Who this is for: revenue managers, reservations staff, and GMs at independent hotels, hotel groups, motels, resorts, B&Bs, parks, and hostels who set or communicate minimum and maximum stay rules by date.
A length of stay (LOS) restriction sets how many nights a guest must book. It can also cap the maximum nights allowed, starting on a specific date. Restrictions protect inventory during high-demand periods, separate from the rate itself. Some properties only need a minimum stay rule. Others manage minimum stay, maximum stay, and arrival or departure controls together. This page covers three formats. A minimum stay calendar, a full restriction grid, and a multi-room-type grid.
What's Included in This Template
- Date range and day of week
- Room type, where restrictions vary by type
- Minimum length of stay (Min LOS)
- Maximum length of stay (Max LOS)
- Closed to arrival (CTA) flag
- Closed to departure (CTD) flag
- Stop sell or closed indicator
- Reason for the restriction (holiday, event, group block, staffing)
- Restriction start and end date
Which LOS Restriction Template Do You Need?
Most properties need one of three formats. It depends on restriction complexity and whether rules vary by room type.
| Format | Use For | Key Fields |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Minimum Stay Calendar | Single room type, minimum nights only | Date, day of week, Min LOS |
| Full Restriction Grid | Active management of arrivals, departures, and stop sell | Min LOS, Max LOS, CTA, CTD, Stop Sell |
| Multi-Room-Type Restriction Grid | Restrictions differ by room type | Room type rows, restriction period, Min LOS, Max LOS |
Template 1: Basic Minimum Stay Calendar
For a single room type with a minimum stay only, no other restrictions. The row structure below repeats for every day in the pricing period. This table shows one representative week.
| Day | Date | Min LOS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | [Date] | [Nights] | |
| Tuesday | [Date] | [Nights] | |
| Wednesday | [Date] | [Nights] | |
| Thursday | [Date] | [Nights] | |
| Friday | [Date] | [Nights] | [Weekend minimum begins] |
| Saturday | [Date] | [Nights] | |
| Sunday | [Date] | [Nights] |
Template 2: Full Restriction Grid
For properties actively managing arrivals, departures, and stop sell alongside a minimum or maximum stay.
| Date | Day | Min LOS | Max LOS | Closed to Arrival | Closed to Departure | Stop Sell | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Date] | [Day] | [Nights] | [Nights, or blank] | [Yes/No] | [Yes/No] | [Yes/No] | [Holiday, event, group block, or blank] |
Template 3: Multi-Room-Type Restriction Grid
For properties where restrictions differ by room type. These are usually set for an entire season or event window.
| Room Type | Restriction Period | Min LOS | Max LOS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Room | [Date Range] | [Nights] | [Nights, or blank] | |
| Deluxe Room | [Date Range] | [Nights] | [Nights, or blank] | |
| Suite | [Date Range] | [Nights] | [Nights, or blank] | [Suites often carry a longer minimum during peak season] |
When Should You Update LOS Restrictions?
Add a restriction before a high-demand date fills. Review it weekly, and lift it the moment demand passes.
- Add a minimum stay or arrival control once a date's pace outruns last year.
- Review every active restriction weekly against real booking pace, not the original forecast.
- Update the minimum stay whenever a group block or local event shifts on the calendar.
- Lift a restriction the moment the high-demand period passes. A stale rule turns away bookings you actually want.
- Revisit room-specific restrictions each season, since which room type sells out first can change.
Pro Tip: set closed to arrival and closed to departure together. Skipping either one can leave a single-night gap at that end of the block.
What Happens When LOS Restrictions Go Wrong
- Single-night stays fragment a holiday block when the minimum stay goes in too late.
- A guest already staying gets turned away mid-block. That happens when a stop sell is used instead of closed to arrival.
- A room sits empty into a slow week when nobody lifts an expired restriction.
- One room type sells out early while others carry a restriction they never needed.
- The front desk can't explain a rule to a guest when the reason field is blank.
Example: Completed Full Restriction Grid
A filled-in example makes the restriction fields concrete. This is a sample New Year's week for a Standard Room.
| Date | Day | Min LOS | Max LOS | Closed to Arrival | Closed to Departure | Stop Sell | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/29/2026 | Tue | 1 night | No | No | No | ||
| 12/30/2026 | Wed | 3 nights | Yes | No | No | New Year's block begins | |
| 12/31/2026 | Thu | 3 nights | Yes | No | No | New Year's Eve | |
| 01/01/2027 | Fri | 3 nights | Yes | No | No | New Year's Day | |
| 01/02/2027 | Sat | 3 nights | 5 nights | No | Yes | No | CTD protects the block, Max LOS caps stays running into the next block |
| 01/03/2027 | Sun | 1 night | No | No | No | Restrictions return to baseline |
Hotel LOS Restriction Templates by Property Type
All seven property types roommaster serves use some form of LOS restriction. Independent Hotels use the three templates above as written. The other six are below.
Hotel Groups LOS Restriction
Adds the specific property name and location. The restriction is then visible across the whole portfolio for group-level reporting.
| Date | Property Name & Location | Room Type | Min LOS | Max LOS | Closed to Arrival | Closed to Departure | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Date] | [Property Name, City, State] | [Room Type] | [Nights] | [Nights, or blank] | [Yes/No] | [Yes/No] | [Holiday, event, group block, or blank] |
Motel LOS Restriction
Drops Max LOS and the multi-room-type grid. Motels usually just need a minimum stay flag on peak weekends.
| Day | Date | Min LOS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Day] | [Date] | [Nights] | [Weekend minimum begins, or blank] |
Resort LOS Restriction
Ties the minimum stay to a package length as well as demand. Resorts often sell a multi-night package rate.
| Date | Room Type | Min LOS (Package Rate) | Min LOS (Room-Only Rate) | Max LOS | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Date] | [Room Type] | [Nights] | [Nights] | [Nights, or blank] | [Holiday, event, or blank] |
Bed & Breakfast LOS Restriction
Sets the minimum stay property-wide rather than per room. A B&B has few rooms to protect during a holiday weekend.
| Date | Min LOS (Property-Wide) | Closed to Arrival | Closed to Departure | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Date] | [Nights] | [Yes/No] | [Yes/No] | [Holiday, event, or blank] |
Parks (RV & Campground) LOS Restriction
Sets the minimum stay by season rather than by single event. Campground demand runs high most summer weekends, holidays included.
| Site Type | Season / Date Range | Min LOS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| [RV Hookup/Tent Site/Cabin] | [Date Range] | [Nights] | [Holiday, event, or blank] |
Hostel LOS Restriction
Applies almost only to private rooms. A minimum stay rarely fits how single dorm beds get booked.
| Date | Bed/Dorm Type | Min LOS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Date] | [Dorm Bed/Private Room] | [Nights, private rooms only] |
A restriction that isn't enforced everywhere isn't a restriction. If the direct site allows a one-night stay during a closed block, the block breaks. The minimum stay never did its job.
How roommaster Fits In
roommaster PMS applies a restriction once, from the reservation calendar. There's no need to set it separately across other systems. roommaster Channel Manager then pushes that same restriction to every connected OTA in real time. A closed-to-arrival date can't slip through on a channel someone forgot to update. That centralized control helps drive an 85% reduction in distribution management time.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a LOS restriction in hotels?
Controls the minimum or maximum nights a guest can book starting on a specific date.
2. What's the difference between minimum stay and close to arrival?
Minimum stay sets a nights requirement. Closed to arrival blocks new check-ins on that date entirely.
3. When should a hotel use closed for departure?
Apply it on the last night of a high-demand block to prevent an early end.
4. Do LOS restrictions apply to every room type?
Only where that room type genuinely sells out faster than the rest of the property.
5. Can LOS restrictions sync across every OTA automatically?
Yes, through a channel manager that pushes the same restriction everywhere at once.
