What to Delegate First: 5 Quick Wins for STR Owners

Author: Blendi Muriqi
Date Published: June 17, 2025
Time Read: 2 min read

So you’ve realized it’s time to delegate. You’ve hit that wall: too many messages, too many bookings, and not enough time to even think about scaling.

Good. Awareness is the first step.

But now you’re stuck at the most common question I hear from STR CEOs:

“What should I delegate first?”

Let’s keep it simple: start with what’s eating up your time but doesn’t need your brain. In other words, low-stakes, high-frequency tasks. These are the bottlenecks that pile up fast but don’t move the business forward when you do them yourself.

I call them quick wins…and here are the top five.

1. Guest Messaging & Check-In Coordination

This is the #1 time-suck for most short-term rental operators. You’re answering the same 10 questions over and over. Things like:

“What’s the Wi-Fi?”

“Can we check in early?”

“Where do we park?”

These aren’t hard questions. But answering them over and over at all hours of the day (and night) will drain you fast.

Delegate it. Your VA can use templates, pre-loaded answers, or a system like Hospitable to respond instantly—while keeping it human.

2. Calendar Syncing Across Platforms

If you’re managing listings on VRBO, Booking.com, and direct channels, you know the pain of double bookings. Or worse—manual syncing errors that result in angry guests.

Your VA can take this off your plate completely. With the right SOPs, they can:

✅ Sync iCals
✅ Spot and resolve conflicts
✅ Close gaps in your availability

No more accidental overbookings. No more chaos.

3. Review Responses & Dispute Resolutions

Most founders ignore this one, but it matters.

Whether it’s thanking a 5-star guest or tactfully replying to a bad review, your response can impact your ranking and future bookings. Same goes for damage claims and disputes.

Your VA can:

✅ Respond to reviews professionally
✅ Flag negative feedback you need to see
✅ Submit resolution claims with supporting documentation

That’s hours saved per week, and reputation managed.

4. Scheduling Cleaners & Turnover Teams

How much time do you spend texting your cleaner back and forth?

Let your VA handle turnover coordination. They can:

✅ Track stays and plan cleanings
✅ Confirm with your cleaning team
✅ Handle last-minute changes or gaps

This alone can save most hosts 3–5 hours a week.

5. Basic Bookkeeping & Monthly Expense Tracking

Let’s be honest, this is the one we all put off.

Your VA doesn’t have to be a CPA. But they can:

✅ Categorize expenses in Xero or QuickBooks
✅ Upload receipts
✅ Keep an income tracker updated
✅ Prep monthly summaries

You’ll thank yourself during tax season.

Pro Tip: Start Small, Scale Fast

You don’t have to hand over everything at once. In fact, I recommend starting with just one or two of the tasks above. Build the habit. Build the trust.

Then you can move into high-leverage delegation, like operations support or guest experience strategy.

As founders, we love control. But at some point, that control turns into a cage.

These “quick win” tasks are the keys to the door. You’re not giving up control, you’re creating capacity.

You’re making space to think again.

To rest again.

To lead again.

And that’s how you scale…by buying back your time.

Still trying to do it all? Start small. Delegating even one repetitive task could unlock hours of your week.

Need help identifying what to hand off first?

Get the full step-by-step playbook we built for STR operators like you.

👉 Contact us at www.delegate.co