More and more accommodation providers are aware that tourism is an industry that is constantly changing and adapting to current market situations. You need to be innovative, open and visible. It is important to present yourself to the world and communicate with it correctly. This means finding guests, arousing their interest and getting in touch with them. You may be wondering: “Why do I need a hosting agency?”.
Renting out a holiday home or apartment involves many obligations, responsibilities and knowledge, but with the right partner by your side, you can relax. This is how carefree renting works. Are you interested in the details? Then you have come to the right place.
Polna hiška is active in the tourism sector and successfully adapts to all market conditions. Many years of experience in renting out holiday accommodation significantly contribute to the fact that we always reliably guide you through the entire process – from legalizing hosting to welcoming guests. Instead of accommodation providers, we take over the entire process of attracting tourists to free capacities. We have many years of experience in managing online reservation portals (Booking, Airbnb, etc.), where guests book tourist accommodations online.
Who can be a host?
In the beginning, it is worth explaining who can be a host. According to the provisions of the Hospitality Act, a host can be a natural person, an individual entrepreneur, an association or a legal entity that offers guests accommodation with or without breakfast, in their own or rented apartment or holiday home, and with the consent of the competent body of the self-governing local community, also in other premises.
For many potential hosts, the biggest problem is just the beginning – legalizing the activity. This means numerous visits to offices and a substantial amount of paperwork that we don’t fully understand, but we have to complete. For the business to be legally and tax-wise compliant, it is necessary to adhere to the provisions of Slovenian legislation. Slovenian legislation requires quite a bit of documentation and time, as several conditions must be met and proven to be met to legally regulate hosting.
Legalization of hosting – the first step to success
Everything seems impossible until we do it. And let us tell you, we have done it countless times and always successfully. We have collected information and written down the process of setting up a hosting business in a simpler way to make your job easier.
Paperwork and legalization are a big challenge for some, and for others, the real thorn in their side is communication and finding guests. Despite meeting all the conditions for renting out accommodation, their beautiful rooms and houses are lonely. They cannot find guests. Some are not computer literate and use booking portals, which are used by 90% of accommodation seekers. Some do not know foreign languages. For some, it is a side business and they simply do not have the time to deal with all these things.
Why do accommodations remain empty?
Some simply can’t find a way to attractively rent out their accommodation and convince guests to come back. There are countless reasons why accommodation is empty. Believe me, we’ve heard a lot of them. And solved them. The Polna hiška team has lawyers, salespeople, communication specialists and IT specialists in its ranks. But above all, we are people in the team. People who understand other people, understand their business and what needs to be done to make people happy and bring our and your business to the desired result. We are here when paperwork needs to be done or when a guest is at the door, but you don’t understand a word he says. You don’t even need to understand him – that’s why you have us. We are always available to you, all day, every day of the week. Both for landlords and guests.
What does Polna hiška do for its hosts?
In addition to the services mentioned above, Polna hiška provides several other services for its hosts, which saves them a lot of time and money. Some of the activities we undertake for hosts are:
- Establishing and managing a profile on selected booking portals (Airbnb, Booking, Homeway…)
- Photography of all accommodation facilities and surroundings and production of professional photos.
- Attractive video recording of the accommodation and surroundings with a drone.
- Daily reception of online guest reservations and forwarding to the client. Our reservation system is used worldwide, which ensures the highest occupancy rate.
- Daily coordination of all calendars on all booking portals.
- Daily communication with guests via email and phone calls.
- Preliminary preparation of the guest for arrival: welcome email, information, directions, etc.
- Maintaining the profile on booking portals and communicating with the portals themselves regarding payments and other customer questions.
- Preparation of the DDV-O form for submitting the 22% tax on the commission of foreign portals.
- Consulting the client on tourism, improvements and hospitality advice.
- Free instructions (PDF document) with clear steps on how to legalize hosting and full support throughout the process.
- Access to a clear availability calendar.
- 24-hour availability for guests and hosts.
Benefits of cooperation – the answer to “Why do I need a hosting agency?”
So let’s answer the question: “Why do I need a hosting agency?”. Some hosts may enjoy these tasks, but most would rather spend their time and effort on other activities, while an efficient agent takes care of their accommodation. Some may think that managing their own accommodation saves on rental agency fees. However, renting out accommodation with a manager can save you money and headaches in the long run. Paperwork, taxes and guests can be (too) much for some.
We understand that our hosts do not always have time to check emails and answer calls from guests or may not be fluent in foreign languages. That is why Polna hiška also carries out daily communication with guests as part of its activities. We are available 24/7 so that no one is left without a reservation or a response. We accept online guest reservations daily and forward them to the client. We also coordinate all calendars on all booking portals daily and communicate with guests via emails and phone calls. To make guests feel truly understood and wanted, we prepare them for their arrival in advance: welcome e-mail, information, directions, etc. We do everything we can to ensure that guests and hosts get what they want.
Caring for the quality and recognition of accommodations
Polna hiška knows its accommodations. We visit all holiday homes and apartments before including them in our offer and upgrade them if necessary. We know what guests want and look for on their travels. This does not mean that we completely change the accommodation. We just look for that special feature that it has. Every accommodation is special and different and each has its own story that we present.
After all, to successfully market your accommodation, you need to regularly monitor prices and the market, adapt, have professional accommodation photos, respond quickly to guests’ needs and have a profile on major booking portals and social networks so that potential guests can find you. It sounds like a lot of work, right? It really does take a lot of time and effort, but Polna hiška has been doing this successfully for many years, and with great passion. With you and for you. We believe and guarantee that with the right attitude and consistency, we will bring your vacant accommodation to full occupancy, and you to more free time and higher earnings. It sounds nice, but it’s also true.
Conclusion – join Polna hiška
We have clients who have trusted us for many years and are happy to recommend us. That’s how Polna hiška started to grow. And with us, our clients’ business. A good word of mouth goes a long way. Join Polna hiška, even if you’re not sure whether to rent out that empty room in the attic (or basement) that’s been empty for a few years. Use your space and our knowledge to earn extra money.
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