Distribution
What is minimum length of stay?
Minimum length of stay (MLOS) is a booking restriction that requires a reservation to cover at least a set number of nights. Hotels apply it on high-demand dates, so that a one-night booking on the busiest night doesn't block a longer, more valuable stay.
When to use it
Take a long weekend where Saturday always sells out. A two-night minimum for stays that include Saturday pushes guests to book Friday or Sunday as well, filling the quieter nights. Used on ordinary dates, the same rule only turns bookings away.
Related restrictions
MLOS is one of several stay restrictions:
- Closed to arrival (CTA): no check-ins on that date, though guests may stay through it
- Closed to departure (CTD): no check-outs on that date
- Maximum length of stay: caps the nights bookable at a discounted rate
- Stop-sell: closes a room type or rate entirely for a date
In StaySynq
StaySynq sends rates, stop-sells and daily restrictions to your channel manager, so the same rules apply on every OTA.
Common questions
Does a minimum stay reduce occupancy?
It can on the nights around the peak if demand is weaker than expected. Review restrictions as the date approaches and lift them if the shoulder nights aren't filling.
Related terms
- Stop-sellA stop-sell is an instruction to stop selling a room type or rate plan for particular dates, on one channel or all of them, even though rooms may still be available. Hotels use it to protect inventory for higher-value bookings or to prevent overbooking.
- ALOS (average length of stay)ALOS, or average length of stay, is the average number of nights guests stay per booking. It is calculated by dividing room nights sold by the number of bookings in a period. A higher ALOS means fewer check-ins, check-outs and full cleans for the same number of room nights.
- Rate planA rate plan is a price for a room type together with its conditions: what is included, such as breakfast, and the rules that apply, such as the cancellation policy, payment terms and minimum stay. One room type usually has several rate plans, and the guest chooses between them.
- Channel managerA channel manager is software that connects a hotel to its online travel agencies (OTAs). It sends the hotel's rates and availability to every channel at once and passes bookings, changes and cancellations back, so the same room is not sold twice.
Ready to unify your operations?
Book a 30-minute demo. We'll walk through your specific property type, room count, and channel mix, then show you exactly what your data looks like on StaySynq.
Early access · founder-led onboarding · launch pricing locked through year one