What is a short break rule, and how do we set them?

4th February 2025

A short break refers to any stay which is less than a full week — anything from 2 to 6 nights. Setting a short break rule means deciding when shorter stays are allowed and under what conditions. These rules help maintain your preferred booking structure and maximise occupancy while reducing gaps in your calendar.  We can create totally bespoke rules to fit with your requirements, or we have a selection of commonly used rules which we can apply to your property.

Some variables include:

* Fixed or Flexible Start Days: You can specify which days of the week short breaks can start, or make them totally flexible if you are able to offer flexible changeover. An example of fixed start days would be allowing check-ins only on Fridays and Mondays only.

* Minimum Stay Length: You can define the shortest stay allowed (e.g., minimum of two nights).

* Pricing of Short Breaks: We use a percentage of the weekly rate to calculate the short break price, which is usually higher that the pro-rata rate, to reflect increased cleaning costs and overheads.

* Seasonal Variations: You may choose to allow short breaks only at certain times of the year, or have different rules during off-peak periods and more strict rules during peak seasons.

How do we set them? - Updated on 7th July 2020