A monthly pricing review that takes twenty minutes

You do not need an algorithm to price better than most hosts. You need to look at the same four things on the same day each month, and actually change something when the numbers say so.

Step 1: Update last month's actuals

Booked nights, gross revenue, and what you actually spent. Five minutes. Keep it in one place so you build a year of history rather than twelve disconnected snapshots.

Step 2: Recalculate break-even

Costs drift upward quietly — insurance renewals, energy, cleaner rates. If your break-even night count has climbed two nights since spring, your rate has effectively fallen.

Step 3: Check the next 60 days

Look at what is booked and what is empty. Gaps more than six weeks out do not need action. Gaps inside three weeks do: a modest reduction or a shorter minimum stay usually beats an empty night, since an empty night earns nothing at all.

Step 4: Look at five comparable listings

Same size, same area, similar quality. You are checking whether you are wildly out of line, not matching them night for night. If you are the cheapest in a group of five and still not booking, the problem is the photos or the description, not the price.

Fees deserve their own review

• A cleaning fee well above local norms suppresses short stays badly.
• Weekly and monthly discounts compound with platform fees — check the true nightly figure.
• Minimum stays cost you nothing on busy weekends and a lot in low season.