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Owners
Multimedia – multiple properties
In this post we will explain how the “Multimedia” screen on your Extranet works in case your are uploading a multiple property and how to fill out each of the sections. Remember that if you any questions please write us at property@only-apartments.com. How do photo uploads work? By clicking on “Add Photos ” you will open a screen which will allow you to selected from existing photos stores on your computer. Images must be in jpeg., gif., or png., and have a minimum dimension of 640×480 pixels. You can choose to upload several at a time and they will be displayed on top. You will be able to order them later. Once uploaded, you can choose which room in your apartment belongs to which (living room, kitchen , bathroom, Room 1 , Room 2, etc.), and edit or delete them using the two icons located below each photo. Once you have uploaded your photos, you will have to drag them down to be visible online. You can order them according to the acoommodation they belong to and you can choose which pictures you want to be displayed as covers of each of the apartments (remember that this is the only picture that clients see when they are looking at the search results). Click “Save”. Remember that photos are one of the elements that are most appealing to clients and a key factor to obtaining reservations. A better quality and quantity of image will most likely lead to more reservations. Why do I have to upload a floor plan and how do I do it? The floor plan helps clients...Descriptions
In this post we will explain how the “Descriptions” screen on your Extranet works and how to fill out each of the sections. Remember that if you have any questions write us at property@only-apartments.com. How do I fill out the “Description” section? Select the language you prefer to write a description of your property and enter the text in accordance with the instructions and examples provided under the help button (?). On our website, the description will appear in the language the client chooses, as your text will be translated for each page automatically by Google Translate. Keep in mind that a machine translation is not of the same quality of a text written by an actual person. So, if you have knowledge of more than one language you are encouraged to provide a description in as many languages possible. Our system will automatically select your text over a machine...Rates
In this post we will explain how the “Rates” screen of the Extranet works and how to complete each of the sections. Remember that if you have any question write us at property@only-apartments.com. How do I fill out the “Commission” section? It’s simple: you should only choose between the two options that we offer: If you choose a flexible commission, our commission will vary, always lower than the set commission, so that your property has more competitive pricing on extended stays in locations with special offers or on special seasons. You will always receive the amount you choose. It will be us who will adapt to your apartment so that it is more likely to be booked. In this case, therefore, the maximum fee will be 15% (or 18 % depending on the destination where your property is located), and a minimum of 5%, but that’s what we calculate. You do not have to worry about anything. If you choose the fixed commission, your prices will always have a commission of 15 % (or 18 % depending on the destination where your property is located), regardless of the season or offer. How do I fill out the section on price generation? You must choose one of two options (PVP or NET), With the prices, seasons, discounts, etc. that you have chosen until now, you must create the following: The PVP is the sale price to the public, ie, what the client sees on our website. Choose this option if you would like to base your prices according to what the client will see on our website. The NET price...House Rules
In this post we will explain how the “House Rules” screen of your Extranet works and how you fill each of the sections. Remember that if you have doubts please write to property@only-apartments.com. How do I fill out the section “Check-in and check-out”? Here you must specify the time zone in which your customers can enter and leave the apartment, and apply extra fees if they wish to do so outside of these hours . You should also set out how they will take the keys. How to fill out the section “Restrictions”? Enter here what kind of traveler you do not want in your apartment. The options are set by you as the owner. How do I fill out the section “Special Notices”? Use special notes if you want to communicate important information about your property (building work, step ladders that prevent older people,...Contact person
In this post we will explain how the “Contact” screen extranet works and how you fill each of the sections. Remember that if you have doubts please write to property@only-apartments.com. How do I fill out the “Contact” section? This indicates the data of the person who will be in contact with the traveler and who shall take care of check -in and check –out process. Remember to add a mobile phone to receive SMS notifications booking. When you have filled in your details, click the box “This will be the primary contact with the customer” and in the box indicating that this person will receive notifications. You can only add to one person who will be in touch with the clients, but you can send several people receive the notifications. The system also allows you to import contacts from other properties using the “Import”, to make it easier for...Publish
In this post we will explain how the “Publish” screen of your Extranet works and how you fill out each of the sections. Remember that if you have any questions write us at property@only-apartments.com. How do I complete the “Publication” section? When you get to this screen, your apartment will be ready for publication. You can click “Preview” to get an idea of how it will look on our website. Before you can post, you must go through your calendar to set your prices , seasons and discounts , and block the dates have already occupied. It is very important to avoid overbooking (see our policy of overbooking here). Once done, you can drag the publish button (you must set it to “on”), but you should know that your apartment is not automatically published on our website , but will go through a manual review process to ensure that everything is correct . In this process one of our assistants will call you and go over everything with...Overbookings Policy
What is this policy for? As you are aware, Only-apartments has an immediate booking system. We work in this way because our experience has shown us that it is beneficial for clients (who do not have to wait for a response in order to make their booking) as well as the owner (who does not need to spend time exchanging emails and knows that when a booking is received, it is confirmed). This way, we avoid frustrations on both sides. The system is very beneficial to all, if it is used correctly. We have noticed that the most frequent complaint from our clients is when the booking they make with us is subsequently cancelled by the owner. A cancellation brings with it a high cost – the cost of our time spent solving the problem, and to our reputation. For this reason, owners and Only-apartments need to work together and focus on providing an excellent service to our clients. Experience tell us that in the majority of cases, the reason for an owner not accepting a reservation is because he or she has forgotten to update the calendar to show that the apartment has another booking. Another reason is that prices and seasons have not been updated. Please be advised that: – Failure to update prices for different seasons (Christmas, new year, Easter, summer holidays, etc.) or for events in your area (trade fairs, conferences, festivals, etc.) does not excuse you from the obligation to accept a reservation – Failure to keep the calendar updated – again, this does not excuse you for not accepting a reservation. At Only-apartments,...How to make the most out of your terrace
This month at Only-apartments we have interviewed Maurizio, a property owner of two apartments with fabulous terraces in the most intriguing and amazing city: Rome. We wanted to know his secrets on how he keeps attracting Take a look at Mauricio’s terrace: http://www.only-apartments.en/en/intranet/UNIQUETERRACE_45842 http://www.only-apartments.en/en/intranet/COLOSSEOTOPFL_25475 Don’t forget these other spectacular terraces! Get inspired! Volcán Rural Apartment: https://only-apartments.com/en/haria/VOLCaNRURAL_27888/ Small Paradise Apartment: https://only-apartments.com/en/cefalu/SMALLPARADISE_33943/ Penthousevicen Apartment:...Trustpilot, our new ally
We’d like to share the news that we’ve started working with Trustpilot, a completely independent online platform where reviews from our verified customers about Only-apartments can be collected. Your guests will still be able to leave their comments about your apartment on our website, just as before (as you know, we send them an email after their stay so that they can give their feedback), and in both cases all comments – positive and negative – will be visible. There are several objectives behind our partnership with Trustpilot: to give confidence to users of our website, to receive useful feedback to help improve our service, and to make our online marketing more effective, as we will be able to use the ratings we receive to improve our SEM (this is called Google Seller Ratings). And this all means being able to give you more...The Vacation Rental Owner: Before & After
By Matt Landau In my years of operating my own vacation rentals and consulting hundreds of owners/managers on a daily basis, I’ve come to get a pretty good idea of what it takes to succeed in this industry. Take being hospitable for instance: if you aren’t inherently hospitable to your guests or if you don’t learn how to be artificially hospitable to your guests, you will never succeed with vacation rentals. But the anatomy of a successful vacation rental owner goes far beyond bullet-point characteristics. Because many of us never had any experience with tourism or marketing before we got started, the learning curve of today’s property owners more resembles a dynamic, ever-changing scatter chart of ups and downs than it does a smooth upward curve. Being new to the vacation rental industry means a certain level of naivety. With an upsurge in popularity of sites like Only-apartments, HomeAway or AirBnB, many owners tend to forget that they also need to be proactive. It can be easy, if your property is doing well, for instance, to lay back and become complacent about your business. It can be easy to run your rental like a hobby, enjoy the passive income and even perhaps think about acquiring a second or third property without any real business-like acumen. It can be equally just as easy to slip into frustration mode at the lack of inquiries or bookings because a listing site’s lead generation seems to be slow. Many new owners start freaking out when their property isn’t filling up as expected. But there is a very tangible shift that takes place somewhere...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.