How do I fill gap nights between bookings?
Lower the minimum stay for just those nights, offer a small discount, and show the open dates where guests can book them, including your own booking page for past and local guests. At $180 a night, a 2-night gap filled at a 20% discount still leaves about $209 after the site's fee and the extra clean.
By StayPerk Team · Last checked · Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com details checked against the sources below
How to fill a gap
- Look two to four weeks ahead for gaps of one to three nights between stays.
- Lower the minimum stay for those dates only. Airbnb lets hosts create custom trip lengths for specific dates.
- Offer a deal on those nights and say why: a short gap, so a better price.
- Show the deal on your booking page and tell past direct guests and local contacts.
- Check the numbers first: one more clean has to be covered by what the gap brings in.
When a gap is worth filling
| Discount | Booking total | Site fee | Left after fee and clean |
|---|---|---|---|
| None | $450 | $69.75 | $270.25 |
| 10% off | $414 | $64.17 | $239.83 |
| 20% off | $378 | $58.59 | $209.41 |
| 30% off | $342 | $53.01 | $178.99 |
A two-night gap at different discounts (made-up figures)
None
- Booking total
- $450
- Site fee
- $69.75
- Left after fee and clean
- $270.25
10% off
- Booking total
- $414
- Site fee
- $64.17
- Left after fee and clean
- $239.83
20% off
- Booking total
- $378
- Site fee
- $58.59
- Left after fee and clean
- $209.41
30% off
- Booking total
- $342
- Site fee
- $53.01
- Left after fee and clean
- $178.99
Each row: 2 nights at $180, a $90 cleaning fee, a $110 clean and Airbnb's 15.5% single fee.
See a gap-night deal on a demo booking page: the city loft. Booking is turned off on the demo.
Gap night calculator
An empty gap earns nothing. Enter the gap and the discount you would offer to see what filling it leaves you after the site's fee and the extra clean.
nights
%
%
15.5% on Airbnb, 1% + card fee direct
Rent after the discount
288
Booking total
378
Booking site fee
58.59
Left after fee and clean
209.41
Filling the gap beats leaving it empty at these numbers.
What StayPerk does here
StayPerk's bookings calendar finds short gaps between stays across all your sites, and lets you offer a deal in one tap that shows on your booking page with the price worked out.
It doesn't change your minimum stay on the booking sites; set that on each one.
Frequently asked questions
Should I accept one-night stays to fill a gap?
Only if the night covers the clean. Check with the calculator, and raise the cleaning fee for one-night stays if your site allows it.
Why do gaps keep appearing?
A minimum stay longer than the gaps your bookings leave. A two or three night minimum with a lower minimum on gap dates fills more nights.
Still have a question?
Write to us and a person will reply, or look it up in the Help Center.
Sources
- Manage your calendar - Airbnb Resource Center
- Airbnb service fees - Airbnb Help Center