How We Increased Airbnb Revenue by 40% During PDAC

Downtown Toronto, ON

Scenario

The Background

Major conventions like PDAC (Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada Convention) create one of the most predictable — yet often underpriced — demand surges in Toronto’s STR market.

Here are two examples for two different types of properties for the Feb 28–Mar 4 period:

Typical low-season ADR would average:
- ~$270/night (2BR condo)
- ~$450/night (4BR townhouse)
Occupancy typically sits around 70% during that time

Without active management, many hosts rely entirely on automated pricing tools — which often underprice major event demand.

Strategy

What We Did

1. Adjusted Strategy 12 Months in Advance

Our pricing calendar is built proactively around Toronto’s event cycle.

For PDAC, we:

raised base rates early
increased minimum stay requirements
reduced exposure to short, lower-value bookings

This positioned listings for peak demand well before competitors reacted.

2. Combined Pricing Software + Market Expertise

Unlike most short-term rental managers, we don’t just use dynamic pricing software. Based on real-time market behavior and market expertise, we manually override specific dates by tracking comps and booking velocity:

Beyond basic dynamic pricing, we monitor:

booking pacing trends
inventory compression
competitor pricing movement

This allowed us to confidently push beyond automated recommendations.

3. Executed Manual Surge Overrides

During peak booking windows, we:

increased ADR approximately 40% beyond automated baseline recommendations
maintained full occupancy across both listings

Results by property:

2BR Condo (next to Metro Toronto Convention Centre):

booked ADR: $842/night
vs typical automated pricing: ~$600/night
uplift: ~$1,000+ for one stay

4BR House (Yonge St Corridor):

booked ADR: $1,116/night
vs typical automated pricing: ~$800/night
uplift: ~$1,800+ for one stay

OUTCOME

The Results

For just this one event, our local expertise and pricing strategy resulted in:

$1000 to $1800 increase in revenue generated per booking (versus pricing software recommendations).
Zero occupancy loss
Full optimization of peak demand window

On average, Toronto hosts 50-100 major events annually that draw >50,000 visitors from out of town.

Significance

Why This Matters for Owners

Most STR revenue loss doesn’t come from vacancy — it comes from underpricing peak demand. Specifically for 2026, this includes events such as:

FIFA World Cup 2026 (Toronto Matches)
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)
Pride Toronto Festival & Parade
Toronto Caribbean Carnival (Caribana)
PDAC Convention
Canadian International AutoShow
Toronto Waterfront Marathon
VELD Music Festival
NXNE (North by Northeast)
Luminato Festival Toronto
Honda Indy Toronto
Fan Expo Canada
Elevate Festival

Without an event-based strategy:

Automated tools leave money on the table
Inexperienced hosts price too cautiously
Opportunities vanish once inventory fills

Our role is to capture those windows fully.

summary

Key Takeaways

Maximizing STR performance requires more than just listing a property — it requires strategic design, execution, and ongoing optimization.

At Maxima Properties, we handle every step.

Want to see what your property could earn with professional management?

Book a call with our team today.

CLIENT STORY

Quick Snapshot

Event

PDAC Convention — Toronto

Properties

2BR condo — Downtown Core
4BR townhouse — Yonge St Corridor

Strategy

Long-range event forecasting + manual surge pricing

Outcome

$1000 to $1800 revenue increase for 1 stay

Ready for similar results?

Let’s discuss how Maxima Properties can help maximize your property investment.