Pricing

Agencies and other headaches, keys and cleaners, running costs and contracts...in short, all the things we spend so much of our time doing behind the scenes.<br>
Jemima Copping
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:22 pm
Location: Scotland
Contact:

Pricing

Post by Jemima Copping »

Hi everyone, I have been toying with the idea of stopping seasonal pricing for my self catering property and making all weeks the same. Has anyone done this and how did it work out?
Better to be mutton dressed as lamb than mutton dressed as mutton!
User avatar
Cymraes
Posts: 519
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2015 3:31 pm
Location: North Wales

Post by Cymraes »

I'd sell out very fast for the summer and be empty for the rest of the year.

There is a reason why pricing is seasonal. Summer period is where I make enough to make the whole business viable. I would lose all off season bookings to competitors with seasonal rates and wouldn't make enough in the summer to make up for this.
newtimber
Posts: 1945
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:57 pm
Location: Brighton
Contact:

Re: Pricing

Post by newtimber »

Jemima Copping wrote:Hi everyone, I have been toying with the idea of stopping seasonal pricing for my self catering property and making all weeks the same. Has anyone done this and how did it work out?
Why would you want to do this? Your winter weeks are going to be much more expensive than your neighbours so your property remains empty all winter and your summer weeks are going to be much cheaper and you would end up getting less than you would otherwise.

It makes no business sense at all.
farley
Posts: 169
Joined: Thu May 29, 2014 11:14 am
Location: Poitou Charentes

Post by farley »

Very cute property. I’d certainly consider it myself in the future&#128578;.
As for simplifying pricing, it could work .
I think you should still charge a higher price for the most popular weeks though .
Hope that makes sense.
Sunbeam
Posts: 198
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2015 5:24 pm
Location: Spain

Post by Sunbeam »

Perhaps you could just have 2 rates - keeps it simple - but the comments here are spot on
newtimber
Posts: 1945
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:57 pm
Location: Brighton
Contact:

Post by newtimber »

Sunbeam wrote:Perhaps you could just have 2 rates - keeps it simple - but the comments here are spot on
Then you have a "cliff-edge". Having huge disparity in prices between adjacent weeks doesn't look good...
Sunbeam
Posts: 198
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2015 5:24 pm
Location: Spain

Post by Sunbeam »

that's very true. We operate with three price bands applied to different times of year - and avoids just that.
SPJ
Posts: 468
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2015 9:01 am
Location: Aquitaine
Contact:

Post by SPJ »

I also find it useful to have lower prices on the shoulders of the season as it brings down the average price shown on Vrbo. Once people are interested enough to look in detail they usually are accepting of my three season pricing - low / mid / high.

Like others have said, I can sell my high season three times over at the price I charge and it would make no sense to have a price any lower. Especially in the current climate.
Post Reply