Short-term rentals: How KeyNest have supported GuestReady through their global growth
Launched in 2016, GuestReady Group is an award-winning global leading short and mid-term rental company that provides quality management services to property owners and amazing stays to guests. It currently operates in 50+ cities across the United Kingdom, France, Portugal and Spain, as well as in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Its mission is to help owners save time and turn their investments into a profitable source of income by using technology to bring the tradition of hospitality to the short and medium let market.
It is present across several booking platforms, including its own direct booking website, and has its own state-of-the-art PMS, RentalReady - which includes game-changing features such as listing management, guest and host communication, housekeeping planning, pricing optimisation and channel management. With a TrustPilot score of 4.8/5, it’s the preferred choice of 4,000+ properties all over the world.
Dependable Check-In Solutions
“Originally, when the business started, we used to do the check-ins, in person. It worked well, but because the company grew rapidly, and expanded quickly, it became unsustainable to continue to stick to an operationally-heavy solution like this. We have also tried lockboxes but found out that there’s an issue with key status tracking, and key accountability.
We needed a solution that would help us maintain high-quality experiences for our guests, but at the same time, could grow with us and support our expansion plans as a short term rental management company. That’s how we encountered KeyNest”.
- says Nazreeen Jamaludin, UK Operations Team Lead at GuestReady.
API integration working with Operations
The rapid growth that GuestReady faced meant that they used KeyNest in the early stages of the company. Since then, guests and agents have been able to conveniently collect keys to the property at a nearby KeyNest Point - usually a 24/7 convenience store or cafe. With everything managed online, it provides a clear overview of the operations behind the key exchange.
GuestReady’s use of the API integration system has seamlessly assisted in their key coordination process. The system has centralised the way in which guests and contractors are able to check-in and pick up keys with the automated code creations and instructions.
With KeyNest, GuestReady’s operations team has a full live overview of all the keys status’ and information about time and location stamps during the key exchange. This helps to eliminate the issue of missing keys.
“Thanks to the shared API, we don’t have to manually book and set up key collections. It’s all done automatically at scale, so our operations team can now shift their focus elsewhere. We fully trust KeyNest to handle the keys.”
- adds Nazreen
Keeping the Guests in the Loop
GuestReady made full use of the new KeyNest features, like Magic Links. Magic Links are automatically sent to the guests who're going to pick up the keys, and displays the live status of the keys in an email. In the email they are also able to see whether they’re available for pick up, and a countdown to the time when the key will be available.
It also serves as a source of all the information they need for the pick up. This helps to explain the process to guests and keeps them informed on their keys’ status, and reduces the number of calls or messages GuestReady would normally receive.
The Importance of 24/7 Customer Service
In hospitality, since it’s a people’s business, unexpected things happen and it’s important to react fast, solve problems quickly, and deliver the best quality of experience for both owners and guests. GuestReady, being a brand focused on creating perfect experiences, were specific about delivering smooth check-ins and key drop-offs for every person involved.
KeyNest’s customer service is available 24/7 and in multiple languages, creating a dependable “safety net” for any key-related issue. It complements GuestReady's operating hours: as they service check-ins and key drop-offs in the early morning and late-night.
Nazreen explains:
“I know I can rely on KeyNest whenever there’s an issue: sometimes it’s really just about helping a guest communicate with the shopkeeper in a local language, other times it’s about assisting in locating a KeyNest Point. When I give KeyNest a call asking for someone’s details on a case, they get back to me, usually within minutes with a full overview of the situation. KeyNest team is extremely helpful - and always so nice to speak with”.
A Reliable Expansion Partner
GuestReady is actively expanding its operations and opening services in new countries and new cities. Already present in over 50 cities in Europe and the Middle East, including world tourism capitals such as London, Paris, Lisbon, and Dubai. GuestReady has recently launched its presence in Spain.
“Whenever I am tasked with setting up operations in new locations, I give Jalal (KeyNest Operations Manager) a call. We check if KeyNest already has any Points available nearby, and if not, Jalal organises new Points to open - within a couple of days I get a message with information about the locations opened just for us. KeyNest became a fully dependable expansion partner for our operations.
It’s great support for our expansion efforts - if not for KeyNest, we would have to set up a full on-site team in the given location (which is costly), or use lockboxes, which, as we know, may potentially lead to mistakes and less-than-perfect guest experiences. “
GuestReady also operates in France, learn more about how they use KeyNest here
Find out more about KeyNest’s services for Property Managers here.