySuite vs Chekin: two tools that fit together more than they compete
Chekin files your guests' details with SES.Hospedajes and verifies identity. StaySuite looks after enquiries and calendars. Often you want both.