Managing Blackout Dates & Special Rates

Not every day is priced the same. Events, holidays, off-peak seasons, and last-minute gaps all call for different pricing. This guide shows you how to use special rates and rate plan restrictions to handle these scenarios.

Event pricing

When a conference, festival, or local event drives demand, you’ll want to increase rates for those dates.

1. Go to Monetize > Special Rates in your Extranet.
2. Click Create a new special rate.
3. Select the master rate and room type to override.
4. Set the date range to cover the event period.
5. Enter the adjusted (higher) daily prices.
6. Click Save.

The special rate overrides the master rate for those dates only. Your regular pricing remains unchanged outside the event window.

Seasonal adjustments

For longer periods (high season, shoulder season, low season), you can either:

• Use special rates — Create overrides for each season with adjusted pricing.
• Update master rates — Adjust the base rates directly for those periods.

Special rates are better for temporary adjustments, while updating master rates makes sense for predictable annual patterns.

Last-minute rates

To fill unsold rooms close to the check-in date:

1. Create a new rate plan with an advance booking restriction (e.g., must book no more than 3 days in advance).
2. Pair it with a special rate offering a discount for the target dates.
3. This rate plan will only appear to travelers booking within the last-minute window.

Blackout dates

To block certain dates from a specific rate plan (e.g., no promotional rates during peak season):

1. Go to Monetize > Rate Plans and select the rate plan.
2. Navigate to the Restrictions section.
3. Add a Sell date restriction to limit when the rate is bookable.
4. Or use Stay date restrictions to limit when the rate covers.

For example, you can restrict your “Early Bird” rate plan so it’s not available for bookings during December (peak season), while your regular rate plan remains open.

Combining restrictions

Restrictions can be stacked for precise control:

Restriction	What it controls
Sell dates	When the rate can be booked
Stay dates	Which stay dates the rate covers
Available days	Which days of the week the rate appears
Arrival days	Which days the guest must arrive on
Departure days	Which days the guest must depart on
Required days	The guest must stay over at least one of these days
Advance booking	How far in advance the booking must be made
Length of stay	Minimum and maximum nights

Further reading

• Rate Plans — Full reference for restrictions.
• Managing Rates & Pricing — The complete pricing guide.