BrightSide Software logo

BrightSide Short Term Rental Software
Do more. Work less.™

Our cloud-based hospitality software is both powerful and easy to use. But more importantly, our support team is here for you, ready to help make your user experience the best it can possibly be.

  1. BrightSide is powerful and easy to use from anywhere you have Internet access.
  2. BrightSide’s API integrates directly with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google Vacation Rentals and others.
  3. BrightSide support responds to email requests in minutes or hours, not days or weeks. No AI, real people.
  4. BrightSide support answers the phone. If we can’t answer, leave a message and we will call you back. Really.
  5. BrightSide is affordable. We do not add charges for features; it’s all included in the subscription.
BrightSide Software logo

BrightSide Short Term Rental Software
Do more. Work less.™

Our cloud-based hospitality software is both powerful and easy to use. But more importantly, our support team is here for you, ready to help make your user experience the best it can possibly be.

  1. BrightSide is powerful and easy to use from anywhere you have Internet access.
  2. BrightSide’s API integrates directly with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google Vacation Rentals and others.
  3. BrightSide support responds to email requests in minutes or hours, not days or weeks. No AI, real people.
  4. BrightSide support answers the phone. If we can’t answer, leave a message and we will call you back. Really.
  5. BrightSide is affordable. We do not add charges for features; it’s all included in the subscription.

Learn how to integrate your BrightSide account with Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, and other online travel agencies (OTAs).  These tutorials take you step by step through the integration process. Tutorials include video, screenshots, and descriptions.

Minimum Stay Length Rules

2024-12-12T17:35:11-05:00

Summary

Property managers must determine the minimum number of nights required for a guest stay at each unit. BrightSide provides several ways to enter the minimum night stay length requirements, and when needed, minimum stay overrides. This article will help you understand where to set the minimum stay length policies, overrides, and the hierarchy, so you understand which settings take priority.

The following are listed in order of increasing priority, with “Rate Seasons” being the lowest and “Minimum Stay Overrides (Units)” the highest.

Rate Seasons

Applies to: All Units

This is the most basic control, where you set a minimum stay rule for each of your rate seasons. Look at this as the default minimum stay requirement for every unit, based on the rate seasons. For example, if you require a longer minimum night stay during the Peak season than the Holiday season, this is where you enter it.

Navigate to:  Properties > Rate Seasons

NOTE: In the hierarchy of minimum stay length requirements, this is the lowest ranking, or sixth highest ranking (6), and can be overridden by any of the following settings and overrides.

Minimum Stay Length | Rate Seasons
Minimum Stay Length | Rate Seasons

Click on Image for Enlarged View

Unit Rate Seasons Overrides

Applies to: Individual Units

The minimum night requirement number set in “Rate Seasons” above can be overridden on an individual unit basis here. For example, some very large units may not need the same minimum stay requirements as smaller units during the same season. If needed, you may override the “Rate Seasons” default setting within each individual unit. As with the “Rate Seasons,” this setting affects every date during the season, but is specific only to that particular unit.

Navigate to:  Properties > Units > Select a Unit > Rates (tab)

NOTE: In the hierarchy of minimum stay length requirements, this is the fifth highest ranking (5), just above “Rate Seasons.” It overrides the “Rate Seasons” settings, but can be overridden elsewhere.

In the example below, we changed the minimum stay requirement for this unit to “1” night for “Low Season” and “4” nights for “Peak Season.” The “Default Season” and the “Holiday Season” remain unchanged. The light gray color of those numbers indicates the number was set in “Rate Seasons.”

Minimum Stay Length | Unit Rate Season Overrides
Minimum Stay Length | Unit Rate Season Overrides

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Minimum Stay Overrides (Global)

Applies to: All Units

The first setting, “Rate Seasons” allows you to set the default minimum stay requirements for entire seasons, for all units. The “Unit Rate Seasons Overrides” allows you to override the minimum stay requirements set in “Rate Seasons,” for a single unit. Both tools impact entire seasons, the first on a global level and the latter on a unit level.

On occasion, you may need to override the minimum stay requirement for specific days on ALL units (global). If so, use the “Minimum Stay Overrides” tool. Be sure to select “All” from the dropdown. This allows you to change the minimum stay requirement for specific days and only affects those exact dates, not future years, and applies to all units. Using the global minimum stay override allows you to change the requirements for specific days without impacting the entire season. Keep in mind, this tool allows you to override to a longer minimum stay, but not a shorter stay set in Unit Policies.

For example, a festival is scheduled to run from a Friday to Sunday and you want to change the minimum stay requirement from two nights to three nights for that weekend only. You also want it to apply to all your properties.

Navigate to:  Properties > Minimum Stay Overrides > All (dropdown)

NOTE: In the hierarchy of minimum stay length requirements, this is the fourth highest ranking (4). It overrides both the “Rate Season” and “Unit Rate Seasons Overrides” settings.  However, this setting can be overridden elsewhere.

Minimum Stay Overrides | Global
Minimum Stay Overrides | Global

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Policies

“Minimum Stay Policies” offer the highest level of control, both globally and per unit. The purpose of the policy is to prevent a reservation with a shorter stay length than you or the owner wants.

For example, if a “Rate Season” or a “Global Override” is set to a one night minimum, and the “Policy” for a unit is set at two, the policy prevents a reservation shorter than two nights from being booked. Remember, the Rate Seasons, Unit Rate Season Overrides, and Global Overrides, are global settings and the three lowest settings in the hierarchy. They are trumped by the Unit Policy.

You may set a default policy, that applies to every unit (Global Policy), in the system policies. Alternatively, you may set the policy within each unit (Unit Policy).

NOTE: The only setting that can force a shorter stay mandated by the Policy is the Minimum Stay Overrides (Units). However, the other minimum stay settings and overrides may impose a longer minimum stay requirement.

Global Policy

Applies to: All Units

The global policy allows you to enter the minimum stay requirements without having to enter it for every unit manually. BrightSide offers two ways to enter the Minimum Stay Length Policy, globally, or within each unit. If you have a minimum stay policy that applies to every unit (globally), you may set this in your BrightSide Unit Policies settings.

This policy is only used when it is more restrictive than the one set on the seasons or global overrides. For example, if the global policy is set to “3” and a night is  overridden to “5,” the minimum stay for that night will be “5.” But for nights overridden to “2,” the minimum stay will be “3” due to this policy.

Navigate to: Setup > Settings > Units > Policies (tab)

Near the bottom of the page, enter the number of nights you require for a Minimum Stay Length. This applies the policy to all units. If you prefer, you can set the Minimum Stay Length Policy in each unit (see the next section).

NOTE: In the hierarchy of minimum stay length requirements, this is the third highest ranking (3). This setting can only be overridden by the Unit Policy and Minimum Stay Overrides (Unit level). If you set a Global Policy, remember, the Unit Policy outranks it.

Minimum Stay Rules| Global Policies
Minimum Stay Rules| Global Policies

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NOTE: Keep in mind, this safeguard setting is primarily for online booking and reservations made through online travel agencies. Your reservationist may book a stay that is shorter than the minimum stay length setting allows.

EXAMPLE: If you set this policy to “2” nights, BrightSide will not allow an online reservation to be booked for one night. If a guest calls and requests to book one night, and you want to do it, your reservationist may book it.

Unit Policy

Applies to: Individual Units

You may want to bypass the global setting altogether and enter the Minimum Stay Length Policy directly in each unit. This provides a bit of flexibility to have different requirements per unit. Entering it in the unit is useful if you have a particular property owner that has a different minimum stay policy than your other units.

In addition, the “Unit Policy” outranks the “Global Policy.” So if you enter a Global Policy in the system settings and a different one in the unit, the “Unit Policy” takes precedence.

Navigate to:  Properties > Units > Select a Unit > Policies (tab)

Near the bottom of the page, enter the number of nights you require for a minimum stay length and save it. In most cases, we recommend using two (2) nights for the minimum.

RECOMMENDATION: Entering one or two nights into the Unit Policies is a good choice, unless you have an owner who refuses to rent for less than a higher number of nights. Enter the number of nights that is the absolute minimum number of nights you are willing to rent this unit. For example, if your owner says they don’t want to EVER rent for less than a week, enter “7.” If you normally rent for “7” nights, but are willing on occasion to rent it for two nights, enter “2.” This will allow you the flexibility to set higher stay requirements elsewhere, but not go below the minimum.

NOTE: In the hierarchy of minimum stay length requirements, this is the second highest ranking (2). The only setting higher than the Unit Policy is the Minimum Stay Overrides (Units).

Minimum Stay Length | Unit Policy
Minimum Stay Length | Unit Policy

Click on Image for Enlarged View

Minimum Stay Overrides (Units)

Applies to: Individual Units

The “Minimum Stay Overrides,” on the unit level, trumps every other setting and cannot be overridden anywhere. This override even takes priority over the Unit Policy, the second highest ranking setting.

Navigate to:  Properties > Minimum Stay Overrides > (Select Unit)

After navigating to the overrides page, select the unit you wish to modify from the dropdown menu on the left. The light gray numbers on each day of the calendar are the nights designated in the Unit Policies. From there, enter a new number for each day that needs to be changed. This can only be done a day at a time, there is no bulk editing on this screen. Minimums that have been overridden are colored black. To revert back to the default designated in the unit policy, just click in the field and delete the number. These fields will auto-save.

NOTE: In the hierarchy of minimum stay length requirements, there is no higher level than the Minimum Stay Overrides (Units).

Minimum Stay Overrides | Units
Minimum Stay Overrides | Units

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Wheelhouse, Beyond, & PriceLabs

Applies to: Units Connected to Yield Management Companies

All pricing and minimum stay requirements are relegated to Wheelhouse, PriceLabs, or Beyond when you are connected and syncing to any one of them. Policies, overrides, and/or settings entered into BrightSide will be overridden by the external yield management company. You must ensure that you have the proper minimum stay settings in their software before connecting. Any changes made in BrightSide will be overridden by them the next time it syncs.

Calculations

When checking minimum stay rules for a potential reservation, BrightSide checks every night of the stay and uses the largest number found on any of the nights. For example, when getting a quote for a 4 night stay, if 3 nights are set to a 2 night minimum but the last night has a minimum of 5 nights, the stay will not be  allowed, as it treats the whole stay as a 5 night minimum.

However, some OTAs like Vrbo calculate minimum nights only on the arrival date, not the entire stay, so there may be situations where we cannot enforce this logic.

Gap Fill

We also have an optional feature where minimum stay rules can be bypassed completely if the reservation is completely filling a gap between two other stays. If this is enabled on your account, you can configure the absolute minimum stay you’ll accept, even if a gap is being filled, and the maximum lead time (days between the booking date and arrival date) allowed.

Common Questions

Q. If I set the minimum stay length policy in the system setup, can I override it on a unit by unit basis?
A. Yes, the policy setting in the unit takes precedence over the global policy setting.

Q. Do I have to enter a minimum in the global policy settings or can I just enter it in each unit?
A. You are not required to enter a minimum stay length in the global policy settings. You may do it on a unit by unit basis.

Q. How do the OTAs determine the minimum stay requirements when the stay overlaps days with different requirements?
A. Many OTAs only look at the arrival date, not the entire stay, to determine the required minimum nights.

Q. May I override the Unit Policy by using the Minimum Stay Overrides?
A. The answer to this one varies depending on the type of Minimum Stay Override.

  • A Minimum Stay Override using the “Unit,” is the highest level rule and trumps all others. It allows you to lower the number of nights below what is required in the Unit Policy. This is the only setting that allows you to override to a lower number.
  • A Minimum Stay Override using “All” allows you to increase the number of nights required in the Unit Policy, but does not allow you to change it to fewer nights than the policy states.

Minimum Stay Length Rules2024-12-12T17:35:11-05:00

Utilizing Specials

2024-12-12T17:16:04-05:00

Summary

Specials (discounts) are easy to set up in BrightSide, but it is extremely helpful if you know how they work. Specials can be set to apply on every channel: internally, on your website, and on the online travel agencies (OTAs). Or, you may set them to apply to a limited number of these channels. This article explains how specials work and how to set them up.

NOTE: Specials are designed to provide a discount on the nightly rate only. Specials DO NOT apply to fees and charges like the cleaning or pet fees. A special only impacts a fee if the fee is based on the rent.

Getting Started

Channels

BrightSide makes it easy to offer guests discounts utilizing our Specials tool. When you create a special, you must determine on which channel(s) you want to use it. Keep in mind, you may create a special that applies to only one of the following channels, or all three. Make sure you understand how each channel applies specials before assigning a special to it.

  1. Internal: Internal specials do not show up on your website and are not fed out to the OTAs. These specials are available internally for reservationists to offer guests when needed. They are not automatically added to reservations, instead, they require a reservationist to manually apply them (for the exception, see Websites below).
  2. OTAs: This option makes the special available on Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and other integrated online travel agency channels. OTAs offer very little control over who receives a discount, so make sure you understand how they work before selecting this option. IMPORTANT: How Specials Work with OTAs.
  3. Websites: Offer specials on your company’s website, either automatically or by using discount codes. When you select “Websites” AND “Internal” on the same special, BrightSide automatically adds the special to internal reservations when the conditions are met. The logic is that if you want to automatically provide the special to online guests, you will want to automatically provide it to internal bookings also.

Setting Up a Special

These instructions are for setting up a “Special” that can apply to one or more channels; internally, on your website, or at online travel agencies. We do recommend creating separate specials for each channel since they are applied differently on each channel.

Navigate to: Properties > Specials > Add Special

Utilizing Specials | Setting Up a Special
Utilizing Specials | Setting Up a Special

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  1. Name: Use wording that makes sense to the guest and describes the discount well.
  2. Applicable Pricing: Under normal circumstances this will be nightly.
    • Nightly
    • Weekly
    • Monthly
  3. Discount: Do you want to offer a dollar amount or a percentage off the stay? Enter the numerical amount and then choose from the following options:
    • % Off the Cheapest Night – Provides a percentage off the cheapest night of the stay.
    • % Off the Last Night – Provides a percentage off the last night of the reservation. This may or may not be the cheapest night of the stay.
    • % Off the Entire Stay – Provides a percentage off the entire stay.
    • $ Off the Entire Stay – Provides a flat dollar amount off the entire stay rather than a percentage.
    • $ Off Each Night – Provides a flat dollar amount off every night of the stay rather than a percentage.
  4. Active Channels: Select the channel(s) where you want this Special to be offered.
    • Internal – Allows your staff to offer this discount to guests when making a reservation in BrightSide. Internal specials are not automatically added to reservations, they must be added manually (for the exception, see Websites > Additional Channels below).
    • OTAs – Automatically applies the special to qualifying reservations booked through online travel agencies. PLEASE READ: How Specials Work with OTAs
    • Websites – Offers discounts to qualifying reservations on your website automatically or via promo codes.
      • Automatically Apply: By default, specials active on this channel are automatically added to reservations booked on the website, unless a discount code is required.
      • Discount Codes: When you select “Websites” as an active channel, BrightSide opens additional fields so you may add a discount code, sometimes referred to as a promo code. If you assign a discount code to the special, guests are required to enter the code on the website in order to receive this discount. Keep in mind, if this special is also active on the OTAs channel, the discount code will be ignored there.
      • Website Description: If you have a Specials page on your website, you may enter a description of this special so guests can see the current specials. Please check with support to see if your website is coded to show the description.
      • Exclude from Specials Page: Choose to exclude a particular special from your website’s Specials page.
      • Additional Channels: When you select “Websites” AND “Internal” on the same special, BrightSide automatically adds the special to internal reservations when the conditions are met. The logic is that if you want to automatically provide the special to online guests, you will want to automatically provide it to internal bookings also.
  5. Allow combination with other specials?: If you want to allow guests to combine this offer with another one, tick this box. NOTE: By ticking this box, it will combine with any other special when the conditions are met, even if the other special does not have this ticked. This special combines with only one other special, by choosing the one that provides the best discount to the guests.
  6. Conditions: Provide specific conditions under which a guest may receive this discount. Do not select too many conditions and/or make it too complex; the fewer conditions there are, the better.
    • Required Nights: Enter the minimum number of nights the guest must stay to receive this discount.
    • Maximum Nights: Enter the maximum number of nights the guest can stay to receive this discount.
    • Number of Days Booked in Advance: Enter the number of days before arrival guests must book in order to receive this discount. Use this to encourage guests not to wait to make their reservation.
    • Stay Dates: If guests must stay during certain dates to receive this discount, enter the dates here. For example, June 1, 2024 – June 30, 2024.
      • When electing to use stay dates, an optional condition can be applied, “Maximum Occupancy %.” This prevents the special from applying to units with more than the specified percentage occupancy.
      • If the reservation includes one day outside of the required Stay Dates, the special will not apply. Every day of the reservation must fall within the required Stay Dates to receive the discount.
    • Select Rate Seasons: If any day of the reservation falls outside of the selected rate season, the special will not apply.
    • Exclude Days of the Week: If any excluded day is included in the reservation, the special will not apply to the entire reservation.
    • Exclude Arrival Days of the Week: Select any arrival day(s) of the week that will exclude this discount.
    • Reservation Taken Date: Enter the dates when the reservation must be booked in order to receive this discount.
    • Exclude Specific Units: Tick the box next to any unit(s) where this discount does not apply.
    • Include Specific Units: Tick the box next to any unit(s) where this discount does apply.
    • Include Bedroom Sizes: To limit this discount to units with a particular bedroom count, apply it here.
  7. Save

NOTE: To track the performance of a specific Special over time, do not make changes to it. In other words, don’t just change the name and the conditions when you want to offer something new. Adding a new special is best. Deactivate the current special, then create a new one with a different name, conditions, etc. This makes it possible to compare Specials to see which one performed best.

How Specials Work with OTAs

Specials do not work the same on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com as they do on your own website or internally. If you list your properties on any of these channels, BrightSide makes it easy to offer discounts. However, since OTAs apply specials differently than your website, or in BrightSide, we recommend creating specials that only apply to OTAs.

Although we recommend that you create unique specials for OTA channels, it is not a hard and fast rule. You may create a special that feeds to both your website and OTAs, and is used internally as well. Having said that, keep in mind the following when creating specials for Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com.

  1. OTAs consider the conditions you set for a special and automatically apply the discount to every reservation when the conditions are met. In other words, if you have a “10% OFF June Stays” special, with the following two conditions, 1) a three night minimum, and, 2) a June stay date, OTAs automatically apply it to the reservation when those conditions are met.
  2. If you have a separate special of “15% OFF Summer Stays,” with the condition of a June or July stay date, OTAs will apply this discount instead of the “10% OFF June Stays,” because it provides a larger discount. They always offer the largest discount available and automatically apply it.
  3. BrightSide also allows you to combine offers. When you set two separate specials to “Allow combination with other specials,” OTAs will apply BOTH discounts, if the reservation meets both sets of conditions. In the examples given above, the guest would receive a 25% discount if they stay at least three nights in June.
  4. OTAs do not require a promo or discount code, even if you set it up with one. If the conditions are met for a special, they will always offer the largest discount available, automatically. They disregard your promo code and give the guest the discount.

NOTE: One of the reasons we recommend creating unique specials for OTAs, is that OTAs do not filter who gets the discount. For example, if you want to offer a “10% Military Discount,” OTAs have no way of offering it to military personnel only. They give it to anyone, if it is the best discount available at the time the reservation is made. Since this is the case, reserve the military discount, or one like it, for direct bookings on your website or over the phone, utilizing a promo code.

Common Mistakes

Every now and then, someone has a question about how their specials are applying. Here are common mistakes people make when creating specials.

  1. Every reservation from Airbnb has the military discount applied. Why?
    • Likely Reason: Promo Codes. Many property management companies want to say “thank you for your service” to military personnel. Generally, they create an open ended “Military Discount,” utilizing a promo code with no set conditions. The problem with this scenario is that Airbnb does not require promo codes. They only look at the conditions you set. Lacking conditions, they apply this discount to every reservation where a greater discount has not been applied.
    • The Fix: Remove the “OTA” channel from any special that requires a promo code. Instead, reserve those type discounts for guests booking directly through your website or on the phone.
  2. Why is my “Internal” special applying automatically to reservations made by my reservationists?
    • Likely Reason: In addition to the “Internal” channel, you have the “Websites” channel selected for this special. While “Internal” specials do not automatically apply, the “Websites” channel does, when there is no promo code and the conditions are met. When both of these channels are selected, “Internal” specials will be automatically applied.
    • The Fix: Remove the “Websites” channel from any specials you do not want to be automatically applied to reservations. Create a separate special for each channel, even when they offer the same discount.
  3. A special is set up to automatically apply to all reservations, but it is not applying to every unit. Why?
    • Likely Reason: The special is attempting to take the nightly rate below the Minimum Nightly Rate (MNR) set in a particular unit’s policies. If the MNR is $200.00 and the special would lower the nightly rate to $199.99 or less, the special will not be applied. The MNR is a safeguard to keep the rate from going lower than an owner thinks is acceptable.
    • The Fix: In the unit where the special is not applying, lower the MNR enough so the special will apply.

Utilizing Specials2024-12-12T17:16:04-05:00
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