What is HelloHere?

HelloHere is an app-based guest communication solution. It allows you to send automated messages to guests, create welcome books and destination guides, and market extra services and local experiences.

Some guest communication tools function from a tablet, which can be inconvenient when guests want to communicate with you while they’re on the go. You can see an example of this with this at YourWelcome tablet review. Other tools can only be accessed on a display within the property, like GuestView Guide.

HelloHere, on the other hand, can be accessed through a mobile app. Once guests download the app, they can use an automated in-app chat to get answers to frequently asked questions.

A mobile app can be convenient for guests on the go. But limiting your guests’ ability to access your information and guides in this way isn’t always ideal, as they have to download yet another app onto their phone that they may never use again.

Other features of the HelloHere app include:

• Digital welcome book that includes information about the property and the area.
• Destination guides to share recommendations about restaurants and things to do in the area.
• A marketplace where you can upsell guests on extra amenities, special tours, and local experiences.

What is HelloHere’s pricing scale?

With HelloHere, you get a 14-day free trial to test out all of the tool’s functions. And once you sign up for HelloHere, their website states that you have the option to choose between a monthly and an annual plan.

At 7€ per property, their standard monthly price is a bit higher than some other options. For example, prices per property range from $2 to $6 permonth with Touchstay. In addition, they don’t state on their website whether you get any discounts as you increase the number of properties on your plan.

HelloHere also only has one standard plan option (the “Professional Account”), meaning they don’t offer different solutions tailored to small property management companies vs. large-volume enterprises.

The HelloHere website details the price per property, but it isn’t clear whether there are discounts as you add more properties to your plan.

HelloHere features

HelloHere offers many features that can make life easier for property managers. However, the tool does fall short in a few areas, including PMS integration capabilities and browser compatibility.

Digital welcome book

Having a digital welcome book helps guests to better plan for their stay, understand the property, and better know the area. Providing all relevant information, such as a house manual and entry instructions, all in one place makes the arrival process smoother.

A significant limitation is that guests can only access the welcome book through the HelloHere app, meaning guests have to download the app to access crucial information about the property.

As we mentioned, guests may not want to download another app on their phone that they probably won’t ever use again. Therefore, they may never see all the important information that you've loaded into your guidebook.

Integrations

When choosing a guest communication system, you want to make sure that it integrates with the PMS or channel manager you have in place. Otherwise, you can spend hours transferring property data and guest information.

HelloHere currently supports integration with just four vacation rental software tools: Rentals United, BookingSuite, Busy Rooms, and Cloudbeds. This makes the tool an easy option for property managers that use one of these systems, but if you work with a different PMS, HelloHere may not be the right choice for you.

According to their website, HelloHere only offers integrations with four property management systems.

Upselling during guest stays

HelloHere prioritizes the guest experience from the moment they book. It allows vacation rental property managers to showcase their properties and share their knowledge about the area, as well as upsell premium services and local experiences, all within the guest app.

However, most of the guest interactions offered by HelloHere occur before and during guests' stay, as the tool offers limited opportunities for you to get valuable feedback and reviews from your guests after they leave.

App updated infrequently

Frequent app updates are important because they allow for any system bugs or problems to be addressed. Plus, updates mean that developers are improving an app’s functionality based on user feedback.

However, HelloHere’s mobile app is updated infrequently, which means that it may fall behind on industry standards and lack advanced features.

The best alternative to HelloHere: RueBaRue

RueBaRue provides many advanced features that facilitate and improve communication with guests. Let’s take a look at how RueBaRue outshines HelloHere.

A complete suite of guest management features

RueBaRue maximizes guest experiences and eases the workload for property managers by offering advanced solutions like visual guides and SMS automation, creating a more holistic approach to communication.

Keep guests at ease by providing a visual guide to your property

With RueBaRue’s digital guestbook, guests can follow pictures and videos come time to locate their rental property. This saves managers the time that would be spent answering questions from lost guests. The video feature also allows you to create instructional videos to explain lock codes or any other special features of the property.

Go above and beyond with packing lists and local recommendations

Most travelers stress about packing, but your guests will know just what to bring thanks to the packing recommendations you can include in your digital guestbook. And to enhance the overall guest experience, you can createcustomized local area guides to give your guests insider tips about how to spend their vacation.

Highlight local restaurants and activities with RueBaRue’s customizable area guides.

Make sure your guests read your messages

RueBaRue also harnesses the power of SMS messages. Research shows that 42% of SMS messages are opened and read, while the same rates for emails come in at about 10% lower. RueBaRue’s SMS capabilities help you to ensure that guests are seeing your helpful and carefully crafted information.

With a local phone number created by RueBaRue, vital information, such as check-in updates and emergency alerts, is automatically sent directly to visitors’ phones. You can also personalize messages with booking and property details. Plus, the tool’s advanced analytics function allows you to view detailed reports of all automated SMS and email messages that have been sent to guests.

Get useful feedback and boost your reviews

The consistent communication offered by RueBaRue begins before a guest’s stay and continues after they leave. Once guests check out, you can send an automated message to get feedback about their stay.

Depending on the feedback, you can then send a link to leave a review on Google, Facebook, or Tripadvisor, or a link to a survey where they can share why their stay scored less than five stars before their review is even posted.

This feature encourages guests to leave positive reviews and allows you to gain insight into how you can improve your property and services.

Transparent and flexible pricing

RueBaRue offers various flexible pricing plans that fit the needs of property managers of every size. You can choose from three different plans:

• The starter plan gives you basic features such as a digital guestbook and a local area guide.
• The professional plan provides an array of features, including SMS automation and a local number for text messages.
• The enterprise plan can be personalized with seasonal and volume discounts for larger property managers.

RueBaRue gives you various plan options, meaning you can get the right plan for your business, no matter how big or small.

With the pricing calculator, you can estimate your monthly or annual costs based on the number of properties you manage. If property expansion is in your future, the slider helps you budget for future costs. Plus, all pricing plans start with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required.

The RueBaRue pricing calculator allows you to estimate your costs should you scale your business down the line.

Integrations

RueBaRue integrates with three times more vacation rental software tools than HelloHere. The tool partners with 12 popular vacation rental software providers, like Guesty, Hostaway, and OwnerRez. So more likely than not, you’ll find that RueBaRue fits in great with your current VR software setup.

With RueBaRue, enjoy seamless integration with 12 vacation rental software solutions.

Constant updates and new features

RueBaRue is constantly updating and improving its platform to make sure it meets all your guest management and communication needs. For example, the guest communication platform just launched the highly-requested Contacts feature.

This feature facilitates communication with owners, external housekeepers, maintenance staff, vendors, suppliers, and leads. All of your messages are conveniently stored in a unified team SMS inbox. Each contact group has its own unique avatar, allowing you to quickly see what type of contact (owner, vendor, or someone else) a message is from in your unified inbox.

The Contacts feature allows you to manually or automatically import contacts, and once they are in the system, you can seamlessly communicate with them via SMS or email. This feature is even available on RueBaRue’s mobile app.

HelloHere vs RueBaRue: How do they compare?

Check out the chart below to see how the different features of RueBaRue and HelloHere compare:

RueBaRue, the ideal HelloHere alternative

Getting consistent bookings and running a successful rental property boils down to how happy guests are with their stay. And one of the most essential factors of the guest experience is communication.

That’s why you need a tool that allows you to communicate with guests and anticipate their needs, all while streamlining your processes and helping you to scale your business.

RueBaRue is the best HelloHere alternative and the ideal choice for a comprehensive guest communication tool. In the words of one RueBaRue customer, “the best communication platform out there. Period”.

Discover how RueBaRue can meet your guest management needs and make yourlife easier. Book a demo.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best guest communication tool for vacation rentals?

The best guest communication tool is one that saves managers time and money and simplifies the guest’s journey, from arrival to departure. Among the many guest communication tools on the market, RueBaRue stands out as the best choice for vacation rentals.