RevPARGenius methodology and owner guides
Reviewed by Mark Joefer, Hotel Market Intelligence Researcher · 13 October 2026 · 9 min read
The hotel market median rate, which we call the market middle, is the rate in the centre of the properties priced on a night. In Queenstown on Tuesday 10 November 2026 it was NZ$548, while the upper quartile reached NZ$956.
This guide is for GMs who see market figures in reports and want to know what is behind them. It explains why we use the median, why a middle needs five priced properties, what the middle 50% shows and why the number of properties returned is not the size of a market.
The hotel market median rate is the middle rate of properties priced on a night, used because a few expensive properties pull a mean upward. In Queenstown on Tuesday 10 November 2026 (captured 11 October), the middle across 177 priced properties was NZ$548; the upper quartile sat 74.5% above it and the lower quartile 25.2% below. We publish a middle only when 15 or more properties are priced.
What is the hotel market middle?
The market middle is the median rate of the properties priced on a given night. Line up every property that returned a rate for that night from cheapest to dearest, and the middle is the one in the centre. Half the properties ask less, half ask more. RevPARGenius calculates it per night, on the same search basis: public OTA search, 1 night, 2 adults, 1 room, cheapest offer; refund and board unknown.
Three rules come with it:
- It is calculated only when 5 or more properties are priced that night. Below that, there is no middle.
- When fewer than 30 are priced, it is flagged as a small sample.
- It is a rate level for one night, captured on one date. It is not a forecast and not a trend.
It is also not the rate your hotel should charge. It tells you where the centre of the market sat on the night, which is the reference point for every rate gap we publish.
Why use the median rather than the average hotel rate?
Because hotel rates are lopsided. A town has many properties near the centre and a few that ask far more: lodges, suites, villas, the one property with a lake view. Those few pull a mean upwards, while the median stays with the bulk of the market.
Queenstown on Tuesday 10 November 2026, captured 11 October, shows it clearly. Of 177 properties priced, the middle was NZ$548. The lower quartile (a quarter of properties ask less) was NZ$410 and the upper quartile (a quarter ask more) was NZ$956.
| Queenstown, Tue 10 Nov 2026 (captured 11 Oct) | Rate | Distance from middle |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | NZ$410 | 25.2% below |
| Market middle (median) | NZ$548 | — |
| Upper quartile | NZ$956 | 74.5% above |
177 properties priced. Same search basis: public OTA search, 1 night, 2 adults, 1 room, cheapest offer; refund and board unknown.
The upper quartile sits three times further from the middle than the lower quartile does. That shape is exactly what drags a mean away from the typical property. Take only those three markers: their mean is NZ$638, NZ$90 above the median, and nothing about the typical Queenstown room changed. With the full list of 177 rates the effect depends on how far the top tail runs, which is the point: a mean moves when a handful of expensive properties enter or leave the search. The median barely notices.
Auckland on the same night is less lopsided. With 200 priced (the search cap), the middle was NZ$206, the lower quartile NZ$135 (34.5% below) and the upper quartile NZ$293 (42.2% above). The median and a mean would sit closer together there, but the median is still the safer reference because it does not depend on who happens to be at the top of the list.
If your reference point is a mean, a single luxury property returning to the search can make your rate look well under the market overnight. With the median, your comparison only moves when the bulk of the market moves.
Why does a market middle need at least five priced properties?
Because with very few rates, one property decides the answer. In a small town where only a handful of properties are priced, one lodge returning to the search or dropping out of it can move the middle by a large amount overnight. A big difference between two neighbouring weekdays in a market that thin is far more likely to be a change in which properties returned a rate than a change in what the market charges.
At 5 or more the middle exists, but below 30 we label it a small sample and treat it as a rough level. Queenstown on Wednesday 11 November, captured 12 October, returned only 20 priced properties against 177 the night before. Its middle of NZ$526 is reported, flagged as a small sample, and not compared as if it were the same market. Our guide to reading missing rates explains why counts swing like that.
Peak nights show the same effect in a longer calendar. A 12-month calendar for a fixed set of 150 Queenstown hotels, captured 4 October 2026, had a median of 107 of the 150 priced on a typical night. On New Year’s Eve (Thursday 31 December 2026) only 14 were priced, 9.3% of the set. That is too few for us to publish a middle: we do not publish figures for sets of fewer than 15 properties. The other 136 hotels had no public rate for that night. They may have minimum stays, closed dates or no rooms left; the data cannot say which, and none of them is counted as a zero. These counts are for one set of hotels, not the whole city.
What does the middle 50% tell a GM?
The middle 50% is the band between the lower and upper quartile. It shows how much properties in the market agree on price. A narrow band means most properties ask similar rates; a wide band means they disagree.
- Queenstown, Tue 10 Nov (captured 11 Oct): NZ$410 to NZ$956. Wide, and lopsided upward. The market holds very different products.
- Auckland, Tue 10 Nov (captured 11 Oct): NZ$135 to NZ$293. Narrower in dollars, though still more than double from bottom to top.
If your rate sits inside the middle 50%, you are priced with the bulk of the market on that night. If it sits outside, ask whether your product explains it. A matched comp set narrows the question further, because it compares you only with properties like yours. Our 15-minute comp set guide shows how to build one.
What does "properties returned in the search" mean?
It is the number of properties that came back with a rate in a price-sorted search capped at 200. It is not the number of hotels in town and not a measure of how busy the town is. Queenstown returned 297 different properties across all the nights we captured, but 177 on Tuesday 10 November and 20 on Wednesday 11 November. Auckland hit the 200 cap on three of the four nights captured.
That is why we report the count beside every middle, and why we never describe a change in the count as a change in the market. Rate shopping tools often show a single competitor number without this context; market intelligence vs rate shopping sets out the difference.
What to do this week
- For your next five key nights, write down the market middle, the middle 50% and the number priced, each with its capture date.
- Put your own rate for the same nights beside them, on the same search basis, and calculate the gap with both rates shown.
- Ignore any middle built on fewer than 5 priced properties, and treat anything under 30 as a rough level.
- If someone quotes you an "average market rate", ask how many properties it covers and whether it is a mean or a median.
- Check whether your rate sits inside or outside the middle 50% on weekdays and on weekends.
Our take
The median is the honest centre of a hotel market. It stays with the bulk of properties when a few expensive ones come and go.
Use it with its two companions: the number of properties priced and the middle 50%. Queenstown on Tuesday 10 November 2026 shows why: a middle of NZ$548, a band of NZ$410 to NZ$956, and an upper tail that would pull any mean well away from the typical room.
Frequently asked questions
Is the market middle the same as the average hotel rate?
No. The market middle is the median of properties priced that night, so half ask less and half ask more. A mean adds every rate and divides, which lets a few expensive properties pull the figure up.
What was the Queenstown market middle in November 2026?
On Tuesday 10 November 2026, captured 11 October, the Queenstown market middle was NZ$548 across 177 priced properties, with the middle 50% between NZ$410 and NZ$956, on a public OTA search for 1 night, 2 adults, 1 room, cheapest offer.
Why is there no market middle for some nights?
A market middle is only calculated when 5 or more properties are priced that night. With fewer, one property would decide the figure, so no middle, gap or dollar comparison is shown.
What is a small sample in Market Pulse?
A night with fewer than 30 properties priced. The middle is still shown if 15 or more are priced, but it is labelled a small sample and should be treated as a rough level.
Should my hotel price at the market middle?
Not automatically. The middle shows where the centre of the market sat on one night. Your right rate depends on your product, your comp set and your own pickup.
The next step is to put your own dates beside the market middle for the same nights, with the capture date on every number.
Data sources: RevPARGenius Market Pulse Basic, public OTA search (1 night, 2 adults, 1 room, cheapest offer; refund and board unknown), Queenstown and Auckland stay dates 4 to 11 November 2026, captured 5 to 12 October 2026; RevPARGenius 12-month rate calendar for a fixed set of 150 Queenstown hotels, captured 4 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.
