Pricing Smarter: Guardrails, Demand & Deals

Host Planet: Expert Insights for Short-Term Rentals

On this episode of Host Planet Bitesize, Bevan Thompson from Hostfully breaks pricing down to what actually fills calendars without killing profit. He explains why most hosts should lean on dynamic pricing – with smart guardrails – so rates rise when demand spikes and ease off when the market softens. The goal isn’t the lowest price or the highest price; it’s the right price today based on seasonality, lead time, events, and how your comp set is behaving.

Bevan also covers the essentials of tracking seasonal demand, watching your competitive set, and deploying promotional pricing the right way. Most importantly, every tactic must pass a simple test: are you still in profit after fees, cleaning, and taxes? He closes with how Hostfully’s PMS centralises pricing, calendars, and channel distribution – plus digital guidebooks that lift guest experience and repeat stays.

Key takeaways:

1. Use dynamic pricing – with guardrails. Let software adjust nightly rates automatically, but set minimums, maximums, and stay rules so you don’t underprice peak weekends or overprice shoulder dates. Revisit floor/ceiling rates monthly as demand shifts.

2. Track seasonality and your comp set. Monitor pacing and local events, then compare your ADR, occupancy, and RevPAR against similar listings. Adjust for lead time (early vs last-minute), and tweak minimum-stay and check-in rules to capture demand pockets.

3. Promotions must protect margin. Run targeted offers (e.g., last-minute discounts, midweek deals, longer-stay breaks) only after confirming all-in costs – cleaning, platform fees, taxes, and ops. Use a PMS like Hostfully to push updates across channels and pair promos with guidebook upsells to grow revenue per stay.

1:53 Consider using dynamic pricing

4:20 Track seasonal demand

5:21 Understand your market and competition

6:55 Promotional pricing

8:11 Make sure you’re in profit!

9:42 Check out Hostfully’s PMS and digital guidebooks: https://www.hostfully.com/influencers/host_planet/?pscd=get.hostfully.com&ps_partner_key=amFtZXN2YXJsZXkzMjAy&ps_xid=SuzwsrHUM40Auh&gsxid=SuzwsrHUM40Auh&gspk=amFtZXN2YXJsZXkzMjAy

Looking for a great PMS or digital guidebook? You need Hostfully!

Check out these special offers:

Property Management Software: Get $500 off onboarding by using the code PLANET500.

Digital Guidebooks: Get 30% off for life by using the code HOSTPLANETGB.

Click here to sign up for Hostfully: https://www.hostfully.com/influencers/host_planet/?pscd=get.hostfully.com&ps_partner_key=amFtZXN2YXJsZXkzMjAy&ps_xid=SuzwsrHUM40Auh&gsxid=SuzwsrHUM40Auh&gspk=amFtZXN2YXJsZXkzMjAy

Keen to book a Hostfully demo? Click here to connect with Frank Bosi: https://cal.mixmax.com/frankbosi/demo?re=IiY1x2YuQXZuFGbwR3cvhGQzVWbhpmI&rn=ISelxmchZFIzVWbhpkI&messageId=UjWJnyJQ1a9zxhP2C

Email Frank: [email protected]

Host Planet: https://www.hostplanet.club/

James Varley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdsvarley/

Hostfully: https://www.hostfully.com/influencers/host_planet/?pscd=get.hostfully.com&ps_partner_key=amFtZXN2YXJsZXkzMjAy&ps_xid=SuzwsrHUM40Auh&gsxid=SuzwsrHUM40Auh&gspk=amFtZXN2YXJsZXkzMjAy

Episode to check next: From OTAs to Direct: STR Listing Strategy with Hostfully: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o22WbSpdlZo&t=3s

Host Planet Bitesize is presented by James Varley, a holiday let investor and property manager who is also the Founder of Host Planet. Before founding Host Planet, James spent 20 years in the media, including a decade leading corporate communications for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Contact the show: [email protected]

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