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Is It HomeRunner or “Home Runner”? The Quick Guide to Finding the Right Product (and Support) Fast Featured Image

Is It HomeRunner or “Home Runner”? The Quick Guide to Finding the Right Product (and Support) Fast

If you’ve found yourself searching for HomeRunner, or perhaps even “Home Runner,” you’re not alone. The difference might seem trivial, but when you’re looking for the right vacation rental booking technology, every little detail counts. In this quick guide, we’ll help you cut through the online noise, clarify the HomeRunner brand (yes, it’s one word), and show you how to quickly identify not only the right product but also the support framework you’ll depend on as your business grows.

Why the Name Matters: HomeRunner, Not “Home Runner”

The world of vacation rental technology is cluttered with similar-sounding names, plugins, and products. At HomeRunner, we’ve seen firsthand how spelling confusion can lead users astray. “HomeRunner” (all one word, capital H and R) is our independent direct booking engine created exclusively for vacation rental pros who run their own WordPress websites. It’s not a baseball term, nor is it connected to any marketplace or PMS itself.

  • HomeRunner: Our brand, direct booking platform, and support team.
  • “Home Runner” or “home runner”: Common misspellings or unrelated references—often leading to non-relevant or even sports-related results!

Getting the brand right helps you land where you want to be—and quickly connect with the solutions that actually move your business forward.

What Exactly Is HomeRunner?

HomeRunner is not just a plugin or a widget—it’s a fully independent booking engine built for vacation rental operators and agencies. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for both small and large teams to turn any WordPress website into a professional direct booking platform, seamlessly integrated with your existing property management system (PMS). This means you get real-time rates, true availability, and total control of your guest booking flow, all while retaining ownership of your website and brand.

Hands typing on laptop searching Airbnb for accommodation options with map view.

How to Quickly Recognize the Right HomeRunner Product (and Team)

When evaluating direct booking engines, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of plugins and similar apps, especially for WordPress. Here’s how you can identify the real HomeRunner—the platform designed and supported by people who know independent vacation rentals inside out.

  • Official website: Only trust info from https://homerunner.io. Any other spelling variant or site is not us.
  • Seamless WordPress Integration: If the platform requires you to rebuild your website or change your hosting, it isn’t HomeRunner. We’re designed for quick, low-friction activation on any WordPress deployment.
  • No PMS displacement: HomeRunner doesn’t replace your PMS—it partners with it, syncing property info, availability, and booking data in real time. If a product tells you to leave or duplicate your operations, beware.
  • Brand-First Customization: HomeRunner gives you full control over your booking flow, checkout process, and even the way your collections and property groups display—without locking you into any particular look or feel.
  • Dedicated expert support: One of our core promises is white-glove setup and ongoing help. We’re contactable, fast to respond, and work hands-on with vacation rental pros—never a tech black box or outsourced hotline.

What Features Define a Genuine Direct Booking Engine?

The right booking platform empowers you with:

  • Advanced multi-property search: Guests can filter by type, bedrooms, price, amenities, and dates.
  • Real-time data flow: True integration with leading PMS solutions (Hostfully, Guesty Pro, Hostaway, Hospitable, OwnerRez, Lodgify), so your calendar and rates are always up-to-date.
  • Professional checkout: Seamless payment collection using your PMS’s existing gateways, plus support for external payment providers like Stripe and PayPal where needed.
  • Flexible property collections: Build as many custom groupings—by theme, location, or brand—as your model needs.
  • Business intelligence dashboard: See guest search patterns, analyze revenue trends, and get AI-powered recommendations to improve performance.
  • Multi-brand and multi-unit support: Whether you’re running a luxury collection, multiple brands, or hotel-style properties, your engine adapts to your evolving business structure.

How Fast Can You Get Live?

We know speed matters. That’s why most of our customers are online and accepting direct bookings in just 30 minutes—with no fees until you’re live. The typical process looks like this:

  1. Sign up and connect to your PMS with our secure two-way integration.
  2. Add HomeRunner to your WordPress site (any theme, no plug-in restrictions!).
  3. Configure property collections, search filters, and price displays.
  4. Test, launch, and start tracking performance—all with unlimited white-glove support along the way.

Adult man using laptop to browse an online marketplace in a modern office.

Support That’s Human (and Knows Vacation Rentals)

When you reach out for support, you’re contacting team members who specialize in vacation rental technology. Our assistance is hands-on and personal—from first integration to ongoing optimization. Whether you want to remove friction from your booking flow or build sophisticated multi-brand groupings, we walk you through each step, and we don’t disappear after setup.

  • No call centers, no chatbots for critical issues.
  • White-glove onboarding: We fully onboard you, answer all PMS integration questions, and never charge for setup or migration help.
  • Proactive monitoring: If we notice sync or performance issues, we reach out first.
  • Continuous education: Access our live demos, video library, and up-to-date docs for new releases and best practices.

If you’re interested in more booking flow or UX tips, check out our guide on Optimizing Your Vacation Rental Booking Flow for even deeper insights.

Common Mistakes When Searching for Direct Booking Platforms

Finding the right solution comes down to:

  • Mistyping the brand name—be precise: HomeRunner (one word).
  • Judging by marketplace popularity rather than property owner control. HomeRunner isn’t a marketplace or OTA, so you always own your domain, data, and brand.
  • Assuming plug-ins are equivalent to engines—tap into our side-by-side deep dive on Booking Engines Versus WordPress Plugins for more.
  • Misreading integration claims. Direct two-way PMS sync is radically different from basic iCal imports or manual updates.

The Quick Checklist: Is This the Right HomeRunner?

  • You’re on homerunner.io—not elsewhere
  • The product works alongside, not instead of, your PMS
  • You’ll see zero pressure for site rebuilds or domain changes
  • All-in pricing: pay for the properties you actively manage, not locked by annual contracts or hidden fees
  • Real people provide fast, expert support—no forms, no ticket limbo
  • Clear, direct documentation, focused on growing your vacation rental business—not generalized ecommerce or hotel chains

For operators aiming to grow direct bookings, expand branded collections, or seamlessly integrate new PMS systems, these points can save hours (and a lot of trial and error).

How to Get the Most from Your HomeRunner Setup

Ready to maximize your HomeRunner journey? Here’s what we’ve seen work best for property managers, web agencies, and independent hosts:

  • Set up multiple property collections. Use themes or locations. For inspiration, read our blog on Theme and Location Collections.
  • Lean on our analytics dashboard. Revenue insights and guest search trends aren’t just for the data nerds—they’re huge competitive advantages for everyone managing more than a couple of listings.
  • Keep your search filters guest-focused. Learn from our guide on guest-centric filters here.
  • Use advanced price displays and flexible checkout settings to experiment with conversion boosts based on your guest segments.
  • Test before going live. Use our unlimited staging environment before activating your booking flow for guests.

FAQs on Finding Support, Docs, and Demos

  • Docs and video walkthroughs: Find these at homerunner.io (under Docs and Videos on the main menu).
  • Live onboarding calls: We offer scheduling for demos and onboarding—reach us right on the site.
  • Dedicated support request: Use our Contact Us page for guaranteed human response.
  • Feature roadmap and feedback: We love building with our users. Use the Request a Feature option to share what would make your workflow easier.

Wrapping Up: Get Direct, Stay Independent

In the end, whether you’re a solo property owner or a large-scale operator, the key to direct booking success is speed, control, and clarity. Armed with the right spelling (HomeRunner, one word), you can focus your effort where it matters—maximizing and optimizing your guest experience while keeping your operations efficient and scalable.

If you want to take the next step, see a live demo, or talk through your property portfolio’s unique setup, we’re here for you at HomeRunner. Control the guest experience, own your business outcome, and make direct bookings easy.