On April 24, 2024, we updated the app's URL and implemented a new in-app sidebar menu to enhance user experience. Over the past year, OwnerRez gradually introduced changes in preparation for this major update. During the rest of the year, we will make other design changes to enhance the user experience further. We will document those changes here as they are released.
Due to the new design, many support articles and videos in the OwnerRez Support Center have outdated screenshots. We are aware and are working to update these as soon as possible.
What hasn't changed?
While the sidebar, top, and profile menus have been moved or look dramatically different, the app pages have remained the same (for now).
What's changed?
OwnerRez moved much of the top menu to a new sidebar menu on the left. This sidebar includes many previous top menu items along with some new additions. The top menu now features simplified icons, and some menu locations have been moved for more straightforward navigation. Here's how the new OwnerRez layout looks.
The app's URL was also updated. Let's review all of these changes one by one.
New URL
New look, new URL! We've changed the app's URL (i.e., subdomain) from secure.ownerrez.com to app.ownerrez.com.
Why change the URL? All OwnerRez site pages are secure, so having "secure" in the URL is redundant. Many apps use "app." in their URL to let users know they are in the main application, so we wanted to do the same thing. If muscle memory still causes you to type in secure.ownerrez.com, you will be redirected to app.ownerrez.com.
This update also lays the groundwork for the much-anticipated push notifications feature. Coming soon, you can receive notifications sent straight to your iOS or Android devices!
With this change, users may have to enter a two-factor verification code to initially log into app.ownerrez.com to set up a new browser cookie (i.e., "security handshake").
Please Note: You may have to overcome other hurdles, depending on what you use in your own "tech stack." Because of this, OwnerRez recommends that users review the following to ensure that regular logins work effectively on all devices.
- Update OwnerRez URLs in browser-stored sites/passwords and/or Password Managers (e.g., 1Password, Dashlane, Google Password Manager, LastPass, Keeper)
- Update browser bookmarked OwnerRez URLs (even though secure.ownerrez.com-based ones will forward to app.ownerrez.com)
- Delete any Progressive Web App shortcuts and re-save them to prevent any redirecting.
Sidebar Menu
This new sidebar menu on the left provides more in-app visual space or "real estate."
Let's take a look at the old pre-April 2024 top menu.
Here is the new sidebar menu navigation. Notice how you can collapse the sidebar menu by clicking on the "hamburger" icon inside the sidebar menu or by clicking OwnerRez (when open) or OR (when closed) to give you more space, but click it again to expose it when necessary. When the sidebar menu is closed, the menu icons remain visible, and each menu item is identified by name when you hover over the icon on a desktop computer.
It includes all of the previous top menu items. With more space available, all CRM sub-menu items (Inbox, Contacts, and Reviews) have been promoted, and Settings is back. The Team Access and Billing sections have also moved to the sidebar.
On mobile devices, we've maximized the "visual" space; tooltip names are not visible when the sidebar menu is closed or collapsed.
Of course, your in-app OwnerRez experience may differ depending on your specific device, operating system, and browser.
Now, let's talk about the specific menu changes.
The new sidebar menu navigation now includes the following options: Inbox, Contacts, Reviews, Deposits, Settings, Team Access, and Billing. Bookings, Quotes, Inquiries, Reports, and PM (if activated) remain included in the new sidebar menu navigation. The menu icons help identify each item on the sidebar menu when closed.
Below the sidebar separator line, you will find Properties, Settings, Team Access, and Billing (Team Access Staff users will not see Billing) are anchored or pinned to the bottom of the left sidebar menu.
Users with thousands (999+) of inbox messages and inquiries will notice that we've truncated the unread counts displayed on the menu.
The updated top navigation menu now features more icons to provide a clean and modern appearance. Top navigation menu items now include Your Business Name, Announcements, Help, Search, Tools, and your Profile.
On mobile, the only top menu icons displayed are the Search and Announcements icons, which provide more visual space for your account name.
The Tools and Help icons are still available from the Kebab (sometimes called the hotdog) icon dropdown menu.
Let's review all of them, left to right.
On the left, you can toggle the sidebar menu open or closed by clicking on the "hamburger" icon inside the menu, or you can click OwnerRez (when open) or OR (when closed) to collapse or open the sidebar navigation menu. Next to that, your business name is displayed.
Search
We replaced the pre-2024 search box with a magnifying glass icon.
Clicking on the Search magnifying glass icon opens the Search options as a right-side flyout menu. The Search flyout menu now includes valuable tips on boolean search operators. You can exit the Search tool by clicking the upper right grey X.
Announcements
Moving to the right, the bullhorn icon will take you to Announcement History.
Here, you can see previous in-app announcements and filter to view the history by category as needed.
Tools
Next up is the Tools wrench icon.
Like most other top menu navigation icons, the Tools wrench icon opens the Tools menu as a right flyout. All menu items remain the same, but we promoted the Deposits menu item to a more prominent position on the left navigation menu. You can exit the Tools menu by clicking the upper right grey X.
Quick and Create Quote
The Quick Quote (on the Tools menu) and the Bookings > + Create Quote pop-ups have been redesigned for a cleaner and fresher look. Instead of two individual arrival and departure date selectors, it now has one combined and outlined input date selector.
Four of the Tools menu items, the Direct Rate Tester, the Channel Rate Tester, the LOS Checker, and the Rate Checker, received some love with our June 5th release.
These four important Tool menu items used to open up in pop-ups. Now, they open as full pages, allowing for increased visual space and more readable results!
For instance, the Rate Checker displays all dates without having to scroll across your screen to see the rates.
And, the LOS (Length of Stay) Checker can now display all rates on one page with less horizontal scrolling if you collapse the left navigation menu.
The Find or Create a Guest pop-up also got a refresh! At the top, the guest record is highlighted by a subtle grey background, and many of the guest fields now have icons rather than text labels.
And finally, the Status column warning and error icons in the Listing Quality Analyzer (LQA) results were updated with more rounded icons.
Help
Next is the Help icon. While it has changed from a black background with a white question mark to grey, this question icon should look familiar as it is similar to the pre-2024 OwnerRez layout.
When the Help question icon is clicked, the Help menu will appear as a right-side flyout menu. Although the Help menu has remained the same, the flyout menu has been expanded, providing more visual space.
Profile
Finally, the green circle Profile icon on the far right displays your initials in white text.
When clicked, all the same menu items appear, just like the pre-2024 Profile menu.
Secondary Menus
Secondary sidebar menus (e.g., Properties, Settings, etc.) have been tweaked a bit. The selected menu item is still shown in green text but is now highlighted with a gray bar.
Login Pages
On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, the main OwnerRez login page was modernized to match our new design palette. Also, "Sign in with Google" was added simultaneously.
You can now sign into OwnerRez using your Google account. This will most likely be familiar to you as many other services allow you to log in this way. Please note this is totally optional. You can continue logging into OwnerRez the same way you do today, but you now have that option for those who like using their Google account to sign into services.
Click the Sign in with Google button to access the Google authentication page.
Select the Google account you'd like to use, then click Next to authorize your Google account connection.
After clicking Next, you will be redirected to OwnerRez, where you will either be automatically logged into your account or see the following screen, which asks you to log in with your OwnerRez Email and Password. If you see this, it is because the email associated with your OwnerRez account is not the same email you selected when signing in with Google.
Once you sign in with your OwnerRez credentials, we won't have to ask you to do this again, and you'll be able to sign in with Google going forward. Remember that you can use your regular login at any time if need be.
You can disconnect your Google account at any time by navigating to your Profile and clicking on Disconnect Google Account. You can also connect your Google Account from your Profile (if you don't want to log out to do so).
The Two-Factor Authentication page was also updated, giving it a cleaner look and a modern feel.
The Forgot Password page was also redesigned.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Are you a fan of old-school keyboard shortcuts? Many of us are! OwnerRez has added several in-app keyboard shortcuts this year to trigger global actions that will work on corresponding in-app pages.
/- Open the in-app Search flyout (as long as you are not using a rich text editor or input element)Ctrl + /- Open the in-app Seach flyout menu at all timesCtrl + Alt + F- Moves cursor to the Select Ribbon Calendar Property Filter (available if more than one property)Ctrl + Alt + Q- Open Quick Quote pop-up at all timesCtrl + Alt + C- Open Find or Create Guest pop-up at all times
"New" Badge
Many of you are familiar with our green "New" badge or label, which we add in-app to indicate any new features. OwnerRez has updated the styling of the in-app "New" badge.
As new features are released, the "New" badge or label is added to the associated left and top navigation menus. Depending on your device and whether the left navigation menu is open or minimized, they may appear differently. Note how the "New" badge changes to a green circle when the left navigation menu is minimized.
Here's an example of the "New" badge on the in-app top menu (in the unlikely event that four "New" badges were applied).
On a mobile device? The "New" badge on the in-app top menu would appear similarly.
As always, keep in mind that YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) based on factors such as your device, operating system, internet speed, browser, and other variables.
Support Center
The improved OwnerRez Support Center navigation menu design gives it a cleaner, crisper look and feel on both desktop and mobile and much like the OwnerRez app, the navigation menu now includes simplified icons.
Search Results
Due to the abundance of information, navigating through the OwnerRez public Support Center, Blog posts, and Vacation Rental Guides (and more) comprehensive search results can prove challenging. Not only has the search been optimized, we've updated the search results design to make it easier to filter specific results intuitively.
But how did the OwnerRez search results appear before? Here's an example of our old search results page from last year.
Here's an example of the new 2024 OwnerRez search results page, which includes all of the functionality of the old search results page but now has more visible filters displayed on the right, allowing for dynamic filtering. Gone are the old green icons, replaced with cleaner and tighter text.
While you could, and still can, sort by Most Recent, we also added a When dropdown that allows you to select even more time frames and a Clear Filters link. If there are no search results to display, browsing options will be displayed.
Search results are mobile-friendly, too, with condensed visual filtering.
What's coming next?
All of these changes were long in the works, and as you get used to them, they hopefully enhance your in-app experience. We have other changes coming, so stay tuned to this support article, as it will be updated to feature the biggest design changes!