Minimum stay, CTA and CTD: hotel stay restrictions explained
Minimum stay, closed to arrival, closed to departure and stop sell control which stays hotels accept. What each restriction does and when to use it.
Hotels use four main stay restrictions. Minimum stay requires a set number of nights. Closed to arrival (CTA) blocks check-ins on a date. Closed to departure (CTD) blocks check-outs on a date. Stop sell closes a room or rate completely. Each one shapes who books which nights, so you fill the calendar without gaps.
What are length of stay restrictions?
Restrictions are rules attached to a room type, rate plan and date. They do not change the price. They change which bookings are allowed. Revenue managers use them to protect busy nights, avoid one-night gaps between longer stays, and steer demand onto quieter dates.
Think of price and restrictions as two separate tools. Price decides how much a guest pays. Restrictions decide whether a particular stay pattern is possible at all. Used together, they let you sell a busy weekend to the guests who will also fill the nights around it.
In goDirects, you set all four restrictions in ARI Studio, the rates and availability calendar, with bulk changes across date ranges, room types and rate plans.
The four restrictions at a glance
| Restriction | What it does | Typical use | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum stay | Requires at least N nights | Peak weekends, events, holidays | Turning away short stays you could have sold |
| Closed to arrival (CTA) | No check-in on that date | Protecting a long stay that starts earlier | Empty rooms if earlier arrivals do not come |
| Closed to departure (CTD) | No check-out on that date | Keeping guests through a busy night | Confusing guests who need to leave that day |
| Stop sell | Room or rate not bookable at all | Sold out, closed for works, holding stock | Lost bookings if left on by mistake |
When should you use a minimum stay?
Use a minimum stay when demand for a date is strong enough that guests will accept staying longer to get it. Classic cases are a holiday weekend, a large concert or exhibition, or a festive period at a resort.
Example: a resort expects to sell out a long weekend from Thursday to Sunday. Without a rule, it may sell Friday alone and Saturday alone to different guests, leaving Thursday and Sunday hard to fill. A three-night minimum stay on Friday arrivals pushes guests to book Thursday to Sunday or Friday to Monday.
Points to check:
- How the rule is applied. Some systems apply minimum stay to the arrival date only. Others apply it to any stay that includes the date. Know which one your system uses before you set rules.
- Which rate plans it covers. You might set a minimum stay on discounted plans but leave BAR open for one night at a higher price.
- When to lift it. If the date is still unsold close to arrival, remove the rule and take the one-night guest.
When should you use closed to arrival?
CTA stops new check-ins on a date while still allowing guests who arrived earlier to stay through it. It is useful when a date is so busy that you only want guests who also take the nights before.
Example: a city hotel has a big trade show from Monday to Wednesday. Tuesday is the peak night. Setting CTA on Tuesday means anyone who wants Tuesday must arrive on Monday or earlier. The hotel sells Monday and Tuesday together instead of Tuesday alone.
CTA is also handy for operations. Some hotels set CTA on a date when the front desk is short of staff or when a large group checks in, so no extra individual arrivals land that day.
When should you use closed to departure?
CTD stops check-outs on a date. Guests can stay through it, but they cannot leave on it. It is the mirror of CTA and is used less often.
Example: a beach hotel is busy every Saturday night but quiet on Sunday night. If many guests check out on Sunday, Sunday night stays empty. Setting CTD on Sunday means guests who arrive for the weekend must stay until at least Monday, which fills the quiet night.
Use CTD with care. Guests may not understand why they cannot leave on a certain day, and it can block a good booking. Explain it clearly on your booking engine and review results after a few weeks.
When should you use stop sell?
Stop sell closes a room type or rate plan for a date. Nobody can book it, whatever the length of stay. Use it when:
- A room type is physically sold out or out of order.
- You are holding stock for a group, an event or a contract. See group bookings.
- You want to close a discounted plan on a busy date while keeping BAR open.
- You are closing a channel for a period while keeping others open.
The common mistake is forgetting to lift it. A stop sell left on a future date can quietly block bookings for weeks. Check your calendar for old stop sells as part of a weekly routine.
How do restrictions work with your other channels?
If you also sell through OTAs via a channel manager, keep restrictions consistent across channels unless you have a clear reason not to. If your website has a three-night minimum but an OTA sells one night on the same date, guests will simply book the OTA.
You can use restrictions to favour your own website. Some hotels keep a shorter minimum stay on the direct channel, or open a member rate on dates closed to discounts elsewhere. Check your OTA contracts first, as some include terms on rate and availability. Our article on rate parity explains the basics.
Restrictions matter for payment terms too. On busy dates protected by a minimum stay, many hotels keep only prepaid or card-guaranteed plans open. See pay at property options per rate plan.
Restrictions also interact with pricing rules. A dynamic pricing rule might raise the price as a date fills, while a minimum stay shapes the booking pattern. Review both together. Our dynamic pricing guide covers the pricing side.
A step-by-step routine for setting restrictions
- List your high-demand dates for the next 6 to 12 months: holidays, events, school breaks and peak weekends.
- Look at past booking patterns for those dates. Note typical length of stay and where gaps appeared.
- Pick the lightest rule that works. Start with a minimum stay. Add CTA or CTD only where a specific gap keeps appearing.
- Apply rules to the right rate plans. Decide whether BAR, discounted plans or both carry the rule.
- Set a review date for each rule, for example two weeks and one week before arrival.
- Lift rules that are not working. If a date is not filling, remove restrictions before you cut the price.
- Clear old stop sells weekly so no date stays closed by mistake.
Want to see restrictions, seasons and pricing rules in one calendar? Book a demo of goDirects.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between CTA and stop sell?
CTA blocks new check-ins on a date, but guests who arrived earlier can stay through it. Stop sell closes the room or rate for that date completely, so no stay that includes the date can be booked. Use CTA to shape stays, and stop sell when you have nothing to sell or want to close a rate.
Does a minimum stay lower my occupancy?
It can if demand is weaker than you expected. A minimum stay turns away guests who want fewer nights. That is why you should review it as the date gets close and lift it if rooms are not selling. On strong dates, it usually helps fill the shoulder nights around the peak.
Can I set restrictions only on certain rate plans?
Yes, in most systems, including goDirects ARI Studio, restrictions are set per room type, rate plan and date. A common approach is to put a minimum stay on discounted plans and keep a flexible BAR open for shorter stays at a higher price.
How do guests see restrictions on my website?
When a guest searches dates that break a rule, the room or rate is usually not offered for that search. A good booking engine should make it easy to change dates. Keep your messages short and clear, for example “Minimum 3 nights for these dates”.
Should I use CTD often?
Usually not. CTD is the most confusing restriction for guests because it stops them leaving on a chosen day. Use it on specific dates where a predictable gap appears, such as a quiet Sunday after a busy Saturday, and check after a few weeks whether it helped.