Why bank holidays need their own rules

On a normal week, a one-night stay is fine. On a bank holiday weekend, a one-night booking can block a pitch for a guest who would have stayed three. A minimum stay protects your busiest dates from being broken up into short gaps that are hard to fill.

The same goes for school holidays and the weeks around Easter. Mark them in advance so they do not catch you out. Nimbo Stay marks the bank holidays on its minimum stay calendar so the busy weekends are easy to find.

Setting a minimum stay

A minimum stay is tied to the arrival day. For example, you might ask for three nights when the arrival day falls on a bank holiday weekend, while other weekends stay at two. A few things to decide:

• Which arrival days the minimum applies to
• The longest stay you will allow
• Which days guests can arrive or leave
• Whether the rule changes between low season and peak

In Nimbo Stay you click or drag across days on a calendar to set a minimum stay, the way your old system did. Every night of an online stay is checked against it, so a short booking cannot slip in on the edge.

Holding busy weeks for your regulars

Some sites keep a busy period, such as the summer, for longer stays while regulars book. In Nimbo Stay you can hold the summer for 7-night stays, then put every day back exactly as it was with one click. A held week cannot be nibbled at: a short stay that runs into it is not allowed either.

You can pair this with choosing the day next year opens for online booking, so your regulars can rebook their favourite pitches first.

Deposits that make sense for a busy weekend

A deposit protects you against a cancellation on dates you could have sold. There are three common ways to set one:

• A percentage of the stay
• A fixed amount
• The first night

Whichever you pick, set a minimum and a maximum so it behaves sensibly for short and long stays.

Say it plainly before they pay

The most important part of a deposit rule is that the guest understands it. Show the exact rule on the booking page before they pay, and again in their confirmation email, terms and on your website. In Nimbo Stay these always match your settings, so the page and the emails cannot disagree with each other.

Say too when the balance is due and how it will be taken. Where the guest ticks a box, the balance can be taken by itself on the due date, with a reminder 3 days before.

A simple way to start

If you are unsure, start by marking last year’s busiest weekends, set a minimum stay for those arrival days, and check how full you were on the same dates. Nimbo Stay’s season planner looks at how full you were on the same dates and suggests where a season up or down would earn more, and bank holiday weekends and school holidays are never suggested cheaper.

More on this is on our seasons, minimum stays and deposits page. If you are choosing a system, our checklist covers what to ask, and campsite booking software shows how Nimbo Stay handles booking.