How Track Partner Terry Whyte, AKA “The Vacation Rental Software Guy,” Uses RueBaRue

With RueBaRue’s recent partnership with Track Vacation Rental Software, this seems the perfect time to unpack how property managers who partner with Track can use RueBaRue, the automated guest communication platform designed to help with time-consuming tasks property managers face from the moment guests book a home until they depart.
We asked Terry White, owner of Anna Maria Island Beach Rentals, a Track partner and RueBaRue subscriber, to share his thoughts on RueBaRue and how he uses our platform to enhance his 25-year-old vacation rental business on Florida’s Anna Maria Island. Known as “the vacation rental software guy” for his deep knowledge of property management software, Whyte also heads a small research group that investigates vacation rental software, is the co-founder of the Keystone Awards and is one of VRTECH’s top 20 vacation rental influencers.
Here’s what Whyte had to say about RueBaRue:
Why RueBaRue
I’m known as a tech guy in the industry, and when I saw RueBaRue, it was
something that I just had to have. I signed up for it the day we did the
demonstration. There are a lot of guest guides out there and many good
ones. But I can say that RueBaRue is the best that I’ve ever seen. I’m
super impressed with it.
Ease of use for guests
I have had nothing but positive feedback. Every time a guest receives
their link to the guest guide, I get ‘thank you, this is great, we love
it.’ Everything is there for them in one place. They can be sitting on the
beach at 2 in the afternoon and decide where they want to go to dinner that
night. It’s all right there on their phone.
Ease of use for property managers
I’ve found RueBaRue extremely easy to use. It’s the way that they populate
it — the links that you can put into it, the way that you can upload
photos, the way that you can group properties together, the way that you
can tag properties. I’ve used two other guest guides that were hard to
follow, but with RueBaRue it’s so easy.
Time-saving effects
What RueBaRue has really done is cut down on the amount of emails, text
messages and phone calls from guests asking questions. Having the ability
to text back and forth all on one platform — not only is everything there
for their entire stay with us, but if they want to communicate with me,
they can communicate on the platform [by dedicated text messaging]. I’ve
been surprised by the number of guests who are actually using the platform
instead of calling or sending me an email or text message.
Tech-savvy guestbooks
When I show homeowners my guest guide, it’s the one thing in my tech stack
that impresses them the most. It’s great for trip planning, so I give
guests access to it as soon as they make the reservation, even if they’ve
booked six months out. It’s full of invaluable information guests need to
know, and it’s saved me hundreds of phone calls from guests. I use a lot of
video throughout my guest guide. Every restaurant, beach, golf course and
attraction in the area has its own Youtube video. They’re all my recommendations. And that makes my business look good.
It’s app free
I like that there’s no app to download. RueBaRue is internet based, so
guests just click on and there it is.
Create and send emergency alerts
We had a hurricane in Florida a few weeks ago, and I had the ability to
create an alert for everyone who was staying with me. I created a template
and one email address, sent everyone multiple alerts with storm updates,
and everyone got back to me. And I’m 1,500 miles away in Toronto, Canada.
When it was over, I checked with all the guests to make sure everything was
OK. Everyone responded, it was incredible. Some even texted me back to say
‘don’t bother sending in your cleaning staff to bring in the furniture,
we’ll do it ourselves.
Here are some examples of what the guides looks like:



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