Frequently Asked Questions

Why choose HostWell as my property management company?

Managing a vacation rental involves a lot of time, hard work and expertise. HostWell takes all the work out of hosting. That’s because we handle everything for you. No more fielding guests calls after midnight, spending your free time cleaning, or tracking your reservations on multiple booking sites. We handle it all for you, from guest inquiry through review. We offer 24/7 guest support and cleanup after the guest leaves.

Are there restrictions on how often I can use my home?

Your vacation home is—first and foremost—yours. You’re welcome to reserve your home for personal stays whenever you’d like, provided (of course!) that you honor any guest reservations that are already on your calendar. Other than that, HostWell doesn’t place any restrictions on how often you can visit or how long you can stay. To block out your travel dates, simply reserve them in your online owner account. Please keep in mind that peak season in your area should be fully open, if at all possible.

Why do I have to sign a one-year contract?

As your vacation rental partner, we’re here to stay. And we hope you are, too. We believe in earning your long-term confidence, not locking you into an ironclad contract. You can cancel your HostWell agreement with 90 days’ written notice prior to auto-renewal of your annual service agreement. We’ll just need to honor any reservations that are already booked at your home for that 90-day window.

What is full-service vacation rental management?

When a vacation homeowner is burdened with acting as a concierge, plumber, housekeeper, and troubleshooter, they turn to full-service vacation rental management. A comprehensive solution provider like HostWell handles all the hurdles and hassles of running a successful vacation rental. This can include marketing your home, fielding guest requests, and cleaning after every stay. While some companies offer some of these services, like advertising or housekeeping, a full-service manager like HostWell does it all—so you have one bill, one go-to point of contact, and one company invested in your home’s success from end to end.

What vacation rental management services does HostWell offer?

HostWell’s full-service management encompasses every aspect of running a profitable vacation rental. When you work with HostWell, you tap into a nimble team of hospitality and marketing experts who will handle it all. This includes professional listings on the most popular booking sites, targeted digital marketing, reservation management, 24/7 local guest service, housekeeping, and dynamically setting your nightly rates for optimal revenue.

How does HostWell advertise my home?

It’s not just about where your home is listed, but how. We have great relationships with all the major vacation rental sites (like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com), so HostWell homes often appear right at the top of the inventory that guests browse. Plus, there’s our own website that reaches over 100,000 guests every day.

In addition, your home will be included in strategic marketing to our growing audience of past and potential guests. This includes advertisement via search engines, email, social media, and more.

What in-home technology does HostWell offer?

We offer the latest in smart home technology—including electronic locks, thermostats, and even noise and occupancy monitoring.

How can I stay up-to-date with my vacation home remotely?

With the HostWell homeowner account, it’s simpler than ever to access data and updates about your vacation home—from your desktop or your smartphone. Book your own vacation time, review upcoming reservations, check your real-time revenue performance, and more.
Homeowners love our easy-to-use platform, and our new homeowner mobile app makes the journey even smoother.

How does HostWell use technology to price my home?

Industry-leading technology is the foundation HostWell was built on. Informed by hundreds of factors such as seasonality, local events, and historic trends, our pricing tools update your home’s rates multiple times per day to fill your booking calendar and capture the most revenue.

We continually invest in data analytics and revenue management so you end up with more money in your pocket. Learn how much your home could make as a HostWell vacation rental by getting a custom income estimate.

How does HostWell ensure a great guest experience?

We obsess over delivering a seamless, stress-free vacation for your guests—their great experience means more five-star reviews and repeat visitors. It all starts with making sure they book the right home. Our polished property listings include 3D virtual tours that show exactly what guests can expect when they book your home.

Before every stay, we stock your home with high-end bath products, paper goods, and cleaning supplies, so guests have everything they need. We also have an easy-to-use guidebook that puts a complete home guide, from driving directions to the Wi-Fi password, at their fingertips.

After a stay, we encourage guests to leave a review. And if anything wasn’t up to par, we communicate with the guests to make things right for next time.

What is the HostWell pet policy?

Pets or no pets—it’s up to you. One thing to consider: Saying yes to pets brings massive perks. Studies have shown that pet-friendly vacation rentals are hot commodities to pet owners. And, these homes can attract higher revenue, repeat visitors, and more off-season bookings. HostWell housekeepers clean thoroughly after pet-friendly bookings, putting in extra effort to ensure that pet hair and dander is diligently removed, and no paw prints are left behind. Guests with pets will be charged a small nightly fee to cover additional cleaning procedures, pet supplies, and extra customer service.

What’s HostWell's cleaning process?

Guests’ expectations are getting higher, especially when it comes to cleanliness. Our HostWell Premium Clean program meets or exceeds CDC guidelines, so guests have extra confidence to rent your home.
Our professional, trained housekeepers sanitize surfaces and use an EPA-approved disinfectant. We also provide our teams with gloves and face masks for everyone’s protection.

Plus, these expanded safety measures and the additional time spent caring for your home all come at no extra cost to you or your guests.

How do you ensure I get respectful renters?

All booking requests are subject to review prior to approval. We stop bad guests before they get to your front door. All guests are pre-screened to ensure the safety of your home. We recently partnered with a company called Safely to provide specialized short-term rental insurance coverage and enhanced guest screening services for our clients. Safely.com not only screens for convicted felons, Interpol wanted persons (terrorist watchlist), sex offenders, and identity fraud, but they also run every primary guest through The List – their database of guests who previously caused damage to a home due to negligence.

Do you provide services such as handyman and gardening services?

We have staff who can help with some repairs or upgrades, such as installation of locks, etc. Gardening, lawn maintenance and pest control are the responsibility of the homeowner.

 

What platforms do you use? Is it just Airbnb?

As you may know, there are over two-hundred platforms specializing in short and medium-term rentals. Many are highly focused on specialty accommodations such as hunting camps and large group retreats. Others offer designer experiences, such as treehouses, yurts and glamping. We’ll select the best four or five platforms for your property based on type and location of the accommodations. HostWell will market your property on vacation rentals most popular listing sites, such as Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, Homes and Villas by Marriott Bonvoy.

How do you consolidate revenue and tax forms across multiple booking channels?

We administrate the payment of all fees and taxes (except Federal Income Tax) on your behalf where we are allowed to by law. We provide each client a detailed ledger which they use for calculating income taxes on profits as you would do for any rental of property including long-term rentals with a full-time occupant. Maintenance and improvements to the property are deductible as with any rental unit.

Why does HostWell sometimes charge a higher commission than some other management companies?

HostWell prides itself on providing our guests with five-star hotel amenities, Our guests enjoy luxury bath products from Kiehls (body wash, shampoo, conditioner. You never have to concern yourself with shopping for supplies. We provide everything: paper towels, toilet tissue, waste basket liners, laundry detergent, dish washing soap and detergent for automatic dishwasher, if applicable) is provided as part of our service fee at no additional charge. Guests pay a cleaning and linen fee for each stay. We provide five-star hotel quality bed linens, towels and, for higher end properties, even robes for guests to enjoy a high-end hotel stay experience.