Set your Detty December prices now, before guests start booking. On Cabans you do it on your listing’s calendar: one price for the whole season, then special prices for the busiest nights. Check your minimum stay, cancellation time and caution deposit early too, because some of those changes wait for approval.
This guide walks through each setting in the order to do it. It uses the words you see on screen, so you can follow along on your own shortlet (or short let) listing.
Plan your December calendar now
Guests planning December trips start booking in October and November. Once a guest books, those nights keep the price they were booked at. So a price you raise in December does nothing for nights you have already sold.
Your prices and rules live in two places, and they go live at different speeds:
| What you change | Where | When guests see it |
|---|---|---|
| Price windows, special day prices, closed dates | “Availability, prices and booking rules” on the listing’s edit page | As soon as you save |
| Minimum stay, longest stay, instant book, cleaning fee, time to accept | The booking rules in that same section | As soon as you save |
| Base night price, check-in times, caution deposit, discounts, free nights, cancellation | “Property Details” on the listing | After the Cabans team approves the change |
So work in this order:
- Make listing changes first. Anything that needs approval goes in early.
- Close the nights you need. Family visiting? Use “Block Dates”. Guests see those nights as “Closed”, and your reason stays private.
- Add your season’s prices. Price windows first, then special day prices.
- Leave notes for your team. “Day Notes” are only for people in your store, never guests.
- Save the calendar. The listing’s Save button does not save it. Press “Review and save calendar”, then “Save and publish calendar”.
New to the calendar? How to open and close dates shows each screen.
Price windows for the whole season
A price window gives a run of dates its own night price. It is the quickest way to price the whole festive season in one go.
- In “Calendar”, pick the first night of your season, then the last.
- In the “Price for a Period” panel, type your “Price per night (₦)”.
- Press “Add Price Window”.
That panel shows when “Open all dates by default” is on. If you turned it off, guests can only book the dates you open with “Add Availability Window”. In that case, make sure every December night you want to sell is inside a window.
When a night is covered by more than one price, Cabans picks one in this order:
- a special day price for that night;
- otherwise, a price window (the one that starts latest, if two cover the night);
- otherwise, your listing’s own price.
So you can layer prices. Add one window for the whole season, then a shorter window for the busiest fortnight. The shorter one starts later, so it wins for its nights.
How high should you go? We do not quote figures, because December prices change week by week. Look at similar homes near you for the same dates, such as shortlets in Lekki, Victoria Island or Ikoyi. Compare their size, power and what is included, not just the number. How to set your night prices covers every price setting.
Special day prices for peak nights
Some nights are busier than the rest of the season: Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, or the night of a big event near you. Check the dates of any event yourself before pricing for it. Give those nights their own price:
- Pick the day on your calendar.
- Open “Custom Day Price” and type the “Price per day (₦)”.
- Press “Set Price” (or “Update Price” to change one).
There is no weekend setting. If Fridays and Saturdays in December should cost more, give them special day prices too.
Keep the jumps sensible. Guests see the total for their whole stay, and they compare totals. A price that looks greedy next to your neighbours can leave a peak night empty, and an empty night earns nothing.
Price windows and special day prices are set on the Cabans website, on your listing’s edit page. The Host Academy lesson price your nights practises all of this. For busy dates the rest of the year, see setting prices for busy dates.
Minimum stay and cancellation time before December
These two settings apply to your whole listing, not to single dates. Change them for December, and they change for January too.
Minimum stay.Set “Minimum stay (nights)” in your booking rules. A longer minimum avoids one-night gaps between bookings in busy weeks. It goes live as soon as you save. Put a reminder in your phone to lower it again after the season.
Cancellation time.On your listing, “Guests can cancel for a full refund until” offers 24 hours, or 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 14 or 30 days before check-in. If you choose nothing, it is 48 hours (2 days). This is a listing change, so it waits for approval. Set it early.
- A longer cut-off protects your December nights from late cancellations.
- A shorter cut-off can win guests whose plans are not yet certain.
- The 30-day rule: a cut-off longer than 15 days only applies in full when the guest books more than 30 days before check-in. Closer bookings can be cancelled free until at most 15 days before.
- Late bookers: a guest who books after the free-cancellation time cannot cancel. They see this before they pay.
There is no “no cancellation” option. How to choose your cancellation cut-off explains each choice.
Three more booking rules matter in December:
- “Guests can book up to”. Make sure December is inside your booking window. With “30 days”, nobody can book Christmas in October.
- “Instant book”. Paid bookings are confirmed straight away, without waiting for you. Busy guests like that.
- “Time to accept a request”. If you confirm each booking yourself, choose a short time. While a request waits for you, those nights are held for that guest.
Deposits and house rules for busy weeks
Caution deposit. Set it in “Caution deposit (₦, fixed amount)” on your listing. It is a fixed naira amount, paid once per stay, and discounts never apply to it. It applies to the listing, not to dates, and a change waits for approval. After check-out you release it in full, or raise a dispute and the Cabans team decides. How caution deposits protect hosts explains the rules.
House rules.Write them in “Stay information”, under “House rules”. Be plain about parties, visitors, noise and how many people may stay. Guests see them once their booking is confirmed, and changes go live at once.
Guest numbers.Set “Maximum guests (optional)” in your booking rules. Guests cannot book for more people than that.
Guest ID.Tick “Guests must upload an ID” in “Stay information” if you want one. Only you and the Cabans team can see it. It is kept securely for up to 6 years, as data laws require, then deleted.
Discounts. Longer-stay discounts and free nights apply all year. If you only want them outside December, change them before the season, and allow time for approval. See discounts and free nights.
What you receive
Knowing what reaches you helps you set a price you are happy with:
- The guest pays for the nights, your cleaning fee and your caution deposit.
- The guest also pays Paystack’s payment processing fee, on top, when they pay. It does not come out of your money.
- Cabans charges you a 5% commission. Your payout is the stay amount, less any refunds, less the 5%.
- You are paid within 7 days after the guest’s stay. It is faster when the guest approves the payment after their trip.
Checking what guests will see
After you save, you see “Calendar saved — Guests now see the new dates, prices and rules.” Now check it the way a guest would:
- Open your listing page while signed out, or on another phone.
- Look at the calendar. Every free December day should show its night price in small blue text.
- Look for grey days. A night with no price cannot be booked, so give it one.
- Pick a stay across your busiest nights. The “Price Breakdown” should show each price, any discount, the cleaning fee, the caution deposit and the “Total”.
- Read the “Free cancellation until…” line for a December date.
- Check that “Closed” nights are the ones you meant.
Your calendar also keeps a “Change history”, so you can see who changed what, and when.
New to taking bookings? Take bookings online explains how guests pick dates and pay. Not listed yet? List your short let first, then work through the free Host Academy.
Frequently asked questions
When should I set my Detty December prices?
Now, and by mid October at the latest. Guests start booking December stays in October and November. A booking keeps the price it was made at, so a price you raise later does not change nights you have already sold.
Can I charge more for Christmas and New Year’s Eve?
Yes. Give each of those nights a special day price on your calendar. A special day price beats any price window, so it is the price guests see for that night.
Can I set a minimum stay just for December?
No. The minimum stay applies to the whole listing, not to single dates. If you want a longer minimum for December, raise it before the season and lower it again in January.
Do new prices change bookings I already have?
No. Bookings already made keep their dates and prices. Guests who book after you save see the new calendar.
Is there a weekend price setting?
No. There is no weekend rule. To charge more on Fridays and Saturdays, give those nights a special day price, or cover them with their own price window.
Who pays the payment fee, and when am I paid?
The guest pays Paystack’s payment processing fee when they pay. Cabans charges you a 5% commission. You are paid within 7 days after the guest’s stay, and faster when the guest approves the payment after their trip.
Related guides
Detty December prices: the guest's view · Is a shortlet profitable? · Shortlet business plan · Start a shortlet business · Booking rules and instant book
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