Short-term rental management in season – 90% occupancy Downtown Rent
An apartment’s peak-season performance does not begin in June. Effective short-term rental management requires preparation much earlier, from analyzing the market and demand, through proper calendar management, to planning sales for the season’s key months.
At Downtown Rent, we treat peak season as a process for which we prepare the properties we manage well in advance. Our experience, knowledge of local markets and apartment management systems allow us to make decisions based on real data, not chance.
The results of this approach are reflected in the 2026 holiday season figures.
How does preparing an apartment for the season affect occupancy?
High occupancy is not the result of one action. It reflects many decisions made before the season begins.
When preparing apartments for periods of high demand, we analyze previous performance, booking pace, stay patterns, the seasonality of individual locations and changing interest in specific dates.
Proper management of availability and stay conditions also matters. Demand behaves differently for weekends, longer holiday stays, and dates linked to local events or long weekends.
That is why effective short-term rental management requires continuous market monitoring and a flexible response to changing circumstances.
Over 1,100 apartments and 89.35% occupancy
In the 2026 holiday season, average occupancy across the Downtown Rent portfolio was:
89.35%.
This result was achieved across more than 1,100 apartments under our management in several Polish cities and tourist regions.
With so many properties, maintaining occupancy close to 90% requires much more than simply listing them on booking platforms.
Each apartment operates in a different market and has its own location, standard, target group and seasonality. Professional short-term rental management therefore requires ongoing analysis and sales strategies tailored to each property.
Apartment management in Gdańsk – over 800 properties and 90.18% occupancy
Gdańsk is Downtown Rent’s largest market, where we manage over 800 apartments for short-term rental.
This scale gives us an excellent understanding of local seasonality, guest behavior and how demand changes depending on the date, location and apartment type.
In summer 2026, average occupancy of our apartments in Gdańsk was:
90.18%.
With a portfolio of over 800 properties, this result shows the importance of well-organized sales and knowledge of the local market.
Gdańsk is one of Poland’s most popular tourist destinations, but also a highly competitive market. Simply owning an attractive apartment does not guarantee high occupancy.
Factors include how the property is presented, availability across the right sales channels, proper calendar management, adapting stay conditions and preparing a strategy before the season begins.
This is why professional apartment management in Gdańsk can have a real impact on a property’s potential.
High occupancy in other locations too
Gdańsk is Downtown Rent’s largest market, but we also achieve strong results in our other locations.
However, each of these markets works differently, so we do not use one management model for all apartments.
Gdynia
The highest result in summer 2026 was achieved by Downtown Rent-managed apartments in Gdynia.
Average occupancy was:
91.76%.
Although Gdynia is in the same metropolitan area as Gdańsk and Sopot, local demand has different characteristics. A different guest profile and booking structure require a separate approach to managing sales and availability.
High occupancy shows that properly preparing an apartment and adapting activities to market specifics can effectively support results beyond the most obvious tourist destinations.
Kościelisko
Apartments in Kościelisko also achieved a very strong result.
Average occupancy was:
90.41%.
The Podhale market is highly seasonal, with specific dates playing a major role. Holidays, weekends and periods of increased tourist traffic have a particularly strong impact on demand.
Season preparation therefore requires early analysis of the calendar, availability and sales approach for individual dates.
Sopot
In Sopot, average occupancy of Downtown Rent-managed apartments was:
89.86%.
Sopot is one of the Baltic coast’s best-known resorts, but also a highly competitive short-term rental market.
Peak-season demand can be very strong, but also heavily concentrated on specific dates. Proper availability planning and ongoing sales management are therefore especially important here.
Kraków
In Kraków, average occupancy was:
89.28%.
Kraków operates according to a different dynamic than coastal cities or mountain regions.
Demand is more evenly distributed throughout the year, and the guest mix differs from that seen in the Tricity. Apartment management in Kraków must therefore account not only for the holiday season, but also for year-round tourist and urban traffic.
Nevertheless, we also maintained occupancy close to 90% here during the holiday season.
Scale requires the right systems and experience
Managing a few apartments can be based on monitoring the calendar on an ongoing basis.
However, a portfolio of over 1,100 properties requires a far more advanced approach.
That is why at Downtown Rent we use systems that support reservation, availability and listing distribution management.
They allow us to analyse the situation across the entire portfolio while responding to the performance of individual properties.
At the same time, every market requires an individual approach.
Seasonality looks different in Gdańsk and Sopot, different in Kraków, and different again in Kościelisko.
A short-term rental operator’s experience should therefore cover not only Guest service, but also knowledge of the local market, data analysis and the ability to properly prepare properties for the next stages of the season.
Short-term rental management is much more than handling reservations
A professional operator manages the entire process involved in a property’s operation on the short-term rental market.
At Downtown Rent, we handle, among other things, preparing listings, selling stays, managing the calendar, distributing listings across booking channels, communicating with Guests and managing the apartment’s day-to-day operation.
At the same time, we continuously analyse performance and conditions in individual markets.
As a result, the owner does not have to track changes in demand, manage reservations or wonder how to prepare the apartment for the next season.
Our task is to unlock the property’s potential and guide the owner smoothly through the entire short-term rental process.
Have an apartment? Explore working with Downtown Rent
The results of the 2026 summer season show that proper preparation, market knowledge and operational scale can lead to very high apartment occupancy.
Across Downtown Rent’s portfolio, average occupancy during the holiday period was 89.35%, exceeding 90% in many locations.
If you own an apartment in Gdańsk, Sopot, Gdynia, Kraków or Kościelisko and are considering entrusting it to professional management, we can analyse your property’s potential and propose a cooperation model tailored to its location.
Contact Us and see how we can manage your apartment.
Frequently asked questions
What determines apartment occupancy in short-term rentals?
Occupancy is affected by many factors, including location, property standard, seasonality, listing presentation, availability on booking channels, calendar management and a properly prepared sales strategy.
Why prepare an apartment for the season in advance?
The most important decisions regarding the high season are often made before it begins. Early analysis of demand, the calendar and previous results allows better preparation of availability and a sales strategy for the most attractive dates.
What does professional short-term rental management involve?
Professional management includes, among other things, preparing and distributing listings, managing reservations and the calendar, communicating with Guests, analysing the market, ongoing sales activities and managing the property’s day-to-day operation.
