Glossary
Minimum stay
Minimum stay is the fewest nights a guest must book. Platforms leave your listing out of any search that is shorter than your minimum, so the setting controls visibility as well as bookings.
Examples on this page use made-up homes and numbers to show the method. They are not client results.
How it affects search
If your minimum is 5 nights and a guest searches Friday to Sunday, your home is not in their results. They never see it, so they cannot ask for an exception.
Example
Imagine a 2-bedroom condo with a 7-night minimum left over from summer. On a search for a 2-night weekend it is not shown at all. On a 7-night search it appears near the top. The listing is fine; the setting is hiding it. Change the minimum to 2 nights and it can appear in weekend searches again. See a full worked example.
Where minimums hide
- A default minimum for the whole calendar.
- Date-specific overrides, often left over from a past season.
- Different minimums for weekdays and weekends.
- A separate setting on each platform. Airbnb and Vrbo do not share it.
How to choose
- Two nights suits most homes outside peak season.
- Longer minimums can make sense for holidays and large homes with high cleaning costs.
- Review gap nights so a minimum does not leave single nights you cannot sell.
Put it to work
- Guide: Minimum stay: 1, 2 or 3 nights? How to decide
- Guide: Vrbo listing not showing in search? Check your minimum stay
- Service: Co-Hosting, where we set and review your rates, minimum stays and gap nights for you, with nothing to pay upfront.
Related terms
Ready to go hands-free?
Send us your listing and get a written co-hosting proposal. Nothing to pay upfront: Airbnb pays our share only when you are booked.