VRMA Administrator
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the world and taking the vacation rental industry with it. Dominating industry headlines, the “generative AI” tool ChatGPT is the most recent addition that could help scale vacation rental businesses all over the world.
Why does it matter? In a few words, it can help you do more while doing less. Whether that be to optimize listings or provide customized concierge services, it frees up time to focus on more important tasks that require strategic thinking and expertise.
As rising guest expectations increase the demands on vacation rental operators, AI could be the key to maintaining the highest standards required of professional managers and hosts while keeping costs down.
What Is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a form of AI that can generate new, unique content. What makes it unique is its exceptionally natural and convincing responses.
As an OpenAI tool, ChatGPT is trained to interact with users in a conversational way. In the context of our industry, it can quickly transform listings to be more inviting and engaging and will match the tone of voice and professional style of each operator’s brand and audience — from formal to friendly and anything in between.
How Will ChatGPT Change the Way We Work?
Whether we like it or not, AI is here to stay. We need to future-proof our business, embrace new technologies, and evolve with today’s demands if we want to stay ahead of the curve.
ChatGPT has the power to transform the experience of property managers, offering countless opportunities to automate routine tasks, enhance the guest experience, and optimize operations. Ultimately, it has the power to give us time.
By harnessing the power of ChatGPT and data analysis, property managers can get valuable insights into guest preferences and address guest needs more effectively. It can provide fast, accurate, and personalized responses as well as save time by handling frequently asked questions or repetitive tasks.
For instance, by analyzing data like reviews, feedback surveys, and social media mentions, ChatGPT can help property managers enhance their offerings, address guest concerns, and improve the overall guest experience.
ChatGPT can assist in tasks like:
- Booking assistance — aiding the booking process by answering guest questions related to property availability, rental rates, and payment options.
- Information requests — providing information such as the number of bedrooms, local attractions, check-in times, and any other amenities or special requirements.
- Complaint resolution — resolving minor issues or complaints by providing relevant information and solutions.
- Upselling — recommending additional services, like cleaning and airport transfers, enhancing the guest experience, and generating additional revenue for property owners.
On top of all this, ChatGPT can provide real-time recommendations based on seasonal demand, competition, and local events, providing faster dynamic pricing recommendations that mean you don’t miss opportunities to optimize revenue.
So, what’s not to like? Well, ChatGPT has been known to be somewhat confidently creative. In fact, there are a lot of examples where it has provided factually incorrect information. If that happens when providing instructions on using facilities, for example, a guest might end up in danger when using the grill, pool, or hot tub.
So, while the benefits speak for themselves, it’s important to tread carefully. It’s absolutely critical that guests receive accurate information about their booking. Think of ChatGPT as a new member of your team; it’s important to supervise its work, especially in the beginning. While the plan is to expand the integration according to user needs, that will come in time.
Ultimately, this is just the tip of the iceberg. ChatGPT is set to transform the way guests and property managers interact, improving customer support, streamlining booking processes, and providing personalized recommendations.
With its potential to continuously learn and adapt, we can expect ChatGPT to continue revolutionizing the industry, creating a more seamless and personalized experience for guests and achieving efficiencies for rental operators in the process.
But while the limits of its capabilities are still in question, the ability to strike the right balance between automation and human expertise will be the key to success.
Saber Kordestanchi is the chief operating officer and co-founder of Hostaway, the all-in-one vacation rental management platform.
