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Owners
Meet Your Account Manager
All owners who have registered their property at Only-apartments will have had the chance to exchange a couple of comments with their corresponding Account Manager. But who exactly are these people? Their job is to advise us regarding our ad, to constantly remind us to keep our calendar up to date, to let us know whether any info is inaccurate, and they keep us informed about upcoming events and important dates that can bring in more bookings… In short, they are that Jiminy Cricket that every home owner needs and wants when it comes to managing the ad for their property at the Only-apartments website. And it is high time to meet the face behind the name of each of those ‘voices of conscience’ that are at our disposal for whatever we may need. To that end, we have created a brief questionnaire to help us zoom in a little on our Account Manager, know who we are talking to, and bring to life the character at the other end of the screen/phone line. Meet Marta (ITALY) Meet Carina (SPAIN) Meet Adriana (PORTUGAL, BRAZIL)...
Meet Your Account Manager: Marta Meo
Meet Marta, our Italian Account Manager. At 26 years of age, Marta is responsible for managing the accounts of all our home owners in Italy. She has been in Barcelona for 6 years, 3 of which have been spent working at Only-apartments; doing everything in her power to help increase bookings. Like a little “worker ant”, Marta focuses her five senses on her work. She is meticulous and demanding without ever relinquishing that vibrant Italian spirit that makes her take pleasure in the small things. Name: Marta Hometown: Livorno, Italy What can you recommend from your hometown: The sea, the sun, and a good cacciucco alla livornese! The market you work for: Italian Your favorite foreign city: Barcelona, obviously! What do you like best about your job?: It delights me to see that property owners are happy with our work. Your dream journey: A desert island, sun, sea, and a good mojito! Your favorite food: As any proper Italian, it could be no other than pizza. What could never be missing in your suitcase: Sunscreen What you value most in an apartment when traveling: Location, cleanliness, that it’s well furnished, access to every comfort… and a terrace is definitely a bonus! ...
The Good Home Owner’s Manual
The Good Home Owner’s Manual is now available- an exclusive guide with the best tips to maximize your bookings and make the most of your property. ...
Welcome to the Special Space for Home Owners at Only the World
It’s a true pleasure to open this section of the blog, dedicated exclusively to the Home Owners that make Only-apartments. We want to welcome you to the one place where we bring together all your concerns and experiences, with the common goal that travelers choose and enjoy their stay with us. But this will also be the place to share tips, ideas, or discover the latest trends in the sector. And for the sake of organization, we have structured all this information into the following categories: News This is where we’ll publish the latest news with regard to the world of tourism and holiday accommodation, which will surely be of interest to you. Tips We often need some guidance to make the most out of our property, and thus increase the number of bookings. This is where we’ll find the key to making our apartments figure among those listed as travelers’ favorites. Interviews And who better than yourselves to disclose the secret to success, or to share genuine anecdotes from the world of tourist accommodation? Your stories and advice can help other home owners. Would you like to answer some simple questions and share your experiences? Get in touch with us at communication@only-apartments.com and we’ll publish your interview. FAQs We all have questions, and these are oftentimes the same. This is where we bring together some of your most frequent questions. A brief user guide to properly manage your property in the home owner’s Extranet....Availability and Prices
This post explains how to work your way through the “Availability and Prices” extranet screen, and how to fill in each of the fields. Remember that you can always write us at property@only-apartments.com if you have any questions. How does the “Calendar” tab work? This page will give you a full overview of your property’s calendar. Use these buttons to choose between the two layouts: If you click on the first button, the months will be arranged horizontally, and you’ll be able to choose whether you want to see the full calendar (showing availability and prices), or whether you’d rather just see availability, or just pricing: If you choose the second option, you’ll see the months arranged in boxes, and you’ll be able to choose whether to display availability or prices via this button: When you select any dates on the calendar, you’ll be able to: Mark those dates as booked (by clicking on “Create Booking”) if the apartment has been booked through a different site. Any bookings made via Only-apartments will show up on the calendar directly, without having to mark the dates off. Block off those dates (click on “Close Sales”) Link a season to those dates (click on “Apply Season”). You’ll have the option to either select a previously created season from the “Seasons” tab, or create a new one. Apply direct values unique to those dates (click on “Apply Direct Values”). Apply a discount to those dates (click on “Apply Discount”). You’ll have the option to either select a previously created discount from the “Discounts” tab, or create a new one. After you’ve blocked off...
Tips for Making Your Apartment Look Awesome for Short-Term Renters
Competition in the rental world is tough so you want your apartment to stand out from the others on the block. Do you have a park view or a glimpse of the city lights? Maybe or maybe not, but you can still decorate to make your rental feel more comfortable and stylish for short-term renters. They may even recommend you afterward! Use some of these tips to wow them the moment the door swings open. Accent with Strategic Rugs Do you like this apartment? Find it here. You can’t possibly replace the carpet each time a short-term renter moves in or out. Whether the carpet is older or the hardwood just needs protection, add rugs to the floor throughout the apartment. Because most apartments are relatively small, you won’t need a lot of material. Use a mixture of styles to accent each room. Even keep a small rug supply at home to swap out when tenants move in or out. The apartment can look different each time the lease is up. A New Coat of Paint Does the Trick Do you like this apartment? Find it here Sure, you may not be Picasso, but a new paint job works wonders on an older apartment. Even if the couch is five years old, the paint makes it look newer than before. Try a solid color and add some abstract layers, just like in this image. Or try a sponge project on a solid color to add some personality to the space. You can’t possibly paint after each tenant, but shoot for a yearly paint party to keep the...Apartment of the month: City Comfort Ap
A small, simple apartment in Central London has reached our top sellers spot this month of July. Its major assets: an exceptional location with easy access to public transport, a well equipped property (washer, dryer, microwave, iron, heating, WI-FI, etc.) and, of course, a very attractive selection of photographs. Once again we have proven how a good photo gallery can make the difference. City Comfort Ap is presented to the guest with elegance, simplicity and allows them to have a clear idea of the size of the apartment, as well as its layout. Furthermore, guests can get a feel for the kindness of the property’s owners through the descriptions. A flexible owner focused on satisfying travelers’ needs, may they be solo travelers, couples or families, is valued and is one of the advantages this apartment has to offer. We could also add that the name of the apartment fits perfectly, and the customer appreciates this. All of this at a very competitive price, especially considering its features: 70m2 of comfort for five in Central London for 136€ per night (109 GBP). Here is the link to the apartment if someone wishes to check it out. Congratulations,...The importance of having Internet in your apartment
Although it seems that vacations are meant to disconnect people from their current surroundings , the reality is that few people have this opportunity 100% of the time. Rather than simply wanting the internet, many travelers, today, often NEED the internet during their vacations. But what is “many travelers?” Here you have the numbers. At Only-apartments, we have counted the number of clicks that are obtained through each filter on our website: The result is respresented in the following graph and demonstrates the importance of having internet in your apartment. As you see, of all the clicks that we receive through filtering, 25% is responsible for internet. Therefore, if you do not have internet, it is very possible that your apartment is automatically disregarded. Due to seasonality, terraces and air conditioning have also been highly sought after. This data has been taken from all the searches done in the months of March and April 2014, when travellers are searching for apartments for summer vacation. ...The kitchen that will captivate your guests
The terrace, views, location, decorations… these are many strong points of your apartment, however the kitchen remains, without a doubt, an important place. A well equipped kitchen will allow guests to save on costly dinners at restaurants and take full advantage of the apartment. We have interviewed Mario Bussi, who has dedicated his life to restoration. Today Mario is the proud owner of a loft in the birthplace of the Renaissance: Florence, Tuscany. Tell us something about you… How did you begin your experience with Only-Apartments? I was first approached by some friends of mine that had been working with Only- Apartments. They were the ones that were able to convince me. They thought that an apartment so particular as mine would have great success. And so it was… I am very happy with the result and above all the success I have had with people from around the world. We have seen that your apartment LOFT BOBOLI has a very interesting kitchen that seems to hide a particular history. Do you want to share with us? Of course, I would be happy to… it all began when I was a young man fascinated with the world of restoration. Little by little I began managing various restaurants in Italy, until I arrived in Florence. I fell in love with the city, stayed here and opened a restaurant in the city center. My life has always been in the kitchen; the restaurant was my home during the decades, a second home. And so when that chapter of my life closed, I decided to take a piece of my history and...
The importance of story-telling
Advertising has changed a lot in recent years. Not only with the changes in the channels of distribution, but also the content that has been offered to the final consumer. It is no longer about persuading counting the characteristics of the product. Now brands need to get to the heart of the consumer. How is this done? It should tell a story. A story that gets you hooked. A story that you fall in love with. If we take a look, the videos that have gone viral are of the brands that explain something with emotion, that connect to the emotional side of the consumer. How does this affect you? Maybe you don’t know it, but you are also a brand. Your apartment page, is your personal webpage. When a user lands on your page, he will look at the photos, look at the price, the equipment, and the location. These are the rational characteristics of your apartment, and if everything is convincing, they will then read the description you have written. And this description can be something that is read in passing (as it does not bring any added value), or can ultimately become the final trigger for booking, the moment in which they fall madly in love with your apartment. Thus, apart from highlighting the characteristics of your apartment, try to provoke some type of emotion within the traveler, something that makes them wish to be there… and nowhere else. When you are in the process of making the decision… Every detail...FAQ’s
I want to publish my property in Only-apartments. What are the conditions?
Working with Only-apartments has no cost for the property owner. Our commission is always added to the price that you indicate for your property. Besides, you do not have to be exclusively working with our company: you will have a calendar where you will manage the availability of your property.
You must know that we do not work “on request” (by demand) and for this reason it is vital to always maintain the calendar updated, as reservations are direct reservations and you should accept them all: at the moment you start to advertise your property in Only-apartments you should maintain your calendar and prices updated and block any dates that are not available (if you use other calendars or Channel Manager, we provide the tools to synchronize the calendar you use to our calendar).
We normally receive reservations for short-term stays (days or weeks), rarely for a month, therefore it takes one person to take care of the check-ins and cleanings. We do not offer these services, but depending on the town perhaps we can refer you to another company or person to do so.
If you are interested in publishing your property in Only-apartments, please access the page for property owners and create a new account to be able to enlist your property. If you have any doubts about the conditions for cooperation, you can write us at property@only-apartments.com.
Do I have to accept all reservations of Only-apartments?
Yes. In Only-apartments we work with a system of direct bookings, with no requests. We do it like this because with the years of experience we have found it beneficial for the customer (who does not have to make a request to obtain a property) and the property owner (who avoids exchanging emails and knows that when he or she receives a reservation, it is confirmed). This way, we avoid frustrations on both sides.
This system is very beneficial for everyone. But we have noticed that the most important complaint from our customers comes precisely when they make a reservation that has been subsequently canceled by the property owner. A cancellation has a huge management and reputational cost.
In case you do not accept a reservation, you should take a look at our Overbookings Policy.
What happens if I do not accept a reservation?
As property owner in Only-apartments, you can’t cancel any reservations. In case you decided not to accept a reservation from Only-apartments, you should immediately get in contact with us sending an email at info@only-apartments.com or calling by telephone. In any case, you must not get in contact with the customer. These are the consequences of not accepting a reservation (also specified in our Overbookings policy):
- Once an owner advises us that they are not accepting the booking, Only-apartments will temporarily remove their apartment/s and will look for alternative accommodation for the client. The owner must pay 100 Euros to cover the cost of administration, by providing us with his or her card details.
- If the owner helps Only-apartments to find alternative accommodation for the client and they accept it, the amount to pay will be 50 Euros only. However, if the client does not accept any of the alternatives suggested, the full 100 Euros will be payable by the owner, and Only-apartments will refund the reservation fee to the client
- If the owner gets in touch with the client and not with Only-apartments, he or she will be in breach of this policy and will face a penalty of 100 Euros.
- In any case, not accepting a reservation will result in the owners’ apartments being penalized in terms of their position in Only-apartments’ search results, whereas regularly updating the calendar will result in them being rewarded
- When the owner has paid the corresponding fee, Only-apartments will publish their apartment once more
In the event of not accepting a reservation or cancelling a booking a second time, Only-apartmentsreserves the right to remove an apartment indefinitely and all those associated with the owner. If the reason for not accepting a reservation is due to major incident, and evidence is provided of this (building works, fire, etc.), Only-apartments will review the case carefully and the owner may be exempt from any penalty. Only-apartments reserves the right to terminate its association with an owner at any time, requiring in any case that any pending bookings are fulfilled.
I have a question on a reservation I have received. What do I do?
If you have any doubts on any reservations received, write us at info@only-apartments.com.
I need to modify the information of my property
You can modify the information, the conditions, or the status of your property directly from your extranet. If you need our help, you can write us at property@only-apartments.com.
What does the rent amount include?
The rent amount, in other words the total amount that the client needs to pay directly to the owner, needs to include the VAT, if applicable. This means that this tax cannot be charged separately should the client ask for an invoice.
In the event that there are other taxes or expenses that apply (e.g. the tourist tax or supplies), these must be specified in the conditions of the apartment. Otherwise, they cannot be charged to the client.