And honestly, I get it. When you run a small placeāwhether itās a vacation rental, a few cabins, or a boutique innāitās easy to assume dynamic pricing is just for the big brands.
So I figured itās worth breaking down in plain language. Hereās the short version: Dynamic pricing with AI isnāt just doable for small operatorsāit actually makes your life easier.
What is dynamic pricing (and do you need AI to do it)?
Dynamic pricing just means your rates adjust automatically based on things like:
Seasonality
Local demand (like an event in town)
What your competitors are charging
How many nights are still open
When you add AI to that mix, the system learns your property and starts making smarter price suggestionsāwithout you living in spreadsheets.
So how do small properties even use this?
You donāt need to be techy, and you donāt need a big team.
Hereās what most people in our community are doing:
Trying PriceLabs or Wheelhouse. These tools connect to your Airbnb or Vrbo account. You set your boundaries (like ādonāt ever go below $110ā), and it takes it from there.
Checking your dashboard once a week. Youāll see whatās happening locally, how your pricing compares, and where you might adjust.
Letting the AI do the daily work. It tweaks prices so you donāt have toāand learns over time based on your bookings.
āBut what if I donāt even know where to start?ā
Start small:
Look up similar listings in your area.
Write down their average weekday and weekend prices.
Set a high and low price for yourself.
Sign up for a free trial of one tool and connect your listing.
The tools walk you through it. Truly.
What Iāve seen from others using AI pricing
Most people I talk to who stick with it see more bookings and better revenue over time. A few even mentioned it helped them stop undercharging on holidays or high-demand weekends because they had no idea how much they were leaving on the table.
And noāthis doesnāt mean giving up control. You still decide the rules. The AI just helps you stop guessing.
Let me know in the thread if youāre using anything for pricingāor if youāre still doing it manually and wondering about making the switch. š