Guesty offers a comprehensive suite of tools to help you control when, how, and under what conditions your property can be booked. These tools enable you to align your calendar with operational needs, maximize occupancy, and prevent booking conflicts.
In this article, we explore the various ways to manage listing availability, and how these tools can be used in conjunction.
- Block the listing for a specific period or indefinitely.
- Configure automatic blocks for specified conditions.
- Set booking conditions for reservations
- Use dynamic tools to customize your length of stay requirements and check-in and check-out restrictions for different periods. These tools can also be used to adjust the listing’s price per night per period. Learn about using pricing tools to optimize rates.
Block the listing to prevent bookings
Control your listing availability by setting blocks manually and/or setting automatic blocks for specific conditions. When a block is made, the listing becomes unbookable in all your connected channels. Guests cannot see the listing when searching for available listings, and cannot book it when accessing the listing’s page.
Additionally, you can unlist a listing to make it unbookable in channels while keeping your Guesty calendar available. Use this option, for instance, when onboarding a new property to your portfolio. It allows you to create manual reservations in Guesty while keeping the listing blocked in channels.
Unassigned multi-unit reservations create automatic blocks in the calendar (set-up is not required).
Create manual blocks
Use manual blocks in the calendar to make the listing unavailable on a case-by-case basis. For example, when there’s unexpected maintenance work in the property.
For reservations with early check-in or late check-out, add manual blocks to block the night before or the night after to avoid double bookings. You can also set these as automatic blocks.
Set automatic blocks
Configure settings in advance to automatically block the listing in certain scenarios:
- Make the listing unavailable for booking, except during rental periods.
- Set automatic blocks for reservations with early check-in or late check-out times, to block the night before or after a reservation.
- Use Smart Calendar Rules to automatically block one listing when a connected listing is booked. When a reservation is made for listing A, a Smart Calendar Rule automatically blocks related listing B for the course of the reservation.
- Specify the maximum number of nights a listing can be booked in a year by setting an annual night limit. Once this limit is reached, the listing is automatically blocked from further booking.
- To prevent last-minute bookings, use advance notice (cut-off hours) to set a minimum amount of time required before a reservation can be made. For example, a listing’s advance notice period is set to 3 days. If today is Dec 17th, a reservation check-in date can only be on Dec 20th or later.
- Prevent guests from booking too far in advance by setting a booking window. For example, if you set a 24-month booking window, guests will only be able to book a reservation up to 24 months before the check-in date, and won't be able to book, for instance, 36 months in advance.
- Block one or two nights before or after each confirmed reservation using preparation time blocks.
- List or unlist a listing automatically on specific days and times using snooze publishing.
- Use a check-in window to select how many days a listing is available for new check-ins after a reservation ends. For instance, you can set the listing to allow bookings only 5 days after the previous check-out. This feature helps minimize gaps in your booking calendar. The listing remains open for check-outs during this period.
- Deactivate consecutive availability for multi-unit reservations (Pro users) to maximize occupancy. When a reservation is made for a multi-unit, you can assign it manually or automatically to an available sub-unit. To maximize your occupancy, by default, reservations can be received for a multi-unit even if there isn’t a single sub-unit available to host the entire stay. If the stay can be allotted between different sub-units, each available to host a segment of the reservation, the reservation can be booked. You can override the default setting and activate the consecutive availability feature, blocking the availability of the multi-unit when there isn’t a sub-unit available to host all the nights of the reservation.
Booking conditions for guests
Adjust the listing’s default settings to control how and under what conditions bookings can be made.
- Set a default minimum and maximum stay requirements for guests
- You can configure different minimum nights per day of the week (Lite users).
- Owner stays and manual reservations can be made for a date range outside the minimum/maximum nights range.
- When importing a listing from Airbnb, the listing's default minimum and maximum nights in Airbnb are imported to Guesty.
- Determine the maximum number of guests that can stay at the same time in the property.
- Configure house rules to allow including children, infants, or pets as part of the guest’s party.
Dynamic availability: Check-in, check-out, and length of stay requirements
Customize minimum and maximum stay requirements, as well as check-in and check-out restrictions, for specific times of the year, such as peak or off-peak seasons, or for particular dates and days of the week.
These tools can also be used to adjust the listing’s price per night per period. Learn about using pricing tools to optimize rates.
Manual adjustments
You can use the calendar to adjust the minimum nights per stay for specific dates. The adjusted minimum nights are instantly reflected in the calendar.
Third-party tool adjustments to the minimum nights are considered manual adjustments via the calendar, as well. Thus, we recommend not to use manual adjustments and third-party tools together, as they may override one another
You can use a rate strategy to override manual adjustments (and third-party tools adjustments) to the price per night. However, manual adjustments (and third-party tools adjustments) sync with Guesty PriceOptimizer and won't get overridden (in Beta).
When importing a listing from Airbnb, calendar minimum nights will be imported to Guesty and be reflected in the calendar (similar to manual override via the calendar).
When making a manual adjustment to the minimum nights, decide whether to override an existing rate strategy rule (if applied). As long as the "Override rate strategy" checkbox is ticked, rate strategy rules won't alter the listing's minimum nights and check-in or check-out restrictions for the selected dates. To deactivate this override, uncheck the box or use an override of the manual adjustments by a rate strategy, discussed in the rate strategy rules section below.
Guesty PriceOptimizer
Guesty PriceOptimizer (GPO) is a data-driven machine-learning tool that gives you recommendations for nightly rates based on different time period intervals. Our interactive software takes several details into account based on market trends to offer recommended prices.
You can add minimum nights rules and restrict check-ins and check-outs on certain days of the week.
Ensure you make any adjustments to the minimum nights directly via the GPO settings.
We recommend not using GPO with rate strategy, as the former overrides the latter adjustments when the data is updated every 24 hours. Manual adjustments via the calendar (including adjustments via third-party pricing tools) will sync with GPO and won't get overridden by it (in Beta).
When deactivating GPO, the minimum nights will be reverted to the listing's default values.
Rate strategy (Pro users)
Rate strategy rules can adjust the price per night, minimum number of nights per stay, and check-in or check-out restrictions. You can set one-time or recurring rules and apply them to defined periods or for specific conditions, such as when there is upcoming availability or for short stays.
Once a rule is activated, the minimum nights will be reflected in the calendar. Access the “Pricing” tab in the property page to see which rate strategy is assigned to the listing.
A listing can be assigned to one rate strategy at a time. To change a listing’s rate strategy, unassign the listing from the rate strategy before assigning it to a new one. Note that when unassigning a listing from a rate strategy, the listing's minimum nights will be reverted to the listing's default values.
Multiple rules can be used in each rate strategy. Learn below how they’ll behave in the case of overlap.
Overlapping rate strategy rules
Multiple rate strategy rules set to adjust the minimum nights
A rate strategy can have multiple rules for the minimum number of nights. In case of a conflict, the following logic applies:
- If an “optimizing occupancy” rule has been activated, it will take precedence over other minimum night rules that are set for the same date.
- If the “Optimizing occupancy” rule is not activated, but there is an “Upcoming availability” rule, the rule will override any other minimum night rules that are set for the same date.
- If neither of the above rules has been set up, Guesty will apply the longest number of minimum nights that have been set. For example, if both three-night and two-night minimums have been set for the same date, three nights will be applied.
Multiple rate strategy rules set to restrict check-in or check-out dates
- If you set both a “Holidays and events”/”Seasons” rule and a “Recurring days” rule for the same period, the “Holidays and events” (or “Seasons”) rule will override the “Recurring days” rule.
For example: You set a “Recurring days” rule to block check-ins on Mondays. Also, you added the following “Holidays and events” rule: Between 1-31 December, check-in is blocked on Tuesdays. Since these two rules overlap, the Holidays and events rule will apply for December, and the Recurring days rule you set for Mondays will be disregarded for December only.
- If you set both a “Holidays and events” rule and a “Seasons” rule for the same period, the two rules will be combined. For example, if you set a “Holidays and events” rule to block check-in on Monday, and also a Seasons rule to block check-in on Tuesday between 1st-31st December, both Monday and Tuesday will get blocked in December.
Override previous adjustments with a rate strategy
When assigning a rate strategy to a listing, the rate strategy will, by default, apply only to dates on which the minimum nights were not already manually adjusted (or altered by third-party tools).
However, you can override manual adjustments made to the base price when assigning a new listing to the rate strategy, or when a listing is already assigned to a rate strategy. You can use the same process to revert the minimum nights to the listing's default values. Remember this is a one-time action; future adjustments by other tools are still possible.
The override applies to manual adjustments made via the calendar and third-party tools adjustments. Also, GPO adjustments will get overridden this once, but remember that GPO updates the listing's minimum nights every 24 hours (we thus recommend not combining a rate strategy with GPO).
Third-party availability tools
You can use third-party marketplace tools to adjust the minimum nights, and apply check-in or check-out restrictions.
Third-party changes to the minimum nights are considered manual adjustments via the calendar. Thus, avoid using third-party pricing tools alongside manual adjustments, as they can override one another. GPO will not override the action of third-party tools (in Beta). Remember that third-party adjustments are considered manual adjustments via the calendar - you can override manual adjustments by a rate strategy, or vice versa (refer to this section).
If you disconnect with a third-party pricing tool, the minimum nights will not automatically change to the default minimum nights, but keep its current values. Instead, manually adjust the minimum nights to the desired values.
Rate plans (Pro users)
A rate plan is a combination of a listing’s cancellation policy with other optional components, including meal plans, pricing rules, minimum or maximum night rules, and availability requirements. Cancellation policies can be set as part of a rate plan, or be used as standalone. When a cancellation policy is standalone, you cannot add availability requirements to it. Learn more about the differences between a rate plan and a cancellation policy.
Whether a cancellation policy is part of a rate plan or a standalone, it’s required to make a listing sellable and bookable in a booking channel. If you have a rate plan with availability requirements, the plan only becomes available for booking under those terms. If a reservation doesn’t meet any rate plans’ restrictions, it can’t be booked.
A rate plan is only visible to the guest if the entire reservation's dates are within the availability period of the rate plan. Create several rate plans to cover more booking options. We recommend having at least one rate plan without availability requirements to ensure your listing is always sellable.
If you set a single rate plan, it will be activated by default when its availability requirements are met for the channel it applies to. When applying multiple rate plans, and their availability requirements are met, the guest can choose the one they want. When creating a manual reservation, select which rate plan to apply.
Combining rate plans with other availability tools
As explained above, the minimum number of nights can be altered by manual adjustments, rate strategy rules, GPO, and third-party tools. These tools work on the same "layer", the calendar minimum nights, and can override one another.
You can set a different minimum number of nights in a rate plan. When a reservation meets the rate plan's requirements, the minimum number of nights of the rate plan will be used for the specific reservation.
For example: The listing's minimum number of nights is adjusted by a rate strategy to 3. You added one rate plan for the listing in a specific channel with a minimum of 10 nights. In this case, the listing will only be sellable for a reservation of 10 nights or more. If you add a second-rate plan without booking restrictions, reservations for 3 nights or more will be possible. In the latter case, the rate plan doesn't apply, and the calendar minimum number of nights is used.
Similarly, check-in and check-out restrictions can be configured by rate strategy rules, GPO, and third-party tools, and blocks can be set by the various tools described above. You can add an availability range, advance notice period, and booking window to a rate plan. When a reservation meets the rate plan's requirements, the availability requirements of the rate plan will be used, overriding existing check-in or check-out restrictions and the number of closed days for the specific reservation.
For instance, when a reservation meets the rate plan's requirements, and the rate plan has a different advance notice period than the one in the listing's settings, the rate plan’s advance notice will apply to the reservation.
