Many travelers plan trips around major holidays to work around school calendars. The most popular weeks tend to be around spring break, national holidays, Christmas, and New Year's. Since these weeks are in such high demand, you should charge a bit more for them and require a longer minimum stay in many markets. Don't forget special events like major sporting events or business conferences and festivals that could be happening in your market.
For example, ski properties in Colorado can sometimes fetch up to 200% of their peak season rates for the weeks surrounding Christmas. However, the same properties couldn't charge such a high rate for the week of the Fourth of July. On the flip side, many beach properties charge up to 200% of their peak rate for the Fourth of July week, but only 25% to 30% of their peak rate for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Typical rental rate: 25% to 200% of your peak season rate
Minimum stay: 3 nights to 1 week
Before setting your rates for the year, sketch out a rough calendar that includes:
Major holiday weeks: In many markets, you can charge a little bit more for high-demand holiday weeks like Christmas, New Year's, or national holidays.
Bank and other holidays: Don't forget other holidays like Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Mother's Day, and Father's Day. In many countries, bank holidays are also prime days for travelers to take quick 2–3-day getaways.
School breaks: Check the school calendars for metro cities within driving distance of your home or if you're in a fly market, where many of your travelers come from. Specifically, determine when the schools adjourn for the summer, when they start up again in the fall, and any breaks of a week or longer (spring break, fall break, holidays, etc.).
Annual events in your market: If your market hosts an annual event that brings crowds of tourists into town, be sure to take note of it. If the event is large enough, you may even be able to charge an inflated rate due to the scarcity of lodging available.