Do you charge higher rates at different times of the year, especially around holiday periods? With KennelBooker peak pricing you add your holiday and peak dates, and the system automatically charges the higher price for those days when it works out a booking's price. KennelBooker supports three price bands: your standard price, a mid season price and a high season price.
Where to find peak pricing
The switch: Settings > Boarding (the menu item uses your own name for boarding), in the pricing settings at the top of the page: Enable Peak/Holiday Pricing.
Your peak dates: Settings, then Peak Pricing under your boarding settings in the settings menu, or the Add Holidays link under the switch. The page is headed Peak Dates. Home stay, walks and drop-ins have their own Peak Pricing item in the settings menu when you offer them; they open the same Peak Dates page.
Your peak prices: on each of your rates, for example Settings > Boarding, section Boarding Rates.
Staff need access to Settings to change peak dates and prices.
Step 1: switch on peak pricing
Go to Settings > Boarding.
In the pricing settings at the top of the page, switch on Enable Peak/Holiday Pricing.
Click Save.
Once it's on, each boarding rate (and home stay rate) gets two more prices: Peak Price (Mid Season) and Peak Price (High Season). Walk and drop-in rates always have their peak prices, Peak Price (Mid) and Peak Price (High), and they're charged whenever a peak range applies to that service, even with this switch off.
Step 2: add your peak dates
Click Add Holidays under the switch, or Peak Pricing in the settings menu. The Peak Dates page opens.
Under Add a range, enter:
Name: for your own reference, for example "Easter" or "Halloween (Mid)".
From and To: the first and last day of the peak period.
Rate: High Season or Mid Season. This chooses which of your two peak prices is charged.
Applies to: the service the dates are for, for example your boarding service, or All Services. Check this every time: when you open the page from Add Holidays it starts at All Services.
Click Save Range. The page shows "Peak Dates Saved" and the range appears under Your Peak Dates.
Make sure your ranges don't overlap. The page warns that if two ranges overlap, the price charged for the overlapping days is not predictable.
Adding every weekend in one go
If every weekend is peak for you, use Bulk add Weekends on the Peak Dates page instead of adding them one by one:
Enter a Name (used for every weekend created).
Pick the Starting Saturday.
Choose How many weekends (up to 208, which is four years; 52 is one year).
Choose the Rate (High Season or Mid Season) and what it Applies to.
Click Add Weekends.
Each weekend is added as its own Saturday to Sunday range, so you can delete any one of them later.
Step 3: set your peak prices
Peak dates only say when the higher prices apply. The amounts come from your rates, so set them on every rate:
Go to Settings > Boarding and find the Boarding Rates section.
Click Edit beside a rate.
Enter the Peak Price (Mid Season) and Peak Price (High Season).
Click Save, then repeat for every rate.
The Boarding Rates list then shows Peak Price (Mid) and Peak Price (High) columns so you can check them all at a glance. For walks and drop-ins, the prices are Peak Price (Mid) and Peak Price (High) on each rate on those services' settings pages.
Important: you must set the peak price on every rate the peak dates apply to. On a peak day KennelBooker charges the peak price instead of the standard price, so a rate with no peak price is charged at 0 for that day. If a range Applies to All Services, that means the rates of every service it covers, including walks and drop-ins.
What happens after you set up peak pricing
New bookings that include peak days are charged the mid or high season price for those days, and the standard price for the other days.
Bookings already in the system keep the price they were booked at. To reprice unpaid boarding bookings that haven't checked in yet, use Update Future Unpaid Booking Prices (Base Booking Cost) in the Boarding Rates section.
Pet parents aren't told about peak dates. The peak price is simply part of the booking's price.
How to delete or check your peak dates
Your Peak Dates lists your ranges with their Name, From, To, Rate and Applies to. It shows ranges from the last 30 days onwards; tick Show Past Dates to see older ones.
To delete a range, click Delete beside it and confirm. Those dates go back to your standard price. Bookings already priced are not changed.
There's no edit button for a range. To change one, delete it and add it again.
What peak pricing doesn't do
Peak pricing doesn't change the price of bookings already in the system.
There are only two peak bands (mid season and high season) on top of your standard price.
Peak dates don't block bookings or set a minimum stay. For minimum stays over holidays, use Minimum Stay Ranges in the settings menu.
If you use a custom pricing algorithm, contact support about peak prices.
Related articles
Peak pricing: frequently asked questions
How do I charge more over Christmas?
In KennelBooker, switch on Enable Peak/Holiday Pricing in Settings > Boarding, add a Christmas range on the Peak Dates page (Settings > Peak Pricing) with Rate set to High Season, and enter a Peak Price (High Season) on every boarding rate.
What's the difference between mid season and high season?
They're the two peak price bands in KennelBooker. Each rate has a Peak Price (Mid Season) and a Peak Price (High Season), and each peak date range says which one to charge. Use mid season for busy periods and high season for your busiest dates.
Can I charge more at weekends?
Yes. On KennelBooker's Peak Dates page, use Bulk add Weekends to add every weekend (Saturday to Sunday) as a peak range for up to four years at once.
Does peak pricing work for walks, drop-ins or home stay?
Yes. KennelBooker peak dates can apply to boarding, home stay, walks and drop-ins, or to All Services. Each of those services needs its own peak prices set on its rates. Grooming and training don't use peak dates.
Will peak pricing change bookings I've already taken?
No. KennelBooker only applies peak prices when a booking's price is worked out. To reprice unpaid boarding bookings that haven't checked in yet, click Update Future Unpaid Booking Prices (Base Booking Cost) in Settings > Boarding, Boarding Rates.
What happens if a booking is partly in a peak period?
KennelBooker charges the peak price for each day of the booking that falls in a peak range, and your standard price for the other days.
Can I edit a peak date range?
No, KennelBooker peak date ranges can't be edited. Delete the range on the Peak Dates page and add it again with the right dates.
Can I see last year's peak dates?
Yes. On the KennelBooker Peak Dates page, tick Show Past Dates above the list. Without it, the list shows ranges from the last 30 days onwards.
Do pet parents see that it's a peak date?
No. KennelBooker doesn't tell pet parents a date is peak. The peak price is simply part of the booking's price.
Can I turn peak pricing off?
Yes, for boarding. Switch off Enable Peak/Holiday Pricing in KennelBooker's Settings > Boarding and click Save. New boarding bookings are then priced at your standard prices, and your peak dates stay saved. Walk and drop-in prices follow your peak dates whether or not this switch is on, so to stop peak prices for those, delete their ranges on the Peak Dates page.
Peak pricing: common problems
A booking on a peak day is priced at 0
The rate has no peak price. In KennelBooker go to Settings > Boarding, Boarding Rates, click Edit on the rate and enter Peak Price (Mid Season) and Peak Price (High Season). Then reprice the booking, for example with Update Future Unpaid Booking Prices, or change the price on the booking.
Peak prices aren't being charged
Check that Enable Peak/Holiday Pricing is on in KennelBooker's Settings > Boarding, that the range on the Peak Dates page covers the booking's dates, and that its Applies to is the right service or All Services. Bookings made before you added the range keep their old price.
I can't see the peak price boxes on my rates
The Peak Price (Mid Season) and Peak Price (High Season) boxes on boarding and home stay rates only show when Enable Peak/Holiday Pricing is on in KennelBooker's Settings > Boarding.
The wrong peak price is charged on some days
Two of your KennelBooker peak ranges probably overlap. On the Peak Dates page, check Your Peak Dates for ranges that cover the same days (tick Show Past Dates if needed), delete one and add it again without the overlap.
The range won't save
KennelBooker needs a Name, a From date and a To date, and the To date can't be before the From date. The box that needs fixing is outlined in red.