Information about setting Minimum Nights in RMS and how this impacts the connected online Channels.

Overview

Minimum Length of Stay on Arrival (MLOS) determines the minimum reservation period based on the selected Arrive Date for the reservation.

MLOS is not the same as a Min Nightly Rate: MLOS sets the minimum number of nights a guest must stay, while a Min Nightly Rate sets the lowest rate that can be charged for a night.

An Occupancy benchmark can be set to only apply the length of stay restriction if the Occupancy is at or above the entered value.

The Occupancy Calculation Rule for the property will be used to determine the occupancy.

An MLOS set in the Control Panel replaces the minimum set on the Rate, even when it is lower. It does not change the maximum, which still comes from the Rate.

When more than one MLOS applies to the same date for the same Category and Rate Type, RMS uses the newest, meaning the one most recently added or edited. The exception is Ignore existing MLOS with higher value (see step 6 below).

Please Note! RMS is highly configurable. Some Terminology, User Access & Permissions, Images, Labels, and Functions used in these articles may differ from your setup. CLICK HERE to find out more.

Length of Stay Hierarchy

Minimum Nights

Maximum Nights

Guide

1. From the Rate Manager, select the Control Panel icon.

   
    

2. Select Add.

   
    

3. Select the Restriction Type as On Arrival Day Only (MLOS).

   
    

4. Select a Property.
5. Select a Date Range or select the checkbox Set Permanently.
   Select the checkbox for Days of the Week (Optional).
6. Enter the Minimum Length of Stay.
   (Optional) Enter an Occupancy benchmark.
   (Optional) Select Ignore existing MLOS with higher value.
   When selected, this MLOS does not lower an existing MLOS: on dates where an older MLOS for the same Category and Rate Type has a higher value, the higher value stays. Without it, the newest MLOS applies even if it is lower.

7. Select Next  to proceed to Category.

   
    

8. Select the Categories.

9. Select Next to proceed to Rate Type.

   
    

10. Select the Rate Types.

11. Select Save/Exit.

    

Troubleshooting MLOS Not Reflecting on a Channel

Check the other length-of-stay restriction too. MLOS is assessed on the arrival date alone, while a Soft Close is assessed across every date of the stay, so a minimum a guest meets on arrival can still be enforced by a Soft Close covering a later night. Where both apply, the longest applicable restriction wins.

If an MLOS restriction set in RMS is not appearing on a connected Online Travel Agent (OTA) channel, follow these steps to diagnose the issue.

1. Confirm the channel supports MLOS - Not all channels accept Minimum Length of Stay restrictions from RMS. Check the RMS Help Centre article to verify the channel supports MLOS.
2. Check for conflicting restrictions - RMS will use the newest record when more than one MLOS restriction exists for the same date for the same Category and Rate Type. If a lower MLOS value was applied after a higher one, the newer value will take priority unless "Ignore existing MLOS with higher value" was selected.
3. Check the rate setup for a minimum - A minimum can also come from the rate setup, not only from the Control Panel (see Length of Stay Hierarchy above). For each date, RMS sends the channel the minimum that applies to an arrival on that date. A minimum set on a Rate Type for an arrival day of the week is therefore sent for every date with that arrival day, unless a level above it in the hierarchy sets a minimum. If a channel shows a minimum that no Control Panel restriction sets, check each level of the hierarchy for the Rate Type mapped to that channel.
4. Verify the restriction is applied to the correct Rate Types - MLOS restrictions are applied per Category and Rate Type. Confirm the restriction includes the Rate Types mapped to the affected channel.
5. Perform a Manual OTA Resync - MLOS changes are normally pushed automatically, but if the restriction is not reflected, perform a Manual OTA Resync for the affected channel, Category, and date range.
6. Review the Channel Log - Check the Channel Log in Setup > Online Bookings > Channel Management for errors related to restriction updates.
7. Check the channel extranet - Log in to the channel's extranet portal to verify whether the MLOS has been received. If the extranet shows the correct MLOS but the guest-facing retail website does not, contact the channel directly as this may be a caching issue on their side.

Please Note! Booking.com lets a guest combine more than one rate plan across a single stay, which Booking.com calls Rate Mixing, and then applies only the MLOS on Arrival for the arrival date. A 2-night arrival minimum on one Rate Type can therefore let a longer stay proceed onto nights that carry a higher minimum on another Rate Type. To enforce a minimum on every night sold through Booking.com, use the Any Day within Stay (Soft Close) restriction type, which Booking.com supports. See Booking.com: Channel Information and Minimum stay is not applying to Booking.com bookings.