When booking a vacation rental, you might wonder why some properties require a minimum stay of two or more nights. While it may seem convenient to book for just one night, there are several reasons why we, as professional vacation rental managers, choose to enforce a minimum night stay policy. Here’s why we don’t normally allow 1-night bookings:
1. Higher Cleaning Costs
Every reservation, no matter how short, requires a full professional cleaning, laundry, and restocking. The cost of this service remains the same whether a guest stays for one night or a full week. Since guests typically won’t pay significantly higher rates to offset the cleaning costs for a single night, the expense often outweighs the revenue.
2. More Wear and Tear
Each turnover—cleaning, inspections, and restocking—puts additional strain on a property. More frequent guest check-ins also means increased laundering of linens and towels, meaning they will last less.
3. Shorter Stays Increase Risk of Damage
One-night stays, especially on weekends, can attract party-goers and event bookings that lead to property damage, noise complaints, or disturbances to neighbors. Platforms like Airbnb even flag one-night weekend reservations as potential high-risk bookings. By requiring a two-night minimum, we reduce the likelihood of these issues, ensuring a peaceful and enjoyable environment for everyone.
4. Longer, More Profitable Stays
A one-night booking can block a multi-night reservation, which ultimately decreases overall occupancy and revenue. For example, if a guest books only a Saturday night, it may prevent someone from booking a Friday-Sunday weekend trip—a much more valuable and efficient booking.
5. More Turnovers = More Work & Scheduling Issues
Managing check-ins, check-outs, cleanings, and guest communication takes time and effort. One-night stays increase the administrative workload significantly, sometimes leading to rushed turnovers, cleaning staff scheduling conflicts, and more paperwork (e.g. if any forms need to be delivered to the building administration for checkins).
6. Poor Guest Experience & Reviews
Guests booking for one night often have higher expectations and less time to settle in, making them more likely to leave reviews based on minor inconveniences. Issues like a slightly delayed check-in or lack of time to experience all amenities can result in lower ratings. Longer stays allow guests to fully enjoy the property, leading to more positive reviews.
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