Toolkit: Flexible Search

An “I’m flexible” option on your search dates so guests who do not have fixed plans can search by stay length and month instead of an exact date range, plus a rescue for zero-result searches that suggests real nearby dates instead of a dead end.

What it does #

Flexible Search is two related features under one module, each with its own switch, so you can turn on either without the other.

Flexible dates in Explorer adds an Airbnb-style “Exact dates / I’m flexible” toggle to the date picker in your property search. When a guest chooses I’m flexible, instead of pinning down exact check-in and check-out dates they pick:

• a stay length: Weekend stay, 1 week, 2 weeks, or 1 month
• a time frame: Anytime, or a specific month (for example Apr 2026, May 2026)

The search then matches real date ranges that fit. A row of suggested weeks appears below the search bar (for example “Jun 6-13”, “Jun 13-20”) so guests can pick a concrete range with one tap and keep exploring. The search bar label reads in plain language (“1 week in July”) until they choose a specific range, then it shows the exact dates so it is always clear what was searched.

This is especially helpful for smaller operators where exact-date searches too often come back empty and the guest leaves. Flexible Search turns a dead end into a list of real options.

No-availability suggested dates rescues a zero-result search, whether the guest searched flexible or exact dates, by showing alternative date suggestions in place of an empty page:

• A flexible search with no matches offers other weeks or months within the same stay length, so a guest looking for “1 week, anytime in July” sees nearby weeks that do have availability.
• An exact-date search with no matches keeps the guest’s stay length and shifts the same window to nearby weeks. A guest searching June 6-13 with nothing open might see June 13-20 or May 30-June 6 offered as one-tap alternatives.

Clicking a suggested range takes the guest straight to those dates. This zero-results assist appears wherever your search results grid shows up, including on Searchbar Pro results pages, not just the classic search bar.

Suggested dates can be checked for real availability. When that check is on, HomeRunner quietly asks your PMS whether each suggested range actually has a bookable home. A range that comes back empty drops out of the list; a range that comes back with real availability gets a checkmark so the guest knows it is a safe bet. If the check cannot complete (a brief connection hiccup, for example), the suggestion simply stays as it was rather than disappearing.

Guests can get a plain-language heads-up when their dates were adjusted. If a guest taps a suggested range on an exact-date empty-results page, the page they land on can show a dismissible notice: “No homes were available for June 6-13. Showing June 13-20 instead,” along with up to four other nearby dates they can switch to with one click. This only fires when exact dates were adjusted, since picking a concrete week out of a flexible “1 week in July” search is a refinement guests already expect, not a change that needs explaining.

How to turn it on #

1. Enable the module #

In the HomeRunner Toolkit Hub, switch on Flexible Search.

2. Configure flexible dates in Explorer #

In the settings panel, under Flexible dates in Explorer:

• Turn on Add the Exact dates / I’m flexible toggle to the date picker to show the toggle. Leave it off if you only want the no-availability suggestions below.
• Choose which stay-length chips appear (Weekend, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month). Leave at least one selected.
• Set months ahead, how far the month picker reaches (6 to 24).

3. Configure no-availability suggested dates #

Under No-availability suggested dates:

• Turn on Show suggested dates on no-result searches to replace the empty-results message with nearby alternatives. This works on both flexible and exact-date searches, with or without the toggle above.
• Turn on Verify suggestions against Central availability to check each suggestion against your PMS and drop the ones with nothing bookable. Turning it off shows the date math only, without the checkmark or automatic pruning.
• Turn on Show the adjusted-dates notice to display the dismissible “Showing Y instead” banner after a guest clicks a suggestion on an exact-date search.
• Set the suggestion window (weeks before and after the searched dates) to control how far out alternatives are pulled from.
• Optionally set custom messages for the no-results title, the suggestions subtitle, and the verified-availability subtitle. Leave any field blank to use the built-in default.

4. Save #

Each feature runs independently once its own switch is on. There is nothing to add to individual pages, every search bar on your site picks up whatever you have enabled.

Settings #

Tips #

• The two feature groups are independent. You can run the no-availability suggestions without the flexible-dates toggle, or the toggle without the suggestions.
• Shared and bookmarked flexible-search links keep working. If a link points to a month that has already passed, it quietly falls back to “Anytime” so the guest still sees results.
• Dates are always shown in your property’s local time zone, so a guest browsing from another part of the world sees your local dates, not theirs.
• The zero-results suggestions only appear when a search genuinely comes back empty. A guest who has not searched dates yet, or who is filtering by other criteria, keeps seeing the standard results grid.
• The availability check needs your site connected to HomeRunner Central. Without that connection, or with the check turned off, suggested dates still show, just without the checkmark or automatic pruning.
• Pairs naturally with Searchbar Pro for the search experience and Bookable Starting Prices for surfacing what is actually open.