Exploring Hostfully for your short-term rental operation?
This guide covers features, pricing, and ideal use cases — with insights straight from their team.
Choosing property management software is one of those decisions that ripples through everything else you do. The right platform disappears into the background and just works. The wrong one creates friction you feel every single day.
Hostfully has built a reputation for helping operators scale without drowning in complexity. We went directly to their team to understand what the platform actually delivers.
Here’s what we found.
Why Pair Your PMS with CraftedStays?
Your PMS handles operations — bookings, calendars, and guest communication. But the website builder that comes bundled with it? Usually an afterthought. CraftedStays handles what comes before the booking: turning website visitors into guests. We focus on conversion-optimized design, fast mobile performance, and SEO that brings in organic traffic — while syncing seamlessly with your PMS so you’re not managing data in two places.
The Short Version
Hostfully describes their core value this way: “We help short-term rental operators scale with confidence by combining powerful automation, flexible operations tools, and guest-facing experiences in one platform.”
Translation: they’re trying to make professional hospitality achievable without requiring a massive team or constant manual oversight.
Who Should Consider Hostfully?
The platform serves a wide range, from operators with a handful of units to portfolios in the thousands. But certain profiles tend to get the most value.
Growth-focused operators. If you’re thinking beyond where you are today, Hostfully is designed to scale alongside you. Their customers report an average 9.6x portfolio growth over 2 years.
Teams are managing remotely. Coordinating cleaners, maintenance, and guest communication across properties in different locations gets complicated fast. Hostfully’s centralized tools help keep everyone aligned.
Operators balancing OTAs and direct bookings. Managing multiple channels while building your own booking pipeline requires software that handles both gracefully.
Three Features That Keep Users Around
When asked what capabilities matter most to their customers, Hostfully highlighted three:
Automated messaging and workflows. Guest communication can eat up hours if you’re doing it manually. Hostfully automates the routine stuff — confirmations, check-in instructions, follow-ups — so you handle exceptions rather than every single message. Their customers report 90% reduction in time spent on repetitive communication tasks.
Unified calendar and task coordination. Availability, cleaning schedules, and maintenance across multiple properties get messy without centralized tools. Hostfully brings it together in one view. Customers using these tools have seen approximately 71% higher occupancy rates.
Digital guidebooks. These guest-facing resources answer common questions before anyone needs to ask. House rules, WiFi passwords, local recommendations — all accessible on any device. Fewer interruptions for you, better experience for guests.
How Channel Management Works
Hostfully connects to major OTAs, including Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, as well as regional platforms, depending on your market.
Their approach prioritizes reliability over flashiness: accurate syncing, double booking prevention, and centralized control across all your listing channels.
“Our approach is to keep syncing accurately, prevent double bookings, and give operators centralized control across channels,” they explained.
Nothing revolutionary there — but consistent execution on the basics matters more than fancy features that don’t work reliably.
Pricing Structure
Hostfully uses per-property pricing with tiered plans based on feature needs and portfolio size.
| Pricing Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Billing model | Per-property, tiered by portfolio size |
| Plan structure | Multiple tiers based on feature needs |
| Scalability | Start small, upgrade as you grow |
| Custom quotes | Available for larger operations |
The model lets you start smaller and expand as your business grows. You’re not paying for enterprise capabilities when you have five units, but those tools are available when you need them.
Getting Help When You Need It
Support quality often determines whether software actually works for your business or just creates new headaches.
| Support Channel | What You Get |
|---|---|
| Live support | Real-time assistance when issues arise |
| Dedicated onboarding | Guided setup to get you started right |
| Help center | Self-serve answers for common questions |
| Hostfully University | Ongoing education and training resources |
| Account management | Dedicated support for larger operations |
That last piece matters if you’re scaling quickly. Having someone who knows your account saves time compared to explaining your setup from scratch with every question.
The Onboarding Experience
New customers get guided onboarding that includes platform setup, training sessions, migration support when switching from another system, and clear milestones to track progress.
“Our goal is to make sure customers feel confident from day one, not overwhelmed,” the team shared.
Starting with a new PMS while running an active operation is stressful. Structured onboarding helps keep things from falling through the cracks during the transition.
Clearing Up a Common Misconception
Some operators assume Hostfully only makes sense for large property managers. The team wanted to address that directly.
“Many of our customers start with just a few listings and grow with us — the platform is designed to support both early-stage operators and large-scale professionals.”
Starting small and scaling up works here. You’re not buying into a platform you’ll outgrow in two years.
Performance Numbers Worth Noting
Hostfully shared aggregate metrics from their customer base:
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Portfolio growth | 9.6x average in 2 years |
| Reporting time reduction | 90% |
| Occupancy increase | ~71% |
| RevPAR increase | +35.5% |
Individual results depend on your market, properties, and execution. But these numbers indicate what becomes possible when operators have solid systems in place.
Advice for First-Time PMS Buyers
When asked what new buyers should know, the Hostfully team offered guidance that applies beyond their own platform:
“Look beyond feature checklists and focus on operational fit: ease of use, support quality, automation, and how well the system will scale with your business over time. A PMS should reduce stress, not add to it.”
Honest advice. Comparing feature lists is easy. Evaluating whether software actually fits how you work takes more effort but matters more.
Bottom Line
Hostfully makes sense if you’re building toward scale, need tools that work for distributed teams, or want strong guest experience features like digital guidebooks baked into your PMS.
Their tiered pricing means you can start where you are and grow into more advanced capabilities over time.
This guide was developed with input directly from Hostfully to ensure accuracy.
Ready to Build Your Direct Booking Website?
If you’re using Hostfully and want a high-converting direct booking website that syncs seamlessly with your PMS, CraftedStays can help. Our platform integrates directly with Hostfully — so your availability, pricing, and property details stay up to date automatically.