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8 tips on leveraging the calendar tool for vacation rentals

Explore how our calendar tool helps you manage your vacation rental rates and bookings seamlessly.

March 13, 2024

Revenue performance Traveler experience Vacation rentals

Managing vacation rental bookings and rates across one or multiple properties is no easy feat. But with our calendar tool for vacation rentals, you can easily manage and update your rates and reservations, view your confirmed bookings, and establish blocked dates — allowing you to manage your vacation rental business with confidence.

 

Within the calendar, you have access to all your rates and reservations management tools and can view your required actions — all in one place. The calendar also provides a shortcut to resources that make running your business easier, including revenue management tools to keep your rates competitive year-round.

Read the tips below on how to maximize the calendar tool to manage your vacation rental business efficiently.

1. Set your base rate

The calendar feature makes it easy to set your base rate, which is automatically applied to every night now and into the future. This prevents gaps in your calendar if no rate is entered. You can then change your base rate at any time and override it if you want to raise or lower the price for certain nights.

 

When setting your base rate, remember to use our MarketMaker™ tool to establish a competitive base rate that drives consistent bookings throughout the year.

There are several factors to consider when setting your base rate to ensure your rate is aligned with traveler expectations:

  • Competitive rates in your area
  • Historical performance of your listing
  • Search data

2. Open your booking window

When managing your vacation rental calendar, it’s important to open your booking window to capture demand from travelers booking trips far in advance.

 

With travelers planning and booking trips well ahead of their actual vacation dates — 73 days on average* — it’s important to expand your booking window so you don’t lose out on bookings to other properties whose calendars are set farther in advance.

To open your booking window
  1. From the owner dashboard, select Calendar in the main navigation
  2. Select Settings and Booking window
  3. Define when travelers can book the property and fill out the following prompts:
  • How far out do you accept bookings?
  • How close in do you accept bookings?
Our calendar feature gives you easy access to all your rates and reservations management tools and required actions — all in one place.

3. Sync your calendars

Calendar syncing is especially helpful for owners who list across multiple platforms to ensure consistency and avoid misalignment.

 

With this tool, you can import and export calendars and bookings across multiple platforms and organize them into one singular view. This helps avoid double bookings, incorrectly blocked dates, and other factors that can lead to unnecessary cancellations. 

4. Set a weekly and monthly discount

Long-stay discounts that offer a reduced weekly or monthly rate are enticing to vacation rental guests, who on average stay 10.7 days — 2-3 days longer than other types of travel bookers.* While you aren’t required to enter or provide a discounted rate for any length of stay, it can help attract vacation rental guests looking for an extended stay.

To set a weekly or monthly discount
  1. From the owner dashboard, select Calendar in the main navigation
  2. Select Calendar Settings and Base rate and discounts
  3. From there, you can enter any percentage amount for your discount which will automatically be applied to bookings of 7+ or 28+ nights   

5. Set up taxes and fees

Setting up your fees and tax management are another aspect of vacation rental ownership that we simplify for you in the calendar tool. Fees are any extra charges beyond your nightly base rate and are often used to compensate vacation rental owners or property managers for additional services or amenities.

 

You can choose two types of fees to charge:

  • Standard fees (i.e., extra guest fees, cleaning fees, pet fees)
  • Custom fees (anything beyond a standard fee)
To set your tax rate and applicable fees
  1. From the owner dashboard, select Calendar in the main navigation
  2. Select Calendar Settings, then select Fees or Taxes
  3. Follow the directions to enter your tax rate or fees

Once you establish your tax rate, we offer three options to help automate the tax collection process:

 

  • No tax collection
  • Taxes are collected, you file and pay
  • Automate lodging taxes with Avalara MyLodge Tax

 

Visit the Vrbo help center to learn more about tax collection options. 

6. Customize rates and minimum stay requirements

Our seasonal cancellation policies give you the opportunity to offer a date-based policy of your choice to adjust for seasonal demand and strike the perfect balance to apply the right policy at the right time. You can also adjust your minimum stay requirements throughout the year to account for any lulls in occupancy.

To adjust your rates and minimum stay requirements
  1. From the Calendar, select the first date and last date of the range you would like to change
  2. An option will appear to Manage dates. From there, select Rates and discounts or Minimum stay
  3. Override the rate or minimum stay requirement as needed for that period, then select Save  

7. Set a required damage deposit

A damage deposit, much like a security deposit, holds the guest responsible for any damage they may cause. You have full control over the required damage deposit amount, which travelers can view under the house rules on the property details page or during checkout before they book.

To set your damage deposit
  1. From the owner dashboard, select Calendar in the main navigation
  2. Select Calendar Settings, then select Damage protection
  3. Enter your desired amount 

8. Set your payment terms

By default, guests are charged the entire amount for their reservation at the time of booking, but you can also adjust your payment terms in your rates calendar and customize how much and when guests will be charged.

 

For example, you can adjust your payment terms so that a portion is due closer to check-in, which could appeal to travelers looking for a vacation rental where supply outpaces demand.

To make adjustments to your payment terms
  1. From the owner dashboard, select Calendar in the main navigation
  2. Select Calendar Settings, then select Payment terms
  3. Enter your desired payment amount and due date

Our calendar tool provides you with several helpful resources so you can confidently oversee and manage your vacation rental business. Leverage these calendar tips to stay on top of your rates and reservations and operate your business like a pro.

Visit your Vrbo dashboard

Use the calendar feature to manage rates and reservations efficiently and provide travelers with a seamless booking experience.
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