Step 5: Price and availability

LOS pricing model

In LOS pricing, it is possible to specify fixed nightly pricing plans for different numbers of nights and (optionally) for different number of guests. It means that your prices can depend on the number of booked nights and guests staying at your property.

Here is how LOS pricing works. For example, let's say your Daily price is 200 USD. If you continue using the Daily price model and one guest decides to book your property for three nights - the total is 600 USD.

In case you use LOS pricing, you can easily set that one guest pays a different amount per night, depending on how many nights were booked. For example, 1 guest can pay 200 per night if a 3-night stay was booked - the total is 600 USD. But you can easily set that 1 guest can pay 190 USD per night if a 4-night stay was booked - the total is 760 USD.

You can do the same for the number of guests and set different prices for different cases. You can see more examples as well as how to correctly set it at LOS pricing.

The LOS prices are created with the use of the <discount> and <guestFees> element in the configurations described in the scheme. If you are interested in the LOS pricing model, please disregard the orange box. The orange box describes a situation when Discounts are created.

LOS prices if <discount> and <guestFees> are present

Have a look at the situation described in the blue box where two elements are available to read for Rentals United. First, the <discount> element contains data needed to calculate the base of the LOS pricing, that is LOS price per night for unrestricted number of guests.

Base LOS prices

The condition for Rentals United to take such prices into account is that the <percentOfRentDiscounts> element needs to have any range defined for the <forStaysOfNights> element. If it does, then the LOS record is created in each season for each settings in the <discount> element and every number of nights that fits in the <min> and <max> range.

The LOS record value is then calculated according to the formula:

{Daily price in the season} x (1 - <percent> x 0.01)

Below, you can find the relevant data passed in the code, as well as potential situation how it would look like in Rentals United platform. However, such a situation will never appear in the Rentals United platform and the screenshot serves only a better visualization of how the system works.

Now you already know how base LOS prices are calculated, you can read more about LOS prices per different number of guests - LOSPP. Once the base LOS prices are calculated, they are modified with the data passed in <guestFees>.

LOSPP creation

Rentals United takes only fees of the <appliesPerGuestPerNight> type. These fees will be applied to seasons that start within the range specified by <whenStayDateIn> - see the code in the parentheses below. If such seasons cannot be found, then Rentals United extends the range of <whenStayDateIn> to <min> = current day's date; <max> = current's day date + 400 days.

A new LOSPP record with the given number of nights and the specified number of guests is created for each season. If no corresponding LOSX can be found, then such is created with the Daily price - see LOS prices if only <guestFees> is present.

For each guest from the <forGuestNumber> range, the LOS price is calculated according to the formula:

{LOS price} + (<amount> of <guestFees> OR <amount> of <NightlyOverride>) x (N of guest the calculation is for - <min> number of guests + 1)

LOS prices if only <guestFees> is present

Have a look at the situation described in the green box where only one element <guestFees> is present, while the <discount> element is skipped. In this case, LOSPP prices will be calculated on the basis of the Daily price within a season.

In this case, the LOSPP pricing will be calculated on the basis of the formula:

{Daily price} + (<amount> of <guestFees> OR <amount> of <NightlyOverride>) x (N of guest the calculation is for - <min> number of guests + 1)

FSP pricing model

FSP pricing model can be used if you are a PMS or an API user. It defines a fixed price for the whole stay, that is for an exact number of guests and nights.

• Note that it will not be possible to make a reservation for a period in which prices are not defined.

• Note that FSP pricing does not respect Standard number of guests or Maximum number of guests. Whatever is provided as the FSP records will be respected.

  Example 1: Your standard number of guests = 4 and you provided prices only for 1 and 2 guests.

  Result: The reservations with 3 and 4 guests will not be possible.

   

  Example 2: Your maximum number of guests = 4 and you provided prices only for 5 and 6 guests.

  Result: The reservations with 5 and 6 guests will not be possible.

The FSP prices come in the following format.

<lodgingRateLos>
...
    <lengthOfStayBaseRentRow>
    2022-10-01,
    10,
    0,
    0,
    1295.78,
    1727.7,
    2159.63,
    2591.55,
    3023.48,
    3455.4,
    3887.33,
    4319.25,
    4751.18,
    5183.1,
    5615.03,
    6046.95,
    6425.13,
    6803.3,
    7181.48,
    ...

Daily price model

Daily price model calculation is based on the values retrieved from various data fields. It allows for detailed pricing settings if set carefully. Also, Daily price model is based on seasons.

The season refers to a period of time when particular pricing is applied. It is possible to set as many seasons as required, varying in length and specification. The minimum settings require:

• Season name,

• Date range,

• Price.

Daily price

Daily price is the standard way of setting prices. It indicates the base price per night for the Standard number of guests.

Daily price is by default synchronised based on the <nightlyOverrides>.

<nightlyRates>
            <fri>1219</fri>
            <mon>1219</mon>
            <nightlyOverrides>
                <override>
                    <amount>286</amount>
                    <nights>
                        <range>
                            <max>2021-07-03</max>
                            <min>2021-07-03</min>
                        </range>
                        <range>
                            <max>2022-07-04</max>
                            <min>2022-07-04</min>
                        </range>
                        ...

The <nightlyOverrides> prices take priority over <nightlyRates>. If there are two types of prices defined, we will take <nightlyOverrides> into account first. It may happen that there are no <nightlyOverrides> defined. To cover for such a situation and prevent potential decrease in the number of bookings, we will take <nightlyRates> into account.

Standard number of guests

Standard number of guests refers to the maximum number of guests included in the Daily price for whom the price does not change. If more guests than specified book a stay, the extra guests will be charged with the price set in the Extra guest price element.

Extra guest price (N/A)

Minimum stay

Minimum stay indicates the minimum number of days a reservation can be made for. Guests will be not be able to book your property if they want to book stays shorter than minim stay. This value is mandatory to provide.

<unitAvailabilityContent>
    ...
    <unitAvailability>
        ...
        <dateRange>
            <beginDate>2021-10-28</beginDate>
            <endDate>2023-12-31</endDate>
        </dateRange>
        <maxStayDefault>365</maxStayDefault>
        ...
        <minStayDefault>6</minStayDefault>
        ...
            ...
            <minStay>2,2,2,2,2,2,2,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,2,2,2...</minStay>
            ...
    </unitAvailability>
</unitAvailabilityContent>

Weekend pricing (N/A)

Occupancy pricing (N/A)

Complimentary topics

Discounts

Discounts are applied in order to deduct certain amount from the price, provided the specified requirements are met by the reservation. Currently, there are two types of discounts:

LOS discount may be applied when criteria specified for the length of stay are met. For example, LOS discount may apply only for 3-days stays. Last-minute discount on the other hand is applied if the reservation is made within the specified time before the check-in day. 

If you have any discounts set in PMS on HomeAway 4.2, they will be synchronized to the LOS discount field. This will happen when the <discount> element is passed to Rentals United and no <guestFees> element is available. This is the scenario described in the orange box.

Below, you can see the format they are received in as well as verify what discount models are supported by Rentals United.

<discounts>
            <percentOfRentDiscounts>
                <discount>
                    <name>Weekly Discount</name>
                    <appliesPerNight>
                        <forStaysOfNights>
                            <range>
                                <max>27</max>
                                <min>7</min>
                            </range>
                        </forStaysOfNights>
                    </appliesPerNight>
                    <percent>15</percent>
                    ...

    <forDaysOfWeek>
        <day>[day]</day>
    </forDaysOfWeek>

    <forGuestNumber>
        <range>
            <max>[integer]</max>
            <min>[integer]</min>
        </range>
    </forGuestNumber>

    <forGuestsOfAge>
        <range>
            <max>[integer]</max>
            <min>[integer]</min>
        </range>
    </forGuestsOfAge>

    <forNightNumber>
        <range>
            <max>[integer]</max>
            <min>[integer]</min>
        </range>
    </forNightNumber>

    <forNightsBookedInAdvance>
        <range>
            <max>[integer]</max>
            <min>[integer]</min>
        </range>
    </forNightsBookedInAdvance>

    <forStaysOfNights>
        <range>
            <max>[integer]</max>
            <min>[integer]</min>
        </range>
    </forStaysOfNights>

    <forStaysWithNumberOfGuest>
        <range>
            <max>[integer]</max>
            <min>[integer]</min>
        </range>
    </forStaysWithNumberOfGuests>

    <whenBookingDateIn>
        <range>
            <max>[date]</max>
            <min>[date]</min>
        </range>
    </whenBookingDateIn>
    

    <whenCheckinDateIn>
        <range>
            <max>[date]</max>
            <min>[date]</min>
        </range>
    </whenCheckinDateIn>

    <whenStayDateIn>
        <range>
            <max>[date]</max>
            <min>[date]</min>
        </range>
    </whenStayDateIn>

Calendar

Calendar stands for the property's availability to rent. You can check here the availability of your property in the selected time frames. Once a reservation is inserted in Rentals United, the availability in the calendar gets blocked for this period. The calendar is updated automatically every time the availability of the property changes or at predefined times to remain up-to-date.

Every time availability is retrieved, Rentals United receives it in the following format:

<unitAvailabilityContent>
    ...
    <unitAvailability>
        <availabilityDefault>N</availabilityDefault>
        ...
        <dateRange>
            <beginDate>2021-10-28</beginDate>
            <endDate>2022-12-29</endDate>
        </dateRange>
        <maxStayDefault>365</maxStayDefault>
        <stayIncrementDefault>D</stayIncrementDefault>
        <unitAvailabilityConfiguration>
            <availability>NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYNNNNNNNYYYYYYYYYYYYY...
            <changeOver>

Preparation Time Before Arrival

PTBA stands for Preparation Time Before Arrival. It is a general keyword to describe the minimum time a booking has to be made in advance in order to be accepted by the PM. The dates restricted by PTBA are normally set as not available already in the calendar. Hence, the PTBA data is already applied in availability and sent to the channel within the ARI data. The PTBA in Rentals United blocks the availability x hours from 23:59 of the day of arrival on the property's local timezone. For example if the PTBA is set to 6 hours, bookings will be accepted until 18:00 of the day of arrival, after 18:00 the calendar will be closed. If the PTBA is set to 24 hours, bookings will be accepted until 23:59 before the day of arrival, after that the calendar will be closed.

By default, HomeAway 4.2 enforces PTBA to be 1 day for all properties due to possible restrictions in the Sales Channels. Nonetheless, the PTBA value can be greater. This means, PTBA set to 1 in HomeAway 4.2 is displayed as 24 hours in Rentals United, 2 - 48 hours, 3 - 72 hours and so on.

<unitAvailabilityContent>
    ...
    <unitAvailability>
        ...
            <minPriorNotify>3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3...</minPriorNotify>
        ...

For detailed description of how PTBA works, please see Preparation Time Before Arrival.

Changeover restrictions

Changeover restrictions specify whether check-in or check-out is allowed for a given day. This is a great option if you need the guests checking in and out to fit your schedule and it will help you avoid unexpected guests. If some days are restricted from changeovers, then your guests will simply not be able to select such a stay if the start or end day falls on a changeover-restricted day.

<unitAvailabilityContent>
    ...
    <unitAvailability>
        ...
        <changeOverDefault>X</changeOverDefault>
        <dateRange>
            <beginDate>2021-10-28</beginDate>
            <endDate>2023-03-01</endDate>
        </dateRange>
        ...
            <changeOver>CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC</changeOver>
            ...
    </unitAvailability>
</unitAvailabilityContent>

Tax and Fee

Tax refers to mandatory charges legally levied on particular types of goods, services and transactions, paid as a contribution to the state’s revenue, for example VAT or city tax.

• Charges for additional services, for example Internet access or shuttle.

• Fees defined by local governments that do not fall into the tax category, for example environmental fees.

<listingExternalId>99</listingExternalId>
    <unitExternalId>99</unitExternalId>
    <lodgingRateLos>
        <currency>USD</currency>
        <externalId>99</externalId>
        <fees>
            <otherFees>
                <fee>
                    <amount>155.0000</amount>
                    <appliesPerStay>
                        <forStaysOfNights>
                            <range>
                                <max>90</max>
                                <min>1</min>
                            </range>
                        </forStaysOfNights>
                    </appliesPerStay>
                    <name>.PRIORITY Cleaning Fee 1.5BR/2BA</name>
                    <productCode>PROPERTY_FEE</productCode>
                </fee>
                <fee>
                    <amount>114.0000</amount>
                    <appliesPerStay>
                        <forStaysOfNights>
                            <range>
                                <max>90</max>
                                <min>1</min>
                            </range>
                        </forStaysOfNights>
                    </appliesPerStay>
                    <name>Reservation Fee</name>
                    <productCode>PROPERTY_FEE</productCode>
                </fee>
            </otherFees>
        </fees>
        <language>en</language>
        <lengthOfStayBaseRent/>
        <paymentSchedule>
            <payments>
                <payment>
                    <dueType>AT_BOOKING</dueType>
                    <requiresFlatAmountOf>
                        <amount>374.0000</amount>
                    </requiresFlatAmountOf>
                </payment>
                <payment>
                    <days>30</days>
                    <dueType>BEFORE_CHECKIN</dueType>
                    <requiresRemainder/>
                </payment>
            </payments>
        </paymentSchedule>
        <taxRules>
            <percentOfFeesTaxRules>
                <rule>
                    <activeLocalDateRange>
                        <max>2024-03-05</max>
                        <min>2022-03-05</min>
                    </activeLocalDateRange>
                    <currency>USD</currency>
                    <externalId>9-F</externalId>
                    <name>Bay County Tourist-F</name>
                    <appliesToFeesPerStay>
                        <forStaysOfNights>
                            <range>
                                <max>90</max>
                                <min>1</min>
                            </range>
                        </forStaysOfNights>
                        <whenProductCodeIn>
                            <code>PROPERTY_FEE</code>
                        </whenProductCodeIn>
                    </appliesToFeesPerStay>
                    <percent>5</percent>
                </rule>

Application of charges

The rules how charges apply onto other charges are indicated by the following elements: <appliesToFeesPerStay> and <whenProductCodeIn>. They are calculated in the following order:

1. <percentOfFeesTaxRules>

   If a charge of <percentOfFeesTaxRules> type is applied on some other charges in HomeAway 4.2, their amount need to be increased in Rentals United. Look at the exemplary code. The tax in the code is named the Bay Country Tourist-F. It belongs to <percentOfFeesTaxRules>, which indicates that charges it applies to will be increased. Its amount is set to <percent>5</percent> and it applies to all fees of <code>PROPERTY_FEE</code>.

   Copy

   <taxRules>
       <percentOfFeesTaxRules>
           <rule>
               <activeLocalDateRange>
                   <max>2024-03-05</max>
                   <min>2022-03-05</min>
               </activeLocalDateRange>
               <currency>USD</currency>
               <externalId>9-F</externalId>
               <name>Bay County Tourist-F</name>
               <appliesToFeesPerStay>
                   <forStaysOfNights>
                       <range>
                           <max>90</max>
                           <min>1</min>
                       </range>
                   </forStaysOfNights>
                   <whenProductCodeIn>
                       <code>PROPERTY_FEE</code>
                   </whenProductCodeIn>
               </appliesToFeesPerStay>
               <percent>5</percent>
           </rule>

   If you look up the <otherFees> element, you will see that both fees (named .PRIORITY Cleaning Fee 1.5BR/2BA and Reservation Fee) belong to <productCode>PROPERTY_FEE</productCode>. In this case, an additional 5% tax will be calculated from these two elements. These fees will be increased with the calculated tax value.

   Copy

   <fees>
       <otherFees>
           <fee>
               <amount>155.0000</amount>
               <appliesPerStay>
                   <forStaysOfNights>
                       <range>
                           <max>90</max>
                           <min>1</min>
                       </range>
                   </forStaysOfNights>
               </appliesPerStay>
               <name>.PRIORITY Cleaning Fee 1.5BR/2BA</name>
               <productCode>PROPERTY_FEE</productCode>
           </fee>
           <fee>
               <amount>114.0000</amount>
               <appliesPerStay>
                   <forStaysOfNights>
                       <range>
                           <max>90</max>
                           <min>1</min>
                       </range>
                   </forStaysOfNights>
               </appliesPerStay>
               <name>Reservation Fee</name>
               <productCode>PROPERTY_FEE</productCode>
           </fee>
       </otherFees>
   </fees>

2. <percentOfRentFees> - added to Charge Profile and applied to rent

3. <petFees>, <otherFees> - added to Charge Profile

4. <percentOfRentAndFeesTaxRules>, <percentOfRentTaxRules>, <flatTaxRules> - added to Charge Profile

In-rent fees (N/A)

Down payment

Down payment is a mandatory or optional charge the guest needs to pay to confirm the reservation at this property. The outstanding balance will be charged upon the guest’s arrival.

Rentals United will synchronize the down payment information which are passed in <dueType>AT_BOOKING</dueType> only. Other information are skipped.

<paymentSchedule>
    <payments>
        <payment>
            <dueType>AT_BOOKING</dueType>
            <requiresPercentOfTotalBooking>
                <percent>25</percent>
            </requiresPercentOfTotalBooking>
        </payment>
        <payment>
            <days>14</days>
            <dueType>BEFORE_CHECKIN</dueType>
            <requiresRemainder></requiresRemainder>
        </payment>
    </payments>
</paymentSchedule>

Security deposit

Security deposit is a mandatory or optional refundable charge the guest needs to pay to cover for potential property damages.

Currency

Currency in Rentals United is a fixed value, by default established on the basis of the property location. The currency of any property can be checked in Rentals United, go to Step 5: Price and availability after selecting All properties tab.

Therefore, if the property's currency does not match the one of the city the property is located in, the currency defined in PMS on HomeAway 4.2 will not be synchronized. In such a case, the currency from PMS will be converted to the currency of the city.