The 2026–2027 cold-season pricing calendar for short-term rentals

For short-term rentals, the cold season is no longer one slow stretch with one price. Between late October 2026 and early May 2027 there are eight periods in which demand shifts: the autumn school break, the Christmas markets, the 1 December long weekend, Christmas, New Year, the Epiphany and St John’s Day holidays, the ski week, which differs from county to county, and Easter, which in 2027 falls on 2 May, on the same weekend as 1 May. At the same time, Airbnb introduced monthly base prices and last-minute settings in 2026, and Booking.com runs discount campaigns with fixed booking and stay windows. This guide puts all the dates into one calendar and shows, for each period, what to do with your price, your minimum stay and your discounts.

What has changed in cold-season demand

Seasonality varies widely from city to city. AirDNA calculates a seasonality score based on the gap between the weakest and the strongest month: the higher the score, the steadier revenue is from one month to the next. In data updated on 6 October 2026, Bucharest scores 94 and Constanța 49. In the capital, where the peak month is September according to Crosspoint Research, the gap between good and weak months is much smaller than on the coast. On the coast, winter is a genuine off-season and long stays can earn more than weekends, as we show in our guide to off-season offers. In the mountains and in spa resorts, demand clusters around school holidays and public holidays.

Romanian travellers are spending more carefully. According to Ministry of Finance data compiled by ANAT, the amounts settled to tourism businesses through holiday vouchers fell in January–August 2026 to 518.5 million lei, from 1,015.7 million lei in the same period of 2025, a drop of 48.95%. For the autumn break, Știrile ProTV, citing News.ro, reports that hoteliers who adjusted their rates are announcing rises of 10–15% on last year, but many have kept prices unchanged, some have cut them and others have included spa access or free stays for children in the rate. Offers start at 544 lei for a double room for 3 nights, and operators are pushing 3-night stays because many visitors come to the mountains for just a day at the weekend.

In cities, bookings arrive close to the arrival date. According to the Federation of the Hotel Industry of Romania (FIHR), quoted by Radio Romania International, more than 45% of bookings for urban destinations such as Bucharest, Brașov and Oradea are made less than 7 days before check-in. For a city host, the last-minute settings described below matter at least as much as the price set in advance.

The 2026–2027 cold-season calendar

The table below brings together the periods that shift demand up to May 2027. The holiday dates come from the Ministry of Education order on the structure of the 2026–2027 school year, and the days off are the public holidays set by law for 2026 and 2027. The recommendations in the last column are a starting point; adjust them to the data for your area.

Two calendar details: 24 January 2027, Union Day, falls on a Sunday, so it brings no extra day off, and 1 May and Easter fall on the same weekend, so spring 2027 has one big long weekend, not two. We looked separately at how National Day affects demand in our article on 1 December and the short-term rental market.

Airbnb settings for the cold season

In its 2026 Summer Release, Airbnb added seasonal and last-minute settings for hosts, which we cover in detail in our guide to Airbnb’s new host features. Five of them matter for the calendar above:

• Monthly base price. You can set a different base price for each month. Start from the weaker months, such as November or March, and set December, January, February and April separately, depending on the periods in your area.
• Weekend adjustment. A percentage applied to weekend prices, for example +15%, which stays in place when you change the base price from one month to another.
• Last-minute minimum stay. For nights still free within two weeks of check-in, you can accept stays shorter than your usual minimum.
• Tiered last-minute discounts. Discounts that increase step by step for bookings made 8–14, 2–7 and 0–1 days before arrival.
• Extended availability. If you use Instant Book, guests can send you requests for dates beyond your availability window, and you have 24 hours to review them. You can opt out.

Airbnb started rolling out seasonal pricing in July and the last-minute settings in August, so some accounts may not have them yet. Until they appear in yours, use custom prices for specific dates in your calendar. If you keep extended availability switched on, set your price for Easter 2027 now: a request for 30 April – 3 May may arrive before you have opened your calendar for those dates.

Airbnb also offers local pricing and availability insights, based on searches and bookings in your area over the past month. They may suggest accepting bookings further in advance, shortening your advance notice, adding discounts, changing your base price or lowering your minimum stay. They are suggestions, not obligations: before applying them, check that the new price stays above your minimum rate.

Booking.com: the cold-season campaigns

On Booking.com, seasonal discounts come as campaigns with fixed dates. Taking part is optional, and each campaign has two separate windows: the one in which guests can book and the one in which the stay must take place. Three matter for the cold season:

The trap is the stay window. Late Escape covers Christmas and New Year, so exclude your peak nights from the campaign using the blocked dates on the set-up page in the extranet. A booking made on Black Friday can be for any night up to 31 December 2027, including the following New Year’s Eve or summer 2027, so decide whether to take part based on the effect of the discount on your best nights, not on your November nights. Early 2027 covers the ski week but stops on 1 April, so it does not include Easter on 2 May.

How discounts combine. According to Booking.com, at most one discount from each category and at most three in total apply to a booking, one after the other, and the guest must meet the conditions of each. If several discounts in the same category apply, the largest one is used. For example, a 15% discount followed by a 10% one means 23.5%, not 25%: €100 becomes €85, then €76.50. Booking.com recommends Early Booker deals for bookings made at least 30 days before check-in and Last-Minute deals for at most 7 days before. The platform states that properties that took part in Late Escape in 2025 received 29% more bookings and 23% more revenue; these are Booking.com’s figures, not an independent analysis.

Minimum stays and orphan nights: an example

On peak nights, the problem is not just price but also the gaps between bookings. A one-night booking on 31 December can leave the nights of 30 December and 1 January empty, and they are hard to sell on their own; every extra stay also means another clean. The example below is hypothetical.

Option B earns more than twice as much as A, with one clean instead of three, but only if it sells. If the apartment is still free in mid-December, two weeks ahead, Airbnb’s last-minute minimum stay setting lets you accept 2-night stays as well. However close the date, do not go below the minimum rate calculated in the margin analysis, about €32 a night in the same model.

The late-December peaks also mean many check-outs and check-ins on the same days. Confirm your cleaning team early; you will find how to plan staff for busy days in our guide to cleaning and maintenance in 2027.

A four-step routine until May 2027

1. Now, in October. Set the base price for each month until April, mark the peak nights from the table above in your calendar and set a minimum stay for them. Decide whether to join the Booking.com campaigns and which dates to exclude.
2. More than 30 days ahead. Watch how each period is filling up. If you want early bookings for January–March, an Early Booker deal or Booking.com’s Early 2027 campaign are the right options, but do not apply them to peak nights.
3. 14 days ahead. For nights still free, lower the minimum stay with Airbnb’s last-minute setting to fill the gaps between bookings.
4. In the last 7 days. Switch on last-minute discounts, tiered on Airbnb and through Last-Minute deals on Booking.com, without going below your minimum rate.

Between these steps, check once a week what is happening in your area: new events, the weather forecast and nearby prices. We explain what such a 15-minute check looks like in KeyBid Puls in our guide to a weekly pricing routine, and the strengths and limits of dynamic pricing tools are covered in our guide to dynamic pricing and AI.

Common mistakes

• The same price all winter. Months, weekends and long weekends have different demand: a single price loses money at the peaks and bookings on slow days.
• Selling New Year’s Eve as a single night. A booking for 31 December alone can block the three best nights of the season.
• Campaign discounts on peak nights. Late Escape covers New Year, and Black Friday applies to stays until the end of 2027. Exclude your key dates before you activate the campaign.
• Assuming the ski week is the same everywhere. Each county chooses its own week; check the websites of the school inspectorates in the counties your guests come from.
• Last-minute discounts below your minimum rate. A night sold below cost raises your occupancy but costs you money.
• Not checking which settings your account has. Airbnb’s new features reach hosts gradually; if you cannot see them yet, use custom prices for specific dates.
• Leaving Easter at the base price. Easter and 1 May fall on the same weekend, 30 April – 3 May 2027. Set your prices for them now, especially if you use extended availability.

Frequently asked questions

When is the ski week in 2027?

The ski week, also known as the floating holiday, is one week between 15 February and 7 March 2027, set by each county school inspectorate: 15–21 February, 22–28 February or 1–7 March. In Bucharest, the school inspectorate (ISMB) has scheduled it for 22–27 February 2027. For other counties, check the website of the local school inspectorate.

What minimum stay should I set for New Year?

A 3-night minimum stay, from 30 December to 2 January, protects the night of 31 December from one-night bookings, which leave gaps that are hard to sell. If the apartment is still free two weeks ahead, Airbnb’s last-minute minimum stay setting lets you accept shorter stays too.

Is it worth joining the Booking.com Black Friday campaign?

It depends on the nights it covers. Bookings are made between 19 November and 2 December 2026, but stays can take place until 31 December 2027, and the discount cannot be combined with others. Work out the effect of the discount on your best nights and check that the final price stays above your minimum rate.

Can I set different prices by month on Airbnb?

Yes. Seasonal pricing lets you set a different base price for each month and a percentage weekend adjustment. Airbnb has been rolling it out gradually since July 2026, so you may not have it yet. Until then, you can manually set custom prices for dates in your calendar.