Key Idea
Every available night is an opportunity. Focus on the dates that still need attention and make targeted adjustments that make it easier to book without compromising your long-term revenue strategy.
Turn Last-Minute Availability into New Bookings
If you still have available nights in August or September, you can still take advantage of demand from travelers who book just a few days before arrival.
As summer progresses, a significant portion of searches and bookings happen closer and closer to the check-in date. According to HomeToGo data, 10% of peak season revenue and over 20% of late summer search traffic come from bookings made in the 7 days before arrival.
There is still demand. The key is to identify the dates that still need occupancy and make targeted adjustments to boost the visibility of your accommodations and make booking easier.
You don’t need to overhaul your entire pricing or availability strategy. In many cases, small changes applied only to the coming weeks can help you improve occupancy without compromising your long-term strategy.
What will you learn in this article?
You’ll learn how to identify which adjustments can help you capture more last-minute bookings during August and September, focusing on pricing, occupancy rules, and visibility across different sales channels.
Benefits
Increase occupancy for dates that are still available.
Improve the visibility of your accommodations to travelers ready to book right away.
Make better use of your distribution without unnecessarily changing your entire pricing and availability strategy.
When should you apply this strategy?
You should apply these recommendations when you have availability in the next 14–21 days and want to increase your chances of getting last-minute bookings.
They can also be especially useful when you notice:
Isolated gaps between bookings.
Single nights that are still available.
A drop in occupancy compared to previous weeks.
Upcoming dates with lower demand than expected.
Before you start
It’s a good idea to review beforehand:
The availability you have left for the next 14–21 days.
The prices and promotions you have active for those dates.
Stay restrictions, check-in/check-out rules, and advance booking windows.
It’s also recommended to check that prices, availability, and conditions are properly synced across all your connected channels.
Follow these steps
1. Identify the dates that still need occupancy
1. Identify the dates that still need occupancy
Focus on the coming weeks and spot the open nights, especially isolated gaps between bookings.
Avoid changing your entire calendar if the issue is only with certain dates.
2. Adjust your prices strategically
2. Adjust your prices strategically
Last-minute travelers usually compare different options before booking.
A discount applied only to the dates that are still available can help you be more competitive and increase your accommodation’s visibility.
Booking.com reports that their Last Minute Deals can boost bookings by up to 15% and recommends setting them up with a window of up to 7 days before check-in to reach travelers searching for upcoming dates.
Best practices:
Only apply discounts when necessary.
Prioritize available dates in the next 7–21 days.
Pay special attention to gaps between two bookings.
Regularly review how your promotions are performing.
Remember, a last-minute discount doesn’t have to become a permanent rate reduction. When demand conditions change, you can return to your usual strategy.
Related articles:
3. Review rules that may be limiting bookings
3. Review rules that may be limiting bookings
Travelers booking just a few days before arrival may be looking for shorter stays, weekends, or more flexibility with check-in and check-out dates.
According to Vrbo, 55% of last-minute bookings are made 0–14 days before arrival. HomeToGo also notes that 55% of single-night stays during peak season are booked at the last minute.
Pay special attention to:
Minimum stay
Check if the minimum stay you’ve set is still appropriate for the dates that remain available. Allowing shorter stays can help you fill certain gaps without changing the rest of your calendar’s conditions.
Check-in and check-out restrictions
Fixed check-in or check-out days can work well during high demand periods, but may reduce booking opportunities as the date approaches.
Consider adding more flexibility when it fits your operations.
Booking window
Check how far in advance you allow bookings. If you don’t accept same-day or next-day bookings, you could miss out on some last-minute travelers’ searches.
Closed to Arrival / Closed to Departure
Review whether these restrictions are still needed for the dates that are still open.
You can see how to manage these conditions at:
4. Check your visibility on all channels
4. Check your visibility on all channels
Make sure your accommodations are properly listed and updated on all the channels where you want to get bookings.
Review:
Availability.
Prices.
Active promotions.
Photos.
Amenities.
Descriptions.
Cancellation policies.
Also pay attention to so-called orphan nights, meaning single nights between two bookings.
Airbnb found that accommodations allowing bookings for these gaps saw on average a 17% higher Gross Booking Value (GBV) than those that kept them blocked.
Expected result
After making these adjustments, your accommodations should be better positioned to appear in last-minute travelers’ searches and turn remaining availability into new bookings.
The goal isn’t to fill every night at any cost, but to increase booking opportunities while balancing revenue, operating costs, and your business strategy.
Recommended next steps
After reviewing your strategy, monitor how occupancy evolves for the dates you’ve adjusted over the next few weeks.
Regularly check which dates are still available and update promotions as needed.
Make sure changes made in Avantio are correctly reflected on your connected channels.
It’s also a good idea to return to your usual rates and restrictions when you no longer need to encourage last-minute bookings.
Limitations and considerations
Keep in mind:
More flexibility doesn’t always mean more profit. Short stays can increase cleaning, management, and turnover costs.
If your occupancy is already high or there’s strong demand in your area, you may not need to offer discounts.
Changes should mainly focus on dates that still need occupancy, avoiding unnecessary changes to your entire strategy.
Best practices
Check availability for the next 2–3 weeks every week.
Analyze which dates really need an extra incentive.
Only relax restrictions when it makes business sense.
Don’t make decisions based only on occupancy percentage: also consider revenue and operating costs.
Compare the performance of dates with discounts or more flexibility to those with your usual conditions.
Case study
Challenge:
An agency reaches the second half of August with several accommodations that have one- or two-night gaps over the next two weeks.
Analysis:
Some of these gaps have a minimum stay set higher than the available nights, and the accommodations don’t have any last-minute promotions active.
Strategic decision:
The agency temporarily lowers the minimum stay for certain dates, activates last-minute discounts, and checks that the new availability is correctly displayed on their main distribution channels.
Expected result:
The accommodations become available for more searches and are more likely to fill those gaps with bookings, without changing the strategy for the rest of the season.
✅ Quick end-of-summer checklist
Before finishing your review, check:
☐ Last-minute discounts are active for the dates that need them.
☐ Minimum stay is appropriate for the available gaps.
☐ Check-in and check-out restrictions still make sense.
☐ The booking window allows you to capture last-minute travelers.
☐ Prices are competitive for upcoming dates.
☐ Availability is updated on all channels.
☐ Active promotions are correct.
☐ Photos, amenities, and descriptions are up to date.
☐ All calendars are properly synced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to lower the prices for all my accommodations?
Do I need to lower the prices for all my accommodations?
No. The recommendation is to only adjust prices for dates that still need more occupancy.
You can apply promotions or specific adjustments for the upcoming weeks and keep your usual strategy for the rest of the calendar.
Is it always a good idea to reduce the minimum stay to get last-minute bookings?
Is it always a good idea to reduce the minimum stay to get last-minute bookings?
Not necessarily.
Lowering the minimum stay can help you fill gaps, but you should also consider the costs associated with shorter stays, such as cleaning, preparing the accommodation, or operational management.
If a short booking isn’t profitable, keeping your current restrictions might still be the best option.
How far in advance should I review my availability?
How far in advance should I review my availability?
During the last weeks of August and September, it’s a good idea to regularly check your availability for the next 14–21 days.
This way, you can quickly spot dates with low occupancy, check if there are any restrictions making it hard to get bookings, and decide if you need to activate promotions or make further adjustments.