This British Columbia property management company doubled in size in one year using Guesty
Turning Lemons to Lemonade in the Least Affordable City in North America
According to Oxford Economics’ North America Housing Affordability Indices (HAIs), Vancouver, Canada, is the least affordable city in North America—a fact that did not elude Vancouver native Alex B when he decided to rent out his apartment’s extra bedroom to help with rent.
One thing led to another, and before long, Alex, teaming up with his friends Arthur Diulgerian and Fraser Mackie, who shared his vision of short-term rentals as a means for financial freedom, started managing dozens of properties with homeowners who were attracted by their enthusiasm and trusted their leadership.
In 2018, Alex founded property management company Hands Free Property with a mission to become the leader in the rental property management space province-wide and eventually nationwide.
The Challenge
As Hands Free expanded, tasks such as posting listings on multiple OTAs, answering guest messages, and maintaining a healthy booking calendar became harder and harder to accomplish manually. At first, the Hands Free team decided to outsource some of these tasks, which helped reduce some of the load but meant that they had to forgo a level of visibility and control.
As they continued to grow, managing a portfolio of vacation rentals, multi-unit corporate housing, aparthotels, and more, it became clear to Alex, Fraser, and Arthur that if they wanted to scale and widen their footprint across British Columbia, they would need a tool that would allow them to automate tasks while having complete autonomy over the work being done.
The Solution
In 2020, the three founders decided to implement Guesty’s platform to automate the tasks preventing them from focusing on marketing and scaling their business. Making full use of Guesty’s Channel Manager, Hands Free were empowered to list their properties on an ever-growing number of OTAs to add to their existing direct booking site. The Multi-Calendar feature resolved booking blockages that used to end up as lost profits, and Guesty’s Revenue Management tools allowed them to set auto-rules for payments. But it is the platform’s communication solutions that proved to be the biggest game-changer with efficient Communication Workflows, a centralized Unified Inbox, a dedicated, highly trained 24/7 guest communications team.
“Guesty gave us the opportunity to leverage multiple channels while streamlining calendar blockages and bookings. Guest communications was also a big selling point. Knowing that Guesty’s guest communication team would handle most of our customer inquiries was huge, not to mention the platform’s automated messages. Guesty’s software has made using all the components of our business much easier, which ultimately led us to focus more on growing the business.” – Alex, Arthur, and Fraser, Founders, Hands Free Property
The Results
In the past year, Hands Free has doubled in size, managing over 50 properties in British Columbia. Having the automation they craved in place saves the team 10 hours a week and creates more opportunities for immaculate service. Here’s what Jayne Percy, a homeowner working with Hands Free Property, has to say about their efficient and speedy service and Guesty-powered communication: “They always answer all my questions quickly (and I have had lots) no matter how small or silly some of them have been. Their advice and expertise has been invaluable and with their quick responses, I am aware that is why I really enjoy being a host. They simply change the work and stress of being a host into an easy, enjoyable and fun experience.”
As they continue to grow with Guesty, expect to see Hands Free Property break out of British Columbia and into other provinces, all while providing the same professional and personal service that has hosts singing their praises.
