Pricing Guide
Argonautas uses a layered rate system that gives you precise control over pricing across properties and time periods. This guide explains how rates are structured, how discounts work, and how the system calculates the final price for a booking.
Overview
Pricing in Argonautas is built on three layers that stack on top of each other:
- Season Templates -- Define named date ranges (e.g., "High Season," "Green Season").
- Property Seasons -- Assign a nightly rate, minimum stay, and discounts to each property for each season.
- Rate Overlays -- Apply special adjustments for holidays, events, or promotions that override the underlying season rate for specific date ranges.
This layered approach means you define your calendar once (season templates), then set pricing per property (property seasons), and finally handle exceptions (overlays) -- without duplicating date ranges across dozens of properties.
The Rate Hierarchy
Layer 1: Season Templates
Season templates define when your seasons occur. They are shared across all properties in your company.
- Each template has a name (e.g., "High Season 2026"), a start date, and an end date.
- Templates do not contain pricing -- they are purely date ranges.
- You manage season templates from Rates > Season Templates.
Example:
| Template Name | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| High Season 2026 | Dec 15, 2025 | Apr 15, 2026 |
| Green Season 2026 | Apr 16, 2026 | Nov 30, 2026 |
| Holiday Peak 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 | Jan 5, 2027 |
Layer 2: Property Seasons
Property seasons attach pricing to a season template for a specific property. This is where you set:
- Nightly rate -- The base price per night.
- Weekend premium -- An optional surcharge applied to weekend nights (Friday/Saturday).
- Minimum stay -- The minimum number of nights required to book.
- Maximum stay -- An optional upper limit on booking length.
- Currency -- The currency for this rate (e.g., USD, CRC).
- LOS discounts -- Length-of-stay discounts (see below).
- Last-minute discounts -- Discounts for bookings made close to the arrival date.
You manage property seasons from Rates > Property Seasons or directly from the main Rates page.
Layer 3: Rate Overlays
Rate overlays let you override the property season rate for specific date ranges -- useful for holidays, local festivals, or flash sales.
- An overlay targets a specific property and date range.
- It can adjust the nightly rate (up or down), change the minimum stay, or apply a percentage modifier.
- Overlays take precedence over the underlying property season for the dates they cover.
You manage overlays from Rates > Rate Overlays.
Length-of-Stay (LOS) Discounts
LOS discounts reward guests who book longer stays. They are configured per property season as a list of tiers:
| Minimum Nights | Discount |
|---|---|
| 7 | 5% |
| 14 | 10% |
| 28 | 15% |
How LOS discounts are calculated:
- The system determines the total number of nights in the booking.
- It finds the highest LOS tier whose minimum-nights threshold is met.
- The discount percentage is applied to the base accommodation cost (nightly rate times nights).
For example, a 10-night stay at $200/night with the tiers above:
- Base cost: 10 x $200 = $2,000
- Qualifying tier: 7-night tier (5% discount) -- the 14-night tier does not apply because the stay is only 10 nights.
- Discount: $2,000 x 5% = $100
- Discounted accommodation: $1,900
LOS discounts appear as a line item in the booking's price breakdown.
How Booking Prices Are Calculated
When you create a manual booking or when a quote is generated, the pricing engine follows this sequence:
- Determine the applicable rate. For each night of the stay, the system looks for a rate overlay first. If none exists, it falls back to the property season that covers that date.
- Calculate the base accommodation cost. Nightly rate (or overlay rate) multiplied by the number of nights. Weekend premiums are added for qualifying nights.
- Apply LOS discounts. If the stay length meets a LOS tier threshold, the corresponding percentage is subtracted from the base cost.
- Add charges. Additional line items such as:
- Cleaning fee (flat amount)
- Service fee (percentage or flat)
- Tourism tax
- Other custom charges
- Calculate the total. Base cost minus LOS discount plus all charges equals the total booking price.
The live quote sidebar on the booking creation page shows this breakdown in real time as you select a property, dates, and guest count.
[Screenshot: The booking creation sidebar showing a price quote with base rate, cleaning fee, service fee, and total.]
Viewing and Managing Rates
The main Rates page provides three view modes:
- List View -- A card for each property season showing the season name, property, date range, nightly rate, weekend premium, minimum stay, and discount counts. Cards are labeled "Active" or "Inactive" based on whether the current date falls within the season.
- Calendar View -- A visual timeline showing rates, seasons, and overlays on a calendar grid. Click any cell to edit the rate or season for that date.
- Matrix View -- A cross-property overview. Click a property to switch to its calendar view.
From the Rates page you can also navigate to the four sub-sections via the navigation cards at the top:
- Season Templates -- Create and edit date ranges.
- Property Seasons -- Assign pricing to each property/season combination.
- Rate Overlays -- Add holiday or event-specific pricing adjustments.
- Import Rates -- Bulk import rates from a spreadsheet or external source.
[Screenshot: The Rates page in list view showing several property seasons with nightly rates, date ranges, and discount counts.]
Best Practices for Competitive Pricing
- Cover the full year. Make sure every property has property seasons that span the entire calendar year. Gaps in season coverage can prevent bookings for those dates.
- Use LOS discounts to fill gaps. Offering 5-10% off for weekly stays and 10-15% for monthly stays increases occupancy during shoulder seasons.
- Set minimum stays strategically. Higher minimums during peak season maximize revenue; lower minimums during green/low season improve occupancy.
- Use overlays sparingly. Overlays are powerful but can become hard to track if overused. Reserve them for true exceptions (holidays, events, last-minute promotions).
- Review rates quarterly. Market conditions change. Use the Matrix view to compare rates across properties and ensure consistency.
- Consider weekend premiums. If your properties see higher weekend demand, a modest weekend premium (10-20%) captures that value without requiring separate seasons.
Key Concepts
- Season Template -- A named date range shared across all properties. Defines when, not how much.
- Property Season -- The pricing record that ties a property to a season template. Defines how much and how long.
- Rate Overlay -- A date-specific override that takes precedence over the property season rate.
- LOS Discount -- A percentage discount applied when the booking meets a minimum-nights threshold.
- Last-Minute Discount -- A percentage discount applied when the booking is made within a certain number of days before arrival.
- Weekend Premium -- An additional nightly charge applied to Friday and Saturday nights.
- Base Rate -- The nightly rate before any discounts, premiums, or charges.
Common Questions
What happens if a date is not covered by any season? The system will not be able to generate a price quote for dates without a property season. Bookings for those dates can still be created manually with a custom total price, but automatic pricing will not work.
Can I have overlapping seasons for the same property? No. Each date for a given property must belong to at most one property season. The system will flag conflicts if you try to create overlapping seasons.
Do LOS discounts stack? No. Only the highest qualifying tier applies. If a guest books 30 nights and you have 7-night (5%), 14-night (10%), and 28-night (15%) tiers, only the 15% discount is applied.
How do I set different rates for different guest counts? The current pricing model is per-night, not per-guest. If you need to charge for extra guests beyond a base occupancy, add a custom charge line item to the booking.
Are rates synced to OTA channels? Yes. Property season rates are pushed to connected channels through your channel provider. Rate overlays are also synced where the channel supports date-specific rate adjustments.
Related
- Booking Lifecycle -- How bookings are created and how pricing appears in the booking detail view.
- Season Templates -- Managing your season date ranges.
- Property Seasons -- Assigning rates to properties.
- Rate Overlays -- Creating holiday and event pricing overrides.
- Fees and Taxes -- Configuring cleaning fees, service fees, and tax rates.