02 · The Dead Months Pay Now
Peak mostly takes care of itself. The lift lives in the months owners write off.
Shoulder weeks, orphan gaps, off-season — the parts of the calendar most hosts have stopped expecting anything from. That is where the new money shows up.
The dead months pay now
Established · vs same period last year
Gulfstream Villa
3 BR·Gulf Coast, FL·Heated pool·Dog friendly
On the books since takeover, as of July · vs the same months last year
Revenue
$40.7K
+31% vs this time last year
Occupancy
87%
+10% · months on the system
Nightly rate
$219
+4% · months on the system
The lift here concentrates in the months most Gulf Coast owners write off. Early summer closed at 93% (+26%). The deepest off-season month is up 73% on last year. And September — a month that barely existed on last year’s calendar — already sits at 83% booked. This is what orphan-season strategy looks like when it works.
Revenue · on the books since takeover
Everything booked for February through December as of this July, next to what those same months held a year ago.
Source: PriceLabs · Booking Insights
Photo tour · Before
The first five, as guests found them
Photo tour · After
The first five — no reshoots, just editing and resequencing
The dead months pay now
Established · vs same period last year
Waters Edge Hideaway
5 BR·Pocono Mountains, PA
On the books for 2026, as of July · vs the same time last year
Revenue
$103.3K
+38% vs this time last year
Occupancy
50%
+15% · 2026 so far
Nightly rate
$684
+7% · 2026 so far
Peak closed $4.6K up on last year — and the far end of summer is carrying the bigger move: August is pacing 23% ahead of where it stood this time last year, at a $1,052 average rate — $275 above where last August finished. The compounding shows up furthest out first.
Revenue · on the books for 2026
Every 2026 stay on the calendar as of this July, next to what the 2025 calendar held in July a year ago.
Source: PriceLabs · Booking Insights
Photo tour · Before
The first five, as guests found them
Photo tour · After
The first five — no reshoots, just editing and resequencing
The dead months pay now
Established · vs same period last year
A Bear’s Tale
2 BR·Pigeon Forge, TN·One of the most saturated cabin markets in the country
On the books for 2026, as of July · vs the same time last year
Revenue
$43.3K
+33% vs this date last year
Occupancy
93%
full months on the system
Nightly rate
$260
full months on the system
Thousands of near-identical cabins, thin margins for error — and rank still separates. Since we took this one over in mid-May, every full month has closed ahead of last year — July is 100% booked, finishing 39% up on last July. And August, the soft month behind peak, has already moved from 19% occupancy to 81% — a $4.3K swing on a two-bedroom in a saturated market.
Revenue · on the books for 2026
Every 2026 stay on the calendar as of this July, next to what the 2025 calendar held in July a year ago.
Source: PriceLabs · Booking Insights
Photo tour · Before
The first five, as guests found them
Photo tour · After
The first five — no reshoots, just editing and resequencing
The dead months pay now
Established · vs same period last year
1820 House, Steps to Ski Shuttle
4 BR·Stowe, VT·Ski market
On the books for 2026, as of July · vs the same time last year
Revenue
$103.1K
+13% vs this time last year
Occupancy
54%
+5% · 2026 so far
Nightly rate
$709
+7% · 2026 so far
Midsummer is the hardest sell a Vermont ski cabin has. It’s at 81% occupancy with revenue up 56% on last year, and the two shoulder months behind it are up a combined $9.7K. One quiet month stayed quiet — we show it anyway. Off-season lift concentrates where demand actually exists, and where it exists, this calendar takes more than its share.
Revenue · on the books for 2026
Every 2026 stay on the calendar as of this July, next to what the 2025 calendar held in July a year ago.
Source: PriceLabs · Booking Insights
Photo tour · Before
The first five, as guests found them
Photo tour · After
The first five — no reshoots, just editing and resequencing