Meet Paul Becker of Bluewater Vacation Homes in San Diego
Blue Water Vacation Homes
Location: San Diego, California
Website: BlueWaterVacationHomes.com
Quick Quote: “We quadrupled our reservations in our second year and I think that’s due to the presence our LiveRez website gave us."
Paul Becker of BlueWaterVacationHomes.com in San Diego loves his job.
He is overseeing a rapidly-growing company emerging as one of the top entities in his market. On top of that, he’s in a city he loves and he gets to manage some of the nicest properties in one of the most beautiful parts of the country.
What’s not to love?
“It’s pretty cool, actually,” Becker remarks. “It’s a lot of hard work, but if you have to work, it doesn’t get much better than coastal San Diego.
And that love is helping Becker and Bluewater grow. The company oversees dozens of properties in the area; a number that continues to grow monthly.
Becker, a native San Diegan, says Bluewater Vacation Homes was formed to fill the need for an innovative, reputable vacation management firm with exceptionally high standards for property owners.
“There was no top-of-mind brand in the vacation rental home industry here,” said Becker. “I got into the business to become the leader and the go-to company.”
Bluewater is making a name for itself by delivering a superior guest experience and generating health revenue for property owners by utilizing creative marketing strategies, with an unyielding focus on customer service.
“We don’t make our vacation home owners fit into our mold,” Becker explains, “we fit into theirs.” The company has a wide offering of properties for guests and services for property owners, including full and partial management of homes.
Becker and his team are very aware that details matter in the vacation rental industry, so they act accordingly. “We really take good care of our owner’s homes,” Becker says. “We are also proactive to our guests’ needs.”
Besides impeccable customer service and a love for the industry, how has Bluewater grown as an emerging entity for vacation rentals in the San Diego area? A lot of hard work and a little help from LiveRez. “We quadrupled our reservations in our second year and I think that’s due to the presence our LiveRez website gave us,” said Becker. “LiveRez gave BluewaterVacationHomes.com an instant presence and instant credibility on the web. Then it was up to us to deliver.”
Check out BluewaterVacationHomes.com’s LiveRez-powered website here!
Owners reports: just another tool in LiveRez tool shed
At LiveRez, we are dedicated to giving our partners the tools, programs, and help needed to be successful in the modern world of vacation rental management software.
Lest we boast, we've think we've done it again. Last week, staffers at LiveRez introduced an advanced owners report for your property owners.
With this new report, owners are able access this and other tools for owners through an owner login portal you provide as part of your LiveRez software. From there, owners can view all their past, present, and future bookings in one easy-to-view page.
Casey Riley, Vice President of Development at LiveRez, is pleased to be able to offer this tool to partners. "We are excited about this report," said Riley. "It’s a great addition to the owners portal and will give our partners owners the ability to look into all of their current and future bookings."
For more information on LiveRez Vacation Rental Software and the myriad tools offered to help property managers, visit the LiveRez website here.
SkiColoradoVacationRentals.com: a model of customer service
Ski Colorado Vacation Rentals
Location: Breckenridge, Colorado
Website: SkiColoradoVacationRentals.com
Quick Quote: “LiveRez has definitely helped me increase my reservations.”
Laura Fisher is very into customer service.
No, really.
While many managers in the vacation rental industry say they are dedicated to meeting guest needs, Fischer takes things to the next level. "I sleep with my phone," said Fisher. "It's true."
And her guests have taken advantage of that on occasion. “I once had a guest call me at midnight asking where to get a sandwich,” recalled Fisher.
While some property managers use a hands-off approach in the industry, Fisher goes in the opposite direction to aid guests with any problems that arise during vacations. “I try to be a person and not some big company,” said Fisher. “I am personally involved so much. It’s all about the people.”
Fisher’s passion for her work shines through when she speaks about her venture, which was not a life path she thought she would take. “It was never our intention to have a real estate management business,” said Fisher. She started out six years ago with just two properties and has grown into a management company with 26.
That growth could be attributed to two factors: Fisher’s love for her owners and guests and her partnership with LiveRez.
Fisher says her interaction with guests and owners is her favorite part of the job. “I absolutely love it,” she explains. “I get to deal with people from all around the world every day.”
She has similar things to say about her relationship with LiveRez.
As part of her pledge of incredible customer service to her owners and guests, Fisher works with LiveRez to simplify the booking process and provide easy access to her properties online. It seems that her decision to go with LiveRez is paying off. “I get many, many compliments on my website,” she said.
The website, Fisher notes, is helping her get more bookings. “LiveRez has definitely helped me increase my reservations,” she said.
The platform provided by LiveRez, she says, is not only easy for guests to use, but very capable for her as the property manager. “It hands-down does more than every other software I used,” Fisher said. “LiveRez offers so many tools that help our company be successful.”
Check out the LiveRez-powered SkiColoradoVacationRentals.com website here!
Vantage Resort Realty: A LiveRez Partner Paying Attention to the Small Details
Vantage Resort Realty of Maryland
Location: Ocean City, Maryland and surrounding areas
Website: VantageOceanCity.com
Units: About 500
Quick Quote: "LiveRez has definitely helped me increase my reservations."
Interesting Stat: Vantage bookings have increased 350 percent with help from LiveRez.
The little things mean a lot to Brooke Pfautz, manager of Vantage Resort Realty of Maryland. He believes attention to detail is important in the travel industry and that’s why he goes out of his way to offer Vantage guests perks they don’t find anywhere else.
“We have a free concierge service, linens like fine hotels, and a business center for guests in our office building,” said Pfautz, who believes these small – but important – amenities set his rental properties apart from others in the Ocean City, Maryland area. Vantage even offers free gym memberships to guests.
Pfautz helped build the company from nothing three years ago to a venture that manages about 500 properties by paying attention to detail and continuously meeting guest needs.
His company even guarantees guests have a true vacation experience, despite what mother nature might hold in store. Vantage’s “Sunny Days” guarantee program issues $500 credits to travelers who stay in one of its properties and experience rain four days in a row. That is an offer not found many places in the travel industry, but Pfautz believes that’s why the rental experience he offers can’t be matched in his market.
“I realized I had to do something different,” he explained. “I couldn’t do things like everyone else.”
Vantage pays attention to even the smallest details. To give potential guests a detailed view of properties, Fautz pays a professional photographer to take pictures of his rentals. “They say a picture is worth a thousand words and it’s so true,” Pfautz said.
Though he has been one of the primary drivers behind Vantage’s success, he has had help. Vantage utilizes vacation rental software supplied by LiveRez, which he says has helped make bookings easier for customers. “It’s easy to use for reservations,” said Pfautz. “It’s pretty seemless.”
But he had choices in deciding what software would help him build his business. Pfautz said he checked out several vacation rental software companies before deciding on LiveRez.
So what was the deciding factor? LiveRez partner reviews. When talking with a consultant at LiveRez, Pfautz asked for contact information for three other vacation rental companies utilizing the software platform. After calling the three partners, Pfautz admitted he was “shocked” LiveRez partners only had good things to say about the experiences.
“I was not expecting that,” Fautz said. 
Pfautz is satisfied with the decision he made to partner with LiveRez. “It was a good decision,” he said. He acknowledges that LiveRez has been one factor in increasing his reservations 350 percent in the past twelve months. “LiveRez has definitely helped me increase my reservations,” he concluded.
By paying attention to detail and exceeding guest expectations, Pfautz and Vantage Resort Realty of Maryland have proved that little things do matter. “We went from an idea on the back of a napkin to the No. 2 player in our market,” he explained.
LiveRez Webinar Series Begins Again!
The LiveRez Webinar Series is going to get started again starting on January 26th, 2011. LiveRez will be putting on monthly industry webinars that discuss topics aimed to help vacation rental property managers. Topics can include items like SEO, Best Practices, Industry Trends and more.
The First topic in the 2011 webinar series will be: 7 things that every vacation property manager can do to get more bookings. 
This Webinar will be present on January 26th, 2011 @ 12 pm MDT.
In the brief Webinar we will discuss tools and tips to help a Vacation Rental Manager Get more bookings. We will cover topics that included SEO, Website Conversion, Social Networking and more.
Register for free here:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/861366283
Learn More about our Vacation Rental Software at www.LiveRez.com
Proctor Management Featured in Santa Fe New Mexican
LiveRez is proud to announce that one of our property manager partners Proctor Management was recently featured in the Santa Fe New Mexican News Site. The full article can be read at http://www.santafenewmexican.com/business/On-her-own-again .
The website for Proctor Management can be viewed at: http://www.adobedestinations.com/
Come Find Out For about LiveRez Vacation Rental Software:
Thanks
Tyler
A Thank You to the VRMA
We just returned home from another successful VRMA Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. The first thing that ought to be mentioned is the superior job of the VRMA and their staff. Event after event they continually impress. The trainings, the showcase and the meetings were superior again. Congratulations are also in order for Leigh Clarke the newest member of the VRMA Board of directors. Our team again caught a lot of attention not only due to our great Vacation Rental Software but also our "Authentic" Cowboy outfits.
Tracy Lotz Addreseses the VRMA:
Another Highlight of the VRMA Conference was the remarks of LiveRez CEO Tracy Lotz:
SUPPORT THE SWITCH
Another part of the Show was the open discussion and excited about the upcoming VRMA Switch. In a Previous blog post written by
Tracy Lotz, LiveRez full support the VRMA and the upcoming switch. He wrote that it is the plan of LiveRez to:
"Solidify our support of the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA). We have assumed the Gold Sponsorship recently dropped by Instant Software and will announce our support of the VRMA data switch and partnership with Pegasus next week. We believe VRMA best represents the near term interests of the independent vacation rental manager, and has the best long term vision for developing the overall managed property market. We intend to be an active, and productive ally."
LiveRez also showed their support by giving away and sporting black and red "Support the Switch" shirts.
Finally thank you for all of the those who stopped by to visit. Thank you to our partners! We had a great and it was a pleasure to work with all of you.
Tyler Hurst
LiveRez www.LiveRez.com
LiveRez,VRMA and Industry Update
There has been considerable activity in our space the last month with the acquisition of Instant Software and Escapia.
As founder and CEO of LiveRez, I feel it is important to reach out to our 400+ and growing partner network and share the plans for LiveRez. They are:
• Continue to develop the leading SaaS (Software as a Service) application in the vacation rental industry. Our growth has been fueled by our product quality and the strong relationships we are forging with quality property managers. Casey Riley, has recently joined our team to drive Product Development and Customer Implementation. Casey comes to us with deep experience in internet applications.
• Solidify our support of the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA). We have assumed the Gold Sponsorship recently dropped by Instant Software and will announce our support of the VRMA data switch and partnership with Pegasus next week. We believe VRMA best represents the near term interests of the independent vacation rental manager, and has the best long term vision for developing the overall managed property market. We intend to be an active, and productive ally.
• Fully develop our “triangle” strategy. First, this involves continual improvement of the LiveRez software solution, making our partners businesses more efficient and profitable. Second we will capitalize on the partner benefits that are inherent in the LiveRez Network. Third, LiveRez will enhance incremental revenue for each partner via the distribution strategies that are underway, including RezSecure and the VRMA switch project.
• Continue to develop our partner strategy and thereby strengthen the network of vacation rental managers using LiveRez. A stronger network will equal new opportunities with major travel players and service providers interested in the space.
The bottom line: LiveRez is not for sale. Our business has been built by individuals and customer partners with deep roots in the vacation rental space. It is our collective belief that there is an important need and a significant economic opportunity for an independent, web centric VRM platform.
Protect your brand. Protect your data. Protect your future.
We head to VRMA this weekend. I look forward to seeing many of you there.
Warmest Regards,
Tracy Lotz
CEO
LiveRez.com inc.
LiveRez New Gold Sponsor for Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LiveRez New Gold Sponsor for Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA)
LiveRez secures sponsorship for bookings software as part of expanded partnership with VRMA and its network of independent vacation rental managers.
October 12, 2010, Boise, Idaho – LiveRez, the innovator of both the “pay-as-you-book” pricing and Software as a Service (SaaS) bookings solutions has taken another step in category leadership by becoming the exclusive Gold Sponsor in the technology space for the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA). This action will facilitate a set of important initiatives with the VRMA designed to help property managers protect their brands (when distributing properties on the internet), and retain ownership of their customer data and relationships.
"LiveRez has always been an important part of the VRMA family and organization. They have really stepped up to the plate with their new Gold Sponsorship, further supporting the efforts of the VRMA to be ‘The trusted voice of the professionally managed vacation rental industry’. Thanks to Tracy Lotz and all of LiveRez for their continuing support in this time of transition in our industry”, said.Alex Risser, VRMA President.
“Our time has come to step it up in the Vacation Rental industry,” says Tracy Lotz, CEO of LiveRez, “ Both HomeAway and Expedia through Trip Advisor are putting a tremendous amount of resources into marketing vacation rentals and we feel that our Gold Sponsorship of the VRMA solidifies our commitment as an independent partner of the Professional Vacation Rental Manager.”
As a Gold Sponsor of VRMA, LiveRez plans to support the growth of the VRMA membership, help educate the property management community on building bookings online, and push for industry distribution strategies and technology that reach the traveler searching online, without interrupting the brand relationship between the consumer and the property manager.
About LiveRez
LiveRez is a complete, online, vacation rental property management solution, focused on making vacation rental property managers fully operational online and thereby increasing bookings. LiveRez.com offers best-in-class rapid websites, an online booking engine an end-to-end property management system, online marketing services, and a unique “Pay-As-You-Book” approach which provides a mutually beneficial partnership between LiveRez and its vacation rental managers partners.
LiveRez will be exhibiting at the national VRMA conference in San Antonio, Oct 31-Nov 3. Contact: Tracy Lotz, 1-208-639-6105 , t.lotz@liverez.com.
LiveRez Partner Featured in Seattle Times: “Seabrook’s Story Takes Center Stage”
Seabrook's Story Takes Center Stage
The Seattle Times - Seattle's most read daily newspaper - highlights
Seabrook's success story as an anomaly in a struggling real estate market.
Click to read Sunday's Seattle Times Seabrook article in full!
View Their LiveRez Website: http://www.seabrookcottagerentals.com/
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