What is shoulder season? A complete guide to the best times to travel

Shoulder season is the period between a destination's busiest travel season and its quieter off-season.

For vacation rental owners and property managers, it can be one of the most valuable parts of the year.

Demand is usually lower than during peak season, but it hasn't disappeared. There are still guests looking for somewhere to stay, and in many destinations the weather, events and local attractions are still a strong draw.

The opportunity is to give those guests a reason to book.

That might mean adjusting your pricing, changing your minimum stay, promoting seasonal experiences, or simply doing a better job of showing guests why your destination is worth visiting outside peak season.

In this guide, we'll look at:

• What shoulder season means for short-term rentals
• When shoulder season happens
• How to identify your property's shoulder season
• Why shoulder season matters for hosts
• How to increase bookings during shoulder season
• What to change in your guest experience
• Common shoulder season mistakes to avoid
• FAQ

What is shoulder season?

Shoulder season is the transition period between a destination's peak season and its low season.

For many leisure destinations, this means spring and autumn. But there is no universal shoulder season. It depends on the destination, the type of property and what brings people to the area.

A beach destination might have shoulder seasons in May and September.

A ski destination might see shoulder demand in early winter and late spring.

A city could have several periods of strong and weak demand depending on business travel, festivals, sporting events and school holidays.

The important thing for hosts is that shoulder season is not simply the time when bookings start to slow down.

It is a period where there is still demand, but the reasons guests are travelling can be different.

That makes it an opportunity.

When is shoulder season?

There is no fixed calendar for shoulder season.

It varies by destination and market.

These are only examples. Your property's actual shoulder season should be based on your own booking data rather than a generic calendar.

Look at your occupancy, average daily rate and booking lead time over the last two or three years.

Where does demand consistently start to fall from its peak?

Where does it start to recover?

Those periods are your real shoulder seasons.

How do you find your property's shoulder season?

The easiest mistake is to assume that shoulder season starts on a particular date.

For example:

Summer ends on September 1, so September must be shoulder season.

Not necessarily.

Your guests don't book according to the calendar. They book according to what they want to do, when they can travel and what they are willing to pay.

Instead, look at your own data.

1. Check occupancy by month

Compare your monthly occupancy for the last two or three years.

Look for the periods where occupancy falls below your peak but remains meaningfully above your lowest-demand months.

2. Look at your average daily rate

Does your ADR fall sharply after peak season?

If so, you may be discounting too early.

Shoulder season can still support healthy rates when there is a strong reason for guests to visit.

3. Look at your booking patterns

Who booked your property during these periods?

Couples?

Families?

Remote workers?

Business travellers?

Guests attending weddings or local events?

Understanding who already books during shoulder season can help you find more of them.

4. Check the local calendar

Events can completely change the shape of your season.

Festivals, concerts, sporting events, conferences, university calendars, weddings and local celebrations can all create short periods of high demand.

A month that looks quiet on average might contain several very valuable weekends.

Why is shoulder season important for vacation rentals?

Peak season often takes care of itself.

If your destination is popular in July and August, guests are already looking for accommodation.

The deep off-season is different. In some markets, demand is simply too low to make every night commercially attractive.

Shoulder season sits somewhere in between.

There is demand.

There are guests.

There are things happening locally.

But you may need to work a little harder to capture those bookings.

That's why shoulder season is often where good revenue management and good marketing can make a real difference.

How to get more bookings during shoulder season

1. Don't automatically slash your prices

The first response to lower demand is often to reduce the nightly rate.

That isn't always the best move.

Before discounting, ask:

Why would someone want to visit my destination during this period?

If there is a compelling answer, build your marketing around it.

Autumn foliage.

Food and wine.

Hiking.

Local festivals.

Quieter beaches.

Christmas markets.

Long weekends.

Better value.

Remote working.

The goal isn't simply to make your property cheaper.

It's to make the trip more appealing.

2. Adjust your minimum stay

Peak season rules don't necessarily make sense in shoulder season.

If you normally require a three or four-night minimum, test shorter stays when demand softens.

A two-night booking that fills a gap may be more valuable than leaving those nights empty while waiting for a longer reservation.

3. Target different guests

Your peak-season audience may not be your shoulder-season audience.

Families travelling during school holidays might disappear.

But couples, retirees, remote workers, business travellers and people attending local events may still be travelling.

Think about what each group needs from your property and your destination.

Then make that clear in your listing and marketing.

4. Promote what is happening locally

This is one of the easiest things to overlook.

Your destination does not stop being interesting when summer ends.

Update your recommendations to reflect the season.

Tell guests about:

• Seasonal events
• Local markets
• Restaurants that are still open
• Autumn or spring walks
• Museums and indoor attractions
• Seasonal food and drink
• Local festivals
• Rainy-day activities
• Weekend events

Your local knowledge can be a reason to choose your property over another one.

5. Refresh your listing

Your summer listing photos may not sell an autumn or spring stay particularly well.

Show potential guests what the destination actually looks like during shoulder season.

If autumn means colourful walks, cosy evenings and local food, show that.

If spring means outdoor activities, gardens and festivals, show that.

Help guests picture the trip they could have.

Make the guest experience work harder in shoulder season

There is another opportunity that is easy to miss.

Shoulder-season guests often need different information from peak-season guests.

A summer guest might want to know:

Where is the nearest beach?

An autumn guest might want to know:

Where can we go for a walk if it rains?

A winter guest might ask:

How does the heating work?

A spring guest might want:

What's happening locally this weekend?

Your guest information should reflect those differences.

A digital guidebook gives you somewhere to keep those seasonal recommendations alongside the information guests need for the practical side of their stay.

You can include check-in instructions, house information, Wi-Fi details and local recommendations, then update your seasonal content as the year changes.

That means guests can find the information they need without having to search through old messages or contact the host for every question.

Shoulder season is a good time to improve your guest guide

If bookings are a little quieter, use the time productively.

Review the questions guests asked during your busiest months.

What did they keep asking?

Where did they get confused?

What information did you have to send repeatedly?

Those questions are a useful checklist for improving your guest guide.

For example, if guests repeatedly asked:

"Where can we park?"

Add clearer parking instructions.

If they asked:

"What can we do when it rains?"

Add a rainy-day section.

If they asked:

"How do we turn the heating on?"

Make the instructions impossible to miss.

The quieter period is a chance to fix those gaps before your next busy season.

Common shoulder season mistakes

Cutting prices too quickly

Lower demand does not automatically mean you need dramatically lower rates.

Look at your actual booking data and local events first.

Treating every month the same

Shoulder season can contain surprisingly strong weekends.

Check local events before applying blanket pricing or minimum-stay rules.

Marketing the property, not the season

Guests aren't just buying a bed for the night.

Give them a reason to visit your destination at that particular time of year.

Leaving your guest information unchanged

Your summer recommendations may be irrelevant in November.

Keep seasonal information fresh.

Assuming fewer bookings means less work

Shoulder season is often the best time to work on the things you don't have time to improve when you're fully booked.

Update your photos.

Review your listing.

Refresh your guest guide.

Check your property.

Analyse your reviews.

Look at the questions guests asked.

Use the quieter period to make the next one better.

Is shoulder season worth targeting?

For many vacation rentals, yes.

But the opportunity looks different in every market.

The key is to understand your own demand curve rather than relying on a generic definition of shoulder season.

Find the periods where demand is lower than peak but still meaningful.

Then ask:

Who is travelling?

Why are they travelling?

What would make them choose my destination?

What can I do to make the stay easier and more appealing?

The answer might be a pricing change.

It might be a shorter minimum stay.

It might be better marketing.

Or it might be as simple as giving guests better information about what there is to do at that time of year.

The best shoulder-season strategy usually isn't one big change.

It's a series of small improvements that make your property more relevant to the people who are still travelling.

Shoulder season FAQs

What does shoulder season mean?

Shoulder season is the period between a destination's peak travel season and its low season. It usually has moderate demand, fewer visitors than peak season and potentially lower prices, although the exact timing varies by destination.

When is shoulder season for Airbnb?

There is no universal Airbnb shoulder season. It depends on the destination and the type of property. In many leisure destinations, spring and autumn are shoulder periods, but ski resorts, beach destinations and city markets can have very different seasonal patterns.

Is shoulder season cheaper?

It can be. Accommodation and travel prices are often lower than during peak season, but this isn't guaranteed. Local events, holidays and unusually strong demand can make individual dates much more expensive.

How can vacation rental owners increase shoulder-season bookings?

Hosts can experiment with pricing, minimum stays, seasonal marketing, targeted offers and local recommendations. It's also useful to identify the types of guests who already book during shoulder season and tailor the property and marketing towards them.

Should I lower my Airbnb price during shoulder season?

Not automatically. Look at your historical occupancy, ADR, booking lead times and local events before changing your rates. A compelling seasonal offer can sometimes generate bookings without a large discount.

What should I put in my vacation rental guide for shoulder season?

Include practical information guests need during the season, such as heating instructions, rainy-day activities, seasonal events, local restaurants, indoor attractions, walks and transportation information. Keep your standard check-in and house information easy to find too.

Make shoulder season work harder for your property

Shoulder season doesn't have to mean waiting for peak season to come back.

It can be an opportunity to attract a different type of guest, showcase a different side of your destination and improve the experience you offer.

Start with your data.

Look at what your guests are asking.

Then make it easier for the next guest to find the answers.

That's good hosting in any season.