URLAUBSARCHITEKTUR.ORG

Informations for Partners

  • Entry up to date?

    It is important to us to keep the entries for all houses and spaces up to date. This is also important to our readers, because houses and spaces that are constantly evolving inspire trust and continue to arouse curiosity.

    Therefore, please check regularly whether your entry/entries are up to date or whether adjustments need to be made. Please note the following:

    Up-to-date information

    Have there been any changes that are not reflected in the text of the entry?

    • Is the information on the number of guests and rooms/apartments still up to date?
    • Have there been any publications or press reports that can be added?
    • Have there been any structural changes or changes to the design?
    • The criteria listed in the entry are also used for the search. Is the information correct? Important criteria are:
      • Number of persons: For the number of persons, we specify the number of persons for which an accommodation is designed. The example below shows the information for a vacation home with several apartments of different sizes that can be combined.
      • Dogs: “With dog” is the criterion for searching for guests with pets. There are regular changes to the accommodations regarding whether pets are allowed. Therefore, please check that the information is up to date.

    Images

    It is important that we have up-to-date images of your property. We can usually no longer use images that are several years old, and they attract less interest from readers and the press. If there have been structural changes or adjustments to the furnishings/fixtures, we will need new images in any case. Further information: Notes on images

    Availability data

    Please check whether the calendar in the entry reflects the current status and update the data if necessary. Outdated availability data is counterproductive for your accommodation! Please note that entries without current availability data will only have reduced visibility on our website. Further information: Submitting availability data

    Comments

    Does your entry receive comments on a regular basis? Continuous guest feedback is important for reader interest. Houses and spaces for which we do not receive guest feedback are problematic and cannot be listed in the long term.

    Contact

    Have your contact persons changed? Please let us know the new contacts so that they can receive all relevant information from us. New employees also have the opportunity to participate in our regular onboarding sessions (video call) for new partners, where we provide information about our work.

    Need for adjustment

    If you have any questions or need to make adjustments, please send an email to kontakt@urlaubsarchitektur.de.

  • Images

    Notes on the transfer of image material

    A picture says more than a thousand words—and high-quality architecture can be conveyed not only through exciting stories, but above all with high-quality image material. Therefore, here are some explanations about the type of image material we require.

    It is important that we have up-to-date image material at our disposal. We are generally unable to use images that are several years old. We cannot present buildings for which we do not have suitable and up-to-date image material.

    The images should reflect the actual situation, i.e., they should not be outdated in terms of the building, its furnishings, and its surroundings. If there have been structural changes or adjustments to the furnishings/fixtures, we will need new images in any case.

    Motifs

    We mainly use architectural images, and individual landscape shots if necessary.

    We always require exterior and interior photos for each house.

    We do not use atmospheric images (image pictures) that do not show architecturally relevant details for the entries. Please only send us images of areas of the house that are accessible to guests.

    We require images in landscape and portrait format. Good landscape images are essential, as our intro image is always in landscape format.

    The images in your house listing will be edited by us and may be cropped.

    We cannot use images with visible watermarks or embedded logos.

    For overview pages and search results, we require at least one image that clearly conveys the character and architecture of the house at a glance.

    Scope

    We can publish 10-15 images per entry on our website. In our press download, we keep a selection of about 20 images per house. However, please feel free to send us as many images as you have so that we have a selection and additional material for press inquiries.

    Data formats / resolution

    Please send us your material in the highest possible resolution. The resolution should be approximately 5000 pixels in width at a resolution of 350 dpi. Images less than 2500 pixels wide and 350 dpi in landscape format are not suitable.
    Please send the files in JPEG (.jpg) format.

    Image rights

    We require your confirmation of image rights for the images sent using the image rights form. Please return the completed form as a scan or by fax.
    We require this confirmation each time you send us new images.

    Please check that you have also obtained the necessary usage rights from your photographer. We always recommend purchasing the unrestricted usage rights (“buyout”) so that you can use the images freely as needed and pass them on to third parties.

    Assignment of images

    If the image material comes from different photographers or shows different houses, please send the files in such a way that we can clearly assign all individual images, e.g.

    • in separate folders (per photographer/building)
    • with a clear designation in the file name
    • by sending a separate list that clearly shows the assignment

    Old image material

    When sending new images, we also need to know if the existing images are outdated and should no longer be used. To avoid errors in assignment, we recommend sending complete sets of current material. We will then archive the existing old images.

    Upload

    Please send image material via one of the following two uploads:

    Please do NOT send access details for cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.).
    Please do NOT send us any image material by email or any storage media by post.

    Architectural photographers

    If you are dissatisfied with the images of your property, we will be happy to put you in touch with professional architectural photographers on request. You will find some recommendations in our list of photographers.

    Cost

    We charge for revisions to entries with new image material based on the amount of work involved. Details can be found in our terms and conditions.

  • Photographers

    The photographers listed below have photographed URLAUBSARCHITEKTUR houses in the past. The list is in alphabetical order and includes the country of origin:

    We recommend that you always purchase unrestricted usage rights for image material (buyout) so that you can use the images freely as needed and pass them on to third parties.

  • Videos

    Notes on videos

    We do NOT believe that an entry must have an embedded video. However, there are houses that can be better conveyed with a film than with photos alone. Only then does a video make sense.

    The film must be thematically appropriate for the house and must not be too long.
    We cannot use films with embedded logos/branding, etc.; promotional films are not suitable.

    We can only embed one video per entry.

    Data formats/resolution

    We require the videos as files in MP4 or MOV format.
    For legal reasons, we can no longer use links to streaming platforms.

    The resolution should be at least 4K (3840x2160px) with a frame rate of 60fps.
    We cannot use resolutions lower than FullHD (1920x1080px).

    Rights

    As with images, we also require your confirmation of rights for videos. Please use the image rights form for this purpose. Please return the completed form as a scan or by fax.

    Upload

    Please send image material via one of the following two upload options:

    Please do NOT send access details for cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.).
    Please do NOT send us any image material by email or any storage media by post.

    Cost

    We charge for the revision of entries with new image material based on the amount of work involved. Details can be found in our terms and conditions.

  • Availability data

    Share your availability data

    Our readers want to know when your house is still available and when it makes sense to make a booking request. That’s why we need availability data for all houses.

    The availability will then be shown in your entry as a calendar, and the portal’s search function can be used to search for available periods.

    There are different ways to share your availability data with URLAUBSARCHITEKTUR:

    ical links for availability data

    ical is the international standard protocol for exchanging calendar data. The ical link is similar to a web address; we can use this link to regularly load your availability data. We need separate ical links for each accommodation (each apartment/each room).
    For larger hotels, an ical link per room category is also possible, provided there are several room categories.

    You use a booking management software

    For current software, ical links are a standard. Simply send us the ical links.

    You use a calendar

    ical links are also available for calendars such as Apple Calendar, Outlook or Google Calendar. Here is an example of instructions for setting up Apple/iCloud Calendar:
    – Set up a calendar for each accommodation.
    – Activate “public calendar” for each calendar and send us the URL displayed.

    Using our booking tool software

    If you use our booking tool software, we can connect your account and use your availability data. If you’re interested in using our booking tool, just let us know. We’d be happy to set up a test account for you.

    What periods of time need to be submitted?

    We require the data for all periods during which the respective accommodation is not available for rent. This includes all bookings and all periods during which no rentals can take place (e.g., due to personal use, house is temporarily closed, etc.).

    What happens if no current availability data is available?

    We cannot present properties that cannot provide us with availability data.
    In case of data transmission disruptions: If we temporarily do not have current occupancy data available, entries will only have limited/reduced visibility; they will not be displayed in the search results or will be marked as unavailable.

    Technical details about our ical interface

    If your IT specialist wants to know exactly how our interface for importing availability data via ical links works, you can find the specifications here.

  • Specification ical interface

    Availability data can be transmitted via our ical interface. We use the transmitted occupancy data:

    • for the availability calendar in the entries
    • for our readers’ search for available periods

    Here are the technical details for the interface:

    Technical basis

    We use the ical protocol (iCalendar) in accordance with the international standard RFC 5545 for the exchange.

    -> https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICalendar.

    The exchange of availability data via the ical protocol is practiced in the form we use by many other platforms, e.g., airBNB, booking.com, Fewo, etc.
    Therefore it is not a UA-specific solution!
    A corresponding interface is available for different booking software or channel managers.

    ical link

    For each accommodation (apartment/room), we require a separate ical link (= URL) that allows us to retrieve the file with the current occupancy data at any time. For larger accommodations, data for room categories may also be used after prior consultation.

    The list we need for setup could look like this, for example:

    • Apartment 1, https://www.webseite.de/7d8c4a20caf04d15b12924433d5a0099.ics
    • Apartment 2, https://www.webseite.de/7d8c4a20caf04d15b12924433d5a0098.ics
    • Apartment 3 …

    All ical links must be accessible without further authentication.
    When the link is accessed, the current occupancy data is downloaded as an .ics file and processed by us.

    We reload the occupancy data via the ical links every 6 hours and discard the older data.

    The interface is unidirectional: we receive the current occupancy data; since URLAUBSARCHITEKTUR does not process bookings, the other party does not need any data from us.

    .ics file

    We require the data for all occupied or unavailable periods with start and end dates in the .ics file. The data from the current date onwards is required.
    Each occupied period is a VEVENT in the .ics file; the data record for an occupancy is, for example:

    BEGIN:VEVENT
    DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220520
    DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220207
    END:VEVENT

    There are some differences in the start and end dates, but we can usually process these, e.g.:

    DTEND:20220609
    DTSTART:20220608

    DTEND:VALUE=DATE:20220609
    DTSTART:VALUE=DATE:20220608

    The .ics file may also contain additional information, e.g., details about the accommodation (room number, etc.), the booking (guest name, booking number, etc.), check-in/check-out times, or data from past bookings. All of this data may be included in the .ics file, but we do not process it.
    We only process VEVENTs from the current date and only the start and end dates.

    Please note the necessary data protection regulations if the .ics file contains such data.

  • Advertising

    We offer advertising space in two formats on our homepage:

    1/2 advertising block

    • 1/2 width (approx. 600 px wide)
    • German/English
    • Picture
    • Title
    • Brief description/teaser text
    • Link to the entry

    1/1 advertising block

    • Advertisement full width (approx. 1250 px wide)
    • German/English
    • Picture or reel (short video made from still photos)
    • Title
    • Brief description/teaser text
    • Link to the entry

    Other advertising formats

    Other advertising formats are available on request.

    Prices

    Prices and terms and conditions can be found in our price list.

  • Consulting

    We provide consulting services for the development of new projects and for questions regarding rentals.

    We are also happy to assist with press relations. It is important to us that you appeal to exactly the right guests for you and your establishment!

    If you are interested in our consulting services, please contact us.

  • Network & Exchange

    URLAUBSARCHITEKTUR does not see itself as a traditional platform, but rather as an active network for discerning hosts. Our goal is to inspire our partners, raise their profile, and provide them with professional support.

    Personal onboarding

    Every new partner starts with an onboarding calls, in these calls:

    • We discuss the positioning and special features of the house/space
    • provide insights into our quality criteria
    • answer individual questions about the collaboration
    • provide an overview of everything URLAUBSARCHITEKTUR has to offer

    We announce dates for onboarding calls in our update mailings, they can also be arranged individually. We are also happy to enable new employees at our partners to learn more about our work and participate in an onboarding call.

    Regular partner updates

    Our partners receive regular updates with relevant information about our work:

    • Further developments of URLAUBSARCHITEKTUR and its quality criteria
    • Technical innovations
    • Important information on legal, country-specific topics

    Our updates are sent by email.

    Events for partners

    Our partner meetings and “Stammtisch”-get-togethers offer inspiring exchanges on an equal footing.

    URLAUBSARCHITEKTUR actively promotes personal exchange within the network. This is where valuable contacts, collaborations, and inspiration arise—between hosts, architects, and industry experts.

    Our event categories:

      • Partner meetings (annual)
      • Regional “Stammtisch”-get-togethers (approx. 5 meetings per year)
      • Meetings or calls on current topics

      We communicate upcoming dates and meetings in our updates.

      Social media presence

      Our activities on social media aim to increase our visibility in an international community with an appreciation for design. Content is curated and selected in line with our quality standards. Our posts cover the following content:

        • Organic presentation of selected houses
        • Special topics

        We achieve high visibility through our community—there are no paid advertisements from individual partners.

      1. Tracking data evaluation

        Information about tracking data

        It is understandable that you, as a partner, would like to know what you benefit from working with us. We regularly receive requests to evaluate the tracking data for your entries on our website.

        We are happy to provide you with statistics on the number of views of entries on our website (page views, visits, clicks, etc.). We prepare these evaluations on request and charge for the time spent.

        However, we often find that there is uncertainty about what data we can provide and how this information should be interpreted. Surprisingly, many of our partners do not have their own tracking and statistics. We are repeatedly asked for evaluations that we are technically unable to provide, e.g., on conversion.

        We have compiled some information on the evaluation of tracking data here:

        What data do we track?

        We use two separate systems to evaluate traffic on our websites redundantly. We do not use any systems to which third parties have access, and we do not connect our records with other data. Therefore, we do not work with Google Analytics, etc., or other providers. Our tracking is anonymous.

        What types of evaluations can we provide?

        We can evaluate for your house/space entry:

        • How often an entry was viewed in a given period (page views).
        • How many visits an entry had in a given period (visits).
        • Which regions these views came from (depending on the period).
        • How often a link in an entry was clicked, e.g., the link to your website (clicks).

        We can display these evaluations in table form and graphical:

        For ads on our landing page, we can evaluate:

        • How often the link in the ad was clicked during a week (clicks).
        • Which regions these clicks came from (depending on the time period).

        What types of evaluation are not possible?

        We cannot generate evaluations for profiling purposes, i.e., we cannot analyse which group of people (age, gender, interests, etc.) is interested in a particular entry. Comparative evaluations with other entries are also not possible. This is due to applicable data protection regulations. As our tracking is anonymous, we are also unable to perform such evaluations for technical reasons.

        How relevant is the tracking data?

        Our tracking data does not provide much insight into the visibility and bookings that a property/space receives through us:

        • Our activities in PR, social media, magazines, books, etc. are not included in the tracking data.
        • The tracking data does not reflect how we increase the visibility of your own website in search engines.
        • The number of bookings a property receives through us is not related to the number of hits on a listing.

        What other evaluation options do you have?

        The most effective way to evaluate our work is via your own website and the bookings you receive:

        • Our links to external websites (e.g., to your property/space website) have a campaign tag (utm_campaign, utm_source, utm_medium). This allows you to evaluate traffic to your own website and conversion rates.
        • Your web agency can use SEO tools to evaluate the development of your website’s visibility.
        • When guests make a booking, ask them how they found your establishment/space.

        How do you request an evaluation from us?

        Please send your request by email to kontakt@urlaubsarchitektur.de, specifying which evaluation you need.

      2. Sell your house

        We present properties that are for sale on our real estate website. Here we also feature projects for which we are seeking partners or investors. We have a separate newsletter dedicated to real estate projects.

        URLAUBSARCHITEKTUR partners get special conditions with reduced prices for the presentation.

        If a property is sold or the landlord or operator changes, the term of an entry with us ends prematurely. We will then refund the partial amount for the remaining term of the entry.