Select Board approves dynamic pricing for Nantucket Moorings reservations
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Summary
The Select Board unanimously approved a request from Nantucket Moorings to implement demand-based pricing for a limited period in summer; owner Tim Rainamo said the system (through vendor Dacoda/Dacoya) would raise rates during about six peak weeks and could allow discounts off-season.
The Select Board voted unanimously to allow Nantucket Moorings to implement a dynamic pricing model for rental moorings that would raise or lower rates based on demand during the busiest weeks. Tim Rainamo, owner of Nantucket Moorings, said the vendor’s reservation software will let the operator set date ranges, percentages or multiple price tiers so the company can increase rates during about six weeks of peak summer demand and offer discounts in off-season periods.
Rainamo described the change as similar to hotel or rental-car rate models: the base price would remain the advertised base rate for advance reservations while the software would enable increases up to a higher cap during peak weeks. On a sample pricing sheet shown to the board, Rainamo said the smallest-size category would start at about $70 per night and could rise toward $100 per night during the busiest weeks; he said the exact tiers and dates would be set only after Select Board approval.
The harbor master, Sheila Lucey, and town staff confirmed Nantucket Moorings is in contractual compliance with existing terms. Rainamo said reservation rules (for example minimum nights and a three-night minimum for July 4) and operational safeguards (holding some daily inventory for short-notice arrivals or weather-related extensions) would continue under the new pricing model.
A Select Board member said the dynamic model might encourage off-season usage and improve turnover; board members moved and seconded approval and the motion passed by roll call vote with all members recorded as aye.
The board asked that the company provide any additional historical utilization data and that staff remain available to monitor operational impacts as the new pricing is implemented.
