Utilizing availability tools to control when a listing can be booked

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.

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. 

Booking conditions for guests

Adjust the listing’s default settings to control how and under what conditions bookings can be made.

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

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).

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

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.

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). 

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.

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