StaysAlert FAQs
Questions worth
asking.
How StaysAlert thinks about price, minimum stays, market evidence and the decisions behind your Daily Action.
What does StaysAlert actually do?
StaysAlert is designed to compare your property with realistic alternatives for the same dates and guest party. It examines the evidence behind availability, minimum-stay requirements and guest-facing prices to help owners decide whether a price or stay restriction deserves review.
Its purpose is not to generate constant price changes. It's to help owners make better-informed decisions.
Is StaysAlert a dynamic pricing tool?
No. StaysAlert is evidence-led market monitoring, not generic dynamic pricing. It starts with a simpler question: does anything actually need changing? Evidence before action.
When would StaysAlert recommend raising my price?
When your final guest-facing price is materially below the genuinely bookable market for that exact stay. A PRICE · RAISE recommendation is based on what a guest can actually book, not an advertised rate that is unavailable.
Isn't StaysAlert mainly about discounting empty nights?
No. An empty night is not automatically a reason to discount. Sometimes the smartest price change is no price change at all. StaysAlert looks for evidence that supports a move in either direction — or supports holding steady.
When would StaysAlert increase my minimum stay?
When the available comparable market supports a longer stay pattern for the dates and party in question. Price and minimum stay are independent recommendations, so a useful outcome can be PRICE · RAISE alongside MINIMUM STAY · CHANGE ↑.
Can StaysAlert recommend raising the price and increasing the minimum stay at the same time?
Yes, where the evidence supports both decisions. Price and minimum stay solve different parts of the same booking question, and each must earn its own recommendation.
Can StaysAlert reduce a minimum stay?
Yes. If a shorter minimum stay is better aligned with genuinely bookable alternatives, StaysAlert can recommend a change. It will not assume that longer is always better.
What makes a property a genuine competitor?
Being listed in the same destination isn't enough. A genuine competitor must be a realistic alternative for the same dates and number of guests, with compatible booking conditions and a verified final guest price.
An advertised search price alone doesn't establish that a property is genuinely bookable. If the evidence is incomplete, that listing shouldn't influence a pricing recommendation.
Can I choose the geographic area StaysAlert compares?
Yes. StaysAlert's property configuration supports an owner-defined competitor-market radius. This helps establish which nearby properties are relevant to the comparison.
Location is only one part of suitability. Accommodation type, capacity, booking conditions and verified evidence also matter. Defining a radius does not guarantee that every property within it will be discovered.
Can I prioritise particular guest numbers?
Yes. Owners can define which guest numbers they most want to attract, distinguishing primary, welcome, opportunistic and permitted bookings.
These preferences help StaysAlert interpret market evidence in the context of the property's commercial objectives. Competitor availability and pricing evidence remain independent of those preferences.
Why might StaysAlert find no eligible competitors?
Because availability, party size or minimum-stay rules can rule out apparent alternatives. Sometimes zero is the right answer: thin evidence is not turned into a false comparison.
What happens when the evidence isn't strong enough?
StaysAlert does not manufacture an instruction. If the evidence doesn't pass, it doesn't get a vote. The right outcome may be REVIEW or no action rather than a forced change.
What is the Daily Action?
It is a single daily view of what deserves attention next. It can show independent decisions such as PRICE · HOLD and MINIMUM STAY · REVIEW, with the relevant market evidence behind each.
Does StaysAlert make the changes to my listing automatically?
No. StaysAlert provides evidence and recommendations for an owner to understand and review. It does not make listing changes automatically.
Which markets does StaysAlert currently monitor?
StaysAlert is developing independent market comparisons across Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo, with different levels of verified evidence currently available on each platform.
Airbnb: Exact-stay availability and guest-price verification have been demonstrated for selected properties.
Booking.com: Availability, occupancy-sensitive pricing and stay restrictions are being independently verified following supplier improvements.
Vrbo: Per-date availability, minimum-stay and check-in/check-out evidence have passed an initial live test. Guest-specific bookability and verified final checkout prices are not yet established.
StaysAlert distinguishes between available calendar evidence and prices that are independently reliable enough to support a recommendation. An incomplete or unverified result must not be presented as a confirmed price comparison.
Does StaysAlert only work in Brighton?
No. Brighton is used as a development and demonstration environment. The evidence standard is designed to travel with every monitored property.
How far ahead does StaysAlert monitor?
The next 30 days.
Will StaysAlert always recommend doing something?
No. Price: RAISE · HOLD · REDUCE · REVIEW. Minimum stay: HOLD · CHANGE · REVIEW. Sometimes the evidence supports leaving a stay exactly as it is.
Can I see why StaysAlert made a recommendation?
Yes. Each recommendation is grounded in the relevant stay and the genuinely bookable alternatives behind it, so the decision can be understood and reviewed rather than simply accepted.
How do I try StaysAlert with my property?
Start by sharing your holiday rental listing and an upcoming stay you'd like to understand better. Include the dates and number of guests.
We'll review the enquiry and explain the next steps for assessing relevant market evidence. There is no requirement to replace your existing pricing software.
Why can Vrbo, Airbnb and Booking.com show different prices?
Different platforms can display prices in different ways. Guest numbers, stay dates, currencies, cleaning charges, platform fees and booking conditions can all affect what appears on screen.
That's why comparing two advertised nightly rates isn't necessarily comparing two equivalent stays. The meaningful figure is the verified total a guest would pay for the same booking requirements.
Does StaysAlert replace PriceLabs, Beyond or Wheelhouse?
No. StaysAlert is designed to complement existing pricing software, not replace it.
Dynamic pricing tools help owners and managers respond to demand and market conditions. StaysAlert focuses on whether genuinely comparable accommodation provides sufficient evidence to review a particular price or minimum-stay decision.
Why doesn't StaysAlert always use the cheapest property in a search?
Because the cheapest advertised property isn't necessarily an alternative your guest could actually book.
It may have different capacity, restrictions, facilities, availability or additional charges. A meaningful comparison must reflect the guest's actual requirements rather than simply selecting the lowest visible price.