Descriptions

Creating your Property Description is key to marketing your vacation rental! Potential guests are interested in all aspects of your property to determine if your vacation rental is a good fit for their vacation. Crafting your Property Description is your opportunity to "sell" your vacation rental to potential guests by highlighting the unique amenities that your vacation rental offers.

Property Description has proved challenging for OwnerRez users due to various description limitations for some API-Connected Channels. OwnerRez's solution is the Property Description feature, allowing users to create a Default Property Description with customized Override Property Description options for specific listing channels. Let's get started by following the steps below.

• Property Descriptions
• Default Property Descriptions
• Plain Text vs. Rich Text Editors
• Field Codes
• OwnerRez Website Descriptions
  • Hosted Website
  • WordPress Plug-in
• Override Property Descriptions
  • Airbnb
  • Vrbo
  • Other Channels

Property Descriptions

First, let's review and get comfortable with the Property Descriptions area. Navigate to your OwnerRez Properties and click on the link for the property you want to update the Description.

Click on Description ( Property > Listing Content > Description) on the left menu. Select and click on the Pen icon  next to Default Descriptions (Property descriptions that may appear across all channels).

Users will see several channel listing icons that will now be viewable. Note that the default description area includes channel listing icons. When users hover over each channel listing icon, helpful tooltips will appear including channel listing character counts.

Users can create Override Property Descriptions for many API-Connected Listing Channels by clicking on the Add Override drop-down list.

This is also the area where users can customize their OwnerRez Hosted Website property description by clicking on the OwnerRez Website tab.

Default Property Descriptions

Crafting your Default Property Descriptions is your chance to communicate your property's unique location, activities, and amenities.

OwnerRez Users can also take full advantage of Property Field Codes to aid the automation of Property Descriptions and can append or add additional text around the Property Field Codes in the Description Fields for more accurate detail. 

To create a Default Property Description that may appear across all channels, click on the Pen icon to the right of Default Descriptions.

The OwnerRez Property Description plain text editor will appear where you can enter all or as many of the descriptive fields you desire (listed below) to best describe your property. Those fields include:

• Headline
• Description
• Short Description
• Year Purchased
• About You
• Why This Property?
• Rate Notes
• Accommodations Information
• Location Information
• Registration/License Information

Note that the Default Property Description plain text editor also includes:

• Character counts under the left side of each editor field that displays characters entered/total characters possible.
• Users can always hover over specific channel listing icons that display helpful tooltips (specific to each field) including channel listing character counts.
• Insert Field Code lists to add to your Property Description.
• Save and Close, Save, and Cancel buttons at the lower left.
• Be sure to Save your Property Description first before you click on the Preview for Default Descriptions button at the top. Previewing is a great way to verify that you are presenting your property in the best light possible. To exit the Property Description Preview, click on Close.

Plain Text vs. Rich Text Editors

What's the difference between a Plain Text Editor and a Rich Text Editor, and why does OwnerRez have both? In what case would users craft a property description in a Plain Text Editor, and when would users use a Rich Text Editor?

• A Plain Text Editor creates text that contains no formatting, images, colors, or other types of markup.

• A Rich Text Editor creates text to display within web browsers, which presents the user with a "what-you-see-is-what-you-get" editing area in order to reduce the effort for users trying to create formatting directly as valid HTML markup.

Field Codes

Field Codes are a powerful feature in OwnerRez, creating consistent information across multiple listing channels. You can use Field Codes (Account and Property types) in Property Descriptions!

OwnerRez's enhanced Property Field Codes are used when you first add a Property Override.

When you add and Save your description text into each descriptive field in the Default Property Description, OwnerRez automatically transforms that text into your corresponding Property Description Field Code. For example, the default "Headline" is available using {PDESHEAD}.

See the list of new Property Field Codes below. In the example below, note that we are on the Property Tab.

In the pop-up, you will see the following:

• The column of Field codes
• The Name of the Field that correlates to the Default Description Fields
• A Description of the Field
• The Insert button to the left of each specific property field code

In the plain text editor, click on either the abbreviated Insert Field Code icon or the Insert Field button on the right side of the field to add an Account or Property Field Code. In the example below, the Field Codes have already been added to the description fields because we have already added that text in your Default Property Description. Remember that OwnerRez Users can append or add additional text around Property Field Codes to accurately portray their property in the Description Fields.

OwnerRez Website Descriptions

Hosted Website

Since OwnerRez's hosted websites support Rich Text in some instances, you may want to add a description override just for your OwnerRez Hosted Website. If the tab is not present, click "Add override and select OwnerRez Website from the list. It will add a tab where you can edit the override description fields. With any overrides tab, you can click on the drop-down list to the right of the Pen icon to Edit, Disable or Delete your Property Description.

The OwnerRez Website Property Description rich text editor will appear where you can enter as many of the descriptive fields you desire (listed below) to best describe your property. Those fields include:

• Headline
• Description
• Short Description
• About You
• Why This Property?
• Rate Notes
• Accommodations Information
• Location Information
• Registration/License Information

The OwnerRez Website Property Description rich text editor allows for enhanced formatting capabilities, including inserting Field Codes, images, links, lists, and much more.

Note that the OwnerRez Website Property Description rich text editor also includes:

• Character counts under the Headline field that displays characters entered/total characters possible.
• Save and Close, Save and Cancel buttons at the lower left.
• Disable and Delete buttons on the lower right.
• Be sure to Save your OwnerRez Website Property Description first before you click on Preview for OwnerRez Website button at the top. Previewing is a great way to verify that you are presenting your property in the best light possible. To exit the Property Description Preview, click on Close.

WordPress Plug-in

For OwnerRez's WordPress Plug-in, you can use the OwnerRez Website override (as described above) to customize any of the property default description content. If the tab is not present, click "Add override and select OwnerRez Website from the list. It will add a tab where you can edit the override description fields. With any overrides tab, you can click on the drop-down list to the right of the Pen icon to Edit, Disable or Delete your Property Description. In the future, WordPress Plug-in will have its own override but for now, you can use the OwnerRez Website override to accomplish the same outcome.

Override Property Descriptions

Property Description has proved challenging for OwnerRez users due to various description limitations for some API-Connected Channels. OwnerRez's solution is the Property Description feature, which allows users to create property description overrides for specific API channels when one size does not fit all.

OwnerRez's dynamic Field Codes assist in constructing consistent information across multiple listing channels, and users will benefit from their use to aid the automation of Property Descriptions.

As you add additional Overrides or API-Connected Channels, you will see those tabs added along the top of your property descriptions.

Below we will detail examples of adding property description overrides for Airbnb and Vrbo.

Airbnb

You won't need an override for every channel you connect to, but the one you will likely want to add is for Airbnb. Airbnb's most notable property description limitations are the character limits in the Headline (50 characters) and Short Description (500 characters) fields. For example. by adding the Airbnb override, you can have your Default Descriptions be longer for all other channels (if the content is the same for those).

Click on the Add Override drop-down list in the Property Description area and select Airbnb.

In the image below, note the following:

• We now have an Airbnb tab at the top.
• All the fields have been pre-filled with the Default Description Field Codes.
• Users can always hover over specific channel listing icons that display helpful tooltips (specific to each field) including channel listing character counts.
• Character counts under the left side of many fields that display characters entered/total characters possible.
  • In the example below, note that your Listing Description/Summary is limited to 500 characters. We will have to go back and edit this field in the Default Description or directly overwrite this override's Short Description Field.
• Save and Close, Save and Cancel buttons at the lower left.
• At the top, there is a button to Preview for Airbnb.

You can click on the Preview for Airbnb button at any point but make sure to Save your work if you're satisfied with how it's looking. Previewing is a great way to verify that you are presenting your property in the best light possible. To exit the Property Description Preview, click on Close.

Vrbo

Luckily, Vrbo has fewer Property Description restrictions, but the process remains the same. In your Property Description area, click on the Add Override drop-down list and select Vrbo.

In the image below, note the following:

• We now have a Vrbo tab at the top.
• All the fields have been pre-filled with your Default Description Fields.
• Users can always hover over specific channel listing icons that display helpful tooltips (specific to each field) including channel listing character counts.
• Character counts under the left side of many fields that display characters entered/total characters possible.
• Save and Close, Save and Cancel buttons at the lower left.
• At the top, there is a button to Preview for Vrbo.

You can click on the Preview for Vrbo button at any point but make sure to Save your work if you're satisfied with how it's looking. Previewing is a great way to verify that you are presenting your property in the best light possible. To exit the Property Description Preview, click on Close.

Other Channels

Adding additional overrides for additional API-Connected Channel Property Descriptions remain the same as detailed above for Airbnb and Vrbo and as shown below. OwnerRez supports Property Descriptions for many other API-Connected Channels as you can see in the Add Override drop-down list.