Cost Per Booked Night (STR)
It is what each booked stay costs you to operate — cleaning, supplies, utilities, and share of fixed costs.
Formal definition
Cost per booked night equals total operating and cleaning costs allocated to booked nights divided by the number of nights booked in the period.
Why it matters
Hosts can have strong ADR but lose money if turnover and operating cost per night are too high.
Where you see it
- Airbnb host spreadsheets
- STR profit calculators
- Property manager owner statements
- Revenue management for boutique hotels
- Real estate investor STR pro formas
Worked example
- Monthly operating + cleaning:
- Nights booked: 18.
- Cost per booked night =
- Interpretation: Each booked night costs
How Business metrics calculates it
Operating costs allocated to booked nights (cleaning + opex as entered) ÷ Nights booked.
Where people fool themselves
Cost per booked night that dumps annual insurance entirely into a 40-night winter will make you want to close the listing. Allocate fixed costs across available nights, then compare.
Run it on your own numbers: the Short-Term Rental calculator.