AU and NZ Market Pulse · November 2026 · Queensland
Reviewed by Mark Joefer, Hotel Market Intelligence Researcher · 13 October 2026 · 9 min read
Cairns hotel rates for November 2026 barely move across the week. The market middle was A$167 on Friday 6 November (captured 7 October) and A$164 on Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October), and the median hotel's own Friday premium was 0.0%.
This post covers Cairns and Port Douglas side by side, the Friday and midweek patterns in each, and a break-even check for a Friday step. All rates use the same search basis: 1 night, 2 adults, 1 room, cheapest offer; refund and board unknown.
Cairns hotel rates for November 2026 centre on a market middle of A$164 for Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October) and A$167 for Friday 6 November (captured 7 October). The median hotel prices Friday the same as Tuesday (0.0%). Port Douglas shows an A$632 Friday middle, but its paired hotels also hold Friday flat.
What are Cairns hotels asking for November nights?
Cairns is one of the steadiest markets in this round. On Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October), the search returned 91 properties with a public rate, and the market middle was A$164 (middle 50% A$121 to A$231). On Wednesday 11 November (captured 12 October), it was A$166 from 92 properties (middle 50% A$115 to A$239). On Friday 6 November (captured 7 October), it was A$167 from 89 properties (middle 50% A$122 to A$235).
| Search | Night (capture date) | Returned | Middle | Middle 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairns | Friday 6 November (captured 7 October) | 89 | A$167 | A$122 to A$235 |
| Cairns | Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October) | 91 | A$164 | A$121 to A$231 |
| Cairns | Wednesday 11 November (captured 12 October) | 92 | A$166 | A$115 to A$239 |
| Port Douglas | Friday 6 November (captured 7 October) | 60 | A$632 | A$276 to A$1,000 |
| Port Douglas | Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October) | 39 | A$239 | A$180 to A$482 |
| Port Douglas | Wednesday 11 November (captured 12 October) | 40 | A$254 | A$190 to A$436 |
Market Pulse Basic. public OTA search, same search basis: 1 night, 2 adults, 1 room, cheapest offer; refund and board unknown. Counts are properties returned in a price-sorted search, not the size of the market.
The three Cairns middles sit within A$3 of each other, and the number of properties returned barely changes (89, 91 and 92). Across the three nights, 97 unique properties appeared at least once. When the mix holds steady like this, the market middle is a fair guide to the level. For November rate levels across the region, see rates across all 48 Australian and NZ markets.
Do Cairns hotels charge more on Friday?
Not the typical one. Of 85 Cairns hotels priced on both Friday 6 and Tuesday 10 November, the median hotel's own Friday premium was 0.0%. 30 (35.3%) priced Friday more than 2% higher, 40 (47.1%) stayed within 2%, and 15 (17.6%) priced it more than 2% lower. This is a Friday-to-Tuesday comparison, captured four days apart (preview basis).
Midweek is steadier still. Of 88 hotels priced on both Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October) and Wednesday 11 November (captured 12 October), 61 (69.3%) were identical. Cairns in November prices most nights alike, with a minority of hotels adding a Friday step. For the same midweek read across both countries, see how many AU and NZ hotels priced Tuesday and Wednesday the same.
Why is the Port Douglas Friday middle so much higher?
Partly because a different set of properties came back on each night, so the two middles are not a like-for-like comparison. On Friday 6 November (captured 7 October), the Port Douglas search returned 60 properties and the middle was A$632, with a middle 50% of A$276 to A$1,000. On Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October), it returned 39 and the middle was A$239, with a middle 50% of A$180 to A$482. More properties, and more of them at the top end, showed a Friday rate.
Hotel by hotel, the picture is flat. Only 26 Port Douglas hotels were priced on both nights, which is a small sample. Their median own Friday premium was 0.0%: 10 lifted Friday by more than 2%, 14 stayed within 2% (13 identical), and 2 priced it lower. That is a Friday-to-Tuesday comparison, captured four days apart (preview basis), on a small sample, so treat it as a first look.
The Port Douglas Friday middle (A$632 against A$239 on Tuesday) answers "what were the properties returned on Friday asking?" The same-hotel median (0.0%) answers "did hotels charge more for Friday?" Only the second is a Friday premium, and in Port Douglas it is flat for the typical hotel.
Midweek in Port Douglas is steady too: 31 of 38 hotels (81.6%) were identical from Tuesday 10 to Wednesday 11 November. Across the three nights, 74 unique properties appeared at least once.
Where short-term rentals fit
Short-term rentals are a separate market, often whole homes with cleaning fees and minimum stays, so they are not included in these hotel figures and are never a hotel comp set or a rate target.
For the Whitsundays and Airlie Beach further south, the Friday picture is a split rather than flat.
What would a Friday step do to your revenue?
We don't know your occupancy, so we give break-even, not dollars. Break-even occupancy = your current occupancy × your current rate ÷ the new rate. With a Cairns median of 0.0%, the table uses two simple steps.
| Rate step | Your break-even occupancy | Worked example at 93.2% (synthetic data) |
|---|---|---|
| +5.0% | your occupancy ÷ 1.05 | 88.8% |
| +10.0% | your occupancy ÷ 1.1 | 84.7% |
Break-even = occupancy × current rate ÷ new rate, which equals occupancy ÷ (1 + rate step). The last column is a worked example (synthetic data): a fictional 40-cabin NZ holiday park at 93.2% occupancy over 90 nights; it is not a real property or market data. Use your own occupancy for the middle column.
In a flat market, the question is whether your Fridays behave differently from the market's. If your Fridays fill early while 40 of 85 Cairns hotels hold Friday at their Tuesday rate, a small step may cost little. If your Fridays fill late, matching the market may be right.
RevPARGenius Take
Cairns and Port Douglas price Friday like a weekday for the typical hotel: the median own Friday premium is 0.0% in Cairns (85 hotels) and 0.0% in Port Douglas (26 hotels, small sample), comparing Fri 6 with Tue 10 Nov (captured 7 and 11 Oct).
The A$632 Port Douglas Friday middle came from a different set of properties than the Tuesday search, so it should not be read as a Friday premium. In Cairns, 61 of 88 hotels (69.3%) also held the same rate from Tuesday 10 to Wednesday 11 November.
What to do this week in Cairns and Port Douglas
Five checks, each quick.
- Compare your own Friday 6 and Tuesday 10 November rates and work out Friday ÷ Tuesday − 1.
- Count how often your rate differs from the night before across your next 90 nights in your extranet, and check that each step reflects your own pickup rather than a default.
- Check whether your Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 November rates are identical; 69.3% of paired Cairns hotels held them the same.
- In Port Douglas, compare yourself with properties that sell a similar product, since the middle 50% on Friday 6 November spans a very wide band.
- Run the break-even table with your own Friday occupancy before any change, and note the date of each change.
Frequently asked questions
Are Cairns hotels more expensive on weekends?
Not the typical one. Comparing Friday 6 with Tuesday 10 November, the median Cairns hotel priced Friday 0.0% above Tuesday. Of 85 paired hotels, 30 priced Friday more than 2% higher and 40 stayed within 2%.
Why did Port Douglas show a Friday middle of A$632?
More properties returned a Friday rate, including more at the top end, so the mix changed. The 26 hotels priced on both nights had a median Friday change of 0.0%. The middle describes what the returned properties asked, not a Friday premium.
Do Cairns hotels price Tuesday and Wednesday the same?
Mostly. Of 88 hotels priced on both Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October) and Wednesday 11 November (captured 12 October), 61 (69.3%) had identical rates. In Port Douglas, 31 of 38 hotels (81.6%) did the same.
Is the Cairns market middle a fair guide to November rates?
Yes, for the level. The three Cairns middles sit within A$3 of each other, and the search returned 89, 91 and 92 properties across the three nights, with 97 unique properties seen in all. When the mix holds steady, the middle is a fair guide; your own rate still depends on your product and pickup.
Are short-term rentals included in these figures?
No. These figures cover hotels and similar properties returned in a public OTA search. Short-term rentals are a separate market and are never used as a hotel comp set or a rate target.
If you want this read for your own Cairns or Port Douglas comp set, with your rate and the market middle side by side, RevPARGenius builds it from public rates.
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Data sources: RevPARGenius Market Pulse Basic, Cairns and Port Douglas (public OTA search; 1 night, 2 adults, 1 room, cheapest offer; refund and board unknown), stay dates Fri 6, Tue 10 and Wed 11 November 2026, captured 7, 11 and 12 October 2026. Analysis run October 2026. Last reviewed October 2026. RevPARGenius is a hotel market intelligence platform. It is not affiliated with any online travel agency or hotel chain.
Research methodology and disclosures: Market figures in this article are calculated by RevPARGenius from room rates publicly displayed on online travel agency (OTA) channels, on one search basis (1 night, 2 adults, 1 room, cheapest offer shown). We publish a market figure only where at least 15 properties were priced. The figures are advertised asking prices. They do not show occupancy, bookings, negotiated corporate rates or revenue achieved. Worked examples marked as synthetic use invented data. This article is general information, not pricing advice: each hotel sets its own rates independently. RevPARGenius and CloseMode are commercially affiliated platforms.
