24/09/2026
Wow. I’ve just seen somebody advertising their remaining October availability at £240–£280 for THREE to FOUR nights.
And my immediate thought was… how are they making any money from this?
£240 for four nights works out at just £60 per night for 4 people
Once you’ve taken out cleaning, laundry, utilities, booking fees, insurance, maintenance, consumables, VAT where applicable, and the actual cost of owning or renting the property… what is left?
I’m not posting this to criticise another host. I’m posting it because I think we need to talk more openly about commercial pricing in our industry.
When we massively reduce prices simply to fill empty dates, it doesn’t just affect that individual property. It can start creating an expectation that this is what accommodation in the area should cost.
Then hosts who are pricing sustainably — covering their costs, paying their teams properly, maintaining their properties and actually making a profit — suddenly appear expensive.
A full calendar does not necessarily mean a profitable business.
Sometimes it is genuinely better commercially to leave a few nights empty than sell them at a price where you’re effectively paying for someone to stay.
And if you’re a host reading this thinking, “I actually don’t know whether my pricing is profitable” — we are genuinely happy to help.
We don’t want any money for it.
If another local host wants help understanding their nightly rate, costs, margins, dynamic pricing or what they actually need to charge to make their property commercially viable, drop us a message.
I genuinely believe this is something we should be helping each other with.
The aim isn’t for everyone to charge the same price. Every property and business is different. It’s about making informed commercial decisions so we’re not unintentionally undercutting the local market and ourselves.
There is enough business out there for all of us.
Let’s build sustainable businesses, not just full calendars. ❤️
