Controlling your pricing

Listings with prices that were updated at least four times a year had over 30% more nights booked than those that weren’t, according to our data.* 

Some Hosts with multiple listings tell us they don’t update their prices often because it can be time consuming. Discounts are a simple way to vary your nightly price in specific circumstances. And rule-sets help you customize your pricing strategy efficiently.

Consider the benefits of each discount to determine which ones are right for your listings. 

• Length-of-stay discount: Lower your price for stays from two days to 12 weeks. This can extend the average length of stay across your listings, reduce turnovers, and help improve your listing’s ranking in Airbnb search results. 
• Last-minute discount: Reduce your nightly price as the check-in date gets closer. This helps fill any unbooked nights and increase revenue. 
• Early-bird discount: Add a discount for bookings made from one to 24 months before check-in, and build a strong base of bookings for upcoming seasons. 
• New listing promotion: Offer a 20% discount to the first three bookings of new listings. Help your listings get booked and reviewed faster.

Where guests find discounts depends on the discount percentage.

• 1% or more: Guests get a line-item discount breakdown on your listings (if they don’t have the total price toggle on) and at checkout.
• 10% or more: Guests see strikethrough pricing in search results, plus everything above.
• 20% or more: Guests who’ve searched listings in your area recently may see your listings featured in Airbnb emails, plus everything above.

As of November 2023, about a quarter of nights booked for longer stays were for trips of three months or longer. Guests interested in longer stays tend to search for listings with discounts.

If you don’t want to add a discount to all available dates, rule-sets allow you to adjust your nightly price and calendar settings depending on certain factors. You can apply your rule-sets to multiple listings or a single listing.

Think about the time of year when determining how to use rule-sets. For example, let’s say demand in your area changes with the seasons. You could create a rule-set that adjusts your settings at the times when bookings are typically slow. You might choose to include early-bird and length-of-stay discounts, increase your maximum length of stay, and add same-day booking to entice guests to book your available dates.

In addition to discounts, you can modify these availability settings in a rule-set.

• Trip length requirements: Set the minimum and maximum stay, which you can customize by day. 
• Check-in and checkout requirements: Choose the days that guests check in and out. 

To use rule-sets, make sure you’ve opted in to professional hosting tools. (If you have six or more listings, you’re automatically opted in.) These tools are available on desktop only. 

To create a new rule-set:

1. Go to your Multi-calendar.
2. Select the dates you’d like to apply a rule-set to.
3. In the panel, select the rules.
4. Click Create a new rule-set.
5. Give your rule-set a name (like “Peak season”). 
6. Next to the rule you’d like to add, click Customize.
7. Enter your pricing and availability rules.
8. Click Save.
9. To remove a rule, click Cancel.

To edit an existing rule-set:

1. Go to your Multi-calendar.
2. Click rule-sets.
3. Scroll to the rule-set you’d like to manage, then click Edit.

Rule-sets for your nightly price will apply before rule-sets for discounts. Rule-sets will apply even if Smart Pricing is turned on.

*Based on Airbnb data for active listings as of July 2022

If you use API-connected software, you’ll be able access these features from your software if your provider has integrated them. If not, contact your provider to find out when they’ll be available.

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.