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STR Pricing Calculator

Set nightly rates that pay you properly on every channel · by Chikara Consulting
Demo

For holiday lets, glamping sites and short-term rental managers

Set nightly rates that pay you properly on every channel

Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Vrbo and your own website each take a different cut, and the discounts guests get on top stack up in ways most hosts never check. The STR Pricing Calculator works out the exact markup each channel needs, shows every price a guest could pay, and tells you what's left after your running costs.

One-off £24.95. No subscription, no renewal, no catches. Covers up to 3 properties.

+56.7%The Booking.com markup needed to still take home £150 a night once a Genius 2 guest books on mobile
23.5%What a 15% Genius discount and a 10% mobile rate really add up to. It isn't 25%.
−£8.82Lost on every night a Genius 3 guest books on mobile, if your markup only planned for Genius 2

Worked example from the calculator: £150 a night take-home, standard Booking.com fees.

What you get

Step 2 of the calculator: channel fees with Genius level 2 and a mobile rate ticked for Booking.com
Tick the deals you run. Genius levels, mobile rates, Booking.com deals, Airbnb promotions, Expedia member prices and more, with your own fees.
Step 3: the markup each channel needs, with the lowest and highest price a guest could pay
See the markup for every channel. Plus every price a guest could pay, from no discount to every deal stacked, and what each one pays you.
Step 4: running costs split across three pods and profit per night, per stay and per year
Know your real profit. Cleaning, laundry, energy and insurance per night, with shared bills split across your properties.

Why one markup for every channel loses you money

Every channel takes a different cut

Airbnb's host-only fee, Booking.com's commission and payment charge, Expedia and Vrbo commission and your own card fees all differ. A single markup leaves some channels paying you well under your rate.

Discounts stack on top

Genius, mobile rates, country rates and deals multiply together, and you can't choose which Genius level a guest has. Most hosts never see what the guest with every discount actually pays them.

Costs eat the margin

Cleaning, laundry, energy and insurance come off every stay. Without them in the sum, a rate that looks good can leave very little profit, or none.

Who it's for

New operators

  • Launch with rates that make sense from the first booking
  • Know your break-even before you go live
  • Set every channel up correctly in your channel manager first time

Existing operators

  • Check your markups cover the Genius levels and promotions you've switched on
  • Find the channel quietly paying you less than the rest
  • See what a discount does to your payout before you turn it on

Managing agents

  • Show owners exactly how their rates are set and what they'll take home
  • Save each client property with its own fees, deals and costs
  • Add 3 more properties for £24.95 as you take on clients

One-off payment

£24.95 for full access

  • No subscription. Pay once. Nothing renews and there's nothing to cancel.
  • Up to 3 properties, each with its own fees, deals and costs
  • Every channel: Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Vrbo and your own website
  • Use it on your phone and computer, in up to 2 browsers
  • Need more? Add 3 more properties for £24.95 on the same code
  • Your figures stay in your browser. Card payment is handled by Stripe.

£24.95one-off

You'll get your access code on screen and by email.

How it works

  1. Pay £24.95 by card. Your access code appears on screen straight away and arrives by email.
  2. Add your properties and enter the take-home you want per night or per stay.
  3. Tick your fees and deals for each channel, then add your running costs.
  4. Copy the markups into Hostaway, Guesty, Lodgify, Smoobu or whichever channel manager you use, and check your profit per night.

Everything saves in this browser as you type, separately for each property.

Step 1

What do you want to receive?

The amount you want in your bank after commission and fees, before your own running costs.

Step 2

Fees and deals on each channel

Typical UK fees are filled in. Change them to match your account, then tick the deals and discounts you run. Your markup is set so a guest who gets all the ticked deals still pays you your take-home. Step 3 shows what you get when a guest gets fewer or different deals. Untick a channel you don't use.

Step 3

Markup to set in your channel manager

ChannelDeals plannedMarkup neededListed priceGuest paysGuest pays
lowest – highest
You receive
lowest – highest

Step 4

Your costs and profit

How to enter your costs

  1. Enter each bill as you actually pay it. Use the full amount on the invoice or statement, not a figure you've already divided up.
  2. Choose how often you pay it: per stay (cleaning, laundry, welcome pack), per night, per month or per year.
  3. If one bill covers more than one property, enter how many it covers in "Shared by". For example, one insurance policy for 3 pods, or one electricity meter feeding 3 pods. The calculator splits the bill for you.

Each cost shows its working, for example £600 a year ÷ 3 properties ÷ 120 nights = £1.67 a night. If you manage several properties, set up one property's costs, then use Duplicate and change the name and take-home.

Monthly and yearly costs are spread across these nights. Use a realistic number: fewer nights let means each night carries more of the cost.

CostBill amount (£)How oftenShared byCost per night
Quick add:

Rates set? Check what you're really being paid

Payout Check reads your actual bookings, from Hostaway or a CSV, and flags any channel or booking paying less than it should.

Questions

Is it really a one-off payment?

Yes. You pay £24.95 once. There's no subscription, nothing renews, and there's nothing to cancel.

Why is a pass limited to 3 properties?

It keeps the price low for owners with one or a few properties. Each property's name is fixed once you add it. If you need more, add another pass for £24.95 and you get 3 more properties on the same code.

I'm a managing agent. Can I use it for my clients?

Yes. Add each client property to your pass and buy extra passes as your portfolio grows. It's a quick way to show an owner how their rates are set and what they'll take home.

Do I need a particular channel manager?

No. It works alongside any channel manager, or none. You copy the markups it gives you into your own system.

What do you store about me?

Your rates, fees, deals and costs stay in your own browser. To run your pass we store your email address, your property names and which browsers your code is used in. Card details go to Stripe, not to us.

Can I use it on my phone and my computer?

Yes, your code works in up to 2 browsers. Figures are saved in each browser separately, so enter them on the device you use most.

How accurate are the figures?

The calculator uses the fees and discounts you enter, so it's as accurate as those figures. Check them against a recent payout from each channel.

Price every channel with confidence

One-off £24.95. No subscription. Up to 3 properties.

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