Vacation Rental Management Lessons Learned from Star Trek

This September marked the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, the science fiction entertainment franchise that captured the imagination of a generation and, according to some, altered the course of tech innovation forever.

On this golden anniversary of the original series, it seems a good time to take a look at what vacation rental managers can learn from the iconic show.

What vacation rental management lessons are woven into the fabric of Star Trek?

What can these two teach you about vacation rental management?

Lesson One: Lead from a Central Command Post

No one can deny that Captain Kirk runs the Enterprise like a boss. Whether he is fighting off the lizard-like Gorn or negotiating peace treaties with the Organians, Kirk handles management issues with considerable ingenuity. Once Kirk sits down in that Captain's chair with all the nifty buttons, he can handle anything that comes along, be it an internal issue or an external one.

How can you do the same? While you may not have a cool command chair like Kirk's, our channel manager allows you to seamlessly coordinate your listings and bookings across multiple partner platforms.

The Kigo dashboard is your go-to destination for handling everything from a centralized location. Captain Kirk would be proud.

Lesson Two: Use Intelligence to Succeed

While Kirk embraces a human streak of sheer moxie, Mr. Spock prefers the cool, logical approach. His reliance on data and his ability to see patterns and trends help his Captain and his shipmates stay on the winning side time after time.

What does this teach vacation rental managers? Success depends on understanding the environment in which you operate and making adjustments as necessary.

Our revenue management software helps you do just that. By constantly analyzing market conditions and enabling dynamic pricing, Kigo helps leverage market intelligence to keep your prices competitive and occupancy rates high.

Check out this demo on how revenue management works.

Lesson Three: Remember the Importance of the Human Touch

There are a lot of things Dr. McCoy is not, as he loudly proclaims given the chance. He is not a bricklayer, a moon-shuttle conductor, an escalator, a mechanic, or an engineer. He is a doctor. Perhaps more importantly, however, he is gloriously human. Regardless of whether things are going well or going poorly, McCoy understands the importance of making human contact.

What is the lesson? For vacation rental managers, the way to ensure repeat bookings all boils down to building a rapport with your guests.

How does Kigo help with that? Our email templates make it easy to respond to inquiries and keep the lines of communication open with your guests. And a contact center ensures that your guests have access to human operators even when your office is closed and you are enjoying time at home with your family.

Lesson Four: Use the Right Tools for the Job

Then there is Mr. Scott, who keeps the Enterprise functioning as it should even when things go awry. He always has the tools needed to get the job done and he takes pride in the beauty of the technology he embraces.

Vacation rental management companies can take a page out of Mr. Scott's book by embracing state-of-the-art technology. Kigo's reservation management software is designed exclusively for vacation rental managers. It is not merely booking software, nor is it a thinly veiled copy of hotel booking software.