We visited Patricija Stipčević, the owner of Lavandula apartments in Zadar, to tell us their story and how PMS and channel manager were crucial to accomplishing their vacation rental goals.
How did you start doing this job? How did it all begin?
Our story started very spontaneously. At that time, the trend of going into the tourism business started to rise. The market situation changed quite a bit when big airlines began flying to Zadar, and the number of passengers increased significantly. This made us think about starting our property business, too, and that’s how it all started.
In the beginning, we did not have any experience in property management. But, if you have a power of will, you can succeed. I worked on basically everything – reception, organization, management, communication with OTAs, sales. That’s how it always is in the beginning, especially if it’s your business and you want it to succeed.
How does Rentlio help you achieve success? What results are you getting?
Rentlio helped us a lot. We have eight accommodation units that we manage. It was very stressful to manage all of it, keep everything under control—manually close sales channels, etc. Since we started using Rentlio, business leveled up, and we started working much more efficiently. Before, it would take us at least 10 minutes per reservation. Now, Rentlio does it all for us, and guests are much happier.
Occupancy levels in Lavandula support our success story. To achieve full occupancy in July or August in Zadar is not that hard, but to have 85% occupancy in June and September or 75% occupancy in April and October – now that is a challenge and shows that we are doing the right thing.
What are your favorite features that Rentlio offers?
Guest login to the eVisitor system is the feature I would stress before any other. It eases the job for our girls on the reception tremendously. We are also happy with email templates – reservation confirmations, thank you notes, etc. Before, we would do that manually, and now Rentlio does it for us.
Rentlio Dashboard is excellent for an overview of the vital information that keeps your rental business going – including the number of incoming, current, and past reservations.
What is success to you when it comes to tourism?
Shortly – to ensure full occupancy, have satisfied guests, and keep your standards and goals.
What have you learned about yourself in your journey to success in tourism?
I have learned that I should always keep investing in myself. That was the key to success for me so far. It’s crucial – always to give your maximum, approach every guest individually, follow global trends, and implement them to your business. Willingness to adapt is a big part of success too. For example, you can do it through check-in automatization or by offering personalized breakfast to keep your guests happy.
