How do you calculate the occupancy rate of a holiday rental?

Occupancy equals booked nights divided by available nights, times 100. The denominator is what matters: if you only rent in season, use the nights you actually offered, not 365. Personal use and deliberate blocked periods do not belong in the available nights either, otherwise occupancy looks artificially poor.

What is a good occupancy rate for a holiday rental?

As a rule of thumb, 50 to 60 percent is solid for year-round letting and 70 percent or more is very good. In strongly seasonal locations such as mountains or the coast the annual figure is often lower while in-season occupancy is very high. The number alone says little — only together with the price does it become meaningful.

What is RevPAR for holiday rentals?

RevPAR stands for revenue per available night. It combines occupancy and average price into a single figure and shows how profitable a property really is. A property at 50 percent occupancy and 200 euro earns more than one at 80 percent and 100 euro.

How do I improve occupancy without cutting prices?

The most effective lever is short gaps between bookings: temporarily lowering the minimum stay for a three-night gap often fills it. Flexible check-in and check-out days in the low season help as well, along with a bookable website instead of an enquiry form and early reminders to previous guests.

Free calculator

Occupancy rate calculator for holiday rentals

Occupancy, annual revenue and revenue per available night in one go — including the question that really counts: what would five points more be worth?

No sign-up, no cookies — everything is calculated in your browser.

Your figures

Number of properties

units

Available nights per property per year Only nights you actually offer — excluding personal use and seasonal closures.

nights

Booked nights per year All properties combined.

nights

Average price per night Accommodation only, excluding cleaning fee and tourist tax.

€

Your result

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Occupancy

Available nights in total—

Accommodation revenue—

Revenue per available night—

Unsold nights—

Five points more occupancy would add — in revenue per year.

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How to calculate it correctly

Occupancy = booked nights ÷ available nights × 100

The most common mistake sits in the denominator. If you only let from May to October but still divide by 365, you can never mathematically exceed 50 % — and end up thinking your rental performs worse than it does. Available nights are only the ones you genuinely offer. Personal use, renovation and deliberate blocked periods do not belong in there.

Second pitfall: with several properties you have to compare the booked nights of all units against the available nights of all units — which is exactly what the calculator above does.

What counts as a good occupancy rate?

Benchmarks from practice — they vary considerably with location, property size and seasonality.

Occupancy	Assessment	Typical for
below 35 %	room to improve	new listings, weak visibility, overly rigid changeover days
35–50 %	solid base	strongly seasonal locations counted across the full year
50–70 %	good	established properties with returning guests and several channels
above 70 %	very good	cities, year-round demand — or a price that is too low

Important: high occupancy alone is not success. Cut the price far enough and any calendar fills up. What actually tells you something is revenue per available night (RevPAR) — it combines occupancy and price. A property at 50 % and €200 beats one at 80 % and €100.

Raising occupancy without cutting prices

Target short gaps. Two to four nights often remain between bookings and fail on the minimum stay. Lowering it temporarily for exactly that gap frequently sells it.
Loosen changeover days off-season. A rigid “Saturdays only” costs more bookings outside peak season than it saves in cleaning effort.
Be bookable on your own website. Enquiry forms lose the guests who want to book right away — and those are precisely the commission-free ones.
Remind previous guests. The cheapest booking is the one from someone who has already stayed.
Explain the minimum stay instead of blocking. Guests offered a fitting alternative period instead of “fully booked” bounce far less often.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate occupancy?

Booked nights divided by available nights, times 100. The key is to count only the nights actually offered for rent in the denominator.

What is a good occupancy rate?

For year-round letting, 50–60 % is solid and above 70 % very good. In seasonal locations the annual figure is naturally lower — there it pays to look at in-season occupancy.

What does RevPAR mean?

Revenue per available night. It shows what a property earns on average per offered night — regardless of whether it gets there through occupancy or through price.

Does the cleaning fee count as revenue?

For these metrics usually not: cleaning fees and tourist tax are pass-through or cost-covering items. Use the pure accommodation price and your figures stay comparable across the years.

Spot the gaps before they get expensive

SmooBoost makes your properties bookable on your own website — with flexible minimum stays, seasonal changeover days and alternative suggestions instead of “fully booked”. First property €9/month, no commission.

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