Perfecting peak season

Open your calendar, set a competitive price, and simplify check-in and checkout.
By Airbnb on Nov 11, 2024
4 min video
Updated Jan 6, 2025

Peak season is coming. Here are a few ways you can use Airbnb hosting tools to make the most of the time when guest demand is highest.

Keep your calendar up to date

Prepare for your area’s busy season by opening additional nights in your calendar. This helps your listing appear in more search results and can increase your earnings.

Consider your minimum trip length when opening up nights in your calendar. You’ll need to stay within your minimum or lower your standard minimum trip length. You can also create a custom trip length for the specific nights you open.

“It’s especially important to make sure the calendar is open during busy season,” says Myranda, a Superhost in Little Rock, Arkansas. “Instead of taking a couple days off between guests, I make sure I’m more flexible during that season so I can host even more guests.”

Go to your listing’s calendar and look for blocked nights, which appear in gray. Open any blocked nights that you’re able to host.

Extending your availability window beyond the three-month minimum lets guests book further ahead. You can open your calendar up to two years in advance. Your listing will appear in more search results—and in a shorter list of results if there are fewer places available at that time.

Your calendar opens one day at a time regardless of your availability window. For example, if your window is 12 months, guests can book your place up to one year ahead of today’s date.

“Take advantage when demand is high,” says Jimmy, a Superhost in Palm Springs, California. “Maybe other hosts aren’t ready and their calendars aren’t open. By being proactive, you’re going to capitalize on those high-demand periods.”

Price competitively

To stay competitive during peak season, check the prices of similar listings in your area and consider adjusting your nightly rate. If you offer the same price every night, consider varying your pricing on weekdays and weekends to match shifts in demand. Pricing dynamically can help maximize your bookings and earnings.

To compare similar listings, go to your listing’s calendar and select a date range of up to 31 days. 

You’ll see the average prices of similar listings nearby on a map of your area. Buttons on the map let you view booked or unbooked listings. The factors that determine which listings are similar include location, size, features, amenities, ratings, reviews, and the other listings guests browse while considering yours.

Listings with prices lower than similar listings nearby tend to rank higher in search results.

“If it’s a busy time and we’re still not getting booked, I’ll double check properties in my area,” says Felicity, a Superhost in Sydney, Australia. “I’ve got to be priced competitively.”

Add a discount

Adding discounts is another way to stand out to guests during your busy season. You can cater to a variety of travelers by offering:

  • Weekly and monthly discounts. Consider offering weekly discounts for stays that are seven nights or longer and monthly discounts for stays that are 28 nights or longer. This can help improve your search ranking, fill gaps in your calendar, and reduce turnover.
  • Early bird discount. Adding an early bird discount for bookings made 1 to 24 months before check-in can help you appeal to guests who plan ahead.

Guests see a special callout in search results and on your listing page for weekly or monthly discounts of 10% or more and for early bird discounts of 3% or more. Your discounted price appears next to your original price, which is crossed out.

Note that the early bird discount isn’t available when Smart Pricing is turned on and that lengths of stay discounts need to follow local rules and regulations.

“I use the early bird discount when I’m setting up my calendar for the year,” says Anne, a Superhost in Tarragona, Spain. “This tends to fill my calendar quickly, and people who get the discount don’t usually cancel.”

Make check-in and checkout easy

Look for ways to simplify your guests’ arrival and departure. Include check-in directions to help them understand how to find your place and unlock the front door when they arrive.

  • Add important details. You can set and adjust your check-in method, time, and directions in your arrival guide. Providing self check-in with a smart lock, keypad, or lockbox allows guests to unlock the entrance with a code, even if they arrive late at night.
  • Show how to get inside. Include photos or a video to help guests visualize the process. Ask a friend to test your instructions to make sure they’re clear.

Think of checkout as your guests’ final impression of your space. Keeping it easy can remind them of the great stay they had.

  • Provide clear checkout instructions. Choose from a list of tasks in your arrival guide. Explain what’s essential for guests to do before they leave, like turning things off and locking up. Anyone can read these before they book.
  • Simplify as much as possible. Consider whether it’s necessary for guests to do certain tasks, like gathering used towels and throwing away trash.

“It’s important for guests to have just one or two simple instructions because they’re trying to vacate your property,” says Karen, a Superhost in Nelson, Canada. “It makes the experience so much easier.”

You control your pricing and other settings at all times. Your results may vary. 

Hosts were paid for their participation in interviews.

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.

Airbnb
Nov 11, 2024
Was this helpful?