Learn how to configure minimum and maximum night settings for listings and how these rules affect reservation availability and booking behavior.
Control how long guests can stay at your property by configuring minimum and maximum night requirements. In Hostaway, you can apply these settings in two different ways, each serving a specific purpose.
1. Setting Default Rules (Booking Settings)
This method sets the "baseline" or default rule for your listing. These settings automatically apply to new dates that open up in the future (typically dates more than two years out).
How to set it:
- Go to Listings and select a listing.
- Click Edit and navigate to Booking Settings.
- Scroll to Length of stay and enter your desired Minimum and Maximum night values.
- Click Save.
Expectation:
- This does not update dates already on your calendar (e.g., dates within the next two years).
- It ensures that as new days are added to your calendar in the future, they automatically inherit these rules.
2. Setting Date-Specific Rules (Calendar)
To change restrictions for dates that are currently bookable (e.g., next week, next month, or anytime within the next two years), you must update the Calendar directly. Please check this article for detailed info about this.
Note: Settings applied here will override the default Listing settings mentioned above.
How to set it:
- Go to Calendar > Monthly.
- Click on a specific date (or select a date range using the Start Date and End Date fields in the sidebar).
- Under Availability, enter your desired Minimum Night Stay or Maximum Night Stay.
- Click Save.
Expectation:
- This updates the rules for the selected dates
- These changes sync immediately to your connected channels (e.g., Airbnb, Vrbo)
- Use this for seasonal restrictions (e.g., requiring 7-night stays during holidays) or to update your current availability
Summary of Differences
Feature |
Booking Settings (Listing Level) |
Calendar Settings (Date Level) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Use | Setting a long-term default policy. |
Changing restrictions for currently open dates. |
| Applies To | Future dates that have not yet been created/opened. |
Existing dates currently visible on your calendar. |
| Priority | Low (overridden by Calendar). |
High (Overrides Booking Settings). |
Pro Tip: If you want to change your minimum stay for all currently available dates, simply changing the Booking Settings is not enough. You must perform a Bulk Update on the Calendar for the next two years to ensure all open dates reflect your new policy