"I signed on with Barefoot, and it's an older, very clunky software," Gail explains. "The owner lived in New Hampshire, and it was very inexpensive. So that's what I did for a couple of years as I built the business".
It didn't take long for the operational reality of that decision to set in. Keeping the business running on legacy software required a constant stack of third-party add-ons for housekeeping, guest messaging, and digital portals. Software fees climbed while daily management grew increasingly fragmented across dozens of browser tabs.
"I can't tell you how many tabs I have open on the two screens that I work on," Gail says. Managing separate tools created constant friction for her staff and created unnecessary workarounds for the business.
Here is where the shift happens. At an industry event, Gail reconnected with Track team members Tim Schuetz and Greg Manson. She also sat down with Track CEO Boogie Wittenburg to talk through the platform's vision and long-term product roadmap.
"We started the whole conversation," Gail recalls. "Just because of how clunky the Barefoot system was and all the add-ons they were trying to do. And you have everything in Track. Everything is there."
Gail realized that leaving Track hadn't solved her operational hurdles. Returning to Track was an investment in long-term stability and business performance.
Migrating historical data between completely different software architectures takes real work. The Track onboarding team walked side by side with Breakaway to manage the heavy lifting. Implementation specialists like Megan Hollow and Katie Langell kept the transition moving smoothly.
When accounting setup required extra attention, Track specialist Cindy Garrity stepped in to guide Gail directly through the setup process.
"The accounting is a little bit of a wild animal for me because I'm not an accountant, but I've worked closely with Cindy Garrity many hours," Gail says. "She's great. We've spent a lot of time over the past year just working through things."
That level of personal support rebuilt total confidence.
Today, Breakaway Vacation Rentals runs its entire business on an integrated stack of Track products.
TrackPMS gives Gail a clear, central view of daily operations the moment she logs in. Check-ins, check-outs, and new reservations sit on a single organized dashboard. The native owner portal gives investor-owners clean, transparent reporting on demand. "The owner portal is actually pretty and you can do a lot there," Gail notes. "It gives them very clear and concise information."
TrackPulse powers Breakaway's high-touch guest reservation strategy. Gail promises property owners that her team speaks directly with every incoming guest to verify party sizes, pets, and vehicle counts. TrackPulse centralizes lead management and phone interactions so agents turn inquiries into confirmed bookings.
TrackPayments secures financial transactions natively on the primary dashboard. "Track is pretty locked down," Gail emphasizes. "I also use TrackPayments. It's nice to have everything all on one dashboard. It feels safe to me."
TrackDistribution synchronizes rates and availability in real time across major online channels like Vrbo and Airbnb.
Centralizing operations on Track eliminated the need for secondary apps and disconnected add-ons.
"You don't need add-ons," Gail explains. "Everything is there. Having everything in one place was really important to me because I'm the person that's doing payroll, scheduling housekeepers, running linen lists, and paying owners.”
Having a single source of truth allows Gail's staff to work efficiently while giving her complete operational visibility.
"It's very organized, it's very user friendly, and it helps keep the team organized as well," Gail says. "The vacation rental side of my business is located in one place, and that is a huge time saver.”
When asked what advice she offers other operators who might be considering a software change, Gail's recommendation is direct.
"If you're thinking of leaving Track, don't do it. I wouldn't recommend it," Gail says. "Talk to your people. Track has everything you need to be successful.”
Discover how Breakaway Vacation Rentals regained operational control and saved time by consolidating their fragmented software stack into one unified, user-friendly platform. Download and share the full case study to learn how centralizing your daily operations can refine your workflow and eliminate the need for disconnected third-party tools.