The Short-Term Rental Host’s Strategic Playbook For Recurring vs. One-Time Events
Summary
This PriceLabs article provides a strategic playbook for STR hosts to navigate event-based pricing. It stresses the importance of understanding and preparing for Unknown, Recurring, and One-Time Events by leveraging tools like Dynamic Pricing and Market Dashboards to optimize pricing strategies. The article also covers specific examples using Gulf Coast Jam and Super Bowl data, emphasizing data-driven decisions to maximize revenue. Avoid the "Airbnbust" by being prepared.
Key Insights
- •The 2023 Super Bowl in Phoenix resulted in 0% occupancy for many hosts due to market oversaturation and high hotel inventory, despite high demand headlines.
- •In New Orleans, active listings for the Super Bowl period surged by 18% year-over-year, leading to oversaturation. Conversely, Santa Clara saw an 8.4% decrease in listings.
- •Data shows that for the Gulf Coast Jam 2026, market occupancy is pacing significantly ahead of the 2025 event, indicating a stronger lineup or market sentiment.
Action Items
- ✓Use your pricing tool to set a higher floor for dates further than 180 days out to capture early bookings at a premium.Effort: lowImpact: medium
- ✓Implement occupancy-based adjustments; if your property reaches 20% occupancy six months out, prices should automatically increase.Effort: lowImpact: medium
- ✓Set minimum stay that reflects your market trends, using cascading minimum stays based on the event's approach.Effort: lowImpact: medium
Tools & Resources
- →PriceLabs: The article references the PriceLabs ecosystem including Dynamic Pricing, Market Dashboards, Portfolio Analytics, and the STR Index.(pricelabs.com)
Common Mistakes
- ⚠Avoid 'gut-feeling pricing' for events; use a structured playbook based on data analysis.
- ⚠Do not underprice your property by simply copying last year's ADR for recurring events. Analyze the current pacing.
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