Minimum Stays and Wheelhouse

Scott K
Nov 18, 2023 10:28 AM
Joined Oct, 2023 11 posts

Hi there, I am a new OR user.

In the past I've used Wheelhouse and Airbnb, and set minimum stay settings in Wheelhouse exclusively.

Is it possible to do the same with Wheelhouse and the OwnerRez direct booking website? Or should I rely solely on OR.

For context, I likely will not use the API integration with Airbnb, but I'm still evaluating. Airbnb is requiring/enforcing a 30-day minimum stay in my jurisdiction, and I want to accept <30 day stays through my direct booking website.

Thank you!

Adria H
Nov 18, 2023 11:30 AM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2022 130 posts

When using dynamic pricing, that would normally sync to the OwnerRez Rates calendar in the form of "spot rates." (Settings> Rates) Essentially spot rates/rules are the ultimate arbiter of pricing and rules. You can set your pricing, set your minimum nights, etc., in various places, and spot rates is the final word.

Dynamic pricing like Wheelhouse, PriceLabs, etc., when setup, will sync at least daily to OwnerRez. The rules, like minimum nights can be a bit more complex such that we suggest you set those in the dynamic pricing software and sync to OwnerRez so you are clear where to make those edits.

However, if you are not API connected to a channel, the info from that rates calendar is not going to sync automatically.

Is there a reason not to sync? Airbnb's minimum nights requirement, for Airbnb bookings in your jurisdiction, would not affect your direct site or any other channel.  If you elect not to API connect to Airbnb then you would need to sync directly from Wheelhouse to Airbnb, as well as to OwnerRez for any API channels and your direct book site.

Scott K
Nov 18, 2023 8:34 PM
Joined Oct, 2023 11 posts

Hi Adria, thank you for this detailed response. I'm not sure how I'd manage this in Wheelhouse though. 

As of right now, I'm forced to set the minimum stay in Wheelhouse to 30 days. Otherwise, Airbnb will not accept pricing data. Because of this, I believe I would need to set up two Wheelhouse instances - one for Airbnb and the other for the OR/Direct booking website.

I would love to be able to use the API connection to Airbnb though. Do you know how I would do this so that:

- Content (photos, descriptions, etc.) from Airbnb are always synced to the Direct Booking site.

- I do not have to adhere to the 30-day minimum stay in the Direct Booking site?

Adria H
Nov 19, 2023 7:20 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2022 130 posts

For such a detailed scenario, you might want to write in to the Help Desk so we can view your account details. The first idea that comes to mind to allow different minimum nights on different channels/hosted site would be to create a duplicate listing with one of them having a 30 night minimum & the other listing having whatever alternate minimum you select. You could use mutual blocking to sync the calendars.

Scott K
Nov 19, 2023 7:49 PM
Joined Oct, 2023 11 posts

OK, thank you, Adria - will do.