Seasonal Pricing Strategy in Short-Term Rentals: High and Low Season Planning

The most effective way to maximize annual revenue is to aggressively increase prices during the high season and maintain occupancy rates during the low season. These two goals often conflict; the right strategy strikes a balance between the two.

In this guide, we take a step-by-step look at Turkey's seasonal calendar, high and low season strategies, weekly differentiation, and how to set up an annual pricing calendar.

Why Seasonal Pricing Is So Important

A listing that operates with a single fixed price loses money at all times of the year: it sells below its potential during high season and remains vacant during low season. A seasonal strategy makes a difference in three key areas:

• Raises the revenue ceiling: You fully reflect demand in your pricing during high season and special occasions.
• Reduces vacancy cost: In the low season, you maintain occupancy with the right discounts and cover fixed expenses.
• Simplifies operations: With minimum stay requirements and long-term discounts, you manage guest turnover rate and, consequently, the cleaning workload.

When manual tracking becomes difficult, most of these decisions can be automated using dynamic pricing tools.

Seasonal Calendar in Turkey

High season varies depending on your location and target audience.

High Season Pricing Strategy

Set the Base Price

In high season, the nightly base price should be 1.5 to 2.5 times the low season price. For example, a listing priced at 800 TL in low season can increase to the 1,600-2,000 TL range during high season.

Holidays and Festive Days

The special occasions that impact nightly prices the most in Turkey are:

• Kurban Bayramı (Feast of Sacrifice) and Ramazan Bayramı (Ramadan Feast) (40-80 percent increase throughout the holiday)
• New Year's week (December 28 - January 2)
• April 23, May 1, May 19 (long weekends)
• School closing (mid-June) and opening (early September) transition weeks

Increase Minimum Length of Stay

Set a 3-5 night minimum stay during high season instead of 2 nights. This filters out short, less profitable bookings and reduces cleaning costs. Adjusting the minimum stay length according to the season optimizes both occupancy and unit profit.

Low Season Pricing Strategy

Maintaining Occupancy Rate

Staying vacant in low season is more costly than filling at a lower price. Target occupancy rate should be 60-70 percent. A regularly maintained occupancy calendar to see vacant and booked days at a glance increases your decision-making speed.

Long-Term Discounts

Enable Airbnb's weekly and monthly discount feature:

• 7 nights and above: 10-15 percent discount
• 28 nights and above: 20-30 percent discount

These discounts increase occupancy rates and reduce cleaning and operational costs by lowering guest turnover speed.

Last-Minute Pricing

Set up a last-minute discount for days that remain unbooked up to 3 days before the check-in date. Example: Automatic 15 percent discount for days with less than 72 hours remaining. This feature can be automatically applied with tools like PriceLabs and Wheelhouse.

Weekly Price Differentiation

Not every day of the week sees equal demand.

Competitor Tracking

Do not create your pricing strategy in isolation. Track at least 5 competing listings with similar features in the same neighborhood weekly. If competitors' prices change by more than 15 percent week over week, it means the direction of demand is shifting. Conducting competitor analysis alongside listing optimization efforts that highlight your property achieves higher conversion at the same price.

Annual Pricing Calendar Template

Create a draft for the entire year at the beginning of January:

1. Mark holiday and festive dates
2. Add the local event calendar (concerts, marathons, trade fairs)
3. Note seasonal transitions (school holiday start/end dates)
4. Set target occupancy rates and minimum revenue targets for each month
5. Compare actual data monthly and update for the following year

Common Mistakes

• Operating with a single price: A fixed price year-round means lost revenue in high season and vacancy in low season.
• Missing special occasions: Selling dates like festive holidays and New Year's Eve at the base price wastes the most profitable nights of the year.
• Excessive discounting: Panicking in the low season and dropping the price too much permanently damages the listing's perceived value.
• Competitor blindness: Looking only at your own historical data without monitoring the market leads to being too late when demand drops.
• Keeping minimum stay fixed: Applying the same minimum nights regardless of season reduces both occupancy and profit.

Quick Checklist

• Have you mapped out the seasonal calendar suitable for your location?
• Is the high season base price 1.5 to 2.5 times the low season price?
• Are festive holidays, New Year's, and long weekends priced separately?
• Is a weekday/weekend price differential defined?
• Are long-term and last-minute discounts active?
• Are you tracking at least 5 competing listings weekly?
• Are you updating the annual pricing calendar with actual performance data?

When you manage seasonal pricing as a living calendar rather than setting it once and forgetting it, the annual revenue you generate from the same property increases significantly. With KepGuide, you can monitor your pricing calendar, occupancy data, and bookings from a single dashboard, making these decisions much faster.