Skip to main content

Rate plans and discounts in Direct Booking

Create flexible rate plans to maximise bookings and revenue.

Overview

Rate plans are different ways to sell your rooms. You can set unique rules for each plan, like lead time, dynamic discounts or package deals.

How rate plan discounts are applied

Direct Booking rate plan discounts apply on top of the room rate price sent from Front Desk.

⚠️ Avoid double discounting: Do not set discounts in both Front Desk and Direct Booking. If you discount in both places, the discounts stack together, resulting in a lower price than intended.

Best practice: Set your Front Desk room rate at full price. Apply discounts only through Direct Booking rate plans.

Restrict when guests can book a direct booking rate

You can limit when a direct booking rate plan is available using additional direct booking controls. These restrictions apply to any rate plan, including those with dynamic discounts such as a package deal or dynamic length of stay discount.

  • Applicable dates

  • Advertised dates

  • Maximum advance booking dates

  • Restrict rate to mobile device

  • Minimum stay, maximum stay, and release period

Getting started

  1. Go to My apps > Direct Booking > Setup > Rooms & Rates > Rate Plans

  2. Click Create and fill in the details for your rate plan, including:

  • Name

  • Rate code

  • Description

  • Minimum and maximum stay requirements

  • Restrict rate to mobile devices

  • Lead time

  • Lead time discounts (Early Bird or Last Minute)

  • Dynamic discounts (Stay Pay Deal, Package Deal, or Length-of-Stay Discount)

  • Sell and stay dates
    ​

Link a rate plan to a room rate

Don't forget to link your rate plan to the relevant room rates.

  1. Go to My apps > Direct Booking > Setup > Rooms & Rates

  2. Click on the room rate you want to link

  3. On the Rate Plan tab (beneath Description and inclusions box) select the rate plan from the drop-down list

  4. Click Save

Note:

  • Each room rate can only be associated with a single rate plan

  • A room type cannot have multiple room rates linked to the same rate plan

  • When you unlink or delete a rate plan, most of the rules from the linked rate plan will be lost in the associated room rates. However, MinStay and MaxStay remain and need manual removal using the bulk update option.

Created discounted rate plans

Encourage more direct bookings by setting up discounts for your booking engine to offer guests discounted rates (public rates for guests searching your direct rates). Dynamic discounts are public rates, visible to any guest searching your direct rates, and apply to the base rate as well as the charge for any additional guests.

There are three types of dynamic discount:

  • Dynamic length of stay discount: a discounted rate for longer stays

  • Package deal: a set number of nights at one fixed price

  • Stay pay deal: guests pay for fewer nights than they stay, for example "stay 3 nights and only pay for 2"

Early bird

Offer a discounted rate for guests who book a certain number of days in advance. For example, you could set up:

  • 10% off when booked at least 14 days ahead, for stays of two nights or more

To set up an Early Bird rate plan for direct booking:

  1. When creating your rate plan, locate the "Lead time" field

  2. From the dropdown menu, select "Early bird"

  3. Enter the minimum number of days in advance guests must book in the release period field (e.g., "14" means guests must book at least 14 days ahead)

  4. Enter the discount percentage (e.g., "10" for 10% off)

Last minute

Offer last-minute deals to fill empty rooms. For example, you could set up:

  • 10% off when booked within three days of arrival

To set up a Last Minute rate plan for direct booking:

  1. When creating your rate plan, locate the "Lead time" field

  2. From the dropdown menu, select "Last minute"

  3. Enter the maximum number of days before arrival in the release period field (e.g., "3" means guests can only book 3 days or less before arrival)

  4. Enter the discount percentage (e.g., "15" for 15% off)

Stay pay deals

A stay pay deal lets guests book a certain number of nights but only pay for a smaller number of nights that you define, for example "stay 3 nights and only pay for 2." The remaining night is free. A stay pay deal is not the same as a package deal — it does not bundle nights into one fixed price, it removes the charge for specific nights.

Room rates with a stay pay deal display "Stay X nights get Y free" on your booking engine. The original price is crossed out, with the discounted price shown below it.

A stay pay deal offers guests free-nights, such as "stay 3 nights, pay for 2." For an offer that includes an extra or additional service, such as a free airport transfer, you can use the package deal discount.

Set up a Stay pay deal

  1. When creating your rate plan, locate the "Dynamic discounts" section

  2. From the dropdown menu, select "Stay Pay Deal"

  3. In the "Stay nights" field, enter the number of nights guests must stay (e.g., "3")

  4. In the "Pay nights" field, enter the number of nights they pay for (e.g., "2")

Package deals

A package deal charges guests one fixed price for a set number of nights, based on the rate of the first night only. Guests pay for every included night, bundled into that single price.

A package deal can also include extras or additional services, such as a free airport transfer for guests who book the included number of nights. For example, you could set up:

  • A two-night package at a fixed price with certain inclusions

Room rates with a package deal display "Package deal" on your booking engine. Guests can click the room rate's name to see the nightly breakdown, which is also included in confirmation e-mails sent to both your property and the guest.

Set up a Package deal

  1. When creating your rate plan, locate the "Dynamic discounts" section

  2. From the dropdown menu, select "Package Deal"

  3. Enter the fixed number of nights included in the package

  4. Set the total package price

Managing package deals

  • Control package deal prices and availability in the Inventory grid

  • Look for the suitcase icon to easily identify them

  • Update details like availability, rate, included nights, and maximum stay.

Dynamic length of stay discounts

A dynamic length of stay discount offers guests who book direct a lower nightly rate the longer they stay. Guests pay for every night they book, at a reduced rate that increases based on the stay length you have set.

For example, you could set up:

  • 10% off stays of two nights or more

  • 15% off stays of five nights or more

  • 20% off stays of 10 nights or more

Rate plans with a dynamic length of stay discount display "Save X%" on your booking engine, where X is the discount percentage. The original price is crossed out, with the discounted price shown below it.

Set up a dynamic length of stay discount

  1. When creating your rate plan, locate the "Dynamic discounts" section

  2. From the dropdown menu, select "Length-of-Stay Discount"

  3. Set the minimum number of nights required to trigger the discount

  4. Enter the discount percentage that applies to longer stays

Notes:

  • You can also set up promotion codes to offer guests a discount at your booking engine

  • Gift vouchers are not supported for Little Hotelier

Related Articles
Did this answer your question?