User Guide – Rate Rules

1. Introduction to Rate Rules

Rate rules are the cornerstone of dynamic pricing, enabling you to define specific date ranges and associate them with corresponding rates. This functionality is invaluable for implementing seasonal pricing strategies, such as charging varying rates for peak and off-peak seasons.

1.1. Purpose of Rate Rules

Rate rules allow you to:

  1. Implement seasonal pricing (e.g., higher rates during holidays or summer).
  2. Manage promotional rates for specific periods.
  3. Adjust pricing based on demand and availability.

1.2. Creating and Editing Rate Rules

Adding a New Rate Rule:

  1. Click the green “Add Rate Rule” button.
  2. Follow the prompts to define the date range and associated rates.

Editing an Existing Rate Rule:

  1. Click anywhere on the desired rate rule line.
  2. Modify the settings as needed.
  3. Save your changes.

Duplicating Rate Rules:

  1. Locate the “Duplicate” or “Copy” button/icon associated with the desired rate rule.
  2. Click the “Duplicate” button.
  3. Edit the duplicated rule to adjust the date range and rates.

2. Setting Rate Rules Parameters

This section details how to configure the core settings of a rate rule.

2.1. Date Range Configuration

Start and End Dates:

  • Enter the precise start and end dates for the rate rule.
  • Ensure that rate rules do not overlap to avoid pricing conflicts.
  • Ideally, the start date of a new rule should immediately follow the end date of the previous rule.

2.2. Rate Setting Methods

Rate Granularity:

  • Choose between setting rates by day, week, or month.

Weekly Rates:

  • Enter the rate for each day of the week (e.g., Monday through Sunday).
  • This is the traditional method for setting weekly rates.

Daily Rates:

  • Adjust rates for individual days within a month.
  • This allows for fine-grained control over pricing.

Weekly/Monthly Rates (Fixed Duration):

  • A weekly rate applies to seven consecutive nights, regardless of the start day.
  • A monthly rate applies to 30 consecutive nights.
  • Any additional days beyond the fixed duration will be charged at the daily or weekly rate, as applicable.

3. Rate Rule Adjustments

This section covers additional pricing adjustments that can be applied to rate rules.

3.1. Per-Guest Charges

Base Occupancy:

  • Define the base occupancy for the rate rule.

Additional Guests:

  • Specify how the price should adjust for additional adults or children beyond the base occupancy.
  • Adjustments can be set as flat amounts or percentages.

3.2. Short Stay Surcharges

Surcharge Conditions:

  • Set a surcharge for reservations shorter than a specified number of nights.
  • This can be used to cover extra cleaning fees or other costs associated with short stays.

Surcharge Application:

  • Apply the surcharge as a flat amount or percentage.
  • Specify which days of the week the surcharge applies to.

3.3. Length of Stay Discounts

Discount Configuration:

  • Set up discounts based on the length of stay.
  • Create multiple discount lines for varying stay durations.
  • Discounts are applied cumulatively to the total price.

4. Stay Requirements

This section details how to configure minimum and maximum stay requirements.

4.1. Minimum and Maximum Stay

Stay Duration:

  • Configure minimum and maximum stay requirements for the rate rule.
  • Example: Set a two-night minimum stay for weekends in a specific month.

4.2. Overriding Minimum Stay

Last-Minute Bookings:

  • Use the “Ignore Minimum Stay” option for last-minute bookings.
  • This allows bookings to fill gaps smaller than the minimum stay requirement.

Minimum Stay Reduction:

  • Configure whether to reduce the minimum stay if it cannot be met.
  • This provides flexibility for small gaps between reservations.

4.3. Weekend Requirements

Weekend Stays:

  • Set specific requirements for weekend bookings (e.g., require both Friday and Saturday nights).

Check-in/Check-out Days:

  • Configure the system to allow or disallow specific check-in and check-out days.

5. Deleting a Rate Rule

Deletion Process:

  • To delete a rate rule, navigate to the rate rule settings screen.
  • Click the “Delete This Rate Rule” link at the bottom of the screen.
  • Confirm the deletion when prompted.