In May, Host2Host was offered an insightful event on technology trends in the short-term rental industry, sponsored by Breezeway. Madison Romeli with Breezeway, which is known for its robust vacation rental operations solutions, shared valuable insights into how technology can streamline operations and enhance the guest experience. Here’s a detailed recap of the key takeaways from the event.

Overview of Breezeway's Platform

• Operations Management: Breezeway’s operations management tool allows hosts to schedule cleanings, inspections, and maintenance tasks. This ensures that all operational aspects of property management are handled efficiently and timely.
• Guest Communication Tools: The platform provides automated messaging capabilities and a centralized two-way inbox, making it easy for hosts to communicate with guests and staff. Additionally, Breezeway offers a digital guidebook for guests, containing reservation details and other essential information.
• 24/7 Guest Support: With Breezeway Assist, hosts can offer around-the-clock support to their guests, ensuring a smooth and responsive guest experience.

Automating the Guest Experience

• Automated Cleanings: Once a guest checks out, the system automatically schedules a cleaning and notifies guests if an early check-in becomes available. This helps turn over properties quickly and efficiently.
• Automated Checkout Reminders: The platform sends checkout reminders to guests and notifies cleaning staff for early access, ensuring a smooth transition between bookings.
• Gap Night Messages: Breezeway sends automated messages to guests offering them the option to book vacant nights, potentially filling gaps between reservations and increasing occupancy rates and revenue.

Integrations

Enhanced Communication and Customization

Special Offers

Check out the video on our Youtube channel when you have a chance. Host2Host members can also take advantage of a very special discount only accessible on our Resources page.

In mid-May, a generous group of Host2Host members gathered to give back to our community. Led by Board Member, Kristy Olsen, they met at the Transition Projects Sellwood shelter to create a delicious taco meal for residents. Together, they financially contributed towards the ingredients and more than that, offered their helping hands to create a delicious and generous meal.

As they learned during the event, Host2Host was only the second group to cook a warm meal for shelter residents so far this year. So, if your family, friends, or community group (5-10 people) would like to contribute to the overall goodness in our community by cooking a home-cooked meal for people who are in need, Transition Projects would be very happy to have the help. It's a fun and easy way to make our local community just a little bit brighter!

Thanks to all the volunteers who contributed time, money for ingredients, and your skillful helping hands and most especially, for all the love and positive intentions that went into creating the meal. We hope to be able to offer another volunteer opportunity like this in the future and hope you'll join us then!

Board Member, Kristy Olsen is the ringleader for May’s volunteer opportunity. Taking place the evening of May 15th, this is sure to be a fun way to connect with your friends at Host2Host while doing something meaningful for our community. Volunteers will be cooking dinner onsite at a shelter in Sellwood beginning at 5pm.

Attendees will contribute towards the cost of the meal, divided amongst 5-10 other people, by buying ingredients in advance, bringing them with you, and preparing food onsite in the shelter's well-stocked kitchen. Register Now!

The City of Portland's Bureau of Development Services has been hard at work on a technical solution to make registering as a short-term rental host easier. Their new online portal is up and running here. Check it out!

And hey, if you enjoy staying on-top of regulatory changes, like helping your fellow hosts navigate them successfully, and have about 1-2 hours to volunteer a month, consider joining the Host2Host Advocacy Committee.

We were absolutely thrilled to be invited to the Travel Portland Visitor Center located near Powell’s for a Host2Host open house. Speakers from Travel Portland presented information about all the ways they are equipped and eager to make life easier for hosts and help improve the guest experience when visiting the city. 

We were also excited to hear from Heather Rose from Peak Tours & Transit about different ways for guests and even hosts to experience the great Pacific Northwest.

Travel Portland Printed Guide

Lucky hosts were able to pick up fresh-off-the-press magazine-sized guides for guests to up-level their in-listing experience and entice them to return for even more adventures. They also grabbed an assortment of pamphlets and guest-friendly brochures to restock their onsite house manuals. 

It was great to connect with everyone. Thanks, Travel Portland and Peak Tours & Transit!

On April 20th, Host2Host held a donation drive for two of Portland’s finest non-profit organizations, Blanchet House that serves the homeless population as well as the Oregon Humane Society who serves our furry friends.

We really appreciate ALL of the donations we received. If you missed it but still want to participate, we are still accepting donations so just email us for donation details.

If your guests are anything like me and millions of other travelers, one of the best ways to spend a little downtime when visiting a new city is to peruse an insider’s guide to local attractions. These informative guides include the best things to do, see, eat, and drink in a city. They inspire visitors to broaden their original plans to include some of these vibrant inspirational sights and can elevate the guest experience.

Returning with a Fresh Look!

We all know that the pandemic set the city back in several different ways. One small part of that was not being able to offer a printed guide since 2020 that guests could really curl up with and read while staying in your charming short-term rental. Guess who's back, baby!! That's right. Now, they are better than ever with insider scoops and tons of side quests to get your guests excited about visiting or returning to Portland.

Visitor Center Open House

Travel Portland has invited Host2Host members into their newly opened Visitor Center on April 18th for an in-person open house from 6p-8p. There, you’ll be able to pick up your guide (and even several backups) and meetup with some of your favorite folks from Host2Host. 

Starting at 6:30p, we’ve invited representatives from Travel Portland, as well as local tour operator, Peak Tours & Transit, to talk about all the ways they are available to support hosts. There'll be lots of valuable insights on tour opportunities for guests to really get out there and experience Portland like a local!

Stock Up on Materials

Since the best guides are the ones that help guests get lost and find themselves on a fabulous adventure, make sure you grab more than one to replace them throughout the year. While there, peruse the other pamphlet offerings to refresh your in-listing guest handbook.

Register for the event today!

Submitted by Angela Kockler, Host2Host member and host in SE Portland

On an absolutely beautiful, blue-sky 68° day on Saturday, March 16th, local short-term rental hosts from the Portland metro area teamed up to remove litter from an Inner-Eastside neighborhood of Portland, OR. In 2 short hours, 10 volunteers picked up an estimated 84 pounds of trash!

The weather and the company couldn't have been more perfect for accomplishing our mission, which included several things: generating Neighbor and City goodwill, socializing with other short-term rental hosts, and beautifying our city to help inspire tourism. All of this helps to strengthen our short term rental businesses and collective success. 

As we gathered to start the day, we introduced ourselves, the locations of our rentals, and one operational improvement we are hoping to make this year. Then folks paired off with some new acquaintances, and I overheard more than one promise to follow up and continue the conversations they were having when the event concluded. 

This is an example of a win – win – win type of event. One where we are helping ourselves, helping each other, and helping our broader community. We hope this can become a periodic event for Host2Host, and that we can also use this as an example to demonstrate the value of short-term rental businesses when we advocate with the city of Portland at large.

It also just feels really good to be picking up trash off of our streets so that it's more pleasant on our eyes. I'm grateful to all of the volunteers who showed up. We hope this event will continue to grow over time. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for future litter cleanups feel free to contact Angela Kockler.