More than 90% of bookings are made within 90 days of check-in. Locking your calendar beyond that timeframe can help you earn more and avoid pricing errors.
Why should you limit your short-term availability?
By allowing bookings well in advance, many hosts lose money without realizing it. Why? Because demand in the vacation industry is constantly changing. What seems like a good rate today may be far below the optimal price tomorrow.
💡 Key fact: Globally, more than 90% of bookings on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com are made within 90 days prior to check-in.
Advance bookings = travelers looking for bargains
When someone books your accommodation so far in advance, they rarely do it out of urgency. They do it because they found a cheap deal. In other words, if they book you six months in advance, your rates were probably too low.
In addition, competitors' prices have not yet been adjusted and major events have not yet been announced. If a festival, congress or long weekend is confirmed tomorrow, you will no longer be able to benefit from this increase in demand.
Less visibility is not losing reserves, it is gaining margin.
Many hosts think, “If I close the calendar, don't I lose visibility?” But in reality, what you are doing is protecting your inventory in an environment of low demand and maximum uncertainty.
👉 Tip: If you don't have the data to anticipate what will happen in six months, why commit to rates that are not optimized?
Each property is different, but the logic remains the same.
At ListingOK we have worked with hundreds of owners, from coastal homes to urban apartments. Some with a lot of seasonality tell us:
“I want to see recommended prices for the next 6 to 12 months.”
We understand the concern. But blocking the calendar beyond 90 days or applying extremely high rates for that period is a practice that protects your revenue. If someone wants to book that far in advance, let them pay for it!
How to act if you decide to open the calendar
- 🔒 Block all dates beyond 90 days.
- 📈 Or, it establishes very high rates for that period.
- 📊 Monitor demand with market intelligence tools.
Remember: the goal is not to have a lot of advance bookings, but to maximize the revenue per night.
The right pricing needs context
The main risk of accepting reservations well in advance is the lack of information:
- Will there be an event yet to be announced?
- How will demand evolve?
- What will happen to the competition?
The further out in the calendar, the less data you have to define an appropriate price. The logic of revenue management - with metrics such as ADR (average daily rate), RevPAR (revenue per available room) or pacing (booking rate) - is based on adjusting prices based on up-to-date data, not guesswork.
What if I have high season properties?
Even in beach destinations, where there is a clear seasonality, the recommendation remains: avoid committing to key dates too early.
What you can do is to keep your prices at high levels for July or August, even if the calendar is already open. This will prevent anyone from “jumping in” at opportunity prices.
FAQs: most frequently asked questions by hosts
Will I lose visibility if I block dates?
No. Visibility depends on multiple factors: scoring, conversion, availability. Better to have visibility on profitable dates than to fill with low prices.
What if there is an event and I already have a confirmed reservation?
You won't be able to adjust the price. It's a missed opportunity. That's why it pays to wait and not open the calendar too early.
Can I use high prices instead of block dates?
Yes, it is a valid alternative: keep the calendar open, but with significantly high rates to avoid cheap premature bookings.
How do I know if this applies to my property?
It depends on your destination, seasonality and type of customer. If you are not sure, the ideal is to rely on tools like those offered by ListingOK to make data-driven decisions.
Conclusion: protect your profitability, not just your occupation.
Adjusting your calendar to a 90-day horizon is a key strategy to avoid cheap bookings and maximize your ADR. Whether you manage a cottage or an entire building, every pricing decision counts.
🔧 Do you want help in defining the right strategy for your area and type of accommodation?
Contact us for a personalized demo. We help you to monetize every night without losing control.
📆 Next update: October 2025
Miguel
Miguel Roig Gimbernat is Partner at ListingOK, specializing in Revenue Management for vacation rentals and short-term rentals. With over 15 years of experience in technology, pricing, and revenue management, he helps property managers and hosts maximize their profitability on Airbnb and Booking.com through real market data and expert supervision. He combines expertise in data, platforms and technology with marketing to transform market intelligence into revenue decisions that boost profitability.
