Part 7 of eviivo’s Smart Pricing Series
Why every property needs a pricing calendar
Your prices shouldn’t stay static all year. Demand changes with seasons, events, holidays, and local trends. Planning your rates in advance helps you make the most of those shifts.
A year-round pricing calendar ensures you are raising rates when occupancy is strong, protecting revenue during peak times, and running the right offers when demand softens.
This seventh edition of eviivo’s Smart Pricing Series shows you how to use your Property Management System (PMS) to map out a full-year pricing plan that’s simple to set up and easy to adjust.
What is a pricing calendar?
Definition:
A pricing calendar is a visual timeline that shows when to increase or decrease your rates based on seasonal trends, demand forecasts, and key events in your area.
Why it matters:
It helps you:
- Prepare rates for busy and slow periods well in advance
- Stay competitive without reactive discounting
- Coordinate promotions with demand patterns
- Keep pricing consistent across booking channels
Step 1: Review your historical data
Start with your PMS data from at least the past two years. Identify:
- Periods (months or weeks) with the highest and lowest occupancy levels
- The average daily rate (ADR) and RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) for each season
- When booking activity typically begins to rise before busy periods
The ready-made reports in eviivo Suite’s Performance Manager allow you to compare year-over-year data to see patterns clearly. (And if you manage multiple properties, this helps you spot regional variations too!)
Step 2: Identify your seasonal patterns
Every property has its own demand pattern. Recognize what drives demand levels in your area:
- Leisure destinations: holidays, school breaks, warm-weather months
- City hotels: business travel, conferences, weekday stays
- Hybrid markets: a mix of tourism and events year-round
Then map these periods on your pricing calendar as:
- High Season: strong demand, premium pricing
- Mid-Season: steady occupancy, standard rates
- Low Season: fewer bookings, targeted promos and value adds
Step 3: Add local events and recurring demand spikes
Local events can influence occupancy for days or even weeks. Build both regular seasonal events and ad-hoc special occasions into your pricing plan early – you can always adjust later if schedules change.
To keep track of upcoming events, check tourism websites, convention centers, and local event calendars. List major happenings like festivals, sporting events, or trade shows.
Pro tip: Save your event calendar in your PMS so it becomes part of next year’s forecasting and pricing process.
Step 4: Set rate guidelines for each season
You have identified periods of high or low demand by mapping out seasonal and event-based trends.
Now, using your historical averages as a base, you should be able to decide:
- When to raise rates (i.e. high-demand months or special events)
- When to maintain rates (i.e. steady mid-season periods)
- When to reduce rates or add promotions (i.e. low-demand months)
Example:
|
Season |
Rate Adjustment |
Promo Focus |
|---|---|---|
|
Summer |
+10% |
Family packages, early booking |
|
Fall |
Baseline |
Long-stay offers |
|
Winter |
-10% |
“Stay 3 nights, get 1 free” promo |
|
Spring |
+5% |
Midweek business stays |
With eviivo Suite’s Channel Manager, rate changes are applied automatically across your booking channels.
Step 5: Plan promotions and packages ahead
Once your base rates are mapped, schedule promotions in advance.
For instance:
- Launch early-bird offers suitably in advance of the high season.
- Introduce midweek specials during low occupancy months.
- Offer long-stay packages during shoulder seasons.
Planning ahead means you’ll never need to discount reactively — or lose out to competitors by only presenting default “evergreen” rates.
Whether you run direct-only promos or OTA discounts, eviivo Suite’s Promo Manager allows you to manage all promotions in one place.
Step 6: Monitor, review, and refine
Your pricing calendar isn’t fixed – it evolves.
At least once a quarter, check actual performance against your forecast:
- Did occupancy meet expectations?
- Were promotions timed effectively?
- Did local events have more or less impact than predicted?
Use these insights to refine your plan for next year. Over time, your calendar becomes smarter, more reliable, and easier to adjust.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Waiting until the last minute to set seasonal rates
- Forgetting to update OTAs after making rate changes
- Not tracking the impact of promotions on revenue
- Using the same pricing pattern across multiple regions or property types
Key takeaway
A pricing calendar keeps your revenue strategy organized, proactive, and data-driven.
eviivo Suite enables you to manage seasonal rates, promotions, and availability in one place, for all channels – turning forecasting into a simple, repeatable process that saves time and increases profitability.
Download your free Smart Pricing guide
Get more tips on how to track demand and set up your rates calendar with our step-by-step guide to building an effective pricing strategy.
Coming Up Next in the Smart Pricing Series
- How to Benchmark Your Prices Against the Competition
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