Last Updated on June 16, 2023 by Rental Recon
As an Airbnb host, one of your most important tasks will be managing your rental calendar. Your calendar will show you when your rental is available for booking, when a reservation is confirmed, dates you have manually blocked, and the nightly price.
In addition to this basic information, Airbnb has made your calendar and even more useful tool by adding symbols and colors to provide you important information about your Airbnb rental.
What to do the symbols and colors mean on my Airbnb calendar?
The various symbols and colors provide a host with insights into their rental and booking practices. Some symbols will indicate that a night is priced too high while others will tell a host they can raise their price. Different colors will show if the rental is available on different dates. Keep reading to find out what each symbol on your Airbnb calendar is telling you.
What Airbnb Calendar Icons Will I See on My Calendar?
Your Airbnb calendar is packed with information about your rental. Some symbols you may come across include:
- Red dots
- Black dots
- Lightbulb
- “Trending Up” arrow
- Dates greyed out
- Dates crossed out
Each of these symbols corresponds to information about the availability of your rental, the nightly rate, your calendar settings, or what Airbnb guests are currently searching for.
What does the Airbnb Calendar Red Dot Mean?
If you are seeing red dots on your Airbnb calendar, it is because there is a low demand for rental bookings on those dates in your area. It can also be an indication that your property is not likely to be booked at the current set rate. If you see red dots on certain dates on you calendar, consider these adjustments:
- Lower your nightly rate for those dates- Red dots can indicate that the rate for your rental on those dates is higher than comparable properties in your area. Consider lowering your nightly rate on these dates to secure more bookings.
- Adjust your listing to attract more guests- If your property isn’t attracting guests at the current set rate, you may want to edit your listing to be more appealing. You can lower your cleaning rate, change check-in or check-out times, or include a local experience in your booking. These extras will increase the value of your rental.
If you see a red dot on your calendar, you should also know that Smart Pricing is not currently activated for that listing.
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What Does a Black Dot on My Airbnb Calendar Mean?
You may open your open your Airbnb calendar to see black dots on various days. This is actually a good sign. Black dots on your calendar mean that those dates are popular booking dates. If you click the black dot, the window will expand, and Airbnb will tell you that you can raise your nightly rate for this date and still secure a booking.
How Do I Change the Pricing on My Calendar?
Now that you know that red and black dots indicate that you may need to adjust the pricing for your rental, how exactly do you change the default nightly rate for specific dates? Follow these steps:
- Locate “Calendar” from your dashboard.
- Select this listing you want to adjust.
- Scroll through the calendar to find the date you would like to adjust.
- Select the date and in the window that pops up, select “nightly price”.
- Enter in your new desired nightly rate.
- Click save.
Your new nightly rate will now show for each night you selected to change.
Why is my Airbnb Calendar Greyed Out?
If you discover that there are days on your calendar that are colored grey, it means that your rental is not available for new reservations on those days. This could be either because those days are already reserved or because you have manually blocked out those days to prevent a reservation. If you have manually blocked out the days, you will see a slash through the date on the calendar.
Other Important Symbols and Their Meanings
Lightbulb- A lightbulb on your calendar indicates that someone looked at your rental, but then booked another comparable rental at a cheaper price. Airbnb will let you know how much less the other rental was booked for to help you with future pricing.
“Trending Up” Arrow- If you a “trending up” arrow or a “squiggly line” arrow, it indicates that you have smart pricing turned on for your rental. Smart Pricing automatically controls all the nightly rates for your rental. Airbnb will change your rental price depending on the demand for listings like yours.
How to Turn on Smart Pricing?
Smart pricing takes into consideration the type and location of the listing, the season, and the demand for similar listings when setting the best price. Here is how to turn on Smart Pricing for your listing:
- Go to your listing from your host dashboard.
- Select the listing you wish to change.
- Click on “pricing” at the top of the page.
- You will see an option for nightly price, click “edit”.
- Click “smart pricing” to turn this feature on.
Final Thoughts
Understanding your calendar is an important part of successfully running your Airbnb. Your calendar is full of useful information that will help you competitively price your rental to maximize your bookings. When you see a new icon that you may not recognize, try clicking on the icon to see if an explanation pops up. Normally, Airbnb provides a legend to help decipher the icons on your calendar.
Related Questions
Usually, Airbnb prices will actually increase the closer you get to the date of the stay. Hosts will generally keep the price higher for last-minute stays.
Managing your calendar is an important aspect of being an Airbnb host. To manage your calendar, log into your account and select “manage your listing”. Next you will want to select “Calendar” from the menu. From here, you can scroll through your calendar and select a date to edit. Be sure to click save when you are finished.
A red dot on your Airbnb profile (not on your calendar) means that you have a notification that has yet to be viewed.
To see a price on a specific date on your Airbnb calendar, log into your account and select “manage my listing”. From here, you will want to select “calendar” then you can scroll through your calendar to find to see prices on available dates.
From your host account, select the listing you would like to add a discount to. From here, click edit and then select the pricing tab. From this option you will have the ability to add discounts for any dates for this listin
demand of your listing, Airbnb prices your property to increase the booking odds. Although Smart Pricing is convenient for indecisive hosts, it does come with mixed reviews. Many hosts think it prices their listings too low. Consider using Wheelhouse. Check out their features HERE.
