Peak season pricing: how much over base rate should I charge?

Category: Pricing & Revenue

By: Heather Barnes

Posted: 2026-01-28T18:21:05.787Z

My base rate is $130/night for a 1BR in Savannah, GA. Spring season (March-May) is coming and I know demand is about to surge but I'm not sure how aggressive to be with pricing. Last year I set it at $160 and was booked solid, which probably means I left money on the table. Comparable listings seem to range from $150-250 during peak. How do you determine peak season rates? How much over base rate is reasonable? And do you have any strategies for major event weekends?

Reply by Tasha Williams:

PriceLabs power user here. If you were 100% booked at $160, you DEFINITELY left money on the table. Here's my pricing framework: **Peak season base adjustment:** - If you'd be 100% booked: you're priced 20-30% too low - Target: 80-85% occupancy during peak = optimal revenue - Your peak rate should probably be $185-200 for Savannah spring **Event pricing (St. Patrick's Day, SCAD events, etc.):** - 2x-3x base rate for major events - Savannah St. Patrick's Day: $300-400/night is normal for 1BR (it's the 2nd largest parade in the US) - SCAD graduation weekend: $250-300 - Film festivals: $200-250 My pricing tier framework for your situation: deep off-season I'd go 0.8x base (so about $104 for you), shoulder season 1.0x ($130), peak season 1.5x ($195), major events like SCAD graduation 2.0-2.5x ($260-325), and mega events like St. Pat's 2.5-3.0x ($325-390). **How I determine this:** 1. AirDNA (https://airdna.co) shows average rates and occupancy by month 2. PriceLabs (https://pricelabs.co) adjusts automatically based on demand signals 3. Check Airbnb's "Pricing Tips" feature (shows demand for your area) 4. Look at comparable listings' availability — if everyone's booked, prices are too low **Practical tip:** Set a "minimum price" floor that covers your costs even on slow days, and let PriceLabs handle the rest. My min is $89 (covers mortgage + cleaning when amortized) and I let the algorithm handle everything above that.

Reply by James Wu:

Savannah host with 3 properties. Specific to Savannah: **Peak months and my pricing multipliers:** - March (St. Pat's): 2.5x base (demand is insane — book immediately) - April-May: 1.6x base - October: 1.5x base (great weather + Halloween events) - December: 1.4x base (holiday tourism, Christmas lights) **Slow months:** - January-February: 0.7x base (cold, no events) - June-August: 0.8x base (HOT and humid, tourism drops) **St. Patrick's Day specific:** - Set minimum 4-night stay (avoids the one-night party crowd) - Price at $350+ for 1BR (I've gotten $425) - Collect a higher cleaning fee (guests during St. Pat's are... messier) - Require $500 security deposit authorization - I made $2,800 in 4 nights last year from ONE property **Pro tip:** For event weekends, list with a 2-3 night minimum and charge more. You'll make more from one 3-night booking at $350/night ($1,050) than three 1-night bookings at $200/night ($600) after cleaning costs. Use PriceLabs with the "event boost" feature. Put in Savannah's event calendar and it auto-adjusts rates leading up to events.