Booking window

How far into the future guests can reserve your property.

If your booking window is 12 months, a guest can book any date up to a year out and nothing beyond it. Dates past the window are simply not bookable, even when the calendar shows them as free.

Most property management systems let you set this per property, and the setting does real work. A short window protects you from selling next summer at this summer's rates. A long one captures guests who plan far ahead, such as wedding parties, ski weeks and anything tied to a fixed-date event.

Booking window is not the same as availability window. Some channels, Airbnb among them, separate the two:

• The booking window is how far ahead a guest can book instantly, with no action from you.
• An extended or availability window lets a guest request dates beyond that limit, which you then approve or decline.

That distinction matters because it lets you take far-out enquiries without committing to instant bookings at prices you have not set yet.

Related: [[Request to book]], [[Offline booking]]