Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, booking amenities in community associations was straight forward. Whether residents wanted to book the service elevator, party room or guest suites, all they needed to do was fill out a form or book online (if the community association’s resident portal had this feature).
During the COVID-19 outbreak, community associations started shutting down all nonessential amenities, including gyms and pools. According to a new report released by Community Associations Institute (CAI), a significant portion (41%) of community association pools have not opened this season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the factors behind the decisions to not open pools was due to the fear of spreading COVID-19.
However, as the social distancing restrictions are now loosened, pools and gyms begin to open for the summer.
One challenge faced by many property managers is the ability to limit occupancy. While some property managers are using pool passes to regulate how many residents use the pool, some are using a booking system that allows a limited number of residents to book and attend a specified time slot.
We have released a new feature called Multiple Simultaneous Amenity Bookings. Watch the video below to know more.
In addition to managing party rooms and clubhouses, guest suites, service elevators, and traditional amenities, our amenity booking feature gives residents the ability to book timeslots for facilities that didn’t necessarily require reservations in the past. This includes pools, gyms and other fitness areas, and BBQs.
By implementing an automated process that has rules and validation you will avoid a situation where too many residents have asked to use a particular facility at a given time.
Using our booking feature, management can control:
Which amenities are available to residents
Hours of operation of each amenity
Maximum booking length
Maximum spots available at one time
Which users can book the specific amenity
How far in advance a user can book the amenity
Today’s digital savvy residents want to interact with their property managers as they would with any other businesses or services, and this means they value using online tools for everything from communicating to onboarding to managing fees or booking amenities.
It is very important to realize that the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing people into a more digital mindset and way of interacting with their property managers.
Residents’ adoption of digital tools is likely to expand after the pandemic passes, meaning the property management industry must keep up with this trend. Property management firms thus need to provide digital ways for owners to book amenities.
Click here to watch our latest webinar and learn how to manage your amenities during COVID-19.