What is the YourWelcome tablet?

The YourWelcome tablet acts as a digital property guide for vacation rental guests. Once guests have arrived at their accommodation, they can access the tablet for information on the rental or even activities nearby. The main idea of this device is to connect with visitors through videos and messages, increase revenue with additional services, and improve guest communication.

Preview of the YourWelcome tablet / Credit: YourWelcome

How much does the YourWelcome tablet cost?

YourWelcome offers a standard plan for $119.99 a year and a Pro plan for $199.99 a year. There is also an Enterprise plan for larger companies. The Pro and Enterprise plans include advanced features and free shipping worldwide.

YourWelcome tablet review

Now that you know the basics, let's get down to the nitty-gritty and review the YourWelcome tablet to see if it's the right fit for you.

Features

The YourWelcome tablet includes some of the following features:

• Welcome videos
• Guest messaging
• Video guides
• Upselling services like late check-outs and food delivery
• Branding opportunities
• Area guides and recommendations
• Housekeeping checklists and reports

Usability

The YourWelcome dashboard has been said to be user-friendly but the setup tends to require more steps as it involves a tablet.

One of the difficulties of relying on a tablet is that you have no control over who is using it or how it's being treated. While we can hope that guests are handling it responsibly, there's also the risk of children spilling water on the device or dropping it on the floor. Despite not having any part in this, future guests might have to face a tablet that is lagging or faulty. Although these occurrences are rare, they do negatively affect your overall reputation.

Credit: Alex Green - Pexels

Customer service

According to reviews on TrustPilot, YourWelcome's customer service team is approachable and responsive. However, clients have also mentioned significant delays when a tablet is stolen or damaged. Reporting the situation and receiving a replacement can take days or even weeks, which can affect the experience of guests who don't have access to a tablet during their stay.

Overall effectiveness

Considering all the previously mentioned factors, the YourWelcome tablet might be more fitting for vacation rental companies with fewer units. Between handling several devices and making sure that each one is in an acceptable state, maintenance tasks can become increasingly time-consuming for property managers. Nonetheless, this product is innovative and dynamic for those in search of a hybrid communication model.

The best alternative to the YourWelcome tablet: RueBaRue

While being a reasonable option, having a physical tablet means that there's always a risk of the device going missing or being damaged. If you're managing over 50 different properties, keeping track of each tablet can become a job of its own.

Aside from the YourWelcome tablet, you've probably also compared Hostfully vs Touchstay vs RueBaRue . These are all powerful vacation rental tools that can streamline your communication processes and enhance your customer service. What makes them different from YourWelcome is that instead of an in-property tablet, guests can access digital guidebooks from their own devices, without having to download an app.

When it comes to guests, having remote access to a welcome book and area guide is a must. Instead of jotting down directions, codes, or the names of museums, your clients can comfortably look through information on their own phones no matter where they are. That said, for property managers looking for something more flexible, RueBaRue is a great alternative.

RueBaRue offers monthly and annual subscriptions with three types of plans: Starter (starting at $9.99 per month), Professional (starting at $79.90 per month), and Enterprise (pricing upon request). There are no setup or integration fees and what you pay depends on the number of properties you have.

The Starter plan includes:

• Digital guestbooks
• Local area guides
• SMS automation

The Professional and Enterprise plans include these features but also have:

• Extend Guest Stays
• Guest SMS messaging
• A dedicated SMS number
• Alerts
• Five-star guest reviews and surveys
• A guest dashboard
• An iPhone and Android app

Let's take a closer look at RueBaRue's main features and how your business can benefit from them.

Send automated emails and text messages

Automated messaging has never been easier. Instead of responding to frequently asked questions for each new booking or rewriting the same pre-arrival welcome message, RueBaRue provides a handy SMS and email automation system that maximizes productivity and impresses guests.

What stands out on this platform is that you can fully customize messages. You can edit existing vacation rental email templates , utilize macros to quickly personalize messages, and send out emergency alerts if needed.

Preview of RueBaRue's message scheduler

Send your digital welcome book via email and SMS

With RueBaRue's digital welcome books, guests can access everything they need for their trip right from their phone. The whole process is straightforward and user-friendly for even the least tech-savvy guests. Thanks to the Master Guide, property managers can use customizable templates and set up their welcome book in just a few hours.

To give you an idea, your digital guidebook can include:

• Arrival and departure information. Make use of this category to share detailed check-in and check-out instructions, both of which are useful for property managers implementing contactless check-in.
• Property information. A house manual is an opportunity to highlight any and all information that might help guests during their stay. You can add things like Wi-Fi codes, a list of the inventory, and instructions on how to use specific appliances.
• House rules. The best way to align expectations with guests is to emphasize the rules that should be followed in a clear and professional way.
• Safety information. List emergency contacts and ensure peace of mind for both you and your guests.
• Re-booking option. Offering a re-booking option in your guidebook is an effective way of increasing reservations and customer loyalty.

The options with RueBaRue are endless! Edit, remove, and add categories to fit each short-term rental and watch your guests enjoy their stay to the fullest.

Preview of RueBaRue's Master Property Guide

Create local area guides within minutes

Instead of making guests create their own itinerary for their trip, you can impress them with a complete destination guide. These insider tips on local services are priceless and exactly what a traveler needs for a memorable holiday.

RueBaRue uses a search algorithm to scan the internet for top-notch restaurants, activities, and essential services nearby. You can either keep the automatic area guide as is or you can customize it. This is especially helpful, for example, if you know you'll be hosting a family instead of a couple. While families might be more interested in kid-friendly activities, couples will probably not share the same criteria.

Preview of RueBaRue's destination guides

Increase your revenue stream by offering extended guest stays

Offering extended stays is an effortless way of generating additional revenue and filling gaps between bookings. With RueBaRue, the setup is a breeze. You can automate messages to notify guests about extending their trip and save money on housekeeping expenses.

Preview of RueBaRue's Extend Guest Stays calendar

Advantages of using RueBaRue

Along with the previously mentioned features comes a cascade of advantages. Using RueBaRue's digital guidebook for vacation rentals will result in:

Improved guest experience

One of the main advantages of using RueBaRue is that it's very practical for guests. As mentioned before, there's no need to download apps or scavenge around the Airbnb rental to find a tablet. Everything can be accessed directly from your guest's phone. This detail is especially important during a pandemic, as it reduces the spread of the virus and provides a more COVID-friendly environment.

Better reviews

A detailed guidebook doesn't just showcase your professionalism, it also improves the way a guest experiences and views their stay. A digital model like RueBaRue is ideal because the number of things that can go wrong during a trip drops significantly. We all know that satisfied guests mean even better vacation rental reviews so watch your five-star ratings grow as visitors are amazed by your attentiveness and first-class communication.

Increased efficiency

RueBaRue takes hours off your workload by increasing productivity. Instead of spending time on repetitive tasks, you can automate these processes from the comfort of your own home and provide an even better service than before.

More bookings

The result of all these advantages is yet another advantage—more bookings. With outstanding communication, guests are far more likely to recommend your property to their friends or even become loyal clients throughout the years. Furthermore, going digital with RueBaRue gives you a lot more space to improve your business. Instead of focusing on mundane tasks, you can analyze flaws within the business and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Here's what property managers say about RueBaRue

Online reviews speak volumes. In fact, most people trust the reviews they read online just as much as they would trust the words of a friend. Not only do you get a feel for people's genuine opinions, but you also get to see things from a variety of different perspectives.

According to Jeffrey P.'s review on Capterra , “RueBaRue's destination and property guidebooks can be as general or comprehensive as you need them to be. All the information is in one place... the arrival instructions, Wi-Fi info, lockbox codes, and any additional information they may need is at our guests' fingertips.” He concludes that “RueBaRue makes us look more professional than our competition and has given me back my time so that I can focus on our guests.”

Andy F. says that “RueBaRue has opened the door for us when communicating with guests! It is an easy-to-use product and has tremendously cut down on the questions that many guests have about the home and amenities, local attractions, and places to eat. Everything is right there in the property guides.”

The majority of clients leaving reviews mention that setting up their account is simple thanks to the RueBaRue team. They also say that the platform has helped them save time by drastically simplifying their workload.

The main takeaway

What makes RueBaRue stand out is that you can find everything you need for seamless guest communication in just one place. There's no need for apps or additional devices, making the whole process a lot easier for property managers to set up and for guests to use. At the end of the day, the future is digital and the sooner you become a part of this shift, the more your business will thrive!