Performance & revenue
LOS restriction
Also written: minimum length of stay, MLOS
What LOS restriction means
A yield management control that requires guests to book a minimum number of consecutive nights to complete a reservation. Applied during high-demand periods, it prevents short-duration bookings from displacement of longer, higher-value stays across peak revenue dates.
How it is used
Revenue managers deploy minimum length of stay (MLOS) restrictions during citywide events, holidays, or peak weekends to optimize total room revenue. By forcing a 3-night minimum over a sellout Saturday, the hotel avoids un-sellable shoulder nights (Friday and Sunday) caused by single-night stays. Conversely, setting MLOS too aggressively risks reducing conversion and leaving rooms vacant if demand falls short of forecast. Decisions rely on pickup pace, historical stay patterns, and booking window data.
Worked example
A hotel hosts a major concert on Saturday. Without restrictions, Saturday sells out at $300, leaving Friday and Sunday at 40% occupancy ($100 ADR). By enforcing a 3-night MLOS (Fri-Sun) at $250/night, the property captures $750 per booking across all three nights instead of $300 for a single Saturday stay, increasing total weekend revenue per available room.
Common mistake
Applying rigid MLOS controls without monitoring real-time pickup can severely depress conversion rates and cause properties to miss late-booking, high-rate demand.