We Tried A Demo of Hostify’s Property Management System: Here’s Our Honest Review

When you’re managing multiple short-term rentals across platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo, the right property management software can make a huge difference.

With this in mind, Homevy set out to find a vacation rental management software that could simplify day-to-day operations, and also scale with us as we grow.

Hostify quickly caught our attention. On paper, it promised strong channel management, a unified communication hub, and an intuitive interface—all the things we knew could save us time and stress. So, we gave their demo a try, dug into the features, and put the platform to the test.

This is our honest review of Hostify’s vacation management software.

Our First Look at Hostify’s Vacation Management Software

Photo by Hostify

At first look, Hostify made a good first impression. Just like the other property management software that we had tried, especially Guesty, it was clear that someone actually thought about how property managers work day to day.

The dashboard was simple and sharp. There was no point in time that we got confused —that’s how straightforward it was. There aren’t a million buttons confusing you. Just the essentials, laid out in a way that makes sense. Although everything was easy to spot, the calendar view, in particular, stood out to us. It was neat and professional.

Hostify’s Demo In Action: What Can You Expect?

We got a good look at how the system handles day-to-day tasks, from the simple stuff to the more detailed bits.

We paid close attention to how smoothly everything flowed—how many clicks it took to do basic things, how the information was laid out, and whether it all made sense without needing a manual.

Here’s what we learned:

• Creating and managing property listings across multiple platforms
• Handling a new booking from start to finish
• Chatting with guests through the unified inbox
• Generating reports and statements for property owners
• Staying on top of cleaning schedules and maintenance

…everything felt easy and pretty intuitive.

However, we did catch a few moments where a task took more clicks than expected. This was not a dealbreaker AT ALL, but it is something worth noting if you’re big on speed and efficiency.

What Features Does Hostify Have?

After thoroughly checking Hostify, several standout features caught our attention:

1. Unified Communication Interface

Just like Guesty and Hostfully, Hostify’s unified inbox stood out as one of its biggest strengths. Messages from Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, and direct bookings all landed in one clean, easy-to-use interface. It also came with handy automated templates for things like check-in details and FAQs.

For a team like ours, juggling multiple properties on different platforms, this feature would’ve made guest communication way more efficient.

2. Robust Channel Management

Hostify handled channel management like a pro. We were impressed by how reliably it synced calendars across all the major platforms, pushed out real-time updates to avoid double bookings, and made it easy to update content—descriptions, photos, amenities—everywhere at once.

Being able to manage rates, availability, and booking rules from one place would’ve saved us serious time and this kind of control would be a game-changer for Homevy.

3. Good Owner Experience and Reporting

Hostify didn’t just focus on the property managers; it gave owners their own space, too. The owner portal was clean, straightforward, and packed with the kind of info owners actually care about: clear financial statements, live occupancy data, and automatic payout calculations based on whatever commission setup you use.

Owners could log in anytime to check how their property was doing, and reports could be sent out on a schedule. For a company like ours, where transparency with owners is key, this kind of built-in clarity was a major plus.

Our User Experience with Hostify’s Vacation Management Software 

Hostify’s layout was pretty decent. Our operations team mentioned they could get the hang of the key features within a week, tops.

Routine tasks like new bookings, scheduling cleanings, and messaging guests flowed well overall. But we did spot a few places where the experience could be tighter. Assigning tasks, for example, took more clicks than felt necessary, and some of the automation options didn’t go quite as far as we’d hoped. Nothing major, but enough to slow things down just a bit. All these could definitely be solved with a new update.

What Does Hostify’s Pricing Look Like?

Photo by Hostify

At first glance, Hostify’s pricing model felt like a win. It scaled with the number of properties, which seemed perfect for a growing portfolio like ours. Compared to some of the pricier platforms out there, it looked like a solid value for money.

Butttt as we dug deeper, we realized a few must-have features, like advanced reporting and key integrations, were locked behind higher-tier plans. That meant as we scaled, our costs would, too, and not in a small way. What started out looking budget-friendly started to feel very expensive once we factored in the tools we’d actually need to run things efficiently.

Where Hostify’s Property Management Software Fell Short

Despite its strong points, Hostify did have limitations that gave us pause:

1. Revenue Management Constraints

Hostify came with some basic pricing tools, but when it came to real revenue optimization, it leaned heavily on third-party integrations like PriceLabs and Wheelhouse. We agree that those tools are solid, but we were hoping for stronger features in Hostify itself. Smarter, built-in tools would have helped us stay sharp without juggling extra subscriptions.

2. Mobile Experience Limitations

Hostify and Avantio had the same issue as regards the mobile experience. Avantio did NOT have a dedicated mobile app, but Hostify does. However, it still wasn’t great.

During testing, we noticed a few key features were either stripped down or hard to reach. We found that this could slow us down, especially when we’re moving between properties. The desktop version was great. It handled everything smoothly, but on mobile, it felt like we were working with a beat-down version.

Why We Walked Away from Hostify

There’s a lot to like about Hostify. Its unified inbox and strong channel management tools made a solid impression on our team.

But as great as it was, we couldn’t ignore the flaws. The limited built-in revenue management features were a HUGE miss. And if you’re actively moving in Dubai’s market, you know that a pricing strategy can make or break profitability. So, as we looked ahead, we weren’t confident that Hostify could scale with our needs.

But hey? That’s just us. Hostify would be a great fit for property managers who don’t mind relying on third-party tools for pricing strategy.

But we mind, and that’s why we decided to give Doorloop a try.