The holidays are the few weeks a year when guests expect to pay more, and many hosts still leave money on the table. Some forget to raise rates until the dates are already booked at their normal price. Others raise them so high that the calendar sits empty on Christmas Eve.
The gap is real. A study by Upgraded Points found that Airbnb stays cost travelers 64% more on average during the holidays than the rest of the year: about 54% more during Thanksgiving week, 65% more at Christmas and 73% more at New Year’s (Upgraded Points). If your rates stay flat, you are underpriced against your own market.
Quick answer: For 2026, set holiday rates now, not in December. As a starting point, many markets support roughly 20–50% above your normal rate for Thanksgiving weekend, 30–60% for Christmas week and 50–100% for New Year’s Eve, with 3–4 night minimum stays on the peak nights. Then check your bookings weekly and lower prices on dates that are not filling 2–3 weeks out.
This guide gives you the 2026 dates of Airbnb Holiday Pricing, how to find the right premium for your market, how to avoid orphan nights, how Airbnb’s new dynamic pricing fits in, and a week-by-week plan starting today.
2026 holiday dates and starting rates
In 2026, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day all fall on a Thursday or Friday. That creates two long weekends in a row, so expect strong demand for Thursday-to-Sunday stays.
| Holiday period | 2026 dates | Peak nights | Starting premium over your normal rate | Suggested minimum stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving weekend | Wed Nov 25 – Sun Nov 29 | Wed and Thu (Nov 25–26) | +20–50% | 3 nights |
| Christmas | Thu Dec 24 – Sun Dec 27 | Thu and Fri (Dec 24–25) | +30–60% | 3–4 nights |
| Between the holidays | Mon Dec 28 – Wed Dec 30 | — | +15–30% | 2 nights |
| New Year’s Eve | Thu Dec 31 – Sun Jan 3, 2027 | Thu Dec 31 | +50–100% | 3 nights |
The premium ranges are starting points, not rules. They sit around the averages in the Upgraded Points study, but the same study shows huge local swings: New Year’s premiums of over 150% in Fort Myers and Las Vegas, and almost none in Los Angeles (Upgraded Points). Ski towns, warm-weather destinations and party cities usually sit at the top of the range. Business-heavy downtown areas can actually get quieter over the holidays.
Take the ranges to your own market data before you commit, as explained next.
How to set the right holiday premium for your market
The best holiday rate is the highest price that still fills your calendar. To find it, look at what is already happening in your market, not what you hope will happen.
- Check last year’s holidays. Open your calendar and earnings for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s 2025. When did those dates book, and at what rate? If New Year’s sold out by October, you were too cheap.
- Search like a guest. On Airbnb, search your area for each holiday weekend with your guest count. Note the nightly price of 8–10 listings similar to yours, and how many are already gone. Fewer than half still available is a strong signal to price at the top of the range.
- Look for local events. Parades, bowl games, concerts, Christmas markets and fireworks can push one night far above the rest. Check your city’s events calendar and the local tourism site.
- Price the whole stay, not just the night. A higher nightly rate plus your usual cleaning fee can make a short stay feel expensive. Our guide to cleaning fee strategy explains how to balance the two.
- Set a floor. Decide the lowest price you would accept on each holiday night. You will need it for the last-minute steps later.
If you already use a pricing tool, set a holiday override rather than relying on default seasonality. Our dynamic pricing strategy guide covers how to set rules that hold all year.
Minimum stays and orphan nights
A high rate on one night is worth little if it leaves the nights around it empty. A guest who books only New Year’s Eve can leave Dec 30 and Jan 1 as single “orphan” nights that rarely sell.
Use minimum stays on the peak nights only. Set a 3-night minimum for any stay that includes Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, and keep your normal minimum on the quieter dates around them. Airbnb lets you set a minimum stay by date range in your calendar, so you do not need to change your whole listing.
Fill gaps as they appear. When an orphan night opens up next to a booking:
- Lower that night’s minimum stay to 1 night.
- Drop its price close to your normal rate, or slightly below.
- Do it 7–10 days before the date, when last-minute travelers are searching.
Watch the turnover days. If Christmas guests check out Sunday Dec 27, make sure your cleaner is booked. Many cleaners raise rates or take holidays this week, so confirm the schedule now.
For more on keeping your calendar tidy across platforms, see our guide to calendar management.
Using Airbnb’s new dynamic pricing over the holidays
Airbnb’s 2026 Fall Update added an opt-in dynamic pricing feature, rolling out from October 2026. Airbnb recommends a price range for your listing, and nightly prices then adjust automatically within that range based on daily demand and supply. You can still change prices at any time and see how competitive you are against similar listings in the calendar (Rental Scale-Up). We cover the rest of the update in our post on Airbnb’s Fall Update.
How to use it for the holidays:
- Check the range on your peak nights. If Airbnb’s suggested top price for Dec 31 is lower than what your comps show, set that night manually.
- Do not let it undercut you early. Automatic pricing reacts to demand as it appears. For dates you know will sell, such as New Year’s Eve in a party city, a manual premium set early protects you from cheap early bookings.
- Let it work on the quiet nights. For Dec 28–30 and the days after Thanksgiving, automatic adjustment is useful for filling gaps.
- One tool at a time. If you already use a third-party pricing tool, decide which one controls your rates. Two systems changing the same night causes confusing results.
Hosts with five or fewer listings can also use Airbnb’s new AI earnings insights to see whether they are on track against nearby listings. Hosts with six or more listings get a multi-listing calendar that lets them change minimum stays and last-minute discounts in bulk (Rental Scale-Up). That is handy for setting holiday rules across a portfolio in one go.
Your week-by-week holiday pricing plan
It is early November, so you still have time to price every holiday properly. Follow this plan from today until the New Year.
2026 holiday pricing plan · Nov 5 to Jan 3
The first week matters most: once a holiday date books at your normal rate, that money is gone.
- This week (Nov 5–8): set premiums and 3-night minimums for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Set your floor price for each.
- Nov 12: check Thanksgiving. If the weekend is still mostly open, lower the price by about 10% and look at your listing photos and title.
- Nov 16–22: fill Thanksgiving orphan nights with 1-night minimums and near-normal prices.
- Dec 3: check Christmas and New Year’s Eve the same way. Strong pickup means hold or raise; slow pickup means small cuts.
- Dec 14–21: fill December gaps, especially Dec 28–30, and add last-minute discounts on any open nights.
- After New Year’s: note what booked, when and at what price. That is your starting point for 2027.
Protect your holiday bookings: rules, screening and cancellations
Higher holiday rates attract more bookings, and sometimes riskier ones. A few settings protect both your income and your property.
- Screen New Year’s Eve requests carefully. One-night local bookings with a large guest count deserve a closer look. Our guest screening checklist shows what to check before you accept.
- State holiday rules in writing. Confirm guest limits, quiet hours and a no-parties rule in your house rules, and repeat them in your check-in message.
- Pick your cancellation policy before the dates book. A late cancellation on Dec 31 is hard to resell. Compare the options in our guide to cancellation policies and choose one you are comfortable with for peak dates.
- Avoid cancelling a booking yourself. If a guest booked Christmas at last year’s low rate, honor it. Cancelling to rebook at a higher price brings host cancellation penalties and can hurt your listing. Set rates earlier next year instead.
- Know what you can charge for damage. Our guide to security deposits explains your options on Airbnb.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge on Airbnb for New Year’s Eve?
Start around 50–100% above your normal rate with a 3-night minimum, then adjust to what similar listings nearby are charging. Upgraded Points found New Year’s week stays averaged about 73% more than the rest of the year, with much higher premiums in cities such as Las Vegas and Fort Myers.
Should I raise my Airbnb prices for Thanksgiving?
In most leisure markets, yes. Thanksgiving week stays averaged about 54% more in the Upgraded Points study. In business-focused downtown areas, demand can drop, so check your local comps before raising rates.
What minimum stay should I set for the holidays?
A 3-night minimum on stays that include Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve works for most listings. Keep shorter minimums on the dates in between so you do not create empty gaps.
When should I set my holiday prices?
As early as possible. Many holiday dates book months ahead. If you have not set them yet, do it this week, then review your bookings weekly until the dates pass.
Should I lower my price if holiday dates are not booking?
If a holiday weekend is still mostly open 2–3 weeks out, lower the price in small steps, for example 10% at a time, and stop at your floor. Shorter minimum stays can help too.
Does Airbnb’s dynamic pricing handle holidays automatically?
It adjusts prices within Airbnb’s recommended range based on demand. For your highest-demand nights, review that range and set manual prices if your market supports more.
Price the holidays now, then keep watching
Holiday pricing is not a one-time change. Set your 2026 rates and minimum stays this week, check your bookings every week, and adjust in small steps as the dates get closer. Hosts who do this earn the holiday premium their market supports without ending up with an empty calendar on Christmas Eve. If your bookings are slow outside the holidays too, our guide on what to do when bookings are slowing down and how Airbnb search ranking works can help.
Watching comps, moving prices and filling orphan nights every week takes time. A HOSTassis Airbnb virtual assistant can handle pricing and booking management for you, along with guest messaging and cleaner coordination through the busiest weeks of the year.
Want your holiday calendar priced this week? Contact us for a free listing and pricing review.
