The number of nights a visitor books a vacation rental home is the average length of stay (ALOS) definition. The ALOS is approximately 5.6 nights for most vacation rental channels. But for online booking services like Vrbo and Booking.com, the typical length of stay was greater, at 6.7 and 7.5 nights, respectively.
The typical number of nights spent in a vacation rental home is predicted to decline over time by experts. However, recent guests have noticed a tendency to look for longer stays. This shift is most likely the result of families staying home during the pandemic or seeking a change of scenery while working or going to school online.
Why are vacation rentals important for ALOS?
You’ll be able to plan cleaning and maintenance around your stays if you can figure out the typical length of stay in your rental property. You may also estimate your annual income based on how many visitors make reservations and how long they stay.
A higher average duration of stay is ideal for vacation rental properties and regional tourism in general. The longer visitors choose to stay, the lower the administrative costs become for you as a rental property owner.
This is due, in part, to the fact that fewer cleanings are required each week. Housekeepers are required to come in two or three times per week when a guest only stays for one or two nights. However, if a visitor stays for five or six nights, you simply need to pay staff for weekly cleanings. The more money you save and the more money you make, the longer the guest stays. The same applies if you hire a property manager to greet new visitors at your house.
As was already indicated, the local economy also benefits when visitors make longer-term reservations. The longer a traveler stays in one location, the more sights, restaurants, shops they may visit and mementos they can purchase.
How Are Average Stay Times Calculated?
Simply add up the nights reserved for the month and divide that total by the variety of guests who reserved stays with you to determine the average length of stay for your rental property.
Think about the month before, when you had six separate reservations. Each visitor remained for a unique number of days, as indicated below:
1st visitor: 3 nights
2nd visitor: 6 nights
3rd visitor: 4 nights
4th visitor: 5 nights
5th visitor: 8 nights
6th visitor: 4 nights
30 total nights are reserved.
30 divided by the number of visitors (6) equals 5.
Your vacation rental home typically hosts guests for 5 nights.
Some online booking services, like Airbnb, do this calculation for you and even display the average duration of stay for all the vacation rentals in the area taken as a whole.
Knowing the typical duration of stay will help you plan, budget, and maximize the rental income from your holiday home.
