The most common minimum stay policies aren’t necessarily the most profitable. Our data shows that hosts who adapt their minimum stay policies to align with market demand and seasonality earn more revenue. 

What's the Best Airbnb Minimum Stay Policy?

What's the Best Minimum Night Stay Policy on Airbnb?

Successful hosts boost their monthly revenues by adjusting their Airbnb minimum stay policies according to market trends, seasonality, and upcoming events.

While some hosts prefer short one-night stays for convenience, others find that longer minimum stays increase occupancy, reduce turnover costs, and help prevent unauthorized parties.

Market data analysis shows that properties with tailored minimum stay policies, especially during big events or peak seasons, tend to earn higher revenues, underscoring the value of a flexible and informed approach to setting stay requirements.

Your Airbnb minimum stay policy can have far-reaching effects—both in terms of guest satisfaction and revenue. When it comes to setting your Airbnb minimum stay policy, there’s a handful of competing theories on what’s best practice.

Some hosts are partial to the three-day policy. Others favor week-long (or even month-long) stays. And still more tout the benefits of a one-night minimum. Depending on your market and hosting style, it may make sense to simply “set it and forget it.” Find something that works and run with it.

However, based on the data, we’ve found that a little tinkering goes a long way. Hosts that are proactive about toggling their minimum night stay policy—in accordance with market demand, seasonality, and upcoming events—can see impressive increases in monthly revenues.

Know exactly how much to charge based on your vacation rental pricing strategy.

Also known as a minimum length-of-stay requirement, the minimum night stay policy is the minimum number of nights that a guest can book a short-term vacation rental. It’s determined entirely by the host, and it can be adjusted to correlate with yearly, monthly, and weekly trends. 

Why Does Your Airbnb Minimum Stay Policy Matter?

Your Airbnb minimum stay policy matters for two key reasons:

Asking guests to book for two or more nights encourages guests to stay longer, boosting your occupancy and revenue. It can also save you time on check-ins, check-outs, and cleaning.

However, if your Airbnb property is right near an airport or convention center, accepting one-night guests offers greater convenience for business travelers and could help you capture additional profit. This is especially true if other vacation rentals in the area have a two-night minimum stay.

One-night bookings are attractive to guests who want to throw a party. Airbnb placed a temporary ban on parties in August 2020 and made this ban part of its official policy on June 28, 2022. However, some guests will still try to hold parties despite this rule.

If parties are a problem in your location, a minimum stay of more than one night can help to prevent this from happening. You can also ban same-day bookings or require that same-day guests book before 5 p.m.

The Current State of Airbnb Minimum Night Stays

Minimum stay policies vary greatly depending on location. Factors such as the seasonality of a market, turnover cost (the cost to clean and get an Airbnb ready for the next guest), and regulation can play a big role in the minimum stay policies that hosts set.

In more seasonal markets where hosts earn a large percentage of their annual revenue during peak seasons, minimum stay policies tend to be longer. Two and three night minimum stay policies are very common in coastal and mountain destinations. Having a minimum stay policy greater than one night can prevent the occurrence of orphan days (unoccupied days between bookings) during weekends or weekdays and optimize occupancy during the busy season.

In coastal destinations, it’s more common to see minimum stay policies that exceed 3 days and can be a week or longer. 10% of coastal properties have a minimum stay policy of 4-7 nights while another 10% of properties have a minimum stay policy of 7-27 days. During peak summer months when demand for longer stays is higher, one week minimums help maximize occupancy and lower turnover costs.

Compared to destination markets, cities experience less fluctuation in demand throughout the year and hosts can be more flexible with minimum stay policies. The percentage of properties with one night minimum stays are most common in small (34%), mid-sized (30%), and urban cities (30%) where guests tend to be tourists or business travelers that book shorter stays.

Notably, 44% of small city/rural properties and 36% of properties in mid-sized cities do have 2 night minimum stay policies. The prevalence of 2 night minimums may be due to the higher cost of turnover in smaller cities, where labor may be less available and properties can be harder to get to.

Finally, regulation is the last factor that can play a large role in minimum stay policies. In cities such as Los Angeles, Boston, and most recently New York City, new short term rental regulations in recent years have greatly limited the ability for hosts to rent their properties to short term guests. In the aforementioned cities that have seen the implementation of strict STR regulation, hosts have converted their short term rental properties into mid term and long term rentals, explaining why 24% of properties in urban cities (excluding NYC) have minimum stay policies of 28 days or more.

Which Minimum Night Stay Policy Earns the Most Money?

Hosts in your market may prefer one strategy over another, but their choice isn’t necessarily the best for maximizing your rental’s occupancy and revenue. In fact, based on the data, we’ve found that there can be a disconnect between hosts’ choices and what actually maximizes revenue. 

In St. Louis, MO, 44% of entire properties have a one night minimum stay policy. While hosts with one night minimum stay policies are adopting the most common policy in the market, they are leaving money on the table. RevPARs for properties with 2 night minimums are 17% higher than properties with one night minimums and RevPARs for properties with 3 to 6 night minimums are 25% higher.

In Flagstaff, AZ, entire properties with 3 night stay minimums have the highest RevPARs, yet they only make up 12% of available listings. Compared to their peers, 3 night minimum stay properties made 35% more per available night than properties with 2 night stay policies and 49% more than properties with one night stay policies.

These market case studies highlight examples where the more common minimum stay strategies are not the most profitable. However, there are also many markets where the dominant minimum stay strategy may be the best policy for maximizing revenue. 

Each market has a different story. Choosing the right minimum stay strategy will require digging into market data and teasing out demand and booking trends within your market. 

Use Smart Rates™ to optimize your pricing strategy.

There are certain times during which hosts should consider toggling minimum stays. Big-ticket events are absolutely one of those times. If there’s a music festival, conference, or sports match coming up, it may be worth altering your minimum stay to align better with visitors’ expected trip length.

We considered AirDNA data from one of the largest festivals in the United States: Austin’s SXSW (South By Southwest). Austin’s SXSW is one of the world's premier events showcasing music, film and interactive media. It takes place annually in the spring and draws thousands of national and international visitors. 

While your Airbnb pricing strategy should definitely be optimized for these high-demand dates, what should hosts do about minimum night stays?

Here are the revenues earned in 2023 according to hosts’ minimum night stay policies.

The data speaks for itself: three-night minimums earned hosts the most. Average RevPAR for listings with 3 night minimum stay policies was $584 during SXSW last year (Mar 10-19, 2023). Listings with 4-6 night minimum stay policies also saw RevPARs exceeding $500 a night. Meanwhile, listings with 1 and 2 night minimum stay policies earned the least. 

How Should I Set My Minimum Stay on Airbnb?

Use AirDNA to conduct some thorough research about your destinations. Under the Explore tab of AirDNA, search and find your Airbnb market or submarket. Data on minimum stay policies in your area can answer: Is it primarily a quick-stop transit city? Are guests more likely to come for an entire weekend, week, or month?

Explore occupancy and rates under the AirDNA Market Performance Details for your location. See how much demand is expected for any given day. The higher the demand, the better chance you have to secure a long-term booking. 

Under RevPAR in Market Performance Details, check out booking lead time. The longer in advance guests tend to make reservations, the longer you can set your length of stay requirements.

Set your minimum nights policy and create custom rules for specific dates. Navigate to Airbnb’s listing management platform to set your minimum stay. If you receive two bookings that leave an orphan day in between, use the same tool to create an exception for that specific date. Filling gaps between bookings is one of the most surefire ways to elevate rental revenues.

Consider the cleaning fee: As cleaning fees are only charged once per booking, it should not be overlooked. A 5-night booking with an aggressive $100 cleaning fee pales in comparison to five one-night bookings that each have a $35 cleaning fee.

Calculate the cost of your time and effort. If you were to assign a monetary value to operating an agile length-of-stay strategy, how much would it be? How much time do you spend cleaning, preparing, and getting guests checked in.

Optimize Your Minimum Stay to Maximize Your Revenue

Ready to take the next step in your revenue management strategy? Don’t let minimum night stays go overlooked. A well-optimized minimum stay policy can attract guests and boost your occupancy and revenue.

 To maximize your Airbnb’s profitability, it’s essential to know what other hosts are doing, and most importantly, what generates the most revenue. Use industry-leading data to harness information, take action, and stay ahead of the competition.

AirDNA’s vacation rental pricing tool uses data-driven recommendations to propose the best daily rates.

Are you wondering whether one, two, or three-night average minimums are best for your vacation rental? Here's how to choose the best minimum night stay policy on Airbnb.

Key Takeaways:
Successful hosts boost their monthly revenues by adjusting their Airbnb minimum stay policies according to market trends, seasonality, and upcoming events.
While some hosts prefer short one-night stays for convenience, others find that longer minimum stays increase occupancy, reduce turnover costs, and help prevent unauthorized parties.
Market data analysis shows that properties with tailored minimum stay policies, especially during big events or peak seasons, tend to earn higher revenues, underscoring the value of a flexible and informed approach to setting stay requirements.

Your Airbnb minimum stay policy can have far-reaching effects—both in terms of guest satisfaction and revenue. When it comes to setting your Airbnb minimum stay policy, there’s a handful of competing theories on what’s best practice.

Some hosts are partial to the three-day policy. Others favor week-long (or even month-long) stays. And still more tout the benefits of a one-night minimum. Depending on your market and hosting style, it may make sense to simply “set it and forget it.” Find something that works and run with it.

However, based on the data, we’ve found that a little tinkering goes a long way. Hosts that are proactive about toggling their minimum night stay policy—in accordance with market demand, seasonality, and upcoming events—can see impressive increases in monthly revenues.

Host Confidently

Know exactly how much to charge based on your vacation rental pricing strategy.

Learn more
What Is a Minimum Night Stay Policy?

Also known as a minimum length-of-stay requirement, the minimum night stay policy is the minimum number of nights that a guest can book a short-term vacation rental. It’s determined entirely by the host, and it can be adjusted to correlate with yearly, monthly, and weekly trends. 

Why Does Your Airbnb Minimum Stay Policy Matter?

Your Airbnb minimum stay policy matters for two key reasons:

1. Maximize Rental Income

Asking guests to book for two or more nights encourages guests to stay longer, boosting your occupancy and revenue. It can also save you time on check-ins, check-outs, and cleaning.

However, if your Airbnb property is right near an airport or convention center, accepting one-night guests offers greater convenience for business travelers and could help you capture additional profit. This is especially true if other vacation rentals in the area have a two-night minimum stay.

2. Prevent Unauthorized Parties

One-night bookings are attractive to guests who want to throw a party. Airbnb placed a temporary ban on parties in August 2020 and made this ban part of its official policy on June 28, 2022. However, some guests will still try to hold parties despite this rule.

If parties are a problem in your location, a minimum stay of more than one night can help to prevent this from happening. You can also ban same-day bookings or require that same-day guests book before 5 p.m.

Boost Your Rental Revenue

The Current State of Airbnb Minimum Night Stays

Minimum stay policies vary greatly depending on location. Factors such as the seasonality of a market, turnover cost (the cost to clean and get an Airbnb ready for the next guest), and regulation can play a big role in the minimum stay policies that hosts set.

Longer Minimum Stays During Peak Season

In more seasonal markets where hosts earn a large percentage of their annual revenue during peak seasons, minimum stay policies tend to be longer. Two and three night minimum stay policies are very common in coastal and mountain destinations. Having a minimum stay policy greater than one night can prevent the occurrence of orphan days (unoccupied days between bookings) during weekends or weekdays and optimize occupancy during the busy season.

In coastal destinations, it’s more common to see minimum stay policies that exceed 3 days and can be a week or longer. 10% of coastal properties have a minimum stay policy of 4-7 nights while another 10% of properties have a minimum stay policy of 7-27 days. During peak summer months when demand for longer stays is higher, one week minimums help maximize occupancy and lower turnover costs.

Flexible Minimum Stays in Cities

Compared to destination markets, cities experience less fluctuation in demand throughout the year and hosts can be more flexible with minimum stay policies. The percentage of properties with one night minimum stays are most common in small (34%), mid-sized (30%), and urban cities (30%) where guests tend to be tourists or business travelers that book shorter stays.

Notably, 44% of small city/rural properties and 36% of properties in mid-sized cities do have 2 night minimum stay policies. The prevalence of 2 night minimums may be due to the higher cost of turnover in smaller cities, where labor may be less available and properties can be harder to get to.

More Regulation, Longer Stays

Finally, regulation is the last factor that can play a large role in minimum stay policies. In cities such as Los Angeles, Boston, and most recently New York City, new short term rental regulations in recent years have greatly limited the ability for hosts to rent their properties to short term guests. In the aforementioned cities that have seen the implementation of strict STR regulation, hosts have converted their short term rental properties into mid term and long term rentals, explaining why 24% of properties in urban cities (excluding NYC) have minimum stay policies of 28 days or more.

Customize Your Pricing
Try AirDNA for free
Which Minimum Night Stay Policy Earns the Most Money?

Hosts in your market may prefer one strategy over another, but their choice isn’t necessarily the best for maximizing your rental’s occupancy and revenue. In fact, based on the data, we’ve found that there can be a disconnect between hosts’ choices and what actually maximizes revenue. 

Case Study: St. Louis, MO

In St. Louis, MO, 44% of entire properties have a one night minimum stay policy. While hosts with one night minimum stay policies are adopting the most common policy in the market, they are leaving money on the table. RevPARs for properties with 2 night minimums are 17% higher than properties with one night minimums and RevPARs for properties with 3 to 6 night minimums are 25% higher.

Case Study: Flagstaff, Arizona

In Flagstaff, AZ, entire properties with 3 night stay minimums have the highest RevPARs, yet they only make up 12% of available listings. Compared to their peers, 3 night minimum stay properties made 35% more per available night than properties with 2 night stay policies and 49% more than properties with one night stay policies.

These market case studies highlight examples where the more common minimum stay strategies are not the most profitable. However, there are also many markets where the dominant minimum stay strategy may be the best policy for maximizing revenue. 

Each market has a different story. Choosing the right minimum stay strategy will require digging into market data and teasing out demand and booking trends within your market. 

Try Our Vacation Rental Pricing Tool

Use Smart Rates™ to optimize your pricing strategy.

Try here for free
Change Your Minimum Stay for Events

There are certain times during which hosts should consider toggling minimum stays. Big-ticket events are absolutely one of those times. If there’s a music festival, conference, or sports match coming up, it may be worth altering your minimum stay to align better with visitors’ expected trip length.

We considered AirDNA data from one of the largest festivals in the United States: Austin’s SXSW (South By Southwest). Austin’s SXSW is one of the world's premier events showcasing music, film and interactive media. It takes place annually in the spring and draws thousands of national and international visitors. 

While your Airbnb pricing strategy should definitely be optimized for these high-demand dates, what should hosts do about minimum night stays?

Here are the revenues earned in 2023 according to hosts’ minimum night stay policies.

The data speaks for itself: three-night minimums earned hosts the most. Average RevPAR for listings with 3 night minimum stay policies was $584 during SXSW last year (Mar 10-19, 2023). Listings with 4-6 night minimum stay policies also saw RevPARs exceeding $500 a night. Meanwhile, listings with 1 and 2 night minimum stay policies earned the least. 

 Learn about Dynamic Pricing

How Should I Set My Minimum Stay on Airbnb?
Use AirDNA to conduct some thorough research about your destinations. Is it primarily a quick-stop transit city? Are guests more likely to come for an entire weekend, week, or month?

Toggle to the Future Rates feature to see how much demand is expected for any given day. The higher the demand, the better chance you have to secure a long-term booking.

Discover the Booking Lead Time feature in the Seasonality tab. The longer in advance guests tend to make reservations, the longer you can set your length of stay requirements.

Set your minimum nights policy and create custom rules for specific dates. Navigate to Airbnb’s listing management platform to set your minimum stay. If you receive two bookings that leave an orphan day in between, use the same tool to create an exception for that specific date. Filling gaps between bookings is one of the most surefire ways to elevate rental revenues.
Consider the cleaning fee: As cleaning fees are only charged once per booking, it should not be overlooked. A 5-night booking with an aggressive $100 cleaning fee pales in comparison to five one-night bookings that each have a $35 cleaning fee.
Calculate the cost of your time and effort. If you were to assign a monetary value to operating an agile length-of-stay strategy, how much would it be? How much time do you spend cleaning, preparing, and getting guests checked in.
Optimize Your Minimum Stay to Maximize Your Revenue

Ready to take the next step in your revenue management strategy? Don’t let minimum night stays go overlooked. A well-optimized minimum stay policy can attract guests and boost your occupancy and revenue.

 To maximize your Airbnb’s profitability, it’s essential to know what other hosts are doing, and most importantly, what generates the most revenue. Use industry-leading data to harness information, take action, and stay ahead of the competition.

What's the Best Airbnb Minimum Stay Policy?

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