Being a community project, together as a group we are much more powerful than trying to do it alone. In this post we try to answer frequently asked questions about Houfy.

What makes Houfy different compared to OTA's and other marketplaces online?

Unlike the larger OTA's (Online Travel Agencies - Homeaway, Expedia, Airbnb, Booking) Houfy does NOT receive percentage commissions on transactions between its members (Guests & Hosts)

Houfy' mission is to disrupt the current systems in place by offering hosts a platform for free (excl. 1 time host verification fee) for basic listings or for a small fee per month for Lite or Premium listings.

Who is funding Houfy & will Houfy raise funds in the future?

Thijs H. Aaftink. We can finance Houfy for the foreseeable future and do not plan to raise any funds.

I am not getting any bookings? What am I doing wrong?

Please be advised Houfy does NOT market your property. We simply do NOT have the funds for this. Houfy is a rapidly growing community of mostly homeowners who wish to book direct and connect direct with their guests to save on inflated service fees.

  • Review your listing name and description
  • Check your pictures & quality
  • Check your pricing. Is this updated?
  • Check your calendar. Did you correctly sync with other platforms?
  • Is your Houfy listing completed and active on the advertising platform?
  • Connect to stripe or square and start accepting direct payments online
  • Research Houfy collections and posts. Start writing and sharing local information with your family/friends/previous guests
  • Connect your Houfy listing on Google maps
  • Use the Houfy widgets for your own website
  • Study the owners who get bookings!
  • MARKET YOUR HOUFY LISTING(S) ONLINE - in Facebook Groups etc.

How will Houfy earn money?

Houfy will earn money in the future by selling advertising, services and licenses. Some examples:

  • Freemium subscription model: Basic listings will be FREE (excl. 1 time host verification fee) and Lite & Premium listings will pay a pay a small fee per month for additional services (Website builder tools & Widgets for example)
  • Advertising: Owners/managers/agents will be able to create ads or promotions for marketing purposes, special discounts, last minutes etc. (Think Facebook ads)
  • Designated advertising options on our website - Think Facebook & Google are free. (Both receive most of their income from "ads")
  • Powered by Houfy marketplaces - Houfy would receive a fraction for providing the platform. (Family Friendly/Pet Friendly/Rentals by owners/Niche sites - Kite Surf/Ski/Cycling & Destination sites)

Please be advised we are testing with some of the above.

Will Houfy add more PMS/Channel managers to the system?

Yes. Please be patient with us.

Will Houfy add price synchronization with OTA's?

We are currently connected to pricelabs. For more information please click here.

Airbnb Price Sync has just been connected.

Will we be able to add our Hotels & B&B's and multi-room listings to Houfy?

Not yet, we plan to program this in soon - This requires additional pricing options/calendars and pictures for separate rooms. You could of course always list one room on Houfy. Once our system is ready we will inform.

For Sale by Owner/Home-exchange/Long term rentals/etc.

We will focus on these marketplaces in the future.

Other Payment systems?

We believe the direct payments industry is developing rapidly (Apple Pay and many others). We will carefully roll out other ways for accepting payments. (Currently we only use Stripe & Square) Transferwise and PayPal are up on our list.

Languages?

Yes, Spanish/French/Italian/German - we will add once further in development.

Houfy App?

We will look at this later in the future. Houfy is currently mobile firendly.

Join our Facebook groups:

Our Facebook Member Group is currently the quickest way to receive customer service/tech support. Also receive the latest insights and updates. Houfy uses powerful programs which can easily be changed to any of your wishes/suggestions.

Join our Houfy Vacation rentals Group to advertise your availability to travelers or post ISO (in search of) requests.

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