Property managers with minimum stay requirements often face "gap nights" – periods between bookings that are too short to meet minimum stay policies yet too long to ignore. While the "Minimum Gap Nights" feature helps by allowing shorter bookings within these gaps (like a 4-night stay between two 7-night bookings), many guests may still overlook these shorter periods without additional incentives.
Strategic gap night discounts provide the perfect solution by offering financial motivation specifically for these hard-to-fill periods. This approach transforms potentially empty dates into revenue-generating bookings while maintaining profitability.
One of your most effective strategies is targeting guests who already have bookings adjacent to your gaps. For guests staying before or after a gap, send an email offering a discounted nightly rate. OwnerRez has several Template and Trigger support articles with step-by-step instructions about how to contact guests and offer them discounted "gap night" rates.
- Offer Discounted Gap Night to Channel Guests Without Contact Information Template and Trigger
- Offer Discounted Gap Night to Channel Guest With Contact Information Template and Trigger
- Offer Discounted Gap Night to Guest Who Booked Through Your Personal Website Template and Trigger
- Send Deeply Discounted Gap Night Offer to Channel Guest Without Contact Information Days Before Arrival Template and Trigger
- Offer Deeply Discounted Gap Night to Channel Guest With Contact Information Days Before Arrival Template and Trigger
- Offer Deeply Discounted Gap Night to Guest Who Booked Through Your Personal Website Days Before Arrival Template and Trigger
The financial impact is clear: even a partially discounted booking generates more revenue than an empty property. Offering discounted gap nights could increase revenue significantly, better than $0 revenue from an unbooked gap night. Additional benefits include reduced turnover costs and improved occupancy metrics.
For best results, increase discounts as the gap dates approach by clearly communicating the special nature of the offer. Remember that with strategic gap night discounts, you can transform those challenging calendar gaps into profitable bookings while providing value to guests who appreciate the flexibility of shorter stays – creating a win-win scenario for both you and your guests.