Going flexible : how do you calculate price per night plse?

[Isy]

Hello everybody,
This is it, we decided from september to go flexible (flexible changeover date and flexible lenght of stay) and I d be grateful if you could give some advises.

I live 45mins from our gite (sleep 10 people, 20mins from airport) so I was thinking about taking bookings for a min of 3-4 nights. What do you think? For those of you who don't live onsite, how do you manage when you decide to go flexible.

As for price, how do you calculate the price per night ? Do you have a formula that you wouldn't mind sharing with me? Do you set a different price for the week end (opposite to the same amount of days during the week)?

Thanks in advance
Isy

[Ciapolin]

I have a weekly price which works out less than my daily. For bookings over a week but less than 2, I divide the weekly price by 7 and multiply by the number of days requested. For bookings of less than a week I apply the daily rate.

[la vache!]

I haven't got a fomula, but I would say that you can afford to charge a lot more than the pro rated rate for weekends (especially with a big house) and even more for pont weekends.
Example - my big house is 975€ in low season, for a weekend (2 nights) I charge 470€ plus 50€ bed linen, so more than half a week's rental.
In week I don't think I could charge as much.

[Isy]

Thanks Ciapolin and LV.
@Lv : I had no idea the week end could be at this price ! For the linen do you charge for it during the hight season?

Thanks again
Isy

[la vache!]

If you get all adults sharing (and I'm talking about the French market because 90% of the short break market for me is French) then they will pay more than if the group is half adults half children obviously because the cost is split more ways.
At Christmas and New Year I charge 800€ for 4 nights (that is the minimum rental tarif, even guests stay 3 nights), and in May my weekend price is 520€ a weekend, and 650€ 3 nights, 750€ 4 nights. I include bed linen in the price for 4+ nights.

[French Cricket]

Isy, we do exactly that (I just talked about it, strangely, on another thread); we take minimum 3 nights in the barn (it's a gite for couples, but with breakfast), starting on any night.

Our 2012 prices are 560€ for 7 nights, 500€ for 6, 445€ for 5, 390€ for 4 and 300€ for 3 - a bit higher all round in high season. Prices are the same whatever day of the week people arrive. I started with a formula - 50% of the weekly rate for 2 nights plus 10 per cent of weekly rate per extra night; then I fiddled around with it a bit until I was happy - our chambre d'hôtes suite has a lower rate for stays of 5 nights or more so I also wanted to reflect that in the barn rates. We don't add any extra charges at all - our prices include linen, cleaning and everything else - and don't take a security deposit (I imagine if you did it could be a bit of a nightmare).

However you work it out you need to take your fixed costs - cleaning and anything else - and make sure they're fully covered, even in a short stay.

You'll be amazed that people will be willing to pay a premium for the flexibility. Last weekend - big Tour de France étape just down the road - we had a 2 night gap that we wouldn't normally let, but I decided just to go for it and let it (and could have let it several times over) at 250€ for 2 nights

[la vache!]

I'm thinking of including the bed linen now, as most people want it included. My prices incclude everything else. But there are still a few groups who would rather save on the 4,10€ it costs per person and bring their own bed linen!

[Isy]

Waoouuh!!!! Clearly I underestimated flexibility!!! not anymore, thanks to you guys!

[wallypott]

3 nights €250 + €50/extra night - this is for the two bedroom 4 person, high season sheets & towels included, 3 night minimum.

For the big house, short breaks & flexibility currently only in shoulder season - 3 nights minimum although welcome to stay for less! €500 for weekend + €100/extra night, €700 for bank holiday weekends (3 or 4 nights). Sheets & towels not included for less than 4 nights, and €15/room. Just booked the May bank holiday (8th May 2013) for €800 so pretty happy with that.

For the 2, 2 bedroom properties we went flexible this year and have had a total of 263 nights booked so far this year as opposed to 250 for the whole of last year. So the flexible thing seems to be working - spreads the stress out quite a lot too, which is mostly good, but does mean I have to keep more dates in my head, and refer to PIMS even more often than usual.

[charles cawley]

Isy.

We use a rates tool based on excel.

If you send a private message I can e-mail a blank that you can use.

It is simple but does apply a logic to rate setting combined with flexbility to adjust to what you want. We developed the tool to use with our automated booking system which, of course, needs a logical approach.

The idea is to keep choice and flexibility whilst satisfying the needs of the IT running our automated system. But the tool can be very useful for people free of this sort of restriction.

[Happylady]

I charge 70% of the weekly rental for 3-4 nights, 80% for 5 nights - 6 nights at the weekly tariff.

Changeover costs remain the same whatever the length of stay which is why I don't do pro rata.

[greenbarn]

Similar to Happylady.
If we chose to offer a 2 night rate I'd probably calculate it at the 3 night rate less 10% of the full week rate, which amazingly works out at 60% of the full week rate, so that fits the model nicely.

[Beachcondo]

We divide the weekly cost by 7 and then add 15%. The price of cleaning is always charged separately in our area, so that will be put on top.

[Isy]

Thanks everybody for your help and answers. You really got me thinking more about flexibility!

Thanks again for your input!

[HoneypotCottages]

We charge 70% 3 nights,
80% 4 nights,
90% 5 nights
and sometimes offer a 6 night 95% rate.