Can I make one night stays more expensive vs 2 night stays?

[Maisie1]

I have a property (room in a house) that would be ideal for people travelling between 2 points as I am on a highway between 2 provinces.

While I would usually not want single night stays, I think it may be inevitable as this is mostly what people will be wanting. But there may be some other guests who need to stay in the area for a week or more.

So is it possible to increase one night stays vs 2 night stays? And would you recommend that? I think I can only go up by $5 for my area (which I know is paltry, but it is what it is).

[Shelley159]

Hi @Maisie1 

Short stays are relatively more expensive than longer ones, as most costs are incurred at guest changeovers. A good and fair way to price this in is to add a cleaning fee. This is charged per booking, not per night, so a one-night stay will work out to be more expensive on a per-night basis than a two-night stay, and so on.

[Maisie1]

Oh, ok, so that is relatively simple then, I will do that for now and see how that works out, thanks!

[Arz545]

Yes, you can absolutely charge more for one-night stays compared to longer bookings! Many hosts do this by adding a "one-night stay fee" or adjusting their pricing rules on platforms like Airbnb or Booking.com. If your platform allows, you can set different rates based on the length of stay, or manually adjust pricing to reflect a small premium for single-night bookings.

As for whether it’s a good idea—it depends on demand in your area. If most travelers are just passing through and only need a night, raising the price slightly can help offset the higher turnover costs (cleaning, check-ins, etc.). But if longer stays are common, offering small discounts for 2+ nights might encourage guests to extend their visit. A $5 increase may not deter bookings, but it can help cover extra effort for short stays!