Yes, you can set different nightly rates for weekends, holidays, and high season in WPRentals without code. You do it from clear pricing screens, with fields for weekend prices and custom date ranges that override your base rate. The theme then uses those rules in the calendar, search, and booking form so guests always see the right amount.
How does WPRentals let me set higher weekend nightly rates with no coding?
You can set a higher weekend rate that applies to certain days using simple price fields. It looks technical at first. It really isn’t.
In WPRentals, every listing has a main price field plus a weekend price field in the pricing settings. Once you set a weekend price and save, the booking form and property calendar use that rate on weekend days. This setup makes it simple for a non‑technical host to charge more for busy nights like Fridays and Saturdays.
The theme also lets you define what “weekend” means for your whole site in one panel. In WPRentals global options you choose if the weekend is Friday–Sunday, Friday–Saturday, or Saturday–Sunday, and that pattern is used for all listings. Each owner still decides the weekend price per property, so a small studio can have a lower weekend rate than a large villa.
Once weekend rules are saved, guests don’t have to think about them because the system does the math. The weekend price is used in search results, on the listing calendar, and in the final booking cost. When you switch a listing to hourly mode, WPRentals even gives you a weekend hourly price field so short rentals can also charge more on busy days.
- You can enter a separate weekend price per listing in the pricing settings.
- You can define the weekend pattern globally as Friday–Sunday, Friday–Saturday, or Saturday–Sunday.
- Weekend pricing is used automatically in search, listing calendars, and booking forms.
- Weekend pricing also works in hourly mode with a special weekend hourly rate.
Can I create custom seasonal and holiday rates that override my default nightly price?
Seasonal date ranges can override your standard rate for holidays and peak months using custom period pricing. That part sounds complex. But the steps are short.
In WPRentals, each listing has one base nightly price plus unlimited “custom price per period” rules. You pick a start and end date, type a price, save the rule, and that value replaces the base rate for those dates. This lets you raise prices for peak season or lower them in slow months without changing your main default rate.
Because each rule is tied to dates, you can be very precise about holidays. For example, you can create one period for 20 December to 5 January, another for Easter week, and another for a three‑day local festival. WPRentals then checks booked dates against these periods and uses the seasonal price first, before any weekly or monthly discounts are applied.
The same seasonal engine works in both daily and hourly booking modes, which helps if you rent different things on the same site. You might set a higher hourly price for a meeting room for one weekend event, while also giving your apartments a higher nightly rate for the same dates. The theme keeps all periods per listing, so one property can have many special seasons while another has only a few.
| Use case | Example date range | Custom period price |
|---|---|---|
| Summer high season | 1 July to 31 August | Higher nightly price than base |
| Christmas and New Year | 20 December to 5 January | Premium holiday nightly price |
| Local festival weekend | 3 days around event | Short special event surcharge |
| Winter low season | 1 November to 15 December | Lower off season nightly price |
| Hourly event days | Single weekend in May | Higher hourly rate for those dates |
The table shows how WPRentals custom periods cover many pricing ideas using clear date ranges. By stacking several periods, you can shape a yearly calendar where each key season and holiday gets the right price with no custom code.
How do weekly and monthly discounts combine with weekend and high-season pricing?
Length‑of‑stay discounts stack with your weekend and seasonal prices during price calculation. At first this feels like too many moving parts. It helps to follow the order.
Each listing in WPRentals has fields for weekly and monthly discounts that you can set as percent or fixed values. After the system picks the right nightly or hourly rate for each date, including any weekend or custom period rules, it checks how many nights are booked. If the stay meets your weekly or monthly rules, the theme applies those discounts on top of the chosen prices.
This means a seven‑night booking over a high‑season weekend can still get a weekly discount, while keeping the higher holiday base. The booking form shows guests the full total after all add‑ons and discounts so they see one clear number before they send a request or pay. For many owners, even a 10 percent weekly discount and 20 percent monthly discount can help longer stays without any manual edits.
Can I enforce different minimum stays and check‑in rules for holidays and peak season?
You can set stricter minimum stays and check‑in days for peak periods using custom rules per listing. Some hosts skip this. Then they end up with gaps and awkward stays.
Every property in WPRentals starts with global minimum and maximum night values that the booking form will always respect. If a guest picks dates shorter than the minimum or longer than the maximum, the form blocks the request and shows a message. On top of that, you can create custom period rules where a different minimum stay applies only for chosen dates, like a 5‑night minimum from 23 to 27 December.
The same custom period panel also controls changeover rules, which define allowed check‑in and check‑out weekdays. For example, you can require Saturday check‑in and Saturday check‑out for July and August while leaving the rest of the year flexible. WPRentals then checks the start and end day picked by the guest and refuses dates that break those changeover settings.
For busy times, the theme includes turnover and buffer day options so you can avoid same‑day arrivals and departures. You might add a 1‑day buffer when the high‑season period is active, giving cleaning staff a full day between guests. Since all these settings live per listing, one property can be strict in summer while another stays open to short bookings all year.
Does WPRentals support hourly rates and weekend surcharges for short rentals?
Hourly rentals can use a different weekend price without custom code or extra plugins. If you rent meeting rooms, that matters a lot.
In WPRentals settings you can choose between daily or hourly booking mode for your site, and then adjust each listing. For an hourly listing you set a base price per hour, a weekend price per hour, and a minimum and maximum number of hours per booking. The booking form will block any request shorter or longer than what you allow.
This setup works well for things like meeting rooms, small event spaces, or gear rentals that are busy on weekends. The theme still respects custom price periods in hourly mode, so a special date range can also raise or lower the hourly rate. Because the rules live in simple fields, a host can change prices or hour limits fast, often in under 2 minutes, without touching code.
One note from experience. You might think hourly rules are separate, but hosts often reuse the same date ideas from nightly periods and forget to line them up. Then numbers don’t match between listings, which gets annoying. So it can help to write down your main seasons first, even on paper, then mirror them for hourly and nightly rentals.
FAQ
Do I need to code anything to set weekend, seasonal, and holiday pricing in WPRentals?
No, all weekend, seasonal, and holiday prices in WPRentals are managed through built‑in configuration screens. You use price fields, date pickers, and checkboxes in the WordPress admin or front‑end owner dashboard.
WPRentals handles the math and rule priority during booking, so non‑technical hosts stay in control. As long as you can choose dates and type numbers, you can run complex pricing rules.
How does WPRentals decide which rule wins when dates overlap?
WPRentals gives custom period prices priority over the base rate and then applies discounts last. First, the system checks if the chosen dates fall into any “custom price per period” rule and uses that value when they do.
Next, weekend or weekday differences are handled inside that chosen rate. Finally, if the length of stay matches your weekly or monthly settings, the theme applies those discounts on top of the calculated total.
Can different listings use different weekend and seasonal settings in WPRentals?
Yes, every listing in WPRentals can have its own weekend prices, custom periods, and discounts. One property might set a 2‑night minimum with only a small weekend increase, while another uses strict 7‑night stays and strong seasonal jumps.
Each owner edits pricing in that listing’s panel or front‑end dashboard, and their changes affect only that property. This per‑listing control is helpful if you run a site with many owners and a wide mix of homes.
How can I test my pricing and rules before going live for guests?
You can test WPRentals pricing by using the property calendar and booking form just like a guest. After saving your prices and rules, open the listing page and try sample date ranges that hit weekends, holidays, and long stays.
The total shown in the booking form will reflect all active rules so you can confirm numbers match your expectations. Many hosts run 3 to 5 test bookings as a quick check before sharing their site.
