Sliding scale of nightly rate?

[Nikki339]

Hi! I currently live in a two-bed space with a large patio above my one-bed guest suite. I’ve decided to move downstairs and Airbnb the upstairs. I live alone and can’t have visitors or people in my home now, so may as well try and make extra money with the larger space.

I’m trying to work out if it’s possible to have a sliding scale - so base price is X but if you use the second bedroom, it’s Y. I don’t want to lose out on bookings from couples who’d only use the one bed.

any advice or tips? 
much appreciated. Thanks.

[Emiel1]

@Nikki339 

IMO you need to create a second listing (use duplicate function) , being the extended version of your current accommodation.

Then also link the calenders to prevent double bookings..

Or set a fee for additional  guests, if extension also means you can accommodate more people..

[Nikki339]

I’ll deactivate my current listing (the one bed) and start a new one for upstairs. I can’t offer the one bed as I’ll be living in it and will have moved all my personal belongings from upstairs to downstairs!

[Colleen253]

@Nikki339 I think what you need to do (what Emiel was getting at) is create two versions of this new listing. One would be priced for a couple, with one room, and one priced for whatever your max occupancy would be (4?), with two rooms available. But be aware that it's difficult to prevent people from using both beds/rooms. If they are accessible, they will be used. I have a 3 bedroom listing, and when I get couples they often will use two of the 3 for whatever reason. My place is the same price whether you're a couple or 5, my max. You would have to have a way to lock one of the rooms off and be clear when booking that there are two rooms but only one will be accessible. 

[Anonymous]

@Nikki339  How many people does each bed accommodate?

There are a few ways you can toggle the Extra Guest Fee, perhaps with caveats. But there's not a huge market for parties comprised of two people sleeping in separate rooms that you'd be missing out on if you didn't price with couples and groups in mind. 

[Nikki339]

It’s two Queen beds in separate rooms.

I think I’m anxious about losing out on the excellent trade I’ve enjoyed with just one couple... I’m worried about pricing them out.

[Anonymous]

@Nikki339  OK. In that case I think your best option (though it's a little complicated) is to go with @Emiel1 's suggestion.

It sounds like you want to price on a per-room rather than per-person basis, which makes sense because of the extra linens and heating involved with a second bedroom in use. But rather than toggling three listings, I'd recommend designating the more desirable bedroom as the primary room for a single or couple, and making one listing with that as the solitary option, with a maximum group size of 2 and the price you'd want for a couple. And then creating a second listing that also includes the second room, with a maximum group size of 4 and the price you'd want for 2 couples. And link the calendars to avoid double-booking.

This option does assume that the secondary bedroom is one that you can lock up during solo/couple stays so that you don't find yourself doing extra cleaning for the unpaid space. If you can't set the space up to eliminate any possibility of guest access to the secondary room, the Cleaning Requirements mean you're going to have to wash and sanitize that second space anyway, so it wouldn't be practical not to charge for it.  

[Nikki339]

Oh my gosh! This is perfect. Absolute genius and I would not have worked this out. Thank you so much. Yes! I can easily lock the second bedroom. I didn’t realize you could link calendars.