Seasonal Rates
Seasonal pricing is the foundation of the Argonautas rate system. You define named date ranges (season templates), then assign specific nightly rates, minimum stays, and discounts to each property for each season. This two-layer approach lets you manage dozens of properties without duplicating date ranges.
Overview
Seasonal rates are built from two components that work together:
- Season Templates -- Named date ranges that define when each season occurs (e.g., "High Season 2026" runs Dec 15 -- Apr 15).
- Property Seasons -- Per-property pricing records that define how much to charge and what rules apply during each season template.
This separation means you set your calendar once and then configure pricing independently for each property. Dates no season covers use the villa's base nightly rate, set on its Pricing tab (see Pricing a Villa).
Season Templates
Season templates contain no pricing information. Each one is a name, a year, a date range, and the partner it belongs to. Every villa assigned to a template shares its dates.
Go to Rates & Pricing › Seasons and keep the By season view to manage them. Pick the year at the top. Each row shows the template's dates, its length in days, how many villas are priced against it (for example 6 of 6), and a status (Active, Upcoming, or Past). Click the villa count to expand the row and see each villa's rate. Tick Show past seasons to include seasons that have ended.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Template Name | A descriptive label (e.g., "High Season 2026", "Green Season") |
| Year | The calendar year, used for filtering and grouping |
| Partner | The partner the template belongs to, or Direct (no partner). It cannot be changed later |
| Start Date | First day of the season (inclusive) |
| End Date | Last day of the season (inclusive) |
| Calendar Color | Optional color for calendar display |
Creating a season template:
- Go to Rates & Pricing › Seasons and click New Template.
- Enter the template name, year, partner, and date range.
- Optionally choose a calendar color.
- Click Create Season Template.
Each row also has buttons to edit the template, duplicate it to another year, copy it to another partner, or delete it. Click the pencil next to a name to rename it in place.
Typical Season Structure for Costa Rica
Most vacation rental managers in Costa Rica use three to four seasons:
| Season | Typical Dates | Character |
|---|---|---|
| High Season | Dec 15 -- Apr 15 | Peak demand, dry weather |
| Green Season | Apr 16 -- Nov 30 | Lower demand, lush scenery |
| Holiday Peak | Dec 20 -- Jan 5 | Premium pricing within high season |
| Shoulder | Nov 1 -- Dec 14 | Transitional period |
You can define as many seasons as your pricing strategy requires. On one villa, a season can sit fully inside another (Holiday Peak inside High Season), but two seasons that only partly overlap are rejected.
Property Seasons
Once your season templates exist, you assign pricing to each property for each season. Go to Rates & Pricing › Seasons and switch to By villa. You see a grid with one row per villa and one column per season that year, with the nightly rate in each cell.
Each property season record includes:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Currency | USD, EUR, GBP, or CRC |
| Nightly Rate | Base price per night (rack rate) |
| Weekend Premium | Optional extra for Friday and Saturday nights |
| Minimum Stay (Arrival) | Minimum number of nights for a booking arriving during this season |
| Minimum Stay (Through) | Minimum number of nights for a stay passing through dates in this season (see Minimum Stay Rules) |
| Maximum Stay | Optional upper limit on booking length |
| Orphan Min Stay | Optional shorter minimum for a gap between two bookings |
| Base Guests | Guests included in the nightly rate. Leave blank to use the villa's setting |
| Extra Guest Fee per Night | Charge per night for each guest above Base Guests |
| Length of Stay Discounts | Tiers of minimum nights and discount percentage |
| Last-Minute Discounts | Tiers of days before arrival and discount percentage |
Assigning a season to a property:
- Go to Rates & Pricing › Seasons, switch to By villa, and click Add Rate (or click the empty cell for that villa and season).
- Select the property and the season template.
- Enter the nightly rate, minimum stay, and any discounts.
- Click Assign Rate.
Click a filled cell to edit that rate, then click Update Rate. Each property can have only one property season per season template.
Bulk Assignment
When you create a new season template, you can price many villas against it at once.
- On the Seasons tab, click Bulk Assign.
- Select the template.
- Set the currency, weekend premium, and default minimum stay.
- Select the villas.
- Enter each villa's nightly rate. To give them all the same rate, type an amount and click Fill All.
- Click Assign to Properties.
You can then adjust individual property seasons as needed -- the bulk action is a starting point, not a permanent link.
Seasonal Strategy Tips
- Cover the full year. Gaps in season coverage prevent automatic pricing for those dates. Make sure every day of the calendar year falls within at least one season template.
- Start with three seasons. High, green, and a holiday peak is enough for most Costa Rica properties. Add more granularity only if your pricing genuinely varies.
- Use minimum stays strategically. Set 5-7 night minimums during high season to maximize revenue per turnover. Drop to 2-3 nights during green season to improve occupancy.
- Add LOS discounts in green season. Offering 10-15% off for weekly stays during slower months fills gaps that short bookings cannot.
- Plan a year ahead. Create next year's season templates and property seasons before your competitors. Guests booking 6-12 months out need rates available.
- Review annually. Market conditions shift. Compare your rates against competitors each year and adjust property seasons accordingly.
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 what rules apply.
- Rack Rate -- The published nightly rate charged to guests.
- Net Rate -- The rate paid to the property owner or partner (used for commission tracking on imported rates).
- Weekend Premium -- An additional nightly charge applied to Friday and Saturday nights.
Common Questions
Can two season templates overlap? Yes, if one sits fully inside the other (e.g., a "Holiday Peak" within "High Season"). The pricing engine uses the shortest season for any given date. On one villa, two seasons that only partly overlap are rejected.
What happens if I delete a season template? You cannot delete a season template that is assigned to properties. Remove those villa rates first, then delete the template.
Are seasonal rates synced to OTAs? Yes. Property season rates are pushed to connected channels (Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO). Changes to property seasons trigger a rate sync automatically.
Can different properties have different currencies? Each property season has a currency field, but keep all of one villa's rates in one currency. The system flags a villa priced in more than one currency as a data mistake.
Related
- Pricing Guide -- How the full layered rate system works, including LOS discounts and booking price calculations.
- Rate Overlays -- Creating holiday and event-specific pricing overrides.
- Rate Import -- Bulk importing rates from a spreadsheet.
- Fees and Taxes -- Configuring cleaning fees, service fees, and tax rates.