Setting prices for your holiday home, without expensive software

Most hosts set their price once and barely touch it again. That costs money twice over: in busy weeks you charge too little, and in quiet weeks you sit empty because you are too expensive for that moment. You do not need expensive software to fix this, just a few hours and a spreadsheet.

Start with your floor, not with the neighbours

First work out what a night costs you: cleaning, laundry, energy, platform commission, maintenance and your fixed costs divided by the nights you realistically let. That figure is your absolute floor, and it is often higher than hosts expect.

Only once you know that number can you look at others sensibly. Without a floor you copy the house down the road and have no idea whether a busy Saturday is actually losing you money.

Compare with ten genuinely similar homes

Search your platform for places in your region with the same guest capacity, a comparable look and comparable facilities. Note the price of ten of them for a peak-season weekend and for a midweek in November.

Look at their calendars too. A house that charges 30 percent more but always sits empty is not an example. One that is as booked up as you are, is.

Work with three seasons, not twelve prices

There is no need to make this complicated. Split your year into three categories: peak (school holidays, public holidays, local events), middle (spring and autumn, weekends) and quiet (midweek out of season).

Use a difference of roughly 30 to 50 percent between them. A house at 120 euro in the quiet period can comfortably be 180 euro at peak, provided your offer and your photos back it up.

Separate weekends from midweek

Friday and Saturday are the scarcest nights in almost every region, certainly for short stays. A supplement of 15 to 25 percent on those nights is normal and rarely seen as unreasonable.

Midweek nights can be cheaper. You fill those with people who are flexible: remote workers, retired couples and anyone without school-age children.

Use your minimum stay as a lever

Your minimum number of nights is as powerful a control as your price. In busy periods you can require three or four nights, so you are not left with orphan nights between bookings.

In quiet periods drop it back to two or even one. Two nights in November earns more than a week of emptiness, and a reasonable cleaning fee covers your turnaround.

Reward longer stays instead of cutting your rate

A weekly discount of 10 to 15 percent is almost always worthwhile, because you have the same cleaning and the same admin across more nights. Seven discounted nights net more than two separate weekends.

That works better than permanently lowering your nightly rate, because your base price stays intact for everyone who comes for a short stay.

Discount late, not early

If your price drops three months ahead, you leave money on the table with early bookers who were willing to pay. Hold your price and only look at what is still open in the final two to three weeks.

If a period really stays empty, give a targeted discount of 10 to 20 percent on those specific nights. A last-minute discount does not undermine your price level, a permanent one does.

Review every quarter, using two numbers

Every three months look at two things: your occupancy rate and your average nightly rate. Above 80 percent occupancy you are probably charging too little. Below 50 percent in season, either your price or your listing is the problem.

Change only one thing at a time and give it a few weeks. Only then do you know whether the change worked, or whether it was simply a quiet month.

A price that stays the same all year is right at the wrong moment, all year.

Start with your floor and your three seasons. Those two steps alone earn most places a few hundred euro a year, without changing anything about the house itself.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a dynamic pricing tool?

Not necessarily. Tools help with multiple properties or high booking volumes, but with three seasons, a weekend supplement and a last-minute rule, a single-property owner captures most of the gain already.

How high can my cleaning fee be?

Work out what cleaning actually costs you and pass that on, without taking a margin. A fee clearly above comparable homes in your region costs you bookings on short stays.

Is a lower price the answer when I have gaps?

Usually not first. Check your first photo, your title and your reviews, because that is where people drop off before they even see your price. Only once those are right is your price next in line.