This is an analysis of the impact on vacation rental management companies (VRMCs) of the ongoing traveler shift to mobile for research and booking. Or put another way, we threw some questions up on SurveyMonkey and asked property managers to answer them. We found out some pretty crazy stuff.

1. Vacation Rental Survey: Does Mobile Matter?
24 Jan 2014 ­ Kirby
Last year, we surveyed travelers who had used Dwellable, and asked them about their
mobile vacation rental habits. 75% said they researched vacation rentals via smartphones
or tablets, and 35% inquired or booked via mobile.
This got us thinking: Are vacation rental managers on the same page as their customers
when it comes to mobile?
So, this is an analysis of the impact on vacation rental management companies (VRMCs)
of the ongoing traveler shift to mobile for research and booking. Or put another way, we
threw some questions up on SurveyMonkey and asked property managers to answer
them. We found out some pretty crazy stuff.
Introduction and methodology

2. Since the emergence of internet media as a dominant source of potential new business
for VRMCs and owners, the proprietors of vacation rental homes globally have slowly
moved their businesses online. The advent of listings sites like HomeAway and FlipKey,
the emergence of Airbnb, 9flats and Wimdu, and the $530M invested in online VR
solutions since 2011 are a testament to the power of the online media channel, yet less
than 3 out of 10 dollars spent in the global VR industry today is spent on the web.
It's still very early days for the vacation rental industry.
It is fair to say that the majority of VR inventory suppliers are well behind their hotelier
counterparts in adopting PC­based online models (SaaS, SEM/SEO, OTA). Some of this
lag is endemic to the fragmented and unbranded nature of VR inventory; nonetheless,
even the industry leaders are catching their collective breaths from years of turmoil,
including loss of control to aggregators, the unfulfilled promise of a collectively­owned
VRMA “switch”, and the move from print brochures to web sites and listings as core
marketing materials.
And now, the landscape is undergoing yet another tectonic shift. PCs are being left behind
by smartphones and tablets as the world continues to conduct more of its media activity
via mobile devices than any other medium save television. By 2017, smartphones and
tablets will outnumber PC's by nearly 4­1. But are VRMC’s prepared? How will they
adapt?
Dwellable conducted a study of vacation rental marketers to discover attitudes and
behaviors associated with mobile device usage in the context of vacation rental discovery
and booking. This post presents the study’s key findings.

3. Methodology
Dwellable completed a survey of 100 vacation rental executives whose primary form of
acquiring new customers was via vacation rental listings websites – the belief being that
these executives represent the vanguard of new media adoption in the VR space.
Early adopters
Dwellable asked these property managers 10 questions meant to explore their awareness
of mobile as an opportunity and their current attitudes towards and actions regarding
reaching mobile travelers.
Property Managers See the Mobile Tidal Wave
Approaching
It’s clear that VRMCs are anticipating the shift to mobile. Having been blindsided by the
web 20 years ago, proprietors of vacation rental businesses are aware of the upheaval
new technology can bring.

4. Grasping the obvious
Additionally, many VRMCs are now operated by “digital natives”, for whom blogging,
social media, and technology are second nature. Mobile is not catching many VRMCs by
surprise.
Fool me once...
Mobile Is the Next Big Thing for VRMC Growth
Strategy
Not only are they anticipating the shift of media consumption to mobile devices; VRMCs
are strategically embracing the channel.

5. Mobile trumps the field
The mobile channel is seen as a “very important” growth opportunity more frequently than
any other aspect of vacation rentals – including the PC web, listings quality, and even the
number of properties under management.
In fact, VRMC's put mobile up there in importance with overall lead gen as priorities for
their marketing partners like HomeAway and TripAdvisor.
Vacation Rental Managers Haven't Put Their Money
Where Their Mouth Is...

6. Given the explicit agreement on the part of respondents that mobile is the biggest thing to
hit vacation rentals since the web, it was somewhat surprising to see the responses to the
questions about what VRMCs are actually doing about this major opportunity. A solid
majority do not offer users any experience tailored to mobile devices.
There seems to be a laissez faire attitude towards mobile which belies the urgency the
numbers suggest should be present.

7. 61% of respondents say, “We don’t do anything special for mobile, people can just see
our regular website on any device.” This is a major misconception, given that 57% of
travelers say they will not recommend a lodging option if it has a bad mobile site (Source:
Buteeq, 2013).
...But That's Changing Rapidly
Almost a quarter of respondents use responsive design, which allows for content to
dynamically adjust to each possible mobile device’s screen resolution and size, and
another 16% offer a custom mobile site or app.
And we should see the mobile website number move close to 50% in 2014, based on the
stated plans of respondents.
VRMC's are very price sensitive around mobile. We believe solutions that are free or
freemium will continue to emerge to capture this sector of demand.

8. Vacation Rental Managers Are Prepared to Execute
in Mobile
There's no fear in the VRMC camp when it comes to mobile. Whether it's the educational
work the VRMA is doing, the expansion of PMS offerings to mobile platforms, or simple
confidence gained in managing their businesses through the shift to digital, vacation rental
managers clearly feel up to the task of tackling smartphone and tablet usage.
We believe this confidence is good news for vendors who offer straightforward mobile
solutions ­ you don't have to convince VRMC's that mobile matters, just show them how
your solution helps them maintain and grow their business.