Six ways to prepare for low season

Are you prepared for your area’s low season? Here are six ways you can use Airbnb hosting tools to help manage bookings as guest travel dips. Consider the benefits of each to decide what’s right for your hosting business.

Lowering your minimum trip length can appeal to guests booking short stays and help fill gaps in your calendar when people aren’t traveling as much.

You have the option to customize your trip minimum by day of the week. For example, if guest demand is higher on the weekends, you might choose to allow one-night stays during the middle of the week but not when guests book a Friday or Saturday night.

To lower your trip minimum:

• Go to the Availability tab in your listing’s calendar.
• Under Trip length, tap Minimum nights.
• Edit the minimum trip length to the number of nights that works for you.

“If I’ve got an eight-night vacancy, the chances of getting a seven-night booking are slim,” says Felicity, a Host Advisory Board member and Superhost in New South Wales, Australia. “If I reduce my minimum nights during that period, chances are I’m going to attract more guests.”

Consider letting guests book closer to check-in to help you attract a few more bookings during low season. You can choose a minimum lead time as short as the same day, depending on how much time you need between a guest’s booking and their arrival.

To change your minimum lead time:

• Go to the Availability tab in your listing’s calendar.
• Open Advance notice.
• Select the number of days that works for you.

You can also allow requests with shorter notice than your minimum lead time. You’ll be prompted to review and approve these requests.

“It’s a great opportunity to stand out from other properties that may not allow it,” says Karen, a Superhost in Nelson, British Columbia. “I also have self check-in, and I use scheduled messages to share directions. That allows me to accommodate guests booking close to check-in.”

Reducing your nightly price as the check-in date gets closer can help you appeal to last-minute bookers. Consider offering a discount for bookings made 1 to 28 days before check-in to help fill your calendar and boost your earnings.

For discounts of 10% or more off your 60-day median price, guests see a special callout on your listing page and in search results. Your discounted price appears alongside your original one, which is crossed out.

To add a last-minute discount:

• Go to the Pricing tab in your listing’s calendar.
• Under More discounts, open Last-minute discounts.
• Enter the number of days before arrival, between 1 and 28.
• Enter the percentage discount you’d like to offer.

“At maximum, I feel comfortable reducing by 15%,” says Jimmy, a Superhost in Palm Springs, California. “I do have a minimum price, so I’ll never go below that. For an upcoming reservation this weekend, I’m willing to meet that minimum price so I can get it booked.”

Discounts for longer stays can help improve your search ranking, fill gaps in your calendar, and reduce turnovers. Consider offering weekly discounts for stays that are seven nights or longer and monthly discounts for stays that are 28 nights or longer.

Guests see a special callout on your listing page and in search results for weekly or monthly discounts of 10% or more. All length-of-stay discounts are also highlighted next to your original price in the price breakdown.

To add a weekly or monthly discount:

• Make sure your minimum and maximum lengths of stay follow local rules and regulations.
• If you can offer weekly or monthly stays, go to the Pricing tab in your listing’s calendar.
• Under weekly or monthly discounts, set a percentage discount and tap Save.

“Offering weekly or monthly discounts will definitely bring more eyes to your listing,” says Omar, a Superhost in Mexico City. “I’ve been seeing that more and more travelers, especially the digital nomads, are coming to stay for a longer period of time.”

Running a promotion during the low season is a great way to stand out in search results and drive more bookings. When you offer discounts of 15% or more, guests see a special callout on your listing page and in search results.

To add a custom promotion:

• Go to the Pricing tab in your listing’s calendar.
• Select dates on the calendar.
• Set your percentage discount.

A custom promotion may not always be available for your listing. Requirements include that your listing must have at least three bookings, with at least one in the past year, and the dates you select need to have been available for at least 28 days.

“Promotions allow me to set a price for the next few months and have the option to discount if there has been no interest in that time period,” says Daniel, a Host Advisory Board member in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. “They’re one of my favorite tools, because I like to know the degree of supply and demand and act accordingly.”

Comparing the prices of similar listings in your area can help you set a competitive price and attract a few more bookings as travel slows down. If your price is higher than similar listings nearby, you might reduce it to appeal to more guests and boost your search ranking.

If you offer the same price every night, consider adding weekday and weekend prices. Varying your pricing based on the night can also help maximize bookings.

To compare similar listings:

• Go to the Pricing tab in your listing’s calendar.
• Select a date range of up to 31 days.
• Tap View similar listings.

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.

“I do keep an eye on listings that are similar to mine so I can make sure that I’m competitively priced,” says Katie Kay, a Host Advisory Board member and Superhost in Lake Arrowhead, California. “It’s important to be flexible during slower times if you really want to get people into your listing.”

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.