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Kigo Partner Q&A with SUPERHOG

by: Tim Blackwell

We are excited to announce SUPERHOG as an official partner for our Kigo clients! Learn more about SUPERHOG in our Q&A with Co-founder Leo Walton below.

Tell us a bit about SUPERHOG

We created SUPERHOG to try and remove the number one concern that people have with using short-term rentals- trusting strangers.

Using unique real-time information on properties, hosts, and guests within the short-term rental sector, we can protect bookings with a £1m guarantee, and our virtual deposit.

Our main goals include reducing incidents of damage, streamlining guest verification processes and creating new revenue streams for property management businesses.

Why do professional property managers need your services?

As the recent rise in Covid-19 house parties shows, the risks are high when it comes to short-term rental (STR) bookings. Incidents of damage are not only expensive to rectify, but also erode the hard-won trust built up with owners and in the industry more widely; it essentially puts the brakes on growth.

A huge barrier to participation in the STR market is trust. Guests worry that the listing will be fake (unfortunately 1 in 50 are) or the home turns out to have been misrepresented/falsely advertised, with hosts terrified that guests will damage their homes.

Every SUPERHOG booking between members comes with our virtual deposit – so you can wave goodbye to costly and time-consuming transfers and focus on things that really matter, like increasing your booking conversion.

How can SUPERHOG help?

SUPERHOG actively maps the STR landscape by combining damage and liability guarantees with guest verification and property certification software so we can reduce risk and provide a financial safety net.

By working with us, you can get ahead of the problem and have a strategy for any potential risk. This becomes a marketing opportunity- you can tell the world how you are dealing with the issue of trust and security, whilst impressing prospective new hosts and partners.

The SUPERHOG property certification stamp (which gets added to all our verified property listings) helps to provide guests with that extra confidence when booking that the property is real and is exactly as it is advertised.

How can using SUPERHOG help grow your business?

We provide:

  • Protection against property damage and liability
  • Increase conversion through Virtual Deposits
  • Create a new revenue stream
  • Provide marketing opportunities about trust and safety

You can find out more by visiting our for business page.

2020 has been a challenging year so far in the vacation and corporate travel world; how have you seen Property Managers adapt?

Firstly, I must say how impressed I’ve been with the energy and enthusiasm shown by the whole industry to adapt and grow in challenging circumstances.

There are two important ways I have seen PMs adapt- first is the type of bookings being taken. This has led to many PMs opening up new distribution channels and even venturing into the world of direct bookings.

The second is the type of properties being taken. This might be in the form of location; so urban businesses moving into the rural and coastal arena, or in houses and blocks being renovated to create smaller units more appropriate for couples’ trips and local corporate bookings.

Do you think the demand for having booking protection will change post-pandemic and why?

I think the need to have bookings protected is even more in the spotlight because of the pandemic, as previously mentioned, particularly in relation to the recent rise in party bookings.

I believe in the post-pandemic world STR bookings will be profitable at the expense of hotels, and this will mean more protection will be needed with hosts and guests needing greater reassurances.

Also, it probably goes without saying but the face-to-face check-in is definitely now a thing of the past, so hosts and property managers will need a Guest ID software in place (SUPERHOG) to help with this.

What's the best advice you can give in 2020 related to our industry?

Do not rely on the same old booking channels!

Explore your options, find new ones and try to increase your direct traffic. It will help you navigate the rough waters of 2020, but it will also mean you have to create a strategy to combat risk, as more bookings means less time for you to check guests and properties… this is where we can help.

How can I get started with SUPERHOG?

Contact your Kigo Account Manager or send an email to [email protected] and we will get you up and running!

Ventas