Family Time Vacation Rentals, along with their subsidiary, Sisters Vacation Rentals, manages almost 200 homes across Southern Utah and Central Oregon, providing lodging near some of the nation’s most renowned parks and outdoor recreation destinations. From the time they started managing their first rental, their primary focus has been on providing families with the perfect spot to enjoy their time together. Matthew Tesdall, Owner of Family Time, explains, “Our company motto is ‘Family memories made here’. That’s what it’s about, and we believe that a family that travels together and makes memories together stays together.” Family Time prides themselves on going the extra mile.
CHALLENGE
Family Time was looking for a way to provide a seamless guest experience without interrupting their guests’ stays or adding more work for their staff. Juggling disjointed technology to coordinate between guests and operational staff was holding them back from delivering the optimal guest experience they strive for.
Matthew Tesdall, owner of Family Time and Sisters, said, “Today’s travelers really like to know that there’s help available if they need it, but they also really want to know that they can troubleshoot things on their own and not have their stay interrupted.”
SOLUTION & RESULTS
By streamlining their property technology integrations, Family Time has been able to provide better service to their guests and improve the overall guest experience. Using the in-property GuestView Guide alongside Breezeway’s property operations and communication platform has helped to create a welcoming experience for every guest. The management team saves time by automating workflows so they can focus on what really matters to them — helping families create memories.
”“Being in this industry for nearly a decade and a half, the one thing I’ve really seen change these past few years is the different technology solutions available for vacation rental managers. Some solutions work well together, some don’t, and some try to do too many things. Finding tools and systems that work really well together can make your workflows, operations, and communication seamless.”
Matthew TesdallOwner, Family Time Vacation Rentals
Wowing Guests with Information at their Fingertips
When a guest arrives at a Family Time property, GuestView Guide acts as a property’s digital concierge and offers Family Time the opportunity to create a custom welcome for each guest. Family Time leverages GuestView Guide’s First Impression survey to better manage that guest experience. “[It] is absolutely one of my favorite features of GuestView Guide, there’s no doubt about it,” Matt shared, “I like getting the instant feedback.” When Family Time occasionally sees lower First Impression ratings come through, it gives the customer service team an opportunity to reach out to the guest personally and proactively address any potential issues, further ensuring a positive guest experience.
After using GuestView Guide to check-in and share their first impressions of the property, guests can then browse information about the property or things to do nearby. This means Family Time’s guests never have to struggle to find local restaurants, shops, or points of interest – the places families want to make memories outside of the rental property.
Matt and his team also use the GuestView Guide messaging feature to share an “Idea Of The Day” featuring a unique place to visit, a nearby hike to try out, or whatever they feel would be a good option to help the guests enjoy their time together. With the GuestView Guide, Family Time helps their guests take the hassle out of planning excursions and days out on the town.
Creating a Seamless Guest Experience
Family Time’s attentiveness to their guests’ experiences doesn’t just start when guests arrive. From the first time someone interacts with the Family Time brand, Matt and his team aim to provide a seamless experience. Family Time uses Breezeway to make sure the property is in perfect order prior to the guests’ arrival, while GuestView Guide ensures that everything goes smoothly once the guests are in the rental. This makes for an all-around great guest experience from beginning to end.
When guests are not on the property, Breezeway’s SMS-texting feature helps to facilitate communication. The management team can ask guests when they plan to arrive so they can maneuver and optimize cleaning schedules or check the whereabouts of a guest to determine the best time to schedule a maintenance visit without disrupting a guest’s stay.
When it comes to the experience of their guests, Family Time has found that the combination of Breezeway and GuestView Guide offers a seamless connection and enables the kind of convenient guest communication that encourages rebooking.
Improving Operational Efficiency
While guest experience is a primary focus for Family Time, they understand that the positive experiences they aim to deliver are dependent upon certain operational efficiencies. Family Time uses Breezeway to help ensure that every property is well kept and maintained properly. From notifying management when a light bulb goes out to scheduling a time for the maintenance department to come and service the home between stays, Breezeway allows Family Time to automate the process of property care by sending tasks directly to the person who will address them.
In areas where Family Time manages several properties within a small distance, they use Breezeway to help determine guests’ expected arrival times and are then able to prioritize which cleanings need to be completed first. This helps them keep their housekeeping operations efficient while also accommodating individual guest needs. This system saves Family Time several hours previously spent on back-and-forth between guests and maintenance each week.
GuestView Guide helps to complement this process by providing Family Time’s guests with another avenue for reporting property maintenance requests. In addition to providing guests with the information they need to report issues, Family Time uses GuestView Guide to answer a lot of common guest questions, such as the location of the nearest grocery store or pharmacy, before they turn into a phone call.
”“That’s what’s great with GuestView Guide’s digital displays in each of our units -- clients have the information they need at their fingertips. Whether it's the WIFI code or unique features of the rental home, GuestView Guide makes guests more self-sufficient and saves us time by reducing phone calls.”
Matthew TesdallOwner, Family Time Vacation Rentals
