Try these smart tools to automate your holiday rentals

Throughout 2025, successful short-term rental hosts are acting more like tech-savvy operators, using automation to stay organised and competitive. The right smart tools for holiday rental management can simplify your daily workload, reduce errors, and help you deliver a better guest experience, whether you manage one property or multiple listings.

For dynamic pricing: Beyond 

Beyond utilises a dynamic pricing algorithm that adjusts nightly rates for short-term rentals based on market demand, seasonality, local events, and other factors. It analyses over a billion data points to optimise pricing for each listing, automatically publishing fresh prices to Airbnb, Vrbo, and major PMSs daily. 

Its Market Insights dashboard flags rate gaps and suggests a custom base price, while “Health Score” reports show how each listing performs against the suburb median.

Best for:

• Portfolio hosts who want nightly rates updated automatically, and visible uplift reports to prove the value.
• Managers who need event-aware pricing that captures spikes (e.g., Taylor Swift concerts, school holidays) without manual tweaks.
• Hosts with one or a couple listings and are looking to save time and increase profits.

For turnover scheduling and cleaner coordination: Breezeway, Homhero, & Resly PMS

Breezeway

Breezeway is a popular property management software for short-term rentals that automates cleaning schedules and inspections for vacation rentals. Its property-readiness scorecard logs every linen swap, smoke-alarm test, and maintenance issue, creating a shareable history for owners or insurance claims.

Best for:

• Multi-property operators who juggle several cleaners and want instant “unit ready” confirmation.
• Hosts seeking a documented audit trail - useful for damage disputes or regulatory inspections.

Homhero

Homhero is an Australian-built platform that centralises STR operations, from cleaner coordination to trust accounting and channel management. It’s built for end-to-end holiday rental workflows. 

Best for:

• Local agencies that need Airbnb, Booking.com, and Stayz feeds, plus automatic owner payouts.
•  Managers who must meet strict NSW/VIC trust-account audits without exporting data to multiple systems.

Resly

Specifically built for management rights and holiday letting, Resly combines the latest technology and simplified trust accounting, wrapped up in one intuitive and easy to use software system.

Best for:

• Best for Australian property managers and management rights operators needing trust accounting compliance.
• Ideal for small hotels and holiday rentals wanting an all-in-one PMS with automation and direct bookings.

For guest messaging automation: Hospitable

Hospitable’s AI scans every inquiry and sends a context-aware reply in under 60 seconds, covering 90% of guest questions. It also syncs calendars, auto-posts review requests, and can trigger keypad codes via Nuki or Yale integrations.

Best for:

• Solo hosts who can’t monitor their phone 24/7 but still need instant, personalised replies.
• Small teams that value using AI for property management tasks and want a single inbox that merges Airbnb, Vrbo, and direct-booking email threads.

For automated bookkeeping: Xero and Hometown Sync

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Xero

Xero pulls bank feeds daily, tags each transaction to a specific property via tracking categories, and files GST/BAS in a few clicks. Add-ons like Bnbtally automatically post Airbnb payouts as split invoices (rent, cleaning, guest fees).                   

Best for:

• Hosts who need audit-ready, property-level P&Ls without spreadsheets.
• Managers who must lodge quarterly GST or trust account statements and want one-click accountant access

Hometime Sync

Built by Australia’s largest co-host network, Hometime Sync aggregates Airbnb and Vrbo calendars and tracks revenue share for each property owner. A live dashboard shows cleaner status, upcoming payouts, and occupancy forecasts.

Best for:

• Co-hosts or boutique agencies that split revenue with owners and need transparent, automated statements
• Teams that want guest comms, housekeeping, and payment processing in one locally supported platform

For digital guest guides and upsells: Touch Stay

This is one of the most practical short-stay property tech tools for reducing repetitive guest queries. It lets hosts build a digital guidebook, accessible via QR code or link, that covers house rules, check-in steps, Wi-Fi, appliance how-tos, and personalised local tips.

Best for: Hosts who want to cut down on guest messaging by answering common questions in advance

For other home automation tools

Beyond the tools listed above, there are several other smart home technologies and gadgets that can boost efficiency and protection for your holiday rental:

Smart locks: Yale Assure, Nuki

These STR-ready locks generate offline PINs for guests, which is ideal for rural or unhosted properties. They streamline key handovers, a smart first step in how to automate rental property management.

Noise and occupancy monitoring: Minut

This tool helps hosts comply with privacy laws while detecting loud noise or crowding. It’s vital in sensitive areas like Byron Bay and offers peace of mind without breaching guest privacy.

Smart climate control: Sensibo

Sensibo works with existing split systems, allowing remote control and eco-limits. If you want to try out AI for rental properties, this tool is a great pick and will help minimise utility costs during unoccupied hours.

Smart lights: Philips Hue or LIFX

Guests can use apps or voice control to adjust lighting. These tools improve check-in comfort and energy efficiency, which is essential for short stays and remote management.

CO2 / Smoke alarms: Google Nest Protect

Real-time alerts and spoken warnings support guest safety and help meet NSW fire compliance. It’s a small but vital upgrade for automated risk reduction.

How to choose the right tools for your property

The right tools should save you time, boost bookings, and simplify management. Here's how to choose wisely:

• Match your hosting style – whether you’re onsite (hosted) or managing remotely (unhosted).
• Scale with your portfolio – from single listings to multi-property operations.
• Fit your budget – balance upfront costs with long-term time savings.
• Integrate smoothly – check compatibility with your booking platforms or PMS.
• Respect compliance and privacy, especially when using smart locks or AI-powered tools.

Now that you know how to automate rental property management, you want to combine tools that cover pricing, communication, operations, and guest experience to simplify your workflow and grow sustainably.

How you can work less and earn more

Smart tools can turn your holiday rental into a near-passive income stream by automating everyday tasks like pricing, guest messaging, and turnovers. Even starting small, automating just one or two key areas can save hours each week and reduce stress.

The real power lies in using data-driven tools like Beyond to optimise your pricing strategy. Our dynamic pricing system adjusts rates in real time to reflect market trends, helping you boost occupancy and revenue.

Sign up with Beyond’s free listing analyser tool today to start your automation journey with smart pricing, the core of any effective vacation rental automation system.

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