Glossary
Gap night
A gap night, also called an orphan night, is a free night stuck between two bookings that is shorter than your minimum stay. Nobody can book it unless you change a rule.
Examples on this page use made-up homes and numbers to show the method. They are not client results.
Example
Imagine one guest checks out on Wednesday. The next checks in on Friday. Wednesday and Thursday nights are free, but your minimum stay is 3 nights, so those two nights cannot be booked.
What gaps cost
Two unsold nights a month at $180 is $4,320 a year from one listing.
How to fill them
- Lower the minimum stay for the gap dates only.
- Offer the nights to the guest before or after as an early check-in or late checkout extension.
- Discount short gaps slightly; a filled night at a lower rate beats an empty one, as long as it covers cleaning.
How to prevent them
- Avoid check-in day restrictions that force awkward spacing.
- Use a rule that relaxes the minimum automatically when a gap appears. Most pricing tools have one.
Put it to work
- Guide: Gap nights: how to stop losing single nights between bookings
- Service: Co-Hosting, where we set and review your rates, minimum stays and gap nights for you, with nothing to pay upfront.
Related terms
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