Category: Uncategorized

Hello. This is Doinn.

Hello. This is Doinn

The new Doinn.

The Doinners have the same mission, but a new brand identity

The past 6 months at Doinn have been some of the most challenging and interesting for us as a company. We have been focusing on our strategy and discovering how we can fit in such a diverse and nuanced ecosystem ranging from Europe to the US and across the South East Asian markets.

Looking back we believe that our messaging was somewhat ambiguous and we wanted to bring greater clarity to what we do, and most importantly why we have embraced this mission. The Doinners have a B4B mindset, since we have always embraced our customer’s needs, and thrived on helping them grow. Ultimately we believe that this will shape our community and bring greater value to this industry that we all love so much.

Cleaning is critical and when not performed well can severely jeopardize profitability and competitiveness for the short-term rental operators. We are on a mission to digitize cleaning and laundry companies within just a few minutes, by providing them with a platform that will enable them to achieve excellence, perform far more efficiently and increase profitability. 

We are also helping hospitality operators save hundreds of hours per month, enabling their teams to focus on strategic activities such as growing their portfolio and driving greater revenue.

Doinn facilitates the relationship between our users via employing cutting-edge technology and thanks to our platform’s constant innovation. 

We felt it was the right time to equally enhance our communication and brand identity.


Doinn is the first platform to provide a full scope of predictable data intelligence, for sales, operations, HR and more. The data we harness is valuable to the Hospitality Operators as well as the Service Providers and all other players along this value chain.

Our mission of making a better world, promoting a responsible way of hosting, started as a dream and it’s coming true:

  1. We prioritize green cleaning companies.
  2. We optimize the linen deliveries and currently, 10% of them are done by bicycle. 
  3. We stand by the people! Our providers are free from exploitative practices and discrimination. They integrate people with disabilities and comply with labor laws. 
  4. We want to end the cleaners’ black market in the hospitality industry and bring financial transparency to improve tax and payment collection.


We want to inspire and help our users to better themselves and to turn their goals into reality 

We’re very excited about the clean and fresh look of our new website, and we hope you like it too!

Enjoy the journey

HOUSEKEEPERS WEEK. It´ s time to celebrate!

Introduction

Housekeepers Week is our opportunity to celebrate the members of the housekeeping staff and show our appreciation for their hard work and dedication.

It’s a chance for everyone in the company to take a moment and recognize the vital role housekeeping plays in ensuring that guests have comfortable stays in your short-term rentals.

It was first observed in 1949 and was organized by The National Cleaning Management Association (now known as Cleaning Management Institute).

How do you show your appreciation for the housekeeping staff this week?

  • Buy them a gift.
  • Take them out for lunch or coffee.
  • Have a party for them!

Ways to show your appreciation for the housekeeping department throughout the year.

  • Invite housekeeping staff to lunch or dinner. This can be done individually, by department, or at a large company-wide event.
  • Send them as many as possible messages of appreciation and let them know they are appreciated by the company and valued as employees in the hospitality industry. Sometimes we just send them messages when we are disappointed with them!
  • Create a special bulletin board or notice board where you can display cards or letters from guests thanking housekeeping staff for their hard work, kind words, and dedication to making guests happy during their stay at your properties! They’re a great way to tell housekeeping staff that their hard work is appreciated by guests.
Housekeeping is not just about properties, it’s about providing a great experience for all the guests.

Conclusion

Housekeepers are the backbone of any property management company. They can make or break your guest experience, so it’s important to show them the respect and appreciation they deserve.

Housekeeping staff works hard every day to ensure that guests are pleased with their stay at your property, but it takes more than just good service to keep people coming back for more.

It doesn’t matter if you have your housekeepers under your paycheck or if you outsource the housekeeping service, they all need to have the feeling of belonging with your team.  It also takes recognition from management and front-line supervisors who understand how important these workers really are!

Choosing the right linen for your short-term rental

Linen choice has become more and more important

And it should!

Your guest will be touching your linen for close to 1/3 of their stay. Isn’t it important that the quality of linen you provide is to the highest standard? 

A well-made bed can make or break a vacation. A bad night’s sleep can lead to a bad review for your rental. Because in the end, when you travel, you want something better than what you are used to at home.

We know you are starting to wonder what to get for the next season, and unless you are able to rent the linen, there are a few aspects to take in mind.

Are you struggling to choose the sheet material?

In today’s world, we have so many choices of materials. All with their quality and advantages. Just choosing linen, there is cotton, polyester, polyfiber, microfiber, blends… So, how do you choose what material is the best for your vacation home and is easily maintained by housekeeping? Let’s take a look at the most top-tier ones

Cotton:

Cotton: 100% cotton sheets and towels are a must in high-end accommodation. Just like your clothes, this will give you the most comfortable and homey feeling. Cotton is breathable and light. When used in a household setting, it’s perfect for a good night’s sleep and always the way to go. It’s washable at high temperatures so perfect when working with professional laundry services. But in a high turnover short-term rental, cotton might be tricky to maintain. Cotton wrinkles easily and to give that nice crip it needs to be ironed professionally. Cotton is recommended to be used in a linen rental program with a professional laundry that operates a calender.
Cotton is a natural product so that means it is better for the environment and some linen manufacturers have recycling programs for end-of-life linen.

Polyester:

These sheets are manufactured to last in a heavy environment and intent to be beaten down. Although some might feel nice to the touch, the manufacturing of these types of linen is not very ecologically friendly and will lower guest satisfaction. Although a long lifespan, polyester tends to turn gray because the fibers can burn an industrial laundry process. This is mostly a problem with towels

Polyester-Cotton:

A combination that is used in a lot of full-service hotels. Although it is a very good option, guest experiences might vary depending on your supplier. It’s easy to maintain and tends to wrinkle less.

Microfiber:

Although this is used a lot in short-term rentals, microfiber is a very un-ecological fabric. It feels nice to the touch, looks good on the bed, and is easy to maintain. Because microfiber is also a polymer, it could be less hygienical because it can’t be washed at high temperatures which is one of the main characteristics of cotton 

Are people really counting the thread count?

Look:

Let’s start by debunking the myth. Thread count matters but to a certain extent. Thread count is the number of threads per square inch. The thread count on the packaging is a guideline from when the product was finished. After sheets are finished, they need to be washed so the fibers shrink, making the number of threads per square inch variable

When shopping for the right sheets, you want something that feels nice and breathable. The higher the thread count, the nicer the feel but the less breathable. The perfect thread count is not higher than 400 TC. Although a lower thread count doesn’t feel as nice, it is used a lot in warmer areas because it is very light.

I can’t emphasize enough the linen color:

You want to give your guest the cleanest experience in their short-term rental home, that is why white sheets should be preferred. Hotels only use white linen to improve quality control and make it easier to show that sheets are cleaned on a regular basis. We do understand that for short-term rentals, you sometimes want to switch it up and bring some color to the bed- and bathroom. This can easily be done by using a nice color throw or throw pillows.

The other advantage of using all white is consistency. When you would switch to a laundry service, they work with uniformity in order to not lose time during the sorting process. If you start using white linen in your rental, you will be future-proof. 

Bottom line?

We all grow up with the cleaning standards of hotels in mind…

…don´t be afraid of losing the authenticity of the short-term rental by having hotel-like linen, it just makes guests feel better than home 

Channel manager, all in one solution: Meet Octorate!

A Channel Manager is definitely an extensive subject and of course here at Doinn, we care about giving you all the details on this type of solution.


Moreover, providing clean and tidy accommodation to your guests is a big part of your operations.


That is why we want to offer you various solutions and integrations. 

Today we are announcing our integration with a new property management solution: let’s welcome Octorate!


A complete suite with different features that will help you run your vacation rental company. 

See all the details about Octorate here below 😉

Octorate – the perfect solution for property management 

Thanks to the Octorate Channel Manager you will boost your visibility online and hence increase your reservations.

Octorate is Booking.com, Airbnb, and Expedia’s preferred partner.

As well as being integrated with +150 OTAs around the world.

Allowing you to potentially open your property to sell.

A channel manager like Octorate will definitely simplify your business and your daily activities.

You will have the chance to start getting many reservations on various portals.

But you can manage all of them from one platform (rates and availability update, restrictions, etc).

With Octorate, you can also start getting reservations without any commission costs thanks to the Booking Engine.

It is a booking platform compatible with any website and fully customizable.

However, in case you do not have any web page, you can get the OctoSite.

A real website that can be set up in a few minutes, already linked to the Booking Engine.

Housekeeping with Octorate & Doinn

Octorate is not only a great tool for property management because of all the channels you can work with.

But also an in-cloud platform compatible with any device and you do not have to install any software to use it!

By combining both powerful solutions you will have a new way of running your business with Octorate & Doinn.

Add the iCals of your properties to your Doinn account, you will be free of the hassle of cleanings.

Automate the turnovers with every new booking coming from the different channels.

This combined with the Octorate app will be a completely new way of running your business.

If you use the Octorate App on your phone, you will be able to use the following features:

Model Pics  – App

If you have a standardized way of arranging the furniture and amenities in the rooms, Octorate got your back!

You can save a gallery of pictures in the details of each room/apartment.

Screen of the octorate app

The cleaner will only have to download the Octorate App to see the pictures and keep them as a reference when taking care of the accommodation.

This functionality is particularly useful for new staff members!

Maintenance notes – App

Let’s suppose the cleaner spots a sink leaking in the bathroom of the accommodation.

They can easily leave a maintenance comment via the App, which will be visible to anyone in Octorate in relation to that specific room.

Why use Doinn & Octorate together

So let’s say that the cleaner is using the Octorate app to get your apartment to “look like” you want it.

But, are they following any specific technique not to miss a spot? 

Doinn has certified protocols and cleaners follow a very specific checklist to avoid losing any details when performing the service.

And remember the maintenance comment on the Octorate app?

You can follow up on that by creating a maintenance service with one of Doinn’s vendor to solve the problem!

Doinn notifications app
Doinn notifications app

As well as a bunch of other types of services:

  • Deep cleanings (To get the property ready after a long time been unused)
  • Linen rental and laundry
  • Common areas cleanings, and more!

On top of that get a Doinn host app in order to follow up and know when a service starts or finishes!

Great, right?

As you can see this partnership is thought of as making your life easier!

The partnership between Octorate and DOINN can really help you to improve and simplify the management of your property at the same time.

Thanks for reading and evaluating this solution for your business.

When using such a powerful property management solution as Octorate:

  • Your visibility online will be boosted
  • You will get much more reservations
  • Your workload will increase

However, we are offering you the right tools to keep all this under control!

DOINN and Octorate know it very well and aim at making operations for your property a smooth process.

Doinn is here for good, in more than 11 countries and 600 cities!

Do not worry about searching for trusted teams anymore, count us in.

See you in the next article! 👋👋

Today we are announcing the new integration with Smoobu PMS

At Doinn, our mission is to provide certified professional cleaning, linen rental and laundry services to private accommodation, an end-to-end automation from the guest reservation to the guest ready apartment. 

So we are very excited about  this new partnership with the fast growing Smoobu PMS. 

Smoobu is Europe’s leading all-in-one vacation rental management software, and manages over 70.000 listings. 

With Smoobu you have access to all tools with a single subscription and you pay only per property. Channel Manager, PMS, Website Builder, Booking Engine, Unified Inbox, Online Check-In, as well as a Dedicated Guest Guide that will make your reviews go up. 

Smoobu’s support team is highly rated, speaks 7 different languages and is available 6 days a week via phone, chat and/or email. You can test Smoobu for free. They have a 14-day trial without a credit card.

Through this partnership, you can easily and seamlessly schedule the cleaning, linen rental and laundry services you need according to your reservations.

Free webinar next week

Smoobu is hosting a webinar with us next week, not just to explain how to integrate Smoobu and Doinn, but to talk about how to renew the trust of your guests writing about the enhance cleaning protocols

When: February 16th, 2021 – 01PM CET / 12PM GTM 

Doinn partnership

See below how easy it’s to take the most of our partnership:

1º Make a Doinn account.

Signing up for Doinn is safe and convenient. If you haven’t yet made an account, you can signup for free here. 

To associate your properties you can add one by one manually (option One Property) or upload several properties by excel (option Many Properties)

 

First time login

2º The properties are ready

First time login

3º Automation lab 

It’s time to define the automation settings and paste your Smoobu Ical

On Smoobu 👇

On Doinn 👇

First time login

 

4º Define your integration settings

Automate the services you would like to outsource with us and the default check in and check out hours of your properties.

First time login

 

4º The integration is ready!

Reservations will be synced and services generated automatically in the next poll. 

You can then click ok and proceed to purchase in one click.

Would you like to know more about Smoobu? Check out this video.

Stay in London

Dainius Podolinskis, founder of StayinLondon.co.uk, a well-known and quality-driven property manager in UK’s capital, writes about the added value that Doinn brings to the industry with their own case study.

Stay in London in facts;

Properties managed: 18 in Central London – Kensington & Chelsea, Soho, Covent Garden, Belgravia, Notting Hill and other

5 years of experience in Property Management:

Average occupancy rate before 2020: 90%

Average occupancy rate in 2020: 60%

Doinn: Consequences of the pandemic for your business? 

DP: We had to rapidly change the strategy and start marketing our properties for the domestic market and medium-term (1-3month) stays, which proved very successful.

Doinn: How do you keep your business active, what measures are you taking?

DP: We drastically cut our costs, we started working from home and don’t have an office. We are also spending more time researching other channels to get maximum exposure for our properties to have them occupied – for example we signed a contract with a corporate insurance company, that often needs accommodations for their clients who have some problems with their houses/flats and need temporary, medium-term accommodation.

Doinn: What is your outlook for the future?

DP: I am confident that 2021 will be the year of opportunity for all the management companies that managed to survive 2020. I am sure travel will come back with a bang and we need to be prepared for it!

Doinn: What service(s) do you order through Doinn and what are the advantages of using our platform?

DP: Doinn is a perfect partnership for us as we grow – we can rely on flexibility when the demand increases.

Doinn: We are very happy to be able to help you. 

Thank you for allowing us to get to know you a little bit better.

P.S. If you want to join this initiative, we will be happy to give you visibility, nationally and internationally. All you need to do is to fill this questionnaire.

It’s a devastating and painful moment for our industry.

The survival is at stake for owners, managers, vendors.  


It’s a devastating and painful moment for our industry.


This virus is fearless crushing our freedom, our health, our short rental business.  


The nightmare is overwhelming and for everyone. It hurts so much.   


Together, we must reduce the impact.


Together, we must keep alive. 


Together, we must stop it.


When everything seems lost, the resilient step up. 


This is the time for the brave, for the creative, for the determined.


You feel isolated and alone at home now. You are not. We are all in this together.


United we must act. United we will survive.


It’s not easy, I know. Three questions are in my mind 24/7


“How can we help kill the virus?”

“Who needs our help now?” 

“Who needs properties to rent?”


Think about it. Send me your ideas.

Everyone should think about it. Now.

I devoted my last crazy week to figure it out. 


Not knowing when this dark period will be over. 


I took the time to reflect on potential solutions.


The results? Two initiatives. 


First to help increase the bookings. 

First to help kill the virus.

We called the first initiative #staysafe. 


All properties must be in the future correctly clean, disinfected. If necessary decontaminated. 

That is how we keep our properties virus free and stop covid-19 pandemic.


We have just launched the website staysafe.doinn.co 

You can book professional disinfections with a simple click.


In Portugal, Spain, UK (now). In Ireland, United States (in the next weeks).

Not in your country? Let me know. Write to me to staysafe@doinn.co We are actively looking for more professional companies worldwide.


Check here other tips and info about coronavirus cleaning and disinfection.

The second initiative is called #STRHelp. A world map where any owner, manager can add their properties to the audiences that are now desperate looking for STR.

Which audiences do you think need our help? Which audiences need properties to rent?


I thought of three audiences that need help and properties to rent. For now.

 

Important to mention. This can only be applied where STR properties were not shut down due to coronavirus.


1 – # STR for displaced from home. Did you know there are thousands of travelers trying to come back to their home country or home city but airports are closed? Where are they staying?


Interested in letting these guests use your properties? Add them in STRhelp


2 – #STR for home offices. We need to keep working. Why can’t your guests be your own neighbors. 


How long do you think someone can keep working in a small urban flat with the kids around? 


The question here is how to work from home without losing their sanity. 


The answer is “Rent a Flat to work in your building, in your condo.”


Check here our blog post about it.


Interested in letting these guests use your properties? Add them in STRhelp

3 – #STR for medical workers. 


Who do you think are the real heroes in this catastrophe? 


I can tell you my opinion. 


Medical workers that are helping and fighting daily the virus with their sweat and tears, they are the last hope of thousands of patients.  


Every day is a new battle and they need more and more our appreciation and our applause.  


But they also need to rest!   


Want to find out more about how you can offer your properties to help our front line heroes?

Do you have properties close to hospital and medical facilities? 


Make them available to nurses, doctors, hospital technicians and make sure they can rest as much as possible.   


Check out more details and add your properties in STRhelp


Other awesome initiatives are available and being created in several countries.

USA: https://www.hospitalityhelps.org

Italy: https://www.airbnb.it/d/medicieinfermieri

Portugal: https://www.roomsagainstcovid.com/ 

We have also created a Facebook groups for Spain and United Kingdom. 

But this is not a local problem, this is a global problem!   For that reason, we have created this easy STRhelp map where you can add your properties globally.

Start helping the community today.


Are you ready to act? The time is now. You can help hundreds of people. Don’t waste a second more. The reward is near if you work for it.  


This crisis will pass. We will become stronger. 


Feel free to write to me at any time. 


#takecare #staysafe 

P.S. Last but not least please join me in remembering the real heroes of our industry!

The housekeeping and the operational workers need our help now more than ever during these turbulent times.


A huge shout out to Cliff Johnson for leading the charge in rallying our community to support those among us experiencing extreme financial hardship due to this crisis.

Click here to show your support if you are able. #togetherwewillgetthrough


Doinn Introduces #staysafe – Deep Disinfectant Cleaning Solutions For These Difficult Times

You don’t need me to tell you that the world is being turned on its head right now.

As the Coronavirus pandemic spreads we find whole countries on lockdown and our daily lives disrupted beyond our imagination. Every sector of business and leisure has been affected.

Many offices and schools are closed. The travel industry has been brought to its knees. Shops are closed. 
Personal space has become very precious.

With the constant bombardment of updates, information and advice it’s not easy to know how best to react. Obviously our primary focus has to be on hygiene. 
Both our personal cleanliness and the cleaning of the spaces that we inhabit.

Here at Doinn we’ve been offering cleaning services for years but more extreme circumstances call for more extreme measures so as of this week we have introduced more extreme cleaning services.

#staysafe Disinfectant Cleaning Services

Our #staysafe services raise the cleaning bar on a number of levels

Our cleaning companies ensure that well-trained and properly supervised staff adhere to the best practice cleaning procedures and regulations, giving you peace of mind that your staff or guests have the hygienically clean, healthy and safe environment they need.

Cleaning staff are provided with disposable decontamination suits and respirators or masks and other relevant personal protection equipment, depending on the services provided. 

We have a number of disinfection options that include decontamination cleaning and chemical cleaning using various specialist equipment like electrostatic spray guns, ozone misters and nebulizers.

With these services, you can rest assured that your offices, dorms, properties, apartments, hotel spaces, schools, etc will be disinfected to the highest industrial standards.

We are currently providing these services to cities in Spain, Portugal and England.

If you would like to know more or would like to book a deep disinfectant clean please visit staysafe.doinn.co

BOOK A DEEP DISINFECTANT CLEAN NOW

#staysafe – Giving you peace of mind in these difficult times. 

We wish you all the best and #staysafe

Doinn @ Google Startups Residency

We are very excited to announce that our company was selected as one of eight startups to join the Google for Startups Residency program in Spain.

Google for Startups Residency brings high-potential and growth-stage startups the best of Google’s products, knowledge and connections. All tailored-made and designed specifically to support the strategic and measurable growth of the business at scale. The program has a duration of 6 months and will take place at Google’s Campus in Madrid.

According to Noelia Novella, CEO of Doinn, just the chance to get to really know and use Google’s products was worth the effort to get there. However, all the networking opportunities presented by the program, both in Madrid and worldwide, is what makes her particularly enthusiastic.

Doinn is a housekeeping hub for vacation rentals aiming at assuring a hassle-free operation with a high quality final result, both for its clients and its vendors. We believe that our platform is a flexible yet well-structured solution that allows to save time and minimise miscommunication-related failures.

Our success is in part due to partnerships with a range of companies that have the same pay-it-forward mentality: Rentals United, Avantio, Bookingsync, Hostaway, Guesty and many others!  We are now looking forward to grow with Google and to empower as much as we can, the vacation rental ecosystem.

We are confident that working with Google will enrich our knowledge, enhance our leadership skills and increase our credibility and exposure to media, ultimately helping us to grow faster.

Today we’re announcing the new integration with Bookingsync PMS

At Doinn, our mission is to provide the vacation rental first end-to-end automation from the guest reservation to the guest ready apartment, and this new partnership is definitely a huge step for the industry.

 

BookingSync is a French startup and cloud-based vacation rental management platform. Their goal is to make the lives of vacation rental owners, managers and agencies easier. Whether it’s managing the booking, generating an invoice, accepting a payment, or issuing a contract, BookingSync can handle it. Centered around simplicity and ease of use, they have developed an intuitive software that is a friend to owners and managers during each step of the vacation rental management process.

 

Through this partnership, Bookingsync´s properties and bookings will be imported to Doinn. This means that property managers can now automatically create the profile of the apartments in the Doinn platform and easily and seamlessly schedule the cleaning and laundry services you need according to your reservations

 

How to Connect Bookingsync to Doinn

 

1) Login Doinn (first time)

After register in Doinn platform, choose Property Managers.

Integração entre Doinn e PMS BookingSync

2) Choose the BookingSync Integration.

Click BookingSync activate button

choose-integration

3) Login into BookingSync with your customer


bookingsync-login

 

4) Authorize Doinn to access the necessary info

Integração entre Doinn e PMS BookingSync

5) Configure the BookingSync integration settings to automate the services you would like to outsource with us and the default check in and check out hours of your properties

bookingsync-doinn-settings

6) Integration ready

Properties and reservations will be synced and services generated automatically in the next poll. You can then click ok and proceed to purchase in one click.

bookingsync-doinn-ready

Doinn Integrates with Hostaway Property Management System

At Doinn, we are always committed to our customer’s success and looking for integrations that save time and minimize errors.

Hostaway Property Management System helps vacation rental managers to get more bookings and increase revenues with less hassle and their Channel Manager, solves double-bookings makes guest communication easier and lets you focus on your business.

Through this partnership, Hostaway bookings and properties will be imported to Doinn. This means that property managers can now automatically create the profile of the apartments in the Doinn platform and easily and seamlessly schedules the cleaning and laundry services you need according to your reservations

How to Connect Hostaway to Doinn

1) Get your Hostaway Account ID and API Key in your Hostaway´s dashboard > settings > integrations.

NOTE: Safely keep the API key. We will only show it once and we are not able to find it afterwards. If you request a new API key, the previous one will not work, causing some system to not work anymore.
Chave da API Hostaway
2) Login Doinn (First time)

After register in Doinn platform, choose Property Managers.
First time login
If you are already a Doinn´s user, click at the tab Integrations in your profile
Profile menu
3) Activate Hostaway 

Choose integration

4) Fill the Hostaway Account ID and API Key:
Integração de dados Hostaway Doinn
5) Configure Doinn Hostaway integration settings

Configure the services you would like to outsource with us and the default check in and check out hours of your properties

Configurações Hostaway Doinn
6) The Integration is ready! 

Your properties and reservations are now sync-ed and you will receive all the services you need for your properties already pre-booked. From now on you will have your properties guest-ready with only 1 click!
Hostaway Doinn Ready