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Setting Minimum Night Stays and Filling Gaps Between Bookings

Updated over 3 weeks ago

You have flexible controls over how many nights guests are required to stay at your home. Whether you want to set a general rule, make exceptions for holidays and weekends, or allow guests to fill small gaps in your calendar, you can do it all from your Fairly dashboard.

Here’s a breakdown of the 3 main controls you have:


1. Default Minimum Stay (All dates)

This is the number of nights guests must book when reserving your home. It applies to all dates by default, unless you set custom rules (see #3 below).

  • Where to adjust it: Go to the Listings section of your dashboard, and Access & Policies.

  • Default setting: It defaults to 2 nights, but you can change it to meet your needs—e.g., 1 night if you want more bookings.

  • Example: If your default is 4 nights, guests won’t be able to book stays shorter than that unless a short gap rule applies (see next section).


2. Fill Short Gaps Between Bookings

Have a 1 or 2 night gap between two longer bookings? You can choose to allow guests to book those shorter stays—even if they’re below your default or custom minimum stay.

  • Tip: We recommend enabling this because it is great for maximizing occupancy without reducing your general minimum stay.

  • Where to enable it: In the Listings section under your minimum night settings.

  • What it does: Lets guests book short gaps in your calendar without lowering your overall minimum stay.

  • Set your minimum: You can define the shortest stay allowed, like 2 nights. Stays shorter than this won’t be bookable—even in gaps.


3. Custom Minimum Stays (Date specific control)

Want different rules for weekends, holidays, or special events? You can override your default minimum stay for specific check-in dates using your pricing calendar.

  • Where to set it: Go to the Pricing tab and open your calendar.

  • How it works: Select the dates you'd like to adjust, and set a custom minimum stay.

  • Example: You might require a 2-night stay on weekdays but a 3-night minimum for Friday and Saturday check-ins. This helps avoid single-night stays on busy weekends.

  • Important: Custom minimum stays only apply to the guest’s check-in date, not the entire stay.


By combining these three settings, you have powerful control over how and when your home is booked—balancing occupancy, guest convenience, and your personal hosting preferences.

If you need help setting this up, reach out to our support team ([email protected]) or visit your Listings and Pricing Calendar tabs to get started.

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