The Best Tech Stack for STR Hosts in 2025 (And How It Saves You Time & Money)
January 30, 2025
Running a successful short-term rental (STR) business in 2025 requires more than just listing your property on Airbnb—it requires the right technology to streamline operations, optimize pricing, and enhance the guest experience.
At Short Term Rental Guide (STR Guide), we help hosts implement the best tech stack to increase bookings, boost revenue, and reduce manual work. If you’re still manually updating prices, handling every guest message yourself, or struggling to keep up with turnovers, it’s time to upgrade your approach.
Here’s the ultimate STR tech stack for 2025, plus how we help our clients make the most of these tools.
1. Property Management System (PMS) – OwnerRez, Hospitable, Hostaway, or Guesty
A PMS is essential for managing reservations, automating guest communication, and keeping everything in sync across platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com.
Top PMS Options
🏆 OwnerRez (Best Overall) – Industry-leading PMS with direct booking website capabilities, automated guest messaging, dynamic pricing integrations, and seamless channel management.
✅ Hospitable – Best for automation & AI-powered guest messaging.
✅ Hostaway – Scales well for multi-property hosts & integrates with marketing tools.
✅ Guesty – Full-suite PMS with strong reporting and revenue management.
How STR Guide helps:
We assist with setup & integration, ensuring all tools work together seamlessly. This helps avoid double bookings, speeds up guest response times, and automates most of the daily tasks that eat up your time.
2. Dynamic Pricing – PriceLabs, Beyond Pricing, or Wheelhouse
Setting prices manually means missing out on revenue. Dynamic pricing tools adjust your rates automatically based on market demand, seasonality, and local trends.
Top Pricing Tools
🏆 PriceLabs (Best Overall) – Most customizable and best for advanced users.
✅ Beyond Pricing – Great for automated revenue optimization.
✅ Wheelhouse – Best user interface and easy to adjust pricing strategies.
How STR Guide helps:
We configure your pricing tool to maximize earnings in peak seasons and keep bookings steady in off-seasons. Our clients see 30% higher revenue compared to those relying on manual pricing.
3. Cleaning & Task Management – Breezeway or Turno
Keeping your property spotless is non-negotiable. Managing cleaners and scheduling turnovers manually can be a nightmare—automate it instead.
Top Cleaning & Task Management Tools
🏆 Breezeway (Best Overall) – Automates turnover scheduling & provides cleaner checklists.
✅ Turno (formerly TurnoverBnB) – Connects you with professional cleaners & tracks cleaning progress.
How STR Guide helps:
We help hosts integrate cleaning automation into their PMS so cleaners get notified, properties stay stocked, and guests never arrive to a messy rental.
4. Smart Locks & Access Management – RemoteLock or Schlage Encode
Self-check-in is now an industry standard. If you’re still handing out physical keys, it’s time to switch to smart locks.
Top Smart Lock Solutions
🏆 RemoteLock (Best Overall) – Works with most PMS systems & offers remote access control.
✅ Schlage Encode – Simple, reliable, and integrates with Airbnb’s keyless entry.
How STR Guide helps:
We ensure your smart lock system is integrated with your PMS, so guests automatically receive their access codes at check-in.
5. Direct Booking Website – (Bonus for Advanced Hosts)
Depending solely on Airbnb or VRBO is risky. If your account is suspended, your income disappears. A direct booking website lets you take control of your bookings and save on platform fees.
Why You Need a Direct Booking Site
✅ Keeps guests returning directly to you.
✅ Avoids high Airbnb/VRBO fees.
✅ Builds a brand beyond Airbnb.
How STR Guide helps:
We build custom direct booking sites and integrate them with your PMS, ensuring a seamless guest experience.
Why You Need an Expert to Set This Up
Signing up for these tools is easy—setting them up properly is the hard part. Many hosts struggle with integration and miss out on automation that could save them hours of work each week.
That’s where STR Guide comes in.
🚀 We handle full setup & integration, ensuring all tools work together.
📈 We provide ongoing optimization, so your listings remain highly ranked and profitable.
💰 Our services are paid for by guests (built into management fees), so there’s zero out-of-pocket cost to you.
If you want to save time, increase revenue, and automate your STR business, we’re here to help.
Final Thoughts
Technology is the backbone of a successful short-term rental business in 2025. Implementing the right tools not only saves time but also ensures a seamless experience for both hosts and guests. From automating pricing and messaging to managing turnovers and optimizing bookings, a well-integrated tech stack can make hosting far more efficient and profitable. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale, investing in smart solutions will keep your business competitive and adaptable in an ever-changing market. The key is to find the right combination of tools that fit your needs and allow you to focus on delivering the best possible guest experience.
