'Base Night Price' Adjustment // Not Reflected in Calendar

[Francesco602]

Hey everyone, 

as the title mentions, I am experiencing some issues with my pricing strategy. I have recently revised my seasonal prices with the creation of specific monthly based rules. However, each time I try to change the 'base night price' from the right sidebar, the changes are not reflected in my calendar. 

Initially, I thought it was a problem connected to the new rules that I have created, but even disabling this doesn't really solve the issue.

It's just like all my days in my calendar are 'stuck' with an old price (perhaps entered manually) and the system refuses to relink the days with the new base price that I want to set.

Suggestions? 

I have contacted Airbnb a billion times, but the agents have clearly no clue. I also notice that many of them are very much uninformed when it comes to discounts, rule sets and so on. 

[Shelley159]

Hi @Francesco602 

If your rules have been removed, the following should hopefully work:

Click a number of available nights so that they all turn black. In the pop-up screen, click the price and slide the switch to Smart pricing On. 

The nights should show the minimum price now, except where demand pulls them upward.

You can repeat this with multiple nights selected at a time, until you've done them all.

Hope it works!

[Francesco602]

Hello @Shelley159 , thank you very much for your answer.

While your solution works to turn Smart Pricing ON, this is not what I am trying to achieve.

My goal is to set a new minimum base price for the entirety of my calendar and then apply specific monthly based rules. The issue is that no matter what I do now, the base price is always fixed. 

[Shelley159]

@Francesco602 

 I think you want smart pricing off because of this:

You’ll need to turn Smart Pricing off if you want to apply a rule-set to a listing as Smart Pricing overrides rule-sets.

You want smart pricing off and you want the rules to calculate discount from the same minimum price for all nights.

I would turn smart pricing on as in the previous post. It should take all selected nights to your minimum price (with some demand fluctuations). If you then turn smart pricing off (after the nights have been reset to the minimum), you should be able to add a rule that will calculate discount from the minimum price.

Let me know if it doesn't make sense or doesn't work!

[Francesco602]

Thanks again for the answer @Shelley159 .

I am aware that I need to have Smart Pricing OFF if I want the rules to apply correctly, however my issue is that - no matter what I do - I cannot link any more my 'days' with the adjustments I make from the right panel.

I mean, it's indeed true that if I set the Smart Prices back ON I am able to apply changes to my entire calendar - however each time I turn them OFF my base price reverts back to an 'old base price' which I no longer want. I would want to avoid adjusting all the days manually...

I really don't know what to do at this point, and I do believe Airbnb has no clue.

Here's a breakdown example of my situation:

Scenario 1: Smart Prices ON [No Issues]

Smart Prices (No Adjustments): 100€ - 150 € (Range)

Rule 1 = 5% Price Increase

Base Price: 100€ (minimum, derived from Smart Pricing)

Modified Price: 105€ (rule applied correctly)

Smart Prices (Adjusted): 120€ - 170 € (Range)

Rule 1 = 5% Price Increase

Base Price: 120€ (minimum, derived from Smart Pricing)

Modified Price: 126€ (rule applied correctly)

In this scenario I have no problems as each time I adjust the smart prices, also the base price adjusts accordingly.

However, I have problems when I decide to turn smart pricing off (which is what I want) as it appears that my days are linked to a 'fixed price':

Scenario 2: Smart Prices OFF [Issues]

Previous Smart Prices: 100€ - 150 € (Range) [Now OFF]

Rule 1 = 5% Price Increase

Base Price: 80€ (for some reason, the base price is fixed to this value)

Modified Price: 84€ (rule applied correctly, but on wrong base price)

When I turn off the smart prices, I would expect the base price to land on the 'lower end of the smart prices range', however it appears that my days are stuck on a base price that I don't want. Specifically, the issue that I have is that even if I change the base price from the side panel, my days do not reflect the changes. It appears that my days are 'unlinked' from manual changes operated from the side panel.

I am sorry for overcomplicating the situation.

I'm definitely reporting this also to Airbnb support. 

[Shelley159]

Hi @Francesco602 

I wonder if @Joan2709 will have some advice for you. Are you using other 3rd party software that is connected to your Airbnb account?

[Francesco602]

Hi @Shelley159 . No, I don't use any 3rd party software at the moment. I have never used them.

[Joan2709]

@Francesco602 

@Shelley159 tagged me on your post and I think she is on the right track about Smart Pricing. It's tough to diagnose this without seeing your actual calendar though. It does sound like the system is "stuck" as you suggest. If you applied Rule Sets to dates BEFORE turning off Smart Pricing, that may have caused the issue 🤔. Here are some things to try:

Option 1 - Remove Any Rule Sets Applied

You may need to do a full “reset” on the calendar. If you have Instant Book turned on, I would turn that off while you are trying to fix this issue so you don't inadvertently get a booking at an incorrect price. It might be time consuming, but I would remove any Rule Sets from all dates on the calendar. Probably only need to remove those that affect prices (increase/decrease). This includes any Rule Set that combines a price change with anything (like a min stay). To be on the safe side I would remove them all though. After removing all the Rule sets, turn Smart Pricing ON, then turn it OFF and set your manual base price on the right panel to what you want.

Airbnb may need some time to fully disconnect Smart Pricing from the calendar completely. Never used to be this way, but they are always changing the software, so maybe that is an issue? I would wait an hour or so then test out if this has fixed the problem by adding one Rule Set to one specific date and see if it works.

Option 2 – Manually Change Prices (Smart Pricing ON)

This would be a pain, but might work if Option 1 doesn’t:

1. Remove your Rule Sets from the entire calendar
2. Turn ON Smart Pricing
3. Manually change the price to what you want on each day of the calendar (you should see a little broken arrow appear on the regular calendar indicating Smart Pricing is off)
4. Turn OFF Smart Pricing
5. Set a manual base price and/or custom weekend price on the right panel
6. Test one Rule Set and see if it works correctly

That's all I can think of to try right now. Let us know if any of this works…might help another Host in the same situation. 😊

[Francesco602]

Hello @Joan2709 ! Thanks for the very comprehensive answer and the time spent writing this! Really appreciated. Let me break down your answer and suggestions so to inform you of what's tried already and / or additional details that I may have omitted previously. 

---

It does sound like the system is "stuck" as you suggest. If you applied Rule Sets to dates BEFORE turning off Smart Pricing, that may have caused the issue 🤔. 

---

I created / applied the different sets of rules (I have 4 sets, based on seasonality) before turning off Smart Pricing and yes, this may have caused the issue - although I am not 100% sure. 

Option 1 - Remove Any Rule Sets Applied

... cut

It might be time consuming, but I would remove any Rule Sets from all dates on the calendar. Probably only need to remove those that affect prices (increase/decrease).

... cut

After removing all the Rule sets, turn Smart Pricing ON, then turn it OFF and set your manual base price on the right panel to what you want.

---

It's going to be time-consuming since I am unable to select 'whole months' and apply or remove specific rule sets given that I have bookings in between. For example, I have a booking mid-November and to apply my set of rule (low-season) for November I had to manually select the first half and then the second half.
I am concerned I'll have to do this process again for all the months until the end of 2025, but I can do that!

If my reasoning is correct, I should be able to perform a 'test' prior to recursively make all the changes. For instance, I may be able to follow this process: 

1. - Remove ALL rules from November.
2. - Turn ON Smart Pricing. 
3. - Change Prices (to check whether my calendar adjusts accordingly).
4. - Turn OFF Smart Pricing.
5. - Set 'Base Price' manually from the sidebar. 
6. - Check whether changes are reflected.

I have already done all the steps for one specific month (i.e., November 2024), but I am stuck at point n°6. My problem is that 'changing the base price from the sidebar does not apply the changes to the specific days'. I had already followed your workflow and it didn't solve the issue. 

I can already tell that the problem is connected to the the price of certain 'cells' (days) having been adjusted manually (nor via 'smart prices tab' or 'base price tab') previously (perhaps 1-2 months ago). This creates conflict, since the system thinks that I want the manually entered price for that cell at all cost, regardless of what modifications I do in the future.

There seems to be no way to revert things back. Airbnb support agents are clearly not that informed (with all due respect) to fully understand my issue. 

Option 2 – Manually Change Prices (Smart Pricing ON)

This would be a pain, but might work if Option 1 doesn’t:

1. Remove your Rule Sets from the entire calendar
2. Turn ON Smart Pricing
3. Manually change the price to what you want on each day of the calendar (you should see a little broken arrow appear on the regular calendar indicating Smart Pricing is off)
4. Turn OFF Smart Pricing
5. Set a manual base price and/or custom weekend price on the right panel
6. Test one Rule Set and see if it works correctly

---

I don't fully understand why you're suggesting the above workaround. It seems to me that the only difference would be manually adjusting 'Smart Prices' by changing the price of each cell (not one at a time, of course!). I am not sure how this could fix my problem, as it would just 'override' an already manually entered price in my cells. 

I can try though for the month of November again. Let's see what happens.

At this stage, I am kind of defeated. I have tried many things and Airbnb isn't really able to help. The solution - as far as I see it - could come from the backend itself, as all of my cells need to be 'reset' and linked again to the right panel operations. This cannot be done by the user, I think. 

[Joan2709]

@Francesco602 

Frustrating to say the least for sure. It's hard to really identify the issue without having access to your calendar. If you have reservations already on the calendar, that shouldn't prevent you from trying either option to see if it works. Not sure what you mean by "cell"? Do you mean an individual date on your calendar? 

What I am saying for Option 2, you may need to force Smart Pricing to see you have entered a manual override price (broken arrow) at this stage. Otherwise, it may remain "stuck" to your previous Smart Pricing base rate, even when trying to turn OFF Smart Pricing.

I'm just trying to think what might work, but hard to do without actually being able to see your calendar and Rule Sets. You might try turning OFF Smart Pricing and change your base rate on the right panel and wait 24 hours to see if there is still a problem. It's possible Airbnb needs time to disconnect Smart Pricing properly. Never used to be this way, but with all the software changes, who knows 😯

[Francesco602]

Hey @Joan2709 , thanks again for the answer!

I am sorry for the confusion: yes, a 'cell' is an individual date on my calendar :).

---

What I am saying for Option 2, you may need to force Smart Pricing to see you have entered a manual override price (broken arrow) at this stage. Otherwise, it may remain "stuck" to your previous Smart Pricing base rate, even when trying to turn OFF Smart Pricing.

---

I have tried that, and that's why I do believe there's something truly not working in my calendar.

When I force 'Smart Prices' back ON, I am effectively able to change the prices globally (no broken arrows are displayed). However, when I turn them OFF, all of my prices are brought back to a value that differs both from the'minimum smart price' and from the'minimum base price.'

In short, it appears that Smart Prices are the only feature still working for me, as no global changes are made when using the 'normal prices' features. 

I have issued a ticket to Airbnb, and they're trying to escalate it as soon as possible. Not sure if this will ever be solved. 

---

You might try turning OFF Smart Pricing and change your base rate on the right panel and wait 24 hours to see if there is still a problem.

---

Tried that more than 24 hrs ago. Issue still not solved. 

This is exactly the problem I have: my base rate price is no longer linked to my individual days. 

Smart Prices OFFSmart Prices ON

The above screenshots are very much explanatory. Smart prices are working correctly for me, as you can see when I set 175€ as minimum price (Smart Prices ON) this is reflected on the entirety of my calendar.

When I use 'normal prices' feature, the updates are reflected only when it comes to weekend, but not to weekdays. Weekdays should have a price of 175€ (minimum base price) and not of 169€!

There are no rules in place for April. 

[Joan2709]

@Francesco602 

It does sound like a bug with Airbnb...

This may not be related, but some other Hosts posted that it took up to 48 hours to have access to their calendar when disconnecting 3rd party dynamic pricing software recently. This never used to be the case. I'm wondering if something changed behind the scenes with Airbnb that caused that issue and possibly your issue. 🤔

[Francesco602]

Thanks again @Joan2709 !

I have never used any 3rd party software.

I am in touch with an agent from Airbnb now, and they're telling me that a 'manual price' of 169€ was previously set to the entirety of my calendar. That's why modifications from the side panel are no longer possible when adjusting the 'base price' manually.

This theory would make sense if also the weekend days would be stuck on that hypothetical manually set price, however that's not the case!

That's why I am quite puzzled. If the system is capable to adjust weekend prices, I don't get why weekdays are stuck. 

[Joan2709]

@Francesco602 

You are right....that is "baloney" from Airbnb. Otherwise, every Host who used Smart Pricing, then turned it off would have this problem. 

You should be able to turn off Smart Pricing and manually change your weekdays and custom weekend pricing. Maybe try changing the base price and add a custom weekend price on the right panel and see what happens?

[Francesco602]

---

Maybe try changing the base price and add a custom weekend price on the right panel and see what happens?

---

Let's stick with April 2025 as our example.

Scenario 1:
Base Price: 1.000€ (weekdays stuck at 169€)

Weekend: 200€ (weekdays at 200€)

Scenario 1

Scenario 2:
Base Price: 1.000€ (weekdays stuck at 169€)

Weekend: Removed (weekends now at 1.000€)

Scenario 2

This clearly shows to me that my weekdays are broken and adjustable only manually, regardless of what I do!

Weekends are somehow still correctly reading the information from the side panel.

Unfortunately, Airbnb's agents are really uncapable to help, and they told me it's impossible to connect me to an IT Specialist.