What an orphan night costs you
One guest leaves on Tuesday. The next guest arrives on Wednesday night. Tuesday night sits empty, because your minimum stay is three nights.
Nobody can book that night under your own rules. Your cleaner still comes, and you still pay for the unit. The night earns nothing.
Find your orphan nights
Look at your calendar for the next few weeks. Mark every free gap that is shorter than your minimum stay. Those are your orphan nights.
Check again after each new booking. A booking in the middle of a free week can leave a short gap on each side.
Offer the night to the guest next to it
The guest who checks out the day before the gap may want one more night. The guest who arrives the day after the gap may want to come early. These two guests are your best buyers.
Write to them first. They already know the unit, and they already have a reason to be in town.
Message to copy
Hi [name], the night [before / after] your stay is free. Would you like to add it? Ask for the date change on [Airbnb / your booking site] and we will approve it.
Lower your minimum stay for the gap
Check if your booking system lets you set a minimum stay for one date range. If it does, set one night for the orphan night only. Then a new guest can book it too.
Keep the normal rule on every other date. A short stay costs a full cleaning, so allow it only where the night would sit empty anyway.
Decide on a price for the gap
An empty night pays nothing, so a lower price can still be a gain. Some companies cut the rate for orphan nights only. Others keep the price and add the night to a longer stay.
Choose one rule and use it every time. Then your team does not have to decide again for each gap.
When a guest asks to stay longer
Sometimes the guest asks first. Check that the next night is free, and check what the next guest needs. Then ask the guest to change the booking on the site where they booked it.
Do not take money for the night outside that site. The change request keeps the payment, the rules and the calendar in one place.
How TravelPal does this for you
If the night before check-in or after checkout is free, TravelPal can offer it in the chat. It checks your live calendar first, and the price is your calendar's own rate for that night. TravelPal can send the offer before the stay, without the guest asking.
The guest books the night where they booked the stay, and your team approves it there. Read about the six paid extras, or how an early arrival can use the night before.