One night stay

[Echuca-Moama-Holiday-Acc0]

I currently have a minimum of 2 night stays and am looking at possibly making one of my listings a one night stay instead. Has anyone else done the same thing and found that they got more bookings?

Is there other benefits they've also found?

Did you charge any extra for only staying one night to help cover costs? eg. $20 surcharge

Thanks 🙂

[Fred13]

Perhaps work 'backwards'. What is the demographics of your most common clientele; i.e. is it travelers coming for 2 or 3 days, etc? If so make one place to focus on that group, and make the other 1 night stand, and the two will average out as to 'cleaning cost'. Charging an 'extra' fee for a booking because it is for only one night, may come across too 'awkward' for most to understand; some cost should be 'hidden'.

[Echuca-Moama-Holiday-Acc0]

Thankyou such great ideas.

I'm not sure how I can hide this extra fee? Is that what you meant?!

[Fred13]

Make no mention of it, just include it in the price of the 1-night offering.

Example: It may come across very acceptable (~if~ both places are similar), to make the 2-day minimum one say $75 a night and charge $95 a night for the 2nd place (1-night stay).

[Echuca-Moama-Holiday-Acc0]

Thanks 🙂

[Valerie192]

I agree with @Fred13. As an example, I live right by los angeles international airport and I would say about 50% of my bookings are folks who have layovers, are looking to catch an early morning flight, etc. Just yesterday I had a lovely guest from Australia who had an 11 hour layover and just booked my place as a day room - she didn't even stay the  night. Although she did take a nap and shower so the linens were still needing to be cleaned.

So for me, as much as I generally prefer longer bookings, I wouldn't get near as much business if I took out the 1 night stays.

[Letti0]

I have a 1 night this weekend and they pay what ever the listed rate is including my standard cleaning fee. It makes it kinda pricey for them, but they do book it. This one coming up is for 8 people, so I still have beds and towels to clean up just as i would for a 3 day stay.

[Robin4]

@Echuca-Moama-Holiday-Acc0 

Hi there Jess, I am pretty much fully booked from month to month now and most of them are 1 nighters!

I haven't put it to the test but if I did not do a same day turn around I would probably more than have my occupancy. Here is my calendar as of this morning (thursday)........

I am organised enough to have all the consumables at the ready in the restock box the night before each arrival, vacumm all charged and ready to go, and fresh linens and quilt cover at the ready so I can turn the cottage around in about an hour and a half. I have a check-out time of 11.00am and a check-in time of 3-5 pm so it doesn't really put me under any pressure Jess. Even with my Meals on Wheels work most mornings I still manage it OK.

I have now got approval to slip a temporary sign up out the front that I remove as soon as the incoming guest arrives so they have no trouble finding the property. It even has a solar light on it for late night arrivals. It all is working well.

And Jess, think of all the extra reviews you get!!

Jess I don't charge a cleaning fee and I don't set a security deposit, I consider my nightly listing amount covers what I have to do. It possibly disadvantages 1 nighters and benefits longer term stays but that is not having any effect on my bookings. I am also finding many of my bookings are opportunistic bookings, (same day) .....I have Instant book activated and sometimes I will get a booking at 3.00pm for an arrival at 5.00pm same day! I don't care, I keep the cottage at the ready  and as long as they have paid, I am happy to accept them!

One nighters....I would be lost without them.

Cheers......Rob

[Ned-And-Laura0]

I am also a bit torn with the one nighters.  We allow them for now and don't charge a cleaning fee, mostly because it would make it so expensive for one night stays.  It's a pain to wash the sheets and towels after a one nighter because they are barely dirty, it seems wasteful but of course you have to do it.  I have found though that the place needs much less cleaning when somebody was there only one night, a quick wipe down in the bathroom and kithcen counters and the place is pretty much ready.  

[Gillian19]

@Echuca-Moama-Holiday-Acc0 I do similar to Letitia and I still get heaps of one night bookings. I have toyed with the idea of increasing the nightly rate and then giving a discount for bookings of 2 nights or more. But it all seemed too hard!

[Fred13]

One night stays were a Godsend for me the first 1.5 years, and helped so much with elevating my place. And I didn't even charge a cleaning deposit. Today can charge more, because of those 1-night guests.

[Willow3]

I allow one night stays - on week nights only.  Weekends require two nights.  I get a LOT of one night stays and a lot of other listings in my area do NOT... so I'm very confident that I get a lot more bookings because of allowing one night stays.  That said, even though I just rent a room, it is a LOT of laundry and work, so I took my nightly rate for two nights, deducted my new cleaning fee, and split the remainder in two... for my new nightly rate.  

One night - $72 + $15 cleaning fee = total cost, $87 ($5 more than old winter nightly rate of $82)

Two nights - $144 + $15 cleaning fee = $169 or $84.50 per night, still a smidgen more than old nightly rate

Three nights  $216 + $15 cleaning fee = $231 or $77 per night... now a BETTER deal than old rate, but I used to never get three night stays... last month most of my stays were three nighters.  I don't mind a slightly lower nightly rate, because I'm turning over the room once instead of thrice.  

[Inna22]

@Willow3 is there a setting that allows you to do that? Or you do not have instant book on?

[Kelly149]

The starting nightly rate is 72, but the cleaning fee acts as a de facto discount for a longer stay

@Inna22

[Marlen26]

How do you set those indvidual rates for 1 night, 2 night, 3 night? Makes most sense to me!