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HomeSPRITIUALIs It Really Worth It for Airbnb Hosts Like You?

Is It Really Worth It for Airbnb Hosts Like You?

When I first dipped my toes into managing vacation rentals, I quickly learned how overwhelming the entire process can be. Between juggling guest communication, handling multiple bookings across platforms, and keeping track of cleanings and maintenance, it felt like I was always putting out fires. That’s when I started looking into tools that could help streamline the workload, and Guesty kept popping up as a solution.

But here’s the thing—while Guesty claims to simplify rental management, is it really the right fit for every host? In this review, I’ll break down everything I’ve learned about the platform so far and help you decide if it’s worth your time and investment.

What Is Guesty?

Guesty home pageIs It Really Worth It for Airbnb Hosts Like You?

Guesty isn’t your traditional property manager—it’s a platform designed to help you manage your vacation rentals more efficiently.

The platform was founded in 2013 by Amiad and Koby Soto, right when the short-term rental industry was booming thanks to Airbnb’s rise. Guesty’s headquarters is located in Tel Aviv, Israel, and since its launch, it has raised over $284.5 million in funding. It has also expanded by acquiring two other rental management startups: Your Porter App and MyVR.

How Guesty Actually Works

Guesty is built to simplify the management of your vacation rentals, and it’s a mobile-first platform, so you can manage everything from your smartphone, whether you’re on Android or iOS. Of course, if you prefer working from your desktop, Guesty is fully functional there too.

One of the best things about Guesty is how easily it integrates with the major short-term rental platforms, like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com. 

Getting started is straightforward: all you need to do is import your existing listings from these platforms, and Guesty syncs everything—including your bookings and reservation calendars—into one place.

TripAdvisor, Expedia, and CanadaStays logoTripAdvisor, Expedia, and CanadaStays logo

Besides the big players, you can also connect to other channels like TripAdvisor, Expedia, and CanadaStays, though these integrations are limited to calendar and reservation sync only. For Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, you’ll have full access to Guesty’s services, making management across multiple platforms seamless.

Guesty DashboardGuesty Dashboard

Once your listings are synced, Guesty makes it easy to stay on top of things. All your guest communication, bookings, and calendars are consolidated into a single dashboard..

If you’re new to Guesty or need guidance, the platform offers step-by-step support through its Help Center. They provide detailed guides to make the setup process as stress-free as possible, which is a huge plus for hosts who want to hit the ground running.

While Guesty automates many aspects of property management, it’s important to remember that you’re still the one managing your rentals. Guesty helps make the process more efficient, but you’ll still be actively involved in running your business.

What Can You Do with Guesty? (Key Features You Should Know)

Let me walk you through some of the most useful tools it offers and how they can make a real difference in your daily operations.

  • Auto Inquiry Response

    One of the best ways Guesty saves time is by automating inquiry responses. Instead of manually replying to each guest question, Guesty automatically sends responses and can even approve bookings for you based on predefined criteria. 

  • Auto Reviews

    Guesty automates this process, writing and posting reviews for you. It’s one less thing to worry about, and you can set it up to reflect your style of feedback.

  • Custom Tags

    With custom tags, you can personalize your automated messages with specific details, like Wi-Fi passwords or smart lock codes.

  • Deposit Management

    Handling security deposits can be tricky, but Guesty streamlines the process. You can set rules for taking, authorizing, and releasing deposits automatically. 

  • Guest Arrival Form

    Guesty allows you to collect all the necessary guest details before their arrival with its automated guest arrival form. 

  • Guest Language Detection

    If you get guests from around the world, Guesty has you covered. It can detect your guest’s language and automatically send messages in that language. 

  • Income Reporting

    Tracking income across multiple listings can get messy. Guesty helps you keep everything organized by providing detailed income reports.

  • Multi-Calendar

    Guesty’s multi-calendar syncs all your bookings across Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com into one place, so you can adjust availability and rates without logging in and out of different platforms.

  • Payment Processing

    Whether it’s processing credit card payments through Booking.com or handling direct bookings from your website, Guesty makes sure payments are processed quickly and securely.

  • Smart Pricing Integration

    To maximize your earnings, Guesty integrates with third-party pricing tools like PriceLabs and Wheelhouse. These tools help you set dynamic nightly rates that adjust based on market demand.

  • Task Automation

    Managing cleaning schedules, repairs, and guest check-ins can get overwhelming. Guesty lets you assign tasks to your team and sends them automatic notifications.

  • Unified Inbox

    Guesty’s unified inbox pulls all your messages into one place, letting you respond quickly and efficiently without jumping between apps.

  • Damage Protection

    Dealing with property damage is never fun, but Guesty’s damage protection feature compensates you for any damages caused by guests.

  • Smart Lock Automation

    Guesty integrates with smart lock systems, automating the process of generating gate codes and sending them to guests.

  • Cleaning Management

    You can schedule, assign, and automate cleaning tasks, ensuring that your property is always ready for the next guest without having to coordinate every detail yourself.

The Features That Could Save You Time

Here are the standout features that could really save you time and effort:

Multi-Calendar

Guesty's multi calendar featureGuesty's multi calendar feature

The multi-calendar is one of the most valuable tools in Guesty for Hosts. It pulls together all your booking calendars from different platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com into a single dashboard. You can even include bookings from your own website if you have one. 

The calendar gives you a clear overview of all your reservations across channels, making it easy to adjust rates and check availability in one place. Plus, you can share the calendar with partners, team members, or co-owners, so everyone stays on the same page without constant back-and-forth communication.

Automated Messaging

Guesty’s automated messaging is a massive time-saver, especially when you’re fielding tons of guest inquiries and bookings. You can create message templates in multiple languages and set automation rules for everything from responding to common questions to sending check-in and check-out instructions. 

Guesty's automated messaging featureGuesty's automated messaging feature

The system can even handle booking approvals automatically. After your guests check out, Guesty will automatically send reviews. Overall, the automated messaging feature promises to save over 40 hours per week.

Website Builder

Guesty's Website Builder featureGuesty's Website Builder feature

This tool lets you create your own direct booking website, which helps you gain exposure to more guests while avoiding the commissions typically charged by platforms like Airbnb. While it only supports listings available on Airbnb, it syncs seamlessly with all your properties and features, like the multi-calendar and automated messaging. 

Smart Pricing Integration

Guesty's Smart Pricing Integration featureGuesty's Smart Pricing Integration feature

These tools help you optimize your nightly rates based on market demand, seasonality, and competition, so you can strike the right balance between pricing and occupancy. The only downside is that if you use a pricing tool outside of PriceLabs and Wheelhouse, you’ll need to manually refresh the rates in Guesty.

This sync happens in real-time for Airbnb and daily for Vrbo and Booking.com, which can be a bit of a drawback if you’re managing a lot of properties.

What Does Guesty Really Cost?

Pricing is often a key factor when selecting a property management system, and Guesty offers flexible options depending on the size and needs of your business. Here’s a breakdown of the three Guesty subscription plans:

Guesty Pricing tableGuesty Pricing table
  • Lite: The Lite plan is designed for hosts managing 1-3 properties, making it ideal for smaller-scale operations or those just starting out. This plan includes essential features like direct reservations, multi-calendar, unified inbox, task management, and payment solutions. The monthly cost for the Lite plan starts at $23 when billed monthly or $16 per month when billed annually.
  • Pro: The Pro plan is tailored for those managing 4-199 listings. It’s a great option for individual property managers and small- to medium-sized property management companies. The Pro plan includes everything in Lite, along with advanced features such as multi-unit management, revenue management, advanced analytics, and more. Pricing for this plan is customized based on your specific business needs, so you’ll need to contact Guesty for a quote.
  • Enterprise: This plan is designed for large-scale operations managing 200+ properties. The Enterprise plan includes everything in Pro, with additional enterprise-grade features, automation, premium support, and advanced analytics. As with the Pro plan, pricing is customized, so a quote from Guesty’s team is required based on your company’s size and complexity.

Guesty offers a 14-day free trial of their Lite package, allowing you to test the platform’s features without a credit card. While there isn’t a completely free version of Guesty, this trial gives you the opportunity to see if the platform suits your business needs before committing to a subscription.

In addition to the standard pricing, there are a few extra fees for certain features:

  • Smart Lock Automation: $0.75 per code, which integrates with smart lock systems to send gate codes to guests automatically.

  • Chargeback Protection: 2% per transaction, offering 3D verification for direct booking payments to prevent fraudulent charges.

  • Self Domain: $100 per domain, if you want to use a custom domain when building your direct booking website through Guesty.

When it comes to cancellations, Guesty allows you to manage this directly from your desktop account. If you cancel, you can still use the platform until the end of your current billing cycle, but they do not offer refunds. If you add or remove listings during an annual subscription, Guesty will prorate the charges or fees accordingly.

What Are Other Hosts Saying? (User Reviews)

When it comes to user feedback, Guesty has received a lot of attention from vacation rental hosts and property managers alike. I’ve taken a look at what people are saying, and the reviews are a bit of a mixed bag, though overall, the platform is rated quite well.

Guesty has an impressive TrustScore of 4.5 out of 5, based on over 300 reviews. Most of the positive reviews highlight the platform’s ease of use and the support offered by the Customer Support Team.

In special I would like to mention they have a great support department which will help you in any way possible.

Thomas R K.

Many users have mentioned how the platform has helped them optimize and scale their rental management business, praising its robust features and overall effectiveness in reducing the time spent on manual tasks.

However, not everyone has had a perfect experience with Guesty. Some users have reported issues with technical glitches and found that the customer support experience can be inconsistent.

Customer support is the worst I even experienced. Only can communicate via email and they are on a different tome zone so if they call you it is a 3 AM EAT.

EDWARD C.

There are also complaints about the pricing structure, with some users finding the costs too high as they added more listings to their account.

On Capterra, another trusted review platform, Guesty holds an overall rating of 4.5 as well. Many hosts appreciate the platform’s power and ease of use, but some feel that the user interface (UI) and experience (UX) could be improved. While satisfied users are happy with how the platform has simplified their day-to-day operations, others have pointed out that they’ve found better alternatives for their specific needs.

If you’re considering trying Guesty, the 14-day free trial is a good way to test the waters and see if the platform fits your property management style. Ultimately, it’s worth considering both the positive and negative feedback to determine whether Guesty will work well for your rental business.

Is Guesty Really Worth It? My Final Thoughts

After reviewing Guesty’s features and considering the feedback from other hosts, I’d say it’s a solid option for anyone looking to streamline their rental management. 

However, the cost can add up quickly, especially if you’re managing more properties. Some users have also reported occasional issues with customer support and technical glitches. But overall, if you’re managing multiple properties or plan to scale your business, Guesty’s comprehensive tools could be worth the investment.

The 14-day free trial is a great way to test it out before committing. For most hosts, Guesty can be a smart way to save time and optimize property management.

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