Winter Season Ready: How to Optimise Your Holiday Let Calendars for January & February Bookings

Adjust your minimum stay settings for winter success

January and February present unique booking opportunities that may differ from peak season patterns. Winter guests often include business travellers, couples seeking cosy retreats, and locals looking for nearby escapes. Your minimum stay requirements should be flexible enough to capture these varied booking preferences.

Consider reducing your minimum stay to one or two nights during January and February. This opens your property to several valuable market segments:

• Business travellers extending work trips for leisure

• Couples planning spontaneous romantic weekends

• Solo travellers seeking quiet off-season experiences

• Families taking advantage of school half-term breaks

However, shorter stays mean more turnovers and higher operational costs. Balance this by adjusting your cleaning fees appropriately or offering attractive rates for guests who book multiple short breaks throughout the winter months.

Travelnest makes it simple to set different minimum stay requirements for specific date ranges. Your property expert can help you identify the optimal minimum stay length based on your location, property type, and historical booking data, ensuring you capture more bookings without compromising profitability.

Master winter pricing strategies that drive bookings

Effective winter pricing is about finding the sweet spot between attractive rates and maintaining healthy margins. Many hosts make the mistake of simply slashing prices, but strategic pricing involves understanding your costs, market position, and guest expectations.

Start by analysing your fixed costs (mortgage, utilities, insurance) and variable costs (cleaning, maintenance, supplies). Your winter rates should cover these essentials while remaining competitive in your local market.

Consider implementing these pricing approaches through platform promotional tools:

• Extended stay incentives: Provide weekly or monthly discounts for longer bookings

• Early bird promotions: Reward guests who book 30+ days in advance

• Last-minute deals: Attract spontaneous bookers with short-notice discounts

Hosts can utilise promotional features on major booking platforms like Booking.com and Airbnb to implement these strategies. Travelnest's smart pricing tools analyse local market conditions, seasonal trends, and competitor rates to recommend optimal pricing strategies. The system automatically adjusts your rates based on demand patterns, helping you maximise revenue even during slower periods.

Highlight winter comforts that guests crave

Your property listing should emphasise the cosy, warm elements that make winter stays appealing. Guests booking winter breaks are often seeking comfort, warmth, and a refuge from cold weather. Make sure your listing and photos showcase these qualities.

Essential winter comfort features to highlight include:

• Reliable heating systems: Mention central heating, underfloor heating, or efficient radiators

• Cosy textiles: Feature warm bedding, soft throws, and comfortable seating areas

• Hot beverages: Provide quality tea, coffee, and hot chocolate supplies

• Indoor entertainment: Highlight books, games, streaming services, or fireplaces

• Warm lighting: Show lamps, candles, or ambient lighting that creates a welcoming atmosphere

Update your property photos to reflect winter appeal. Include images of your space looking warm and inviting, perhaps with lamps switched on or a fireplace glowing. These visual cues help guests imagine themselves comfortable and cosy during their stay.

Don't forget practical winter amenities that guests will appreciate, such as hairdryers, extra towels, and adequate bathroom heating. Small touches like providing extra blankets or offering welcome refreshments can significantly enhance the winter guest experience.

Leverage last-minute booking opportunities

Position your property to capture last-minute reservations by maintaining calendar availability and offering attractive short-notice rates. Keep your calendar open to allow for last-minute bookings. This flexibility allows you to capitalise on sudden demand spikes, such as when nearby events are announced or when weather conditions create unexpected travel opportunities.

Through platforms like Booking.com's promotional tools, Travelnest hosts can create last-minute discounts that automatically activate when check-in dates approach. These promotions help ensure empty nights get filled rather than remaining vacant.

Travelnest's smart pricing system automatically monitors local events, demand patterns, and market conditions to adjust your rates accordingly. This automated approach helps you capture revenue opportunities without the need for constant manual price adjustments.

Create compelling winter-focused listing content

Your property description should speak directly to winter travellers and their specific needs. Rather than generic descriptions, craft content that addresses winter concerns and highlights seasonal benefits.

Focus on elements that matter most to winter guests:

• Warmth and comfort: Describe heating efficiency and cosy spaces

• Convenience: Mention proximity to indoor attractions, restaurants, or transport links

• Weather protection: Highlight covered parking, easy access, or sheltered entrances

• Indoor activities: Describe entertainment options for cold or rainy days

• Local winter attractions: Mention nearby museums, theaters, or winter markets

Use seasonal language that creates emotional connections. Words like "cosy," "warm," "comfortable," "peaceful," and "retreat" resonate with winter travellers seeking refuge from cold weather and busy schedules.

Travelnest's guest messaging features help you communicate these benefits through automated pre-arrival messages, ensuring guests know what winter comforts await them and how to make the most of their stay.

Optimise your calendar management approach

Effective calendar management during winter months requires a more dynamic approach than peak season strategies. You need to balance availability for last-minute bookings with advance reservations while managing the lower overall demand efficiently.

Consider implementing these calendar strategies:

• Block strategically: Reserve prime dates (weekends, holidays) for higher-paying guests while keeping weekdays flexible

• Stagger availability: Don't release all dates at once; gradually open calendar slots to create urgency

• Monitor competitors: Keep an eye on local availability to identify opportunities when others are fully booked

• Plan maintenance: Use genuinely quiet periods for essential property updates and deep cleaning

Your Travelnest property expert can provide insights into local booking patterns and help you develop a calendar strategy that maximises occupancy while maintaining operational efficiency. They understand regional variations in winter demand and can recommend timing for different promotional strategies.

Build relationships with winter guest segments

January and February guests can represent valuable repeat booking opportunities if they have positive experiences. Focus on exceeding expectations to build lasting relationships with business travellers, local escapists, and winter activity enthusiasts.

Winter guests typically value:

• Consistent comfort: Reliable heating, hot water, and cosy environments

• Local knowledge: Recommendations for indoor activities, restaurants, and attractions

• Flexibility: Understanding about weather-related travel delays or early departures

• Personal touches: Welcome amenities, local treats, or seasonal decorations

Encourage repeat bookings by building direct relationships with past guests. Travelnest Direct helps you create your own booking website, allowing you to maintain direct contact with guests and offer special rates for return visits. This reduces your reliance on booking platform commissions while building a loyal customer base.

Send personalised messages to past winter guests as the season approaches, highlighting any property improvements or local events that might interest them for return visits.

Transform winter challenges into opportunities

Rather than viewing January and February as difficult months to fill, approach them as opportunities to build a sustainable year-round business. Winter guests often provide more detailed feedback, book with less competition for your attention, and appreciate the extra effort hosts put into creating comfortable experiences.

Use the quieter pace to:

• Analyse performance: Review what worked well in previous seasons and identify improvement areas

• Plan upgrades: Invest in property improvements that will benefit future guests

• Develop relationships: Spend more time communicating with guests and gathering feedback

• Refine processes: Streamline operations and test new hosting strategies

Travelnest's comprehensive platform supports your winter optimisation efforts with automated messaging, dynamic pricing recommendations, and detailed performance analytics. Our property experts provide ongoing strategic guidance to help you identify the most effective approaches for your specific market and property type.

Don't let winter be your quiet season by default. With strategic planning, flexible booking policies, and focus on guest comfort, January and February can become profitable months that set the foundation for year-round hosting success. Contact your Travelnest property expert today to develop a customised winter strategy that works for your property and goals.