1. When will I see my nightly rates updated?
- Our dynamic pricing algorithm updates nightly rates once every 24 hours
- Within that period, you should see the dynamic pricing changes reflected on your nightly rates
- The algorithm updates pricing on both available and blocked dates
- When you unblock a date, it will already have the current pricing applied
- This eliminates waiting periods for price updates after unblocking
- Dates with existing reservations will not have their pricing updated
2. How frequently does the Hostaway Dynamic Pricing engine update recommended prices?
- The frequency of updates depends on different scenarios:
- Prices are updated the first time the product is turned on (i.e., clicking on "Preview prices for free”)
- Every time a customer makes a change to a setting (minimum price, strategy)
- In any case, prices are updated automatically every 24 hours
- Rates recalculate and sync to your channels approximately every 24 hours, and repricing is triggered immediately when settings change or when the tool is first enabled.
3. When do I get charged?
- You get charged on a prorated basis when you flip the activate switch for a listing in the dynamic pricing screen.
- Billing is monthly per active property. Listings deactivated mid-period are still charged for the full period.
4. How will I be charged for Dynamic Pricing?
- You will pay every month for the days that Dynamic Pricing was active for each listing on the Hostaway Dashboard
5. How much does Hostaway Dynamic Pricing cost, and are discounts available?
Standard pricing is a flat monthly add-on per active listing ($12/listing/month), with recurring promotions offering lifetime discounts (e.g., $6/listing/month, or 50% off) and tiered bundle rates for larger portfolios.
6. Where does Hostaway get its data?
- We work closely with top industry data partners and revenue management software providers to access billions of data points across millions of units worldwide
- Our team meticulously analyzes this data, feeding it into our advanced machine-learning models
- This process forms the backbone of our algorithm, allowing us to create accurate, data-driven nightly pricing for each unique listing
- Some of the sources that we use are worldwide Airbnb, Vrbo, and, of course, all of the reservations in the Hostaway system
Hostaway partners with industry data providers and revenue-management platforms, analyzing large volumes of short-term rental data globally — market demand, occupancy, and pricing trends across major OTAs including Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com.
7. How does the algorithm calculate rates, and does it account for property attributes?
- The machine-learning model factors in 40+ property attributes (location, bedroom/bathroom count, amenities, guest reviews, cancellation policy) alongside market dynamics such as seasonality, booking pace, and local events.
8. How does Dynamic Pricing perform in rural or low-density markets?
- When listing density is low, the algorithm expands its geographic radius to capture enough comparable demand data. In very sparse markets, updates may be flatter or adjust less frequently.
9. How do I override prices on specific dates?
Go to the calendar and update the nightly rate for those dates. Our software will remember this change and stop our dynamic pricing model from changing the prices on those nights.
- Manually set and saved rates in the Hostaway calendar (manual overrides) are respected, and the model will not change those dates.
10. How does Hostaway's Dynamic Pricing calculate the rates for holiday periods such as November, December, or January?
- The rate is based on current and future estimated supply and demand for those months, just like any other month
- For holidays, the supply goes up as people travel and rent their homes during that time, but the demand also goes up
- We look at the supply and the nights booked, the rates booked, the rates unbooked, and the booking window
11. What is the difference between Base Price and Minimum Price?
- Base Price — the average/median nightly rate you want to charge over the year, and the starting point for all adjustments.
- Minimum Price — the absolute floor; the system will not price below it. Setting the base price above the minimum gives the algorithm room to move downward in low demand.
12. How do additional pricing rules (last-minute discounts, far-future premiums) interact with minimum/maximum price floors?
- Hostaway applies automated lead-time rules — last-minute discounts to fill near-term gaps and far-future premiums for early bookings — while aiming to keep rates within the user's configured minimum and maximum guardrails.
13. How long does Hostaway take to process dynamic pricing for one of my listings after I enable it?
- It takes up to 24 hours for newly created listings to be processed
- If you have created a new listing and enabled dynamic pricing for it, please check it after 24 hours, and it should be active.
14. What process should I follow if I am already using a pricing tool and want to switch to Hostaway Dynamic Pricing?
You must avoid having the same listing active in two different pricing tools at the same time.
Please follow the next steps:
- Turn off the external Dynamic Pricing tool
- Go to your Hostaway Dashboard > Dynamic Pricing
- Follow the process in the Dynamic Pricing: Interactive Demo & Setup guide
- Review the suggested prices by Hostaway Dynamic Pricing
- Turn on the listings on Hostaway Dynamic Pricing
15. Can I use a third-party pricing tool (PriceLabs, Beyond, Wheelhouse) or Airbnb Smart Pricing instead?
- Hostaway integrates with third-party revenue managers via the Marketplace. Only one pricing mechanism should be active at a time — either Hostaway Dynamic Pricing or the external tool — and native OTA features like Airbnb Smart Pricing should be disabled to avoid conflicting updates.
16. What happens to my prices if I disconnect Hostaway's dynamic pricing tool?
- If you disconnect Hostaway's dynamic pricing tool, the prices will revert to the prices you had before activating the tool. (up to 1.5 years)
- If a user enables dynamic pricing today and disables it after one year, the system will update the pricing for their future calendar days for the next six months from the date of deactivation.
17. How do I turn off Dynamic Pricing — and why might I still be charged?
- Dynamic Pricing is disabled per listing from the Dynamic Pricing dashboard by unsubscribing listings.
- A recurring theme: customers unsubscribed but continued to see charges. If the add-on sits in a contractual bundle or minimum commitment, removal requires a CSM/billing adjustment; once a month is billed, refunds are generally not issued.
18. Why does the dynamic pricing calendar show rates different from the Hostaway main calendar?
Prices on the Hostaway calendar and in the Dynamic Pricing calendar can differ because the Hostaway calendar updates daily and reflects the prices at the time of booking. In contrast, the Dynamic Pricing calendar displays real-time price suggestions.
- Hostaway Calendar: Updates are done on a daily basis. The prices displayed will be the prices that will appear at the time of booking.
- Dynamic Pricing Calendar: This shows real-time price suggestions based on factors that are updated regularly in the model, leading to daily adjustments. These factors include seasonality, local demand, listing availability, and time