Revenue management, answered

Should a vacation rental revenue manager also handle minimum stays, fees and discounts?

Yes. Nightly rate, minimum stay, fees and discounts all change what a guest pays and whether they book, so one owner of the decision gets better results. Split across teams, they conflict and quietly undo each other's gains.

By Jack Murphy, Head of Revenue Management at UpRev. Running pricing for US vacation rental managers since 2017. Last updated November 11, 2026.

Why splitting them backfires

A rate set in isolation is only half the offer the guest sees. If one person drops the nightly rate while another holds a three-night minimum or stacks a large cleaning fee, the listing still looks overpriced or unbookable. I treat the all-in price and the restrictions as one decision so the rate, the minimum and the fees agree with each other.

What it looks like day to day

My team uses minimum stays to protect high-demand weekends and holidays, then loosens them inside the booking window to fill orphan nights. We review fees against the nightly rate rather than separately, because a high fee can hide a rate that is actually fine. Discounts such as last-minute, long-stay and gap-night offers are applied deliberately and with an end date, not left running on autopilot.

Where to draw the line with owners

The revenue manager should own the levers that affect conversion and revenue, but owners still set the guardrails. Agree up front on floor rates, the shortest stay they will accept, and any fees that are tied to their costs, like cleaning. Inside those limits, one accountable person makes the calls, and you keep a clear record of why each change was made so you can explain results to the owner.