{"id":7438,"date":"2019-06-26T13:37:17","date_gmt":"2019-06-26T13:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.spfr.co\/?p=7438"},"modified":"2026-07-20T10:27:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T10:27:11","slug":"vacation-rental-booking-window-stats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/blog\/vacation-rental-booking-window-stats\/","title":{"rendered":"Vacation Rental Booking Window and Its Impact on Revenue [+ Statistics]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Vacation rental booking window<\/em> refers to the time between<\/strong> the day when a booking is made<\/strong> and the check-in day<\/strong>. It tells you how far in advance your guests typically book your property and it\u2019s crucial to consider when adjusting pricing<\/strong> in order to maximise occupancy <\/strong>and revenue<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The data intelligence<\/strong> company Transparent<\/a> has just released a report<\/strong> <\/span>on<\/span> vacation rental booking window<\/span>, how it has changed over tim<\/strong>e and what are some of the factors <\/strong>that influence it<\/strong>. We decided to check this data closely and analyse how it can impact your revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The vacation rental booking window is shrinking over time<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Transparent\u2019s data, travellers are increasingly booking more last minute<\/strong> and less in advance. This graph shows that the median number of days a reservation was made before the check-in date has significantly decreased<\/strong> since 2015. Four years ago, guests would book their stays 79 days in advance. By 2018, the average <\/strong>was only 39 days.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The bigger the rental, the sooner travellers book<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The size<\/strong> of your vacation rental can also have an impact on your booking windo<\/strong>w. As you can see in the following graph showing data from 2015-2018, rentals with a higher number of bedrooms are booked more in advance. One-bedroom <\/strong>rentals are booked 41 days in advance<\/strong> on average, while rentals with 6 rooms<\/strong> are usually secured by guests as early as 83 days before<\/strong> the check-in date.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leisure destinations have wider booking windows<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thirdly, whether your rental is in an urban or a leisure<\/strong> destination also counts<\/strong>. Travellers tend to book leisure stays 3-4 times more<\/strong> in advance than city stays, as demonstrated by this graph comparing the two types of destinations in Spain and the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to determine your booking window<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Figuring out your booking window is not as difficult as it sounds. If you\u2019ve been in business for a while, you\u2019ll most likely have an idea of how far in advance travellers book your rental. You\u2019ll also know that your booking window is not fixed<\/strong>: it can vary depending on your low and high seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use your historical data <\/strong>(exported from your vacation rental software) on how far in advance travellers book your rental<\/strong> to determine your booking window. Keep this data organised and accessible to you at all times. It will tell you when your peak demand<\/strong> \u2013 the period when most reservations are made \u2013 is, and you can use it to adjust your pricing in a professional way.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adjust your pricing to maximise occupancy and revenue<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to revenue management, timing is key.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve determined your booking window, you can start using smart strategies to adjust your rates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set your prices higher before the booking window opens<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you understand your booking window, you can choose to bump up your rates<\/strong> before it opens. With this strategy, you\u2019re giving yourself the chance of locking in a high-value early-bird booking<\/strong> \u2013 for example, a family travelling from far away, involving a flight, and booking a longer stay. Should this strategy fail and you don\u2019t get a booking at the price you set, you can still lower your rates during peak demand.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting prices a bit higher before your booking window opens can work, but don\u2019t go overboard. Ask yourself: are my rates within a realistic range<\/strong>? Do not set unrealistically high rates over 31 days prior to check-in, even if you have above average occupancy on the books. Instead, promote length of stay pricing<\/strong> \u2013 provide discounts for longer stays \u2013 and use refundable and non-refundable rates smartly. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ensure competitive prices during peak demand<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a vacation rental owner, you should always keep a close eye on your competition<\/strong>. But if there was ever a time to be extra vigilant, this is it. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have a look at what your competition is doing during your peak time and adjust your rate accordingly, so you can get a booking at a competitive price<\/strong>. This way, you\u2019ll avoid having to lower your rates to ensure occupancy with a last-minute booking when your peak demand dates have passed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, leisure travellers tend to shop at the best rate. If your prices are too high compared to your competition, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll miss out on bookings.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can monitor your competition<\/strong> manually or get insightful market data from data intelligence providers such as Transparent. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decrease rates as the date gets closer<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you want to guarantee that your vacation rental will be occupied but your peak demand period had passed, reducing your prices<\/strong> is in order. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, dropping your prices drastically<\/strong> on the final day is not recommended<\/strong>. It sends a bad message to prospective guests and can have a negative effect on your profit in the long run. Keep this in mind before you cut your prices in half in a moment of desperation!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using data to identify and target guests<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Analysing the data that you have on your guests \u2013 such as when they book your rental \u2013 is crucial to running a successful vacation rental business. For example, knowing your booking window can help you get to know your guests<\/strong> and improve your services so you can attract others who book just like them. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try to find patterns in the way that your guests book your rental and use that information to improve your services. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do your guests tend to book last-minute<\/strong>? Be prepared to receive bookings on short notice by optimising your maintenance, cleaning and check-in processes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do they book longer stays in advance<\/strong>? Offer discounts based on length of stay.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The knowledge you have about your booking window can be used not just to better control your revenue, but to offer an even better guest experience.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Got any questions? Want to find out more?
\nBook a Free 15 min chat with one of our consultant.
\nFind out how to increase Bookings and save time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SCHEDULE A DEMO<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your booking window, i.e how far in advance do your rentals get booked, is an important metric to consider. Starting with your historical data, and just as importantly, with market statistics. We looked into the current vacation rental booking window with data by Transparent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,39,35,46],"tags":[34],"blog-tag":[],"class_list":["post-7438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-operations-2","category-rentals-united","category-revenue","tag-vivien-magyar"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7438"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45454,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7438\/revisions\/45454"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7438"},{"taxonomy":"blog-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-tag?post=7438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}