Hosting standards

Run your rental like a business

Photos, prices, check-ins and reviews are the work. This guide is about the half hour a month that tells you whether the work is paying. A rental run on feel drifts; one run on five numbers gets better every season. Here's which numbers to watch, how to read them, and what to change when they move.

The short answer

Once a month, write down five numbers: occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, what you kept after costs, and your review score. Compare them with last month and with the same month last year. Change one thing at a time, and check the result next month. Put money aside in summer for the quiet months, because Armenia's year is uneven.

The five numbers

Occupancy

• Booked nights ÷ nights you could sell
• Tells you if guests are finding and choosing you

ADR (average daily rate)

• Accommodation revenue ÷ booked nights
• Tells you what a booked night is really worth

RevPAR

• Accommodation revenue ÷ nights you could sell
• The one number that combines price and occupancy

What you kept

• Payouts minus every cost for the month
• The only number your bank account cares about

Review score

• Your average across platforms
• An early warning: it drops before bookings do

The host calculators work out occupancy, ADR and RevPAR from your own figures, and the host glossary explains each term with an example.

Your monthly half hour

Same day each month, same order, same notebook or spreadsheet.

1. Write down the five numbers for the month that just ended.
2. Compare with last month. A change of a few points either way is normal.
3. Compare with the same month last year, once you have one. That's the fair comparison, because seasons differ so much.
4. Look at what's booked ahead. Empty dates in the next 30 days are your most urgent problem.
5. Pick one thing to change. One price rule, one listing fix, one supply to restock. Not five.
6. Write down what you changed, so next month you know what caused what.

Reading the numbers

The numbers point to different fixes. Read them together.

Occupancy low, ADR high

• You're probably priced above what guests see as fair
• Recheck your comparables and your busy-date prices
• The pricing guide walks through it

Occupancy high, ADR low

• You're likely too cheap, especially if you sell out early
• Raise prices on the dates that book first

Both low

• Guests aren't choosing you
• Start with your photos and first impression: the photo guide

Both fine, but you keep too little

• Your costs or commissions are the problem
• Check cleaning, supplies and how much each platform keeps

Review score slipping

• Something in the stay has changed
• Read your latest reviews for a pattern before bookings fall

Know your costs

Every cost belongs to one of two groups, and they behave differently.

Fixed costs come every month whether anyone stays or not: rent or mortgage, utilities, internet, insurance, software. They decide your break-even.

Costs per stay come with each booking: cleaning, laundry, supplies, commission. They decide how much each night really leaves you.

Use the "What you keep from a booking" calculator to see a real booking after commission and costs, and the break-even calculator to see how many nights a month you need.

Plan for the seasons

Armenia's busiest months bring in far more visitors than its quietest. The Statistical Committee counted 827,112 visitors in July to September 2025, and 386,741 in January to March. Your income will follow the same curve.

• Save in summer. Put a share of each summer month aside for the winter bills.
• Cut variable costs in winter, not quality. Fewer turnovers, the same standard.
• Plan improvements for the quiet months. Repairs, new photos, a refresh, while the calendar is empty.
• Watch the trend. Armenia in numbers shows the latest official visitor counts, so you can see a strong or weak season coming.

Keep your paperwork in order

Rules for short-term rentals, registration and tax change, and they depend on your situation.

• Keep every payout and every receipt, month by month.
• Talk to an accountant about how your rental income should be declared.
• Follow the news. The Rules & Local Regulations section on revamp community news covers changes that affect hosts in Armenia.

Business mistakes to avoid

• Judging a month by bookings instead of by what you kept
• Comparing January with August instead of with last January
• Changing prices, photos and rules all in one week
• Spending the summer's income before the winter bills arrive
• Ignoring a slipping review score until bookings fall
• Guessing at taxes instead of asking an accountant

Your checklist

Every month

• Occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, money kept and review score written down
• Compared with last month and last year
• One change chosen and noted

Every season

• Comparables and prices rechecked
• Costs reviewed, supplier prices compared
• Money set aside for the quiet months

Every year

• Accounts and receipts in order
• Photos and listing refreshed
• Next year's busy dates checked early

Questions hosts ask

What's a good occupancy rate?
It depends on your area, your price and the season, so compare yourself with your own past months rather than a single target. A high occupancy at a low price can earn less than a lower one at a fair price.

Which number matters most?
RevPAR for how the place performs, and what you kept for how the business performs. Watch both.

How long before my numbers mean something?
Two or three months shows a direction. A full year lets you compare each month with the same month last year, which is the fairest test.

Do I need special software?
No. A notebook or a simple spreadsheet is enough to start. What matters is writing the same five numbers down every month.