Free Short-Term Rental Revenue Management Course By PriceLabs Academy

As a Short-Term Rental (STR) Property Manager or a Portfolio Operator, you know the market is constantly shifting. Economic volatility, unpredictable demand, and fierce competition mean that relying on gut feeling is a recipe for lost revenue. The difference between a struggling portfolio and a high-performing one isn’t just a pricing tool—it’s having the underlying strategy to make data-driven decisions. Taking short-term rental revenue management courses helps you with that.

This is the core pain point we’ve addressed at PriceLabs Academy. We’ve translated decades of hospitality expertise into a comprehensive, free course designed to transform you from a listing operator into a confident Revenue Manager. This article breaks down why the new Fundamentals of Revenue Management Course is the essential, tool-agnostic foundation you need to optimize your RevPAR and ADR.

5 Core Pillars: Why You Need Short-term Rental Revenue Management Foundation Course

The most common mistake we see property managers make is confusing “dynamic pricing” with “revenue management“. Pricing is a tactic; revenue management is the overarching strategy for profitability, demand analysis, and cost control. Here are the five key pillars the course addresses to drive your business forward:

1. Mastering the True Cost & Profitability Metrics

Many operators can recite their Average Daily Rate (ADR), but can they accurately calculate their break-even point? Proper revenue management starts with a deep understanding of your cost structure (fixed, variable, and marginal costs).

• The short-term rental revenue management course dedicates a phase to defining foundational concepts and property management KPIs, such as RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room), and the critical difference between gross and net profitability.
• Key Data Insight: Successfully managing a portfolio means optimizing for net profit across all units, not just achieving a high ADR on one listing. You must understand where every dollar goes.
• Actionable Takeaway: Learn how to calculate the actual cost of an occupied night, a foundational step for setting intelligent floor prices (minimum rates).

2. Strategic Demand Forecasting and Booking Behavior

You cannot price effectively if you don’t understand the “why” behind the booking. The short-term rental revenue management course shifts focus from reactive adjustments to proactive demand forecasting.

You will learn how to:

• Identify and categorize local events, holidays, and school breaks that generate actual demand lift.
• Interpret Length of Stay (LOS) patterns to understand traveler intent (e.g., midweek business, weekend leisure).
• Analyze your market’s booking window to optimize when you deploy rate changes.

PriceLabs Connection: While the course is tool-agnostic, we show how to use the PriceLabs Market Dashboard and Events and Holidays Calendar to access this crucial market intelligence and confirm your demand forecasts.

3. Building a Smart Pricing System, Not Just Setting a Rate

This is where the rubber meets the road. Aspiring and seasoned revenue managers alike will gain clarity on how to structure a pricing strategy that accounts for seasonality, day-of-week demand, and booking lead time.

The short-term rental revenue management course provides templates and frameworks for:

• Developing dynamic minimum and maximum prices based on profitability goals.
• Implementing length-of-stay restrictions to protect high-demand periods (e.g., blocking one-night stays on peak weekends).
• Strategizing OTA channel management to maximize visibility without over-relying on a single platform.

4. Implementing a Consistent Revenue Cadence

The best strategy in the world is useless without consistent execution. The course provides a structured template for a weekly revenue cadence.

This cadence helps STR Operators manage multiple listings to:

• Dedicate time each week to review key metrics and pace reports.
• Identify underperforming units and execute corrective price or LOS actions.
• Ensure your pricing engine (whether manual or automated) aligns with your strategic goals.

Visual Cue: This process is streamlined when leveraging the comprehensive data and reports from PriceLabs tools like the Report Builder and Portfolio Analytics.

5. It’s Tool-Agnostic: Strategy First, Tool Second

This is arguably the short-term rental revenue management course’s most unique feature. The program is designed to teach you the mindset and strategy of a revenue manager, making it applicable whether you use PriceLabs, another software, or even manage rates manually via an Excel spreadsheet. Its focus is on universal, strategic principles.

The PriceLabs Academy: Course Structure at a Glance

The Fundamentals of Revenue Management course is entirely free and self-paced, requiring only 3–5 hours to complete across 12 focused modules.

Conclusion

For STR Revenue Managers and Portfolio Managers, the course acts as a crucial bridge. It takes you from simply updating rates to truly understanding the economic forces driving your revenue.

The ability to analyze your occupancy rates, operating costs, and competitors’ movements is the biggest lever you have to maximize profitability in today’s demanding market. This free short-term rental revenue management course provides the essential knowledge to take that control back.

Learners who complete all 12 modules will receive a Certificate of Completion from PriceLabs Learning Academy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the “Fundamentals of Revenue Management” course?

It’s a free, self-paced course created by PriceLabs to help STR operators, property managers, and revenue managers strengthen their fundamentals. You’ll discover how to understand demand, set strategic prices, and use data—not guesswork—to optimize your profitability and RevPAR.

2. Who is this course designed for?

The course is essential for anyone managing listings, pricing, and revenue in short-term rental businesses. It doesn’t matter whether you are new or seasoned; this course helps you strengthen your fundamentals, covering core topics relevant to Airbnb and Vrbo operators, hosts, and portfolio managers.

3. Do I need to use PriceLabs to take this course?

No. The course is tool-agnostic, meaning you can apply what you learn with any pricing method or software. Its focus is on universal strategy. However, each module includes practical examples showing how to implement the concept directly in the PriceLabs platform.

4. Will there be an Advanced Revenue Management course?

Yes! An Advanced Revenue Management course is currently in development. It will cover advanced topics like behavioral pricing, visibility strategies, and portfolio optimization for multi-listing managers. You can join the waitlist after completing the Fundamentals course.