Hostaway overall has a lot of functionality and great customer service. There are a few key pieces of functionality the mobile app is missing that I feel would make a huge improvement. -Add badge notifications to the Hostaway app. Currently the app presents banner and Notification Center alerts. Once these are dismissed, it is easy to forget that there are items within the Hostaway app that are yet to be addressed. Adding a badge notification next to the app icon would provide users visibility at a glance into the status of alerts within the platform. - Add the ability for users to view the name of each guest in the calendar view on the mobile app (similar to the web view version). -Add the ability to see the minimum night stay requirement in the calendar on the mobile app. -Add the ability to view reporting from the mobile app.
I had high hopes for Hostaway. The entire point of signing up with them was to build my direct booking business. I had numerous people try to book directly and the site malfunctioned everytime when they put a credit card in. I reached out to Hostaway for support. In the beginning support was great and I received a response right away with actual help. But with these errors, it took over 5 days to get a response everytime I sent an email. I lost $1000s of reservations due to this as people said they ended up booking something else. After weeks of Hostaway telling me they were looking into it and taking my issue seriously, they still couldn’t tell me what the issue was or that it was being fixed. Eventually I was losing too much money on lost reservations for it to make sense to keep using them. To add insult to injury, during the process of me trying to cancel my membership, they took so long to respond and actually cancel my account that I was charged an additional $370 for a new month. They also don’t allow you to cancel your account online. You request it and then, you guessed it, you have to wait for someone to call you to try to keep you on. But no one ever actually called me and they refused to refund any money even though their product doesn’t work and they have zero support. RUNNNNNN
I have been using Hostaway for the past 3 years. I cannot count how many updates and new features have been added since then. Hostaway is a company that really cares about customer service, and is always improving their services. The interface is extremely user-friendly, and they have a wide range of partners/apps we can connect to. But most important, the support team is extremely knowledgeable and attentive to the customer’s needs. I have communicated a lot with Shakira and Guru in particular, and both are very patient (I am not a very Tech-Savvy customer), make themselves available whenever needed, are knowledgeable and come back to me in a timely manner whenever they cannot fix a problem on a call. The only thing that is missing is a call center where we could get help right away by calling the team instead of opening a ticket and wait for an answer that can sometimes take a few days. Overall, I’m extremely satisfied with their service.
Mohamed Wazeer has been SO helpful when it comes to setting up my Hostaway account! He has answered all of my questions in depth and even breaks it down so that everything is easy to understand. Hostaway itself is very user friendly, but I would not have been able to set it up the way I needed without Mohamed’s help. He is readily available via email/google meetings and I always look forward to my calls with him. Thank you Mohamed and thank you Hostaway! They have made renting out my properties such an easy experience.
The app is awful. The company is awful. They say they’re “updating it with new and exciting things every week” but the reality is they’re fixing all the bugs constantly. The app doesn’t reflect what their program on the computer does whatsoever. Oh and not to mention, the customer service is atrocious. They’ll get back to you days later with one response. When you respond to that, be ready to wait another few days before you hear back again! Unfortunately if something is actually going wrong you can’t rely on them to be there to help you through it. Also, their prices are 5 times as much as their competitors for absolutely no reason. Do yourself a favor and go to Smart Bnb or literally ANY OTHER company that does this.
Hostaway is a robust PMS so for most of us hospitality hosts we don’t want to deal with figuring out how to set up or tweak things. After using the app a few months I had some frustrating issues (my fault for not learning every detail of the software) Billy came to the rescue. Problems solved extraordinarily quickly. Btw, If you read Hostaway blogs or pay attention just a bit, ask Hostaway’s team (you’re lucky if u get Billy!) to help you implement & you’ll reap the benefits of a powerful tool for your biz
Safna has been wonderful to work with, she answers my questions in a timely manner and is very professional. She sends additional information to help me navigate through hostaway well!
We are SuperHosts with 5+ listings and our main goal is to keep guests happy and automate as much as the business as possible in order to have more time and freedom which also helps us keep our guests happy. We are very thankful for Hostaway as they are Airbnbs top preferred PMS because of all its features that we can implement with our cleaning crew, automations and much more. We highly recommend this PMS and their developers and customer support team is awesome! Highly recommend launch expert Shakeel.
I am new to Hostaway platform. So far, I am very happy with this channel manager. My main concern was the speedy support in case I have questions and the first time I called support with some questions regarding integration with some booking platforms I received an excellent support by Shakira. I was able to connect with a real person quickly and she assisted me in the most effective and knowledgeable manner. I am very exited about Hostaway and their support and would recommend it to others!
Solid App, But Overkill Security for Read-Only Accounts!
Just using this app, and overall, I must say it's a pretty solid tool. The interface is user-friendly, and it serves its purpose well. However, I can't help but find the security measures a bit over the top, especially for read-only accounts. Don't get me wrong, I understand the need for security in any application. But requiring a complex 12-character password AND 2FA (two-factor authentication) for an account with read-only access feels unnecessary and a bit silly. It's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut! I'd appreciate it if the developers could consider adjusting the security requirements for read-only accounts to strike a better balance. Maybe a slightly simpler password would be sufficient for this level of access. Apart from this one gripe, the app does what it's supposed to do, and I'll continue using it. Please, developers, take this feedback into account, and I'm sure many (non-paranoid) users would appreciate it!
Shakira was an awesome help! She spent hours walking me through the details of the financial reporting. Previously I was with another software that couldn’t get the financials working. Shakira went above and beyond, was very knowledgeable, and helped me create accurate financial reporting for multiple systems. The customer service is amazing! She should get a raise - she was so quick and competent with financials! Definitely recommend Hostaway! Jose in oboarding was also amazing and very competent.
Hostaway is growing just like all of us property managers and they have done an excellent job re-vamping their customer service. Jeff helped me out today and didn’t even miss a beat when I asked him a fairly complicated question. He also mentioned that no matter how small or insignificant a question, that he would be more than happy to help! Highly recommend.
Some excellent features but app and website still need major upgrades
As a STR host, there is a lot that I love about Hostaway. The main website interface and App have undergone recent improvements and are modern and easy to use for syncing calendars, messaging guests and overseeing financials. That said, Hostaway PLEASE improve the “listings” functionality and descriptions to make them more user-friendly in updating listing descriptions and photographs. The interface looks like it is from 20 years. Badly outdated and poor functionality. The customer service also needs work - PLEASE add a chat live function. Emailing a help desk and getting a response the next day is too slow when we as host are working to respond quickly to guests. Excited to see what Hostaway can do with its new funding money and look forward to more improvements going forward.
This level of sophistication in both features and personalized service is usually not possible at the price point. However host away really does both these things so well whole charging half of what did other managers charge. Best business decision I've made since beginning with Airbnb years ago.
We are in the process of switching platforms and I have to say you need to request Safna! She is absolutely amazing and while all channel managers can be difficult to work with Safna was able to answer all my questions and make this super easy to understand!! Thank you Safna for all your help!
We have used the software for a few months now and it has changed everything for us! Billy has helped us on multiple occasions and we are very pleased with their service! Would recommend!
I’ve wanted the multi-unit view to be the first tab for so long that when they finally made this update, I reviewed the app for the first tone and gave it 5 stars. Don’t know why it took so long to do it but I’m so glad it was done.
Hostaway listens to their customers - I can guarantee it first hand. The updates are great, please keep them coming, very good support even for US based companies. We have 40 or so properties in Florida, and have used Hostaway for over 3 years.
Billy was very helpful during my tutorial helping me get my Verbo integration complete. He was very patient with me when I did not understand the entire process and walked me through everything step by step in a clear, concise and timely manner.
Very pleased to have gone with Hostaway as my PMS. Very prompt and detailed responses from support whenever needed. Recently, Jeff helped clarify a misunderstanding by walking me through and troubleshooting the solution with screenshots and step by step action. Thanks Jeff and the rest of the Hostaway team!
I was with a different company and it just wasn’t working, I checked out multiple platforms to switch to and decided on Hostaway. It was the best decision. Uvindu helped me with onboarding and he made it super easy and got us up and running on the first appointment.
The support this team provides is truly amazing. Billy has been excellent. He is patient and works through my challenges. This software gave me an additional $1500 in bookings In the first 10 days and I still have channels to add.
Hostaway saves is time and helps improve revenue and efficiency
I spent a lot of time looking for a viable software to help manage my growing vacation rental booking and concierge service. Hostaway has been a great choice to help us grow our business, increase occupancy, and maximize revenue while working more efficiently.
Helps keep things organized especially my rep Billy
Hostaway has been helpful in keeping my properties in order. My rep Billy has gone above and beyond to help me and guide me through email and over virtual calls when needed
Shakira Mohammed was an exceptional support in helping me navigate my listing financials. She walked me through the settings and created unique formulas to reflect my data needs. I really appreciate her time and efforts in going above and beyond.
Overall it’s a good app but my notifications don’t come through and I have to delete the app and then reinstall and hope it works. This is the 3rd time since last week I’ve done it. I’m not sure what’s wrong and all of my settings allow the notifications. They work and then suddenly stop. Please fix
Shakira Mohammed is amazing and works supper hard. She is thorough and works very well in tough situations. Extremely knowledge on the site and doesn’t rush you. I wish I could call her every time I have a problem💃🏽 ! Thank you.
My company, Stay Rogue, is using this software and we really like it. It provides everything we need and the onboarding process was great! The app could use some work but I know they are working on making it better!
Safna was very professional. She helped to answer by burn out questions after initial on boarding. Mobile APP and phone support needs some update but overall excellent software for short term rental management.
Beyond helpful in with an extremely frustrating situation. He was really patient as I was pulling my hair out and he managed to get me dialed in, in more than one area!! I’ll be keeping my conversation thread with him as I navigate through hostaway.
Please add more features like the ones on the browser portal. I like to do everything from my phone so it would be nice to not have to use chrome/desktop for those features.
Shakira Mohammed was a perfect support person! She is helpful, patient and very knowledgeable. She was able to help me with several issues. What a pleasure to have someone who knew many different areas. God bless!
We have struggled with onboarding our business into Hostaway, but today we got on a call with the BEST, MOST HELPFUL PERSON EVER. Safna really saved the day for us. We Couldn’t be more thankful for her exquisite customer service.
So far we have found Hostaway to be helpful in several ways. Shabeeb Razeem was wonderful to work with during the onboarding process as well! He was patient, understanding, and knowledged!
Hostaway is complex and robust— with that being said the customer service team is awesome. Shakira was a big help with assigning tasks and exposing my bookings that are linked.
I miss the old update when I was actually able to see the numbers on my calendar. I also hate that there are spaces between my check and check outs that occur on the same day. PLEASE BRING BACK THE OLD LAYOUT
I pay a premium to be with Hostaway. Their app is very subpar for what we pay. Looking to switch our portfolio to something else. The app is one of the main reasons.
Before you sign up ask for their customer service phone number and see if anybody answers the phone. Try in the am and the pm. They don't provide customer service. Runaway.
Hostaway is the all-in-one vacation rental software for property managers who want to get more bookings with less hassle. Designed to automate and optimize all aspects of your operations, Hostaway centralizes your business in one place for effortless end-to-end property management. Easily connect and manage your listings across all major travel platforms, like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google, and more. Supercharge profitability and increase occupancy through dynamic pricing and your own direct booking website. The mobile app gives you and your staff the ability to manage all your reservations, guests, and tasks across all your properties, across all connected channels.
