Seasonal Pricing Strategies: How to Maximize Revenue During Low and Peak Periods

In short-term rentals, timing is everything — and pricing is your most powerful tool. Whether it’s mid-summer or a quiet November week, a smart pricing strategy helps you balance occupancy and profitability. A poorly chosen price can lead to missed bookings or lost revenue.

At MIRO Rooms Rentals, we've helped dozens of apartment owners in Riga implement pricing strategies that consider not only the season but also guest behavior, local events, market trends, and the owner's goals. These approaches let you not just react to changes but anticipate them. In this article, we break down how to use seasonality to your advantage and which tools actually work in 2025.

1. Understand Seasonal Demand — by City and by Neighborhood

Every city has its own rhythm. In Riga, summer brings music festivals (like Positivus, Rīgas Ritmi), autumn brings business travelers and students, winter is full of tourists attending Christmas markets, and spring is packed with international conferences and exhibitions.

But even within one city, demand varies. Old Town has one rhythm, while Ķīpsala or Teika have another. If you're managing multiple apartments, your pricing strategy must be localized.

Here’s what to consider:

Historical data: Collect data from the past 2–3 years. Which weeks were strong? When did prices drop? Which months had high ADR but low occupancy?
Events calendar: Include major events, public holidays, school breaks in nearby countries (Finland, Estonia, Lithuania), and smaller surges — marathons, matches, gastronomy festivals.
Google Trends: Monitor seasonal search terms like “Riga Christmas Market,” “Airbnb Riga,” “where to stay in Riga,” and “Positivus apartment Riga.”
Competitor and OTA analytics: Use tools like AirDNA, Transparent, or Booking.com’s Partner Hub insights.
Travel dynamics: Follow new flight routes, charters, and hotel price spikes — they indicate demand. Subscribe to travel newsletters or set up Google Alerts.

💡 MIRO Tip: We maintain a shared hybrid calendar across all units, combining event data, guest segmentation (tourists, business, couples, families), and competitor insights. It helps plan not just pricing, but promotions, staffing, and owner reporting.

2. Dynamic Pricing Tools + Local Intelligence

No algorithm can replace human logic. That’s why we use a blended approach: automation + manual review. Dynamic pricing tools are great at responding to seasonal trends, but only you know how to respond to a rainy August week or a last-minute event cancellation.

What we configure:

Price floors and ceilings — no algorithm should undercut your profit margin or push rates beyond guest expectations.
Day-of-week and lead-time adjustments — Friday/Saturday = premium. Monday/Tuesday = opportunity. A 21+ day advance discount can boost April occupancy.
Event micro-segmentation — not all events are equal. A concert in the arena vs. a tech meetup? Different guests, different price elasticity.

Popular tools:

PriceLabs – advanced logic, API access, calendar view, supports multi-city setups.
Wheelhouse – ideal for beginners or mid-sized operators.
Beyond – easy setup, great for hosts managing 1–2 listings.

💡 MIRO Tip: We use a custom Slack bot that alerts us when booking velocity changes per unit. That helps us adjust prices and understand why trends are shifting.

3. Discounts & Promotions — a Signal, Not a Crutch

Discounts only work when they’re strategic. They should be part of your pricing plan, not a reaction to panic. The goal is to increase perceived value, not lower your apartment’s image.

What works well:

Early bird discounts: 10–15% for bookings made 30–60 days in advance — this stabilizes occupancy and improves cash flow.
Gap fillers: 5–10% off 1–2 night gaps — usually profitable if the unit would be empty otherwise.
Length-of-stay discounts: 5, 7, 14, or 28+ nights — very effective in shoulder seasons. OTAs reward these offers.
Private offers: email subscribers, returning guests, Instagram followers. These are invisible to the public but convert well.

Avoid:

Visible permanent discounts — they lose their impact.
Dropping prices on high-demand dates without justification.
Emotional reactions: copying a competitor’s discount won’t help if they’re targeting a different segment.

💡 MIRO Tip: We use “visual discounts” — showing a slashed price and countdown timer. The base rate is pre-adjusted upward to make the offer feel like a deal — better for conversion, without cutting real revenue.

Final Thoughts: Pricing Is a Skill, Not a Guess

You don’t need to be a data scientist to master pricing — but you do need to treat it as a repeatable discipline. That means:

Collecting data
Refining your model
Watching the market
Testing hypotheses

The more consistently you do it, the more confident and profitable you’ll become.

🧠 With the right pricing strategy, you can:

✅ Keep your average rate above market while staying competitive

✅ Secure early bookings without underpricing

✅ Attract longer stays in low season and optimize nightly revenue in peak season

📬 Want to apply this system to your own rental? Let’s talk — the MIRO Rooms Rentals team will help you set up smart pricing, automation, and a model that works long-term.

📌 This article is part of the MIRO Rooms Rentals blog — your trusted source for short-term rental success in Riga and beyond.