What is length of stay (LOS)?
Updated
Length of stay is the number of nights a guest books in one reservation, and hotels often use it to set minimum stays or different prices for longer bookings.
Why does it matter to a small hotel?
Length of stay matters because a night is not worth the same to every booking. A one-night Saturday booking can leave the Friday and Sunday either side as orphan nights, so a hotel often sets a two-night minimum on peak weekends. Longer stays cost less to turn over, since fewer changeovers means less cleaning and laundry per night. The opposite problem is orphan nights: single free nights between bookings that nobody wants. Setting a minimum stay too high loses bookings. Setting it too low fills the calendar with one-night stays that block more valuable ones.
A worked example
A festival weekend at the 24-room hotel: with no minimum stay, a guest books only the Saturday at £165. That one-night booking leaves Friday empty, and nobody wants a single spare Friday. With a two-night minimum on that weekend, the hotel sells Friday and Saturday together as one booking and keeps the weekend whole. A three-night midweek stay at £110 earns £330 with one changeover instead of three. To see how minimum stays affect nights around you, try RatePulse free.
Related terms
Questions people ask
What is a minimum stay restriction?
A rule that a booking must cover at least a set number of nights, usually applied to busy weekends or events.
Do longer stays get a discount?
Often, yes, but only if it earns more over the whole stay. Compare total revenue after cleaning and laundry, not the nightly rate.
What is an orphan night?
A single unsold night sitting between two bookings, too short for most guests to want. Shifting stay rules can help fill it.