How to price a luxury mahjong retreat (without leaving money on the table)
Price too low and you host for free; price by guessing and you'll sweat every booking. Pricing a retreat is really just arithmetic plus a little nerve. Here's the method.
Start from your all-in costs
List everything: room nights, meals and receptions, meeting or game space, activities, transport, welcome gifts, and your own time. Add a contingency line — something always comes up. That total, divided by your expected guests, is your floor.
Price per room, not per person
Shared doubles, singles, and suites cost you differently, so price them differently. Per-room pricing makes the choice obvious for guests and keeps your room-block math clean. A single occupant should pay a single-occupancy rate, not a shared one.
A quick worked example
Say your all-in costs land at $2,400 per guest. Add a 25% margin and a small buffer and you might price a shared room at $3,000 per person, a single at $3,600, and a suite higher. Those numbers cover your costs, pay you, and leave room for a late cancellation — without feeling arbitrary to guests.
Build in a margin — and a buffer
Your price should cover costs, pay you for the work, and leave room for the guest who cancels or the invoice that comes in high. A margin isn't greedy; it's what keeps you doing this next year.
Let deposits protect your cash flow
You'll owe supplier deposits long before the trip. Collect a guest deposit up front so you're funding the retreat with their money, not yours, and take the balance automatically closer to the date.
Sanity-check and be transparent
Compare your number to similar trips your guests have taken, and be clear about what's included. Most operators bake the platform fee into the price so the booking page effectively pays for itself. Flat fees beat a percentage of every booking.
A quick pricing checklist
- Total every cost, then add a contingency line.
- Divide by realistic — not hopeful — headcount.
- Price each room type on its own.
- Add your margin, then sanity-check against comparable trips.
- Collect a deposit now; automate the balance.
Once the number's set, put it on a booking page that charges the deposit for you — no invoices, no chasing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I price a retreat per room?
Price each room type on its own cost basis: a shared double, a single, and a suite each get their own rate. This keeps your room-block math clean and makes the choice simple for guests.
What margin should I add to a retreat?
Enough to pay you for the work and cushion a cancellation — commonly around 20–30% over your all-in costs, then sanity-checked against comparable trips your guests would recognize.
Should I charge a deposit or the full amount up front?
A deposit. It holds the spot, funds the supplier deposits you owe now, and lowers the barrier to booking, with the balance collected automatically before the trip.