Why a good pricing tool still underperforms
PriceLabs is a capable tool. Most of the revenue it leaves behind comes from how it is set up and how often anyone looks at it. These are the patterns we check for first:
- Base prices set once and never revisited. The algorithm moves around the base. If the base is wrong, every rate is wrong.
- Minimum stays copied across the portfolio. A 3 to 5 night minimum all year hides listings from 2-night searches.
- A last-week discount cliff. Flat rates until 7 days out, then 10% to 30% off, which teaches the market to wait.
- Uncapped occupancy adjustments. Rates drop as occupancy falls, with no one checking whether the drop is justified.
- Channel discounts paid for twice. Platform program discounts switched on with no allowance in the base rate.
- No price floor. Rates can fall below what the property needs to earn.
- Events found too late. Local events not entered far enough ahead, or minimum stays not lifted for them.
None of this is a fault in the software. It is a time problem. Checking every setting on 15, 50 or 200 listings every week is a job in itself.
What we manage inside your PriceLabs account
Base prices
Set per property from real comparables and reviewed every quarter, or sooner when the market shifts.
Seasonality and day-of-week
Seasonal profiles by region, and weekday and weekend patterns that reflect how each market actually books.
Lead-time and discount curves
A long, shallow curve that starts about 60 days out, a few percent at a time, instead of a last-minute cliff.
Minimum-stay profiles and gap rules
Usually a 2-night minimum, lifted for peak weeks and major events. Orphan gaps filled with 1-night stays, never on a Friday or Saturday.
Occupancy-based adjustments
On, capped and checked daily, so a quiet patch does not turn into a fire sale.
Floors, ceilings and channel discounts
A floor per property at a level you agree, a ceiling to stop runaway rates, and channel program discounts allowed for in the base rate.
Events and overrides
Local events entered about 90 days ahead by region, with minimum stays and rates adjusted to suit.
Groups and portfolio structure
Listings grouped so that strategy changes apply cleanly by market, property type or owner.
What we add on top of PriceLabs
PriceLabs sets the starting price. Two layers sit above it.
Our morning check. Each morning our own software scores every listing on RevPAR index, ADR index, market penetration index and booking pace, across four booking windows (next 14 days, next 30, days 31 to 60 and 61 to 90). It checks for distortions such as one long reservation or an owner block, and gives each listing a confidence score.
A revenue manager’s sign-off. The software recommends; a person decides. A revenue manager approves every change before it goes live. Every approved change is logged with its reason and shown on your live dashboard. See the dashboard
You keep your account and your data
- Your account stays in your name. PriceLabs bills you directly. We never ask you to move your account to us.
- Access you control. You add us as a user on your PriceLabs account. You can see everything we change and remove our access at any time. Each of our team uses an individual login with two-factor authentication where PriceLabs supports it, and we never share passwords.
- A full audit trail. PriceLabs keeps account logs of who changed what and when. Our dashboard adds the reason for each change.
- If you leave, your settings, history and data stay exactly where they are.
More detail on access and data handling: security and data access.
What it costs
1.5% of booking revenue on managed listings, with no monthly minimum. Booking revenue means accommodation revenue: nightly rates, after refunds and channel host fees, excluding cleaning fees and taxes, counted in the month the stay checks out. No setup fee. Your PriceLabs subscription is separate and stays with PriceLabs. No lock-in contract: cancel any time with 30 days’ notice. Pricing
Already have someone looking after PriceLabs?
Ask them three questions:
- What is each listing’s market penetration index and RevPAR index right now?
- When was the last-minute discount curve last reviewed?
- Who approved the last price change, and why?
If the answers are slow or vague, a free audit will show you where the gaps are. Fill in a short form, email a 90-day booking export to audit@airyield.co, and you get your results within 48 business hours.
Not on PriceLabs?
PriceLabs is our default; we also work in Beyond, Wheelhouse, AirDNA (Adapt), DPGO, RoomPriceGenie, Rented (ART) and Pace (FLYR Hospitality). If you use your PMS’s built-in pricing, we can still audit your performance against the market from a booking export and talk through whether moving makes sense. We will not push you to switch if your current setup is working. For a side-by-side view of the main tools, see PriceLabs alternatives, Wheelhouse vs PriceLabs and Airbnb Smart Pricing vs PriceLabs.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need my own PriceLabs subscription? Yes. Your account and subscription stay in your name, billed by PriceLabs. Our fee is separate.
Will you change my existing settings straight away? No. In the first week we record your current settings and performance as a baseline, then start with the highest-impact changes and explain each one.
Can I still make changes myself? Yes. Tell us, or set rules such as floors or blocked dates, and we work within them. Changes made outside our process are flagged on the dashboard so nothing is missed.
Is PriceLabs worth it for a large portfolio? For most operators with 15 or more listings, a dynamic pricing tool is worth having. The question is whether anyone has the time to manage it well. That is the gap we fill.
Which PMS do you work with? Any PMS or channel manager that PriceLabs integrates with. PriceLabs connects to 150+ PMS platforms. See integrations.
Are you a PriceLabs partner? No. Airyield is an independent service. You add us as a user on your own PriceLabs account, and you can remove our access at any time.
PriceLabs is a trademark of its owner. Airyield is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by PriceLabs. We use the name only to describe the software we manage for clients.