All About Barefoot Technologies Vacation Rental Software (Review)

“A complete vacation rental management solution. A proven partner.”

Founded in 1998, the Barefoot Technologies Corporation has now been around for more than 20 years as a property management system for vacation rentals. Its promise to customers is to listen to their needs, advise them as their needs change, offer them the best technology tools, and support them with an experienced team.

Overview

Barefoot has dozens of different partners. It’s partnered with vacation rental industry organizations, such as VRMA, the Corporate Housing Providers Association, OpenTravel, FVRMA, and VRHP. Plus, there’s an extensive list of integration partners like BookingPal, TripAdvisor, Airbnb, Rentals United, and many more.

Within Barefoot’s interface, there are also payment processing partners, web partners, home automation and security partners, workforce management partners, and insurance partners. Compared to many other property management systems in the vacation rental industry, Barefoot has had much more time to establish relationships and partnerships with other industry leaders.

Features

Barefoot’s property management solutions for vacation rentals include:

• The Barefoot Agent 4.0 Platform – This comprehensive platform has numerous features, starting with lead management and CRM tools. There are also short-term and long-term rental options, document management, group management tools, dynamic pricing, reminders functionality, and so much more. Learn about everything included in Barefoot Agent 4.0 here.

• Trust Accounting – Trust Accounting comprises a huge list of functionalities. Overall, it includes full rental and property management accounting, trust accounting, owner account, and travel agent accounting. You can manage group bookings with discounts, split payments, and group communication. You can also manage upsells, various charges, agent commission structures, and much more.

• CRM and Lead Management – The Barefoot CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and Lead Management cover unlimited amenities, drive leads to become bookings, contain communication tools, allow for e-signature contracts, and have mobile-ready portals for guests, owners, and vendors. Maintaining positive relationships with guests and turning leads into bookings is a huge part of the vacation rental business, and Barefoot provides the tools you need to keep up.

• Revenue Management – Barefoot’s Revenue Management includes interval pricing, price classes, a sophisticated revenue pricing tool, and ultimate flexibility in setting charges. In the vacation rental industry, static prices aren’t enough to find the success that many businesses hope for. With Barefoot’s pricing tool, you can use dynamic pricing that changes in response to demand.

• Upsell & Concierge – Offer your guests various upsell options and concierge services through Barefoot’s software. Barefoot has also partnered with activity management companies like Xplorie and VayKgear to leverage their specific focus on local activities. These tools help you earn more revenue from each guest’s stay.

• Website Integrations – There are two ways to connect your existing website with Barefoot: through the Barefoot iLink or the Barefoot API. iLink is best for smaller companies, while larger companies typically use the API functionality.

• Partnerships & APIs – Barefoot has an open API with direct integration with Vrbo, Airbnb, and TripAdvisor.

• Resort Solution – Resort Management Solutions include accounting tools, the vendor access portal, the owner and guest access portal, Folio Connect, cash register connect, and an extensive API and partner program.

If you want to learn more about all of Barefoot’s capabilities, you can download the capabilities checklist directly from its website here.

Platforms

Currently, Barefoot can be accessed online but does not yet have Android and iPhone/iPad apps.

Users

Small, midsize, and large companies can all work with Barefoot Technologies. However, the higher price point does lend Barefoot more to the larger companies rather than individual vacation rental owners or property managers with a small portfolio.

Support

For support, Barefoot has a ticket system and also offers an emergency support phone line. Although this might not sound like much in comparison to other property management systems that have 24/7 customer support representatives, user reviews show that Barefoot users are more than satisfied with the company’s support.

Training

Barefoot provides a few different types of training to its users. It has live online and in-person training, as well as various webinars and training documents. Barefoot begins its relationship with each client by setting up a technology business plan based on the client’s needs and the best way to use Barefoot to meet those needs. It provides deep, ongoing support with partner advocacy and keeps up continuous feedback loops from clients to continue driving the product forward. In addition, Barefoot holds annual conferences where it shares important industry conversations with peers and discusses new product functionality.

Awards

In 2020, Barefoot was #18 on Capterra’s list of the Top 20 Vacation Rental Software options. It earned an overall score of 75/100, with 40/50 for its review score and 27/50 for its web search interest score.

Pricing

Barefoot Technologies has a straightforward pricing structure that consists of a base rate that changes depending on the number of properties in 50-unit increments. If you have between one and 50 vacation rental properties, the base price is $800 per month to use the Barefoot software. However, there are various add-on services that will increase the base rate.

For every additional 50 units after the first, Barefoot charges another $300 per month. If you pay the monthly fee annually rather than on a monthly basis, then Barefoot will award you a 10% discount.

There are also various add-on services that come with an extra cost. However, Barefoot does not disclose exactly what the cost is for these services. Add-ons include eSignature capabilities, the Barefoot Sales Agent, the Group Module, Referral Agent Access, and more.

To learn about exactly what is included in the price and what the price is, you’ll need to contact Barefoot directly through email or a phone call. Once you’ve contacted the company, Barefoot will provide a full demo along with a pricing proposal.

What Makes Barefoot Technologies Stand Out?

Barefoot has over 20 years of experience with a 95% customer retention rate. It’s been around much longer than many of the property management system options on the market today. Another notable fact about Barefoot is that its support team has over 100 years of combined experience in the industry.

What Do Users Like About Barefoot Technologies?

Overall, Barefoot received mostly positive feedback from users. On Capterra, it earned an average score of 4.5 stars with 32 reviews. Barefoot scored 4.2 stars on average for ease of use and 4.6 stars on average for customer service.

Users praise Barefoot’s policy of having all-inclusive pricing without upfront fees. They like that the software is customizable and very robust, with a huge variety of features and functions. According to user reviews, Barefoot is a stable software with no reported bugs or glitches.

One huge area for praise is Barefoot’s customer support team. There are many reviews that rave about their positive experiences with support. For example, one review said, “[T]hey are constantly taking input from clients to [make] minor and major improvements to the program.” Another noted, “Seems to be a relatively small company and I feel like I get personalized service.”

“The software is almost completely customizable to each company’s needs. Once you have a good grip on the platform, it is pretty simple to make and tweak your own reports, property attributes, features, etc.,” explained one reviewer.

What Do Users Dislike About Barefoot Technologies?

There is no free trial or plan for Barefoot, and it is not compatible with Mac; you must use Windows to access the software. A few users complained about the setup and training process and said that there was a huge learning curve.

Another complaint was that the Barefoot interface isn’t the prettiest, according to users. A few referred to it as “busy.”

A final issue that users mentioned in their reviews is that the accounting is not the same as your typical QuickBooks setup. Instead, it’s based on due dates, which can take time to understand and get used to.

One of the lowest-scoring reviews said, “The setup and training were very poor so this compounded into problems over the years, some of which we are still trying to get fixed.” However, it appears that Barefoot replied promptly and offered the user additional training and support.

Main Takeaways

• Barefoot has been around since 1998 and has dozens of industry partners.
• Barefoot offers multiple solutions, including the Agent 4.0 Platform, trust accounting, CRM and lead management, revenue management, upsell & concierge tools, website integrations, partnerships & APIs, and a resort solution.
• Currently, you can access Barefoot online, but there are not yet any apps for mobile access.
• Barefoot may work better for larger companies, considering the price point.
• Barefoot’s pricing structure begins at $800 per month, but it’s necessary to request a demo and pricing proposal for exact rates.
• Barefoot has a 95% customer retention rate, and its support team has more than 100 years of combined experience.
• Barefoot earned 4.5 stars from 32 reviews on Capterra.
• Positive reviews praised Barefoot’s customizable and robust software and noted that it was very stable and didn’t have any glitches or bugs. Many user reviews also commented on the amazing customer service.
• Negative reviews noted that Barefoot’s interface isn’t the most attractive and complained that there was a huge learning curve during the setup and training process.