Dependent Rates for Occupancy-Based Pricing FAQs

Mews Operations

Dependent rates for occupancy-based pricing define how you adjust the price of a rate plan based on the number of guests staying in a room. As a hospitality employee, you use this feature in Mews Operations to control pricing strategies, ensure consistency across rates, and align with revenue management practices. You configure and manage these settings when setting up or updating services and rates, especially when you need to reflect different pricing for varying occupancy levels.

Note:

  • It is not currently possible to remove a single adjustment in the rate adjustments form — you can only clear all adjustments at once.
  • To remove a single adjustment, set the value to 0 and click Override.

In this article you can find answers to the following questions:

 

 

What are the two ways to apply occupancy-based pricing on dependent rates?

You can configure dependent rates using two pricing derivation modes at the service level:

  • Total price
  • Standard occupancy only

Each mode determines how the system calculates price adjustments based on occupancy.

 

How does the Total price mode work?

In Total price mode, the system applies the dependent rate adjustment to the full price of the parent rate for the selected number of guests.

For example, if the parent rate for two guests is 200 euros and you apply a ten percent reduction, the dependent rate becomes 180 euros for two guests. The same percentage applies regardless of how many guests stay in the room.

This approach applies one flat adjustment to the total price, including any extra guest charges or reductions.

 

How does the Standard occupancy only mode work?

In Standard occupancy only mode, the system applies the dependent rate adjustment only to the standard occupancy of the room.

After this, the system adds or subtracts occupancy-based adjustments separately for each additional or missing guest.

  • Extra guest charges apply for guests above standard occupancy
  • Reductions apply for fewer guests than standard occupancy

If you do not set these adjustments on the dependent rate, the system uses the values from the parent rate. You can override them for more precise control.

 

What is the difference between the two modes?

The difference appears when the number of guests differs from the standard occupancy.

  • At standard occupancy, both modes produce the same price
  • Above standard occupancy, Total price mode adjusts the full price including extra charges, while Standard occupancy only mode adjusts the base price and adds extra charges separately
  • Below standard occupancy, Total price mode adjusts the full reduced price, while Standard occupancy only mode applies the reduction separately

Note The pricing difference only appears when the number of guests is higher or lower than the standard occupancy.

 

What happens when you change the pricing derivation setting?

When you update the pricing derivation mode:

  • The change applies to all dependent rates within the service
  • Prices update immediately in Mews Operations
  • Connected systems do not receive updates immediately

The system updates external channels during the next rate or availability update. You can trigger a full update manually from the Integrations section.

 

How do extra occupancy adjustments work on dependent rates?

When you use Standard occupancy only mode:

  • The system applies extra guest charges and reductions separately
  • The system inherits these values from the parent rate if you do not set them
  • You can define custom adjustments on the dependent rate to override the parent rate

This setup allows you to manage pricing per occupancy level with greater control.

 

Are there any distribution limitations?

Some distribution partners do not support all occupancy-based pricing features.

  • Certain platforms do not reflect date-based occupancy adjustments
  • The base occupancy price syncs correctly
  • Occupancy variations by date may not appear externally

This limitation depends on the external platform, not on Mews.

 

Which pricing mode should I use?

Standard occupancy only mode aligns with common industry practices and supports flexible pricing strategies.

It suits most properties because:

  • It separates room pricing from guest-based charges
  • It supports clearer revenue management logic
  • It matches expectations from distribution partners

Total price mode may suit simpler setups where pricing does not vary significantly by occupancy.

 

 

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