Holiday and Premium Pricing
Holidays and special events are your highest-revenue opportunities. Argonautas uses rate overlays to capture that value -- date-specific adjustments that sit on top of your seasonal rates without modifying them.
How It Works
When the pricing engine calculates a nightly rate, it checks for an overlay first. If one exists for that date and property, the overlay rate takes precedence over the underlying season rate. Your seasonal rates stay intact.
Setting Up a Holiday Overlay
- Navigate to Rates & Pricing › Events.
- Click New event.
- Select the property.
- Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Christmas Week 2026").
- Set the start and end dates.
- Choose the overlay type:
- Additive -- Adds a fixed amount to the base season rate.
- Replacement -- Replaces the base rate entirely with a flat amount.
- Enter the amount.
- Optionally set a minimum stay override.
- Click Create Rate Overlay.
To use the same holiday on more villas, click Copy this event to other properties on the event's card.
Additive vs. Replacement
| Scenario | Type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Same dollar increase across properties with different base rates | Additive | Preserves relative pricing between villas. |
| Specific target price for the holiday | Replacement | Set the exact rate regardless of the season. |
| Flash discount below season rate | Replacement | Additive can only increase, not decrease. |
Costa Rica Holiday Calendar
| Holiday | Typical Dates | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas / New Year | Dec 20 -- Jan 5 | 30--60% above high season |
| Semana Santa | Varies (Mar/Apr) | 20--40% |
| US Thanksgiving | 4th Thu in Nov + weekend | Moderate spike |
| Spring Break | Mid-March to mid-April | Sustained demand |
| Presidents' Day Weekend | 3rd Mon in Feb | Moderate |
Example: Christmas Week
For a villa with a High Season rate of $350/night:
- Name: Christmas Week 2026
- Dates: Dec 20 -- Jan 4
- Type: Replacement
- Amount: $550
- Min Stay Override: 7 nights
Weekend Premiums
Weekend premiums are configured per property season and apply automatically to Friday and Saturday nights.
- Navigate to Rates & Pricing › Seasons, then By villa.
- Open a property season record.
- Enter the Weekend Premium amount.
- Save.
If the nightly rate is $250 and the weekend premium is $50, Friday and Saturday cost $300.
Note: A Replacement overlay sets the final rate, even on weekends: if it sets $550, Friday is $550 too. An Additive overlay is added on top of the season rate and its weekend premium.
How Overlays Interact with Rates
The pricing engine works out each night in this order:
- Property season rate or base rate -- Plus the weekend premium on Friday and Saturday.
- Rate overlay -- If one covers the date, it adds to that rate or replaces it.
- No rate -- With no season and no base rate, automatic pricing cannot be calculated.
Length-of-stay discounts still apply to overlay rates. A 10% discount for 7+ nights applies to the overlay rate just as it would to the season rate.
Managing Overlays Year Over Year
- Review last year's overlays for occupancy and revenue performance.
- Use Duplicate overlay to another year on an event's card to roll it forward. Then adjust the amounts.
- Create new overlays 6--12 months ahead. Guests book peak periods early.
- Delete expired overlays to keep the list clean.
- Verify on the villa's Pricing tab calendar that overlays appear correctly.
Best Practices
- Use replacement overlays for peak holidays and additive for moderate premiums.
- Set minimum stay overrides for holidays (5--7 nights reduces turnover).
- Name overlays with the year: "Christmas Week 2026" not "Christmas Week".
- Document pricing decisions in the internal note field.
Related
- Rate Overlays -- Detailed overlay management guide.
- Seasonal Rates -- Setting up season templates.
- Minimum Stay Rules -- Configuring minimum stay requirements.