Thanksgiving 2026 Starts Stronger Than Last Year. Don't Price It Like Last Year

Last Thanksgiving, the problem was demand, not price. In November 2025, US short-term rentals sold 4.3% fewer nights than in November 2024. The average nightly rate stayed almost the same, and there were 2.8% more listings. Guests were still willing to pay the usual price. There were simply fewer of them, spread across more homes.

This year, the market is in a better position. Since February 2026, US revenue per available night has been higher than a year earlier in every month except August, mainly because nightly rates are rising. If you set Thanksgiving 2026 prices based on last November, you will probably start too low.

There is also still time. In November 2025, the median booking window was 20 days. That means half of all November bookings were made in the last 20 days before arrival, so many Thanksgiving bookings have not been made yet.

Each market behaves differently. Last November was a strong month in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and a weak one in Destin, Florida. In Scottsdale, Arizona, many guests book at the last minute. In Destin, many book months in advance. The plan below goes week by week. For each stage, it explains what to check and what to do if a listing is on pace or behind pace.

The Plan at a Glance

• 27 October to 6 November: compare each listing's booking pace with the same date last year, and hold rates where the pace is normal for your market.
• 6 to 19 November: about half of Thanksgiving bookings should be in. Adjust only the listings that are still behind, one at a time.
• 19 to 26 November: use last-minute discounts only in the final week, and price single empty nights so they sell.
• 27 to 30 November: keep Black Friday offers away from the Christmas and New Year weekends.

27 October to 6 November: Check Booking Pace Before You Change Prices

Thanksgiving is about four weeks away, and in most markets many bookings have not been made yet. Booking pace means how quickly a listing is getting bookings compared with the same point last year.

What to check. For stays from 25 to 29 November, compare each listing's occupancy today with its occupancy on the same date last year. Then look at how early your market books. In Destin, 40.7% of last year's Thanksgiving nights were booked more than 60 days ahead, so a listing there should already have many of its bookings. In Scottsdale, only 27.5% were booked that early, so an emptier calendar there is normal.

Example of a PriceLabs pacing report. The figures on this screen are illustrative, not the data in this article.

If the listing is on pace or ahead. Keep your rates, or raise them. Rates are rising this year, and October bookings already show nightly rates 1.3% above last year. A discount now only lowers the price of nights that would probably sell anyway.

If the listing is behind. In markets where guests book late, being behind four weeks before arrival is normal. Wait until the 6 November check before you act. In markets where guests book early, act now. Compare the listing's price with similar listings nearby in PriceLabs Market Dashboard. Also check whether a minimum stay of more than four nights is blocking the typical Wednesday-to-Sunday Thanksgiving trip.

6 to 19 November: The Midpoint Check

If guests book on last year's timing, about half of Thanksgiving bookings should be in by 6 November. This is the most important check, because there is still time to react.

What to check. New bookings for each listing over the last two weeks, compared with the same two weeks last year. A listing can be on pace overall but slowing down, or behind overall but improving quickly. The direction matters more than the total.

Example of the pacing charts in PriceLabs Portfolio Analytics. The figures on this screen are illustrative.

If the listing is on pace or ahead. Keep the remaining nights at full rate, and let prices rise as fewer nights are left. Some nearby listings will lower their prices early. If your own pace is healthy, do not copy them. US listings grew 4.4% between November 2025 and September 2026, so matching every discount nearby will lower your rates too.

If the listing is behind. Adjust one listing at a time. Start with the listings furthest behind in the weakest markets. Make small price changes and check new bookings again after a few days, instead of making one large cut and waiting. Allowing shorter stays on the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving can also fill nights that a long minimum stay would leave empty.

19 to 26 November: The Final Week

Many Thanksgiving bookings arrive in the last week. How many depends on the market.

What to check. Unsold nights, and single empty nights between two bookings. Last year, the share of Thanksgiving-week booked nights that came in during the final seven days was 32.8% in Scottsdale, 22.3% in Nashville, and between 18% and 19% in each of Gatlinburg, Breckenridge and Destin.

If the listing is on pace or ahead. Make sure last-minute discounts do not apply to listings that are almost full. The last nights of a busy week should sell at full rate.

If the listing is behind. This is the right time for last-minute discounts, set to start only in the final week, not for the whole month. Price single empty nights so they sell, or allow one-night stays on them. An empty night earns nothing. Keep a minimum price so that a late discount never goes below the cost of cleaning and preparing the home for a stay.

Example of the orphan gap price settings in PriceLabs. The prices shown are illustrative.

27 to 30 November: Black Friday and Cyber Monday

What to check. Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions sell future stays. Thanksgiving week is already over by then.

What to do. Do not include the two December long weekends in these promotions. This year, Christmas Day and New Year's Day both fall on a Friday, which creates long weekends from 25 to 27 December and 1 to 3 January. In December 2025, the average nightly rate was $304.45, 17% higher than in November, so there is less reason to discount these dates. Use Black Friday offers for weaker periods instead. In January 2026, occupancy was 44.0%, the lowest of any month between October 2025 and September 2026.

When a Discount Makes Sense

A discount can make sense for some listings. If a listing is still behind pace at the midpoint, in a market where November is much weaker than the rest of the year, it is competing for fewer guests against more homes. A lower price can help it get noticed.

For other listings, a discount usually costs money. In Gatlinburg, November revenue per available night was 17% above the market's yearly average last year. A 15% discount on last November's average rate of $356 means $53 less for every night, on nights that usually sell anyway. For the wider approach to rates through the year, see our revenue management guide.

Rates are rising this year. A Thanksgiving plan based on last November's numbers will set prices too low.

Thanksgiving Pricing: Common Questions

Should I discount my listings for Thanksgiving or Black Friday?

Only listings that are behind pace in markets where November is weaker than the rest of the year. Last November, US guests paid almost the same nightly rate as in 2024. The drop came from fewer bookings, so a discount on its own does not fix the main problem.

How do I know if a listing is behind pace?

Compare its booked occupancy for 25 to 29 November with its occupancy on the same date last year, and with how early your market usually books. In Destin, 40.7% of last year's Thanksgiving nights were booked more than 60 days ahead. In Scottsdale, the figure was 27.5%.

When should last-minute discounts start?

In the final week before arrival, not earlier. Last year, 32.8% of Thanksgiving-week booked nights in Scottsdale came in during the final seven days.

Should Black Friday offers include Christmas dates?

No. Christmas Day and New Year's Day both fall on a Friday in 2026, and the US average nightly rate in December 2025 was 17% higher than in November.

The Data Behind This Plan

US short-term rentals, November 2024 vs November 2025

November 2025 by market, compared with each market's yearly average

About the Data

National figures come from PriceLabs market research data for the United States, using monthly figures from November 2024 to October 2026, pulled on 23 October 2026. These are whole-month figures, so Thanksgiving week is not shown separately. October 2026 figures show bookings made so far, compared with the same date last year. The 6 November midpoint applies last November's 20-day median booking window to this year's dates, so it is an estimate.

City figures are aggregated, market-level data from PriceLabs Market Dashboard, pulled on 23 October 2026. Market comparisons compare November 2025 with the average from October 2025 to September 2026. Booking-timing shares cover booked nights for stays from 26 to 30 November 2025. Each market sample includes between 1,639 and 1,985 listings. Product screenshots show example PriceLabs screens; the figures in them are not the data in this article.