Key takeaways: Montreux is a high-rate, mid-occupancy market. Over the last twelve months the median available nightly rate was CHF 252 and the average realised booked rate CHF 240 — but average occupancy was only 37.6%, down 13% year on year, which took revenue per available night down 16%. Rates held; occupancy did not. Forward bookings are running slightly ahead of last year (23.6% of the next twelve months is already on the books against 21.3% at the same point in 2025), and guests now book 77 days out on average, 12% earlier than a year ago.
Every owner asks the same question: what can this apartment earn? The honest answer depends on two numbers that move independently — what you can charge a night, and how many nights you actually fill. Below is the full Montreux picture, taken from AirROI Atlas on the 31 August 2026 vintage: 320 active listings, twelve months of history and twelve months of forward bookings, on one interactive dashboard.
The headline is uncomfortable but useful. Asking rates in Montreux have barely moved. Occupancy has. That shifts where the work is: 2026 rewards owners who manage the calendar and the trough months, not the ones who simply raise the nightly price.
Short answer: the money question in Montreux in 2026 is occupancy, not rate. Median rates have held near CHF 250 and peak-season rates near CHF 313, but average occupancy fell 13% year on year to 37.6%, cutting RevPAR 16%. The owners beating the market are filling the January–March troughs that run at 28–31% occupancy, not charging more in July, where the market already runs at 48%.
In this guide
Montreux in September 2026: the numbers that matter
These are the twelve months to August 2026, as tracked across the AirROI sample of Montreux listings. “Available rate” is what hosts were asking; “booked rate” is what guests actually paid on nights that sold. The gap between the two is a pricing-discipline indicator, not an error.
| Month | Available rate | Booked rate | Occupancy | Avg lead time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2025 | CHF 284 | CHF 272 | 51.0% | 61 d |
| Sep 2025 | CHF 258 | CHF 246 | 41.4% | 78 d |
| Oct 2025 | CHF 247 | CHF 228 | 34.9% | 48 d |
| Nov 2025 | CHF 269 | CHF 224 | 29.7% | 51 d |
| Dec 2025 | CHF 263 | CHF 240 | 48.7% | 52 d |
| Jan 2026 | CHF 238 | CHF 206 | 28.8% | 44 d |
| Feb 2026 | CHF 246 | CHF 227 | 31.1% | 42 d |
| Mar 2026 | CHF 246 | CHF 232 | 28.4% | 28 d |
| Apr 2026 | CHF 241 | CHF 226 | 34.0% | 46 d |
| May 2026 | CHF 247 | CHF 218 | 39.2% | 54 d |
| Jun 2026 | CHF 267 | CHF 253 | 43.7% | 57 d |
| Jul 2026 | CHF 313 | CHF 318 | 48.3% | 97 d |
| Aug 2026 | CHF 281 | CHF 267 | 43.5% | 78 d |
Three patterns stand out. July 2026 was the strongest month of the year on every axis: CHF 313 available, CHF 318 booked, 48.3% occupancy and guests booking 97 days ahead. December 2025 was the second peak at 48.7% occupancy, which is the Montreux Christmas-market effect rather than summer demand. And the trough is concentrated: March 2026 ran at 28.4% occupancy and January at 28.8%, with lead times collapsing to 28–44 days because almost nobody plans a Montreux winter stay three months out.
Occupancy, not rate, is what moved
Year on year across the market: average daily rate −5%, occupancy −13%, revenue per available night −16%, active listings −2%. In plain terms, the average Montreux apartment gave back roughly one night in eight while holding its price.
That is the classic signature of a market where supply stopped growing but demand softened, and it is why generic advice to “raise your rates” is dangerous here. A CHF 20 nightly increase on a calendar that loses ten nights a year nets less than the same apartment holding its rate and filling those ten nights.
Montreux — short-term rental market trends
Charts reproduce the AirROI Atlas Trend view for Montreux on the 31 August 2026 data vintage. Hover any chart or calendar day for exact values; the calendar can be switched between occupancy, booked rate and the demand index.
Where rates held, and where they did not
Peak weeks defended their price. In July 2026 the market asked CHF 313 and realised CHF 318 — booked rate above asking rate, which only happens when the remaining inventory on popular dates is scarce. Shoulder months behaved very differently: in October 2025 and May 2026 the market asked CHF 247 and CHF 247 respectively but realised CHF 228 and CHF 218, a 8–12% discount to the advertised rate.
Read together, the two lines say something practical: in high season your rate is not the constraint, availability is; in shoulder season your rate is the constraint and the market is quietly discounting to fill. Owners who set one flat price for the year get the worst of both — above-market in October, below-market in July.
What is already on the books for winter 2026/27
There are 353 future dates in the dataset, and the near ones are already moving. Since 31 August 2026 the market has picked up roughly 100 net bookings a week through late September, tapering into autumn and then thinning to single digits in the far weeks of 2027, which is normal this far out.
On-the-books occupancy across the next twelve months is 23.6% at its peak, against 21.3% for the same dates last year and a 2025 final position of about 25%. The market is therefore a little ahead of last year, but not dramatically so: the pace chart is the one to watch weekly, because it is the earliest honest signal of whether the season will beat the last one.
How far ahead guests book
Montreux guests now book 77 days ahead on average, 12% further out than a year ago. The seasonal swing is large: July 2026 stays were booked 97 days in advance, March 2026 stays only 28 days.
The distribution matters more than the average. Across the next 180 days, 1 869 bookings sit in the 90-plus-day bucket, 853 in the 61–90 day bucket and only 240 inside the final week. Practically: the pricing decision for any given week is made about three months before it, and last-minute discounting reaches a small pool of guests who are, by definition, the least planned and often the most price-sensitive.
Reading the Montreux year month by month
The calendar heatmap on the dashboard shows where occupancy actually sits day by day. Two peaks dominate: late December through early January (the Christmas market) and July through mid-August (lake, Jazz Festival and the general Riviera high season). Between them sits a long, soft November and an even softer February–March.
The operational conclusion is straightforward. Winter and summer sell themselves if the listing is priced and positioned for them; the shoulder months are won with minimum-stay rules, a few well-chosen long weekends and a direct channel to guests who already know the apartment. Our Montreux Christmas market guide covers the December window, and the Montreux and Vevey occupancy analysis goes deeper on why filling those weeks is worth more than a higher headline rate.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the average occupancy rate for an Airbnb in Montreux in 2026?
Across the twelve months to August 2026 the average occupancy of the tracked Montreux sample was 37.6%, down 13% year on year. Seasonality is wide: July 2026 ran at 48.3% and December 2025 at 48.7%, while March 2026 fell to 28.4% and January 2026 to 28.8%. Occupancy, not nightly rate, is what moved the market this year.
What nightly rate can a short-term rental in Montreux charge in 2026?
The median available rate over the last twelve months was CHF 252 and the average realised booked rate CHF 240. Peak season is materially higher: in July 2026 hosts asked CHF 313 and realised CHF 318. In shoulder months the realised rate sits 8–12% below the advertised rate, which is where discounting is actually happening.
Is the Montreux short-term rental market growing or slowing?
It is flat to slightly softer. Active listings are down about 2% year on year, average daily rate down 5%, occupancy down 13% and revenue per available night down 16%. Forward bookings are mildly ahead of last year (23.6% on the books versus 21.3% at the same point in 2025), so the market is not collapsing — but growth is no longer coming from supply or from rate.
How far in advance do guests book a Montreux apartment?
On average 77 days, 12% further ahead than a year ago. The distribution is skewed: for stays in the next 180 days, 1 869 bookings were made more than 90 days ahead, against 240 made inside the final week. July stays are booked about 97 days out, March stays about 28.
Related reading: Montreux & Vevey Airbnb: prices are up, but occupancy is where revenue is being lost (2026 data) · Swiss short-term rentals in 2026: how the market grew and which cities lead · How to analyse a Montreux Airbnb market before you buy · Montreux Christmas market: what it means for winter bookings · professional Airbnb management in Montreux
Sources: AirROI Atlas, Trend view for Montreux (Vaud, Switzerland), data vintage 31 August 2026, retrieved 12 September 2026, https://www.airroi.com/atlas/charts/trend?country-code=CH&state=Vaud&city=Montreux — tracked sample of 259 listings against 320 active listings, 12 months of history and 12 months of forward on-the-books data (occupancy, available and booked nightly rates, booking lead time, weekly pickup, pace against the prior year, and year-on-year deltas). Calendar heatmaps on this page show occupancy, booked rate or the demand index from the same sample. AirROI market scores for Montreux: demand 76, growth 67, seasonality 78, regulation 64. Figures describe the tracked sample, not the whole Montreux market. RivieraHost portfolio data on occupancy and the 20% commission model, 2026.
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