Vanessa De Souza Lage is one of the most recognizable faces in the vacation rental industry. A tireless industry maven, she’s co-founded channel manager Rentals United and created VrTech, the vacation rental technology community. If you attend the 2021 edition of the Vacation Rental World Summit, you’ll get a chance to meet her, to hear about Rentals United’s new forays, and to vote for the best vacation rental startup of the year as the finale of the VrTech competition will be taking place at VRWS.
Interview: Vanessa de Souza Lage on what you will learn at VRWS 2021
Vanessa is the co-founder of Rentals United. It is a channel manager, a platform for vacation rental distribution. It is not a property management system. The company connects to about 60 property management systems (PMSs) to around the world. On the listing site side, Rentals United connects to large OTAs as well as to a long list of niche websites. The company is a premium partner to the likes of Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo. Thanks to the quality of their connection, they deliver faster and better bookings to property managers.
Vanessa and her Rentals United team attend most of the industry’s events. Yet, she says that VRWS is her favorite. First, Antonio Bortolotti, the organizer, always picks amazing locations, such as Annecy, France, this year. Second, it feels like traveling with a group of acquaintances, given the close-knit format. We are together in a wonderful place, we eat together, go out, discuss the industry. It feels like a family.
In terms of takeaways, this is hyper-connected environment is invaluable. For the first time, Vanessa and Rentals United will be sharing a lot of data about the industry. The company will be unveiling a new product, called Data Studio, which enables users to analyze data such as booking windows and pickup levels.
Vanessa will also cover the latest channels that Rentals United integrates, such as Marriott Homes & Villas. The company has also improved its connection to Google Vacation Rentals, allowing property managers to display their brands straight on Google Travel and then redirect traffic to their own websites. It is a great option at the moment, as it is free of charge.
VrTech competition finalists: Rented.com, Vintory, and Turbosuite
Vanessa is looking forward to talking to property managers face-to-face to hear about their most pressing challenges and help get them solved. Another way by which she supports the industry is with VrTech. It is a community of people interested in vacation rental technology. With her team, she features these tech vendors on the VrTech website, let them introduce themselves in videos, and gives them exposure through the VrTech competition.
This year, the VrTech jury had to look at 20 entries. The 3 finalists who will be presenting at VRWS are:
- Rented.com, a vacation rental revenue management software company. It helps property managers optimise their portfolios with sophisticated pricing and revenue management tools.
- Vintory, the first and only CRM and sales and marketing automation platform designed exclusively for vacation rental managers.
- and Turbosuite, a SaaS tool that allows property managers to optimise their pricing and distribution strategy. It uses Big Data to provide reliable predictions that help to increase bookings and revenue.
