RevPARGenius pricing guides · Methods you can run in a spreadsheet
Reviewed by Mark Joefer, Hotel Market Intelligence Researcher · 13 October 2026 · 9 min read
A hotel rate review template turns pricing into a 20-minute weekly habit: the next 14, 30 and 90 nights, pickup, events, a market middle check, a behaviour check and a decisions log. In our worked example (synthetic data), the next 14 nights from 14 Oct 2026 sit at 93.2% occupancy and NZ$118 ADR, with Labour Day weekend inside the window.
The property figures in this template come from a worked example with synthetic data for a fictional 40-cabin New Zealand holiday park, covering 90 nights from 14 October 2026. Its "market middle" figures are illustrative assumptions, not captured market data. The only real market figures are the RevPARGenius captures, each labelled with its date. No real property is described.
Most small properties do not have a revenue manager. They have a GM or an owner who looks at rates when something feels wrong. A short, fixed weekly review replaces that feeling with a habit.
This template fits in 20 minutes, works from a PMS export and one market view, and ends with a written log of decisions. We fill it in with a worked example, a fictional 40-cabin NZ holiday park, so you can see what each step produces.
What goes on the 20-minute agenda?
Keep the same order every week. The order matters, because each step narrows down where the next one should look.
| Minutes | Step | What you look at |
|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | Next 14 nights | Occupancy, ADR, rooms left, any night under or over your usual range |
| 4–7 | Next 30 nights | The same, for the weeks a rate change can still reach |
| 7–9 | Next 90 nights | Overall shape only: weekday vs weekend, any unusual weeks |
| 9–12 | Pickup | Rooms added since last week, by night |
| 12–14 | Events | Public holidays, school holidays, local events inside 90 nights |
| 14–17 | Market middle and behaviour | Where your rate sits against the median of comparable properties, and how often rates move |
| 17–20 | Decisions log | What you changed, why, and when you will check it |
Twenty minutes is enough because the review only makes decisions. Analysis that needs more time, such as a new weekend premium or a room-type change, goes on the log as a separate task with its own date.
What do the 14, 30 and 90-night views show?
Each window answers a different question. The next 14 nights show what is nearly settled. The next 30 show where a rate change still reaches most bookings. The next 90 show the shape of the season. In the worked example, the windows from 14 October 2026 look like this:
| Window | Last night | Occupancy | ADR | Illustrative middle (median of nights) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Next 14 nights | Tue 27 Oct | 93.2% | NZ$118 | NZ$146 |
| Next 30 nights | Thu 12 Nov | 93.4% | NZ$119 | NZ$146 |
| Next 90 nights | Mon 11 Jan | 93.2% | NZ$119 | NZ$146 |
The three windows look almost identical, and that is itself a finding. When occupancy and ADR are flat across 14, 30 and 90 nights, the rate is not reacting to how close or how busy a night is. In the example, the 14-night ADR of NZ$118 sits against an illustrative middle of NZ$146, 19.2% under. That pattern is the starting point for the break-even question in break-even occupancy: the check before you raise rates.
How do you check pickup and events in a few minutes?
Pickup is the number of rooms added for each future night since your last review. It needs one thing: a saved copy of last week's on-the-books report. Subtract last week's rooms sold from this week's, night by night, and look for nights that moved much faster or much slower than the rest.
- Fast pickup on a night with rooms left is a reason to check whether the rate is still right for the remaining rooms.
- No pickup on a night that is still open close to arrival is a reason to check visibility first: is the rate loaded, is the room showing on the main channels?
- Cancellations show as negative pickup. In the worked example's reservation sample, 7.3% of bookings were cancelled, so expect some. For how to read them, see hotel cancellations and no-shows and what they mean for pricing.
Then check events inside 90 nights. For NZ properties in this window that means Labour Day weekend (24–26 Oct 2026), and later Christmas Day (Fri 25 Dec), Boxing Day (Sat 26 Dec) and New Year's Eve (Thu 31 Dec). If a night stands out and you do not know why, the driver isn't confirmed in your data; check the local events calendar before pricing it as an event.
How should you check the market middle and rate behaviour?
The market middle is the median rate of comparable properties priced that night, on the same search basis, and we only publish it when 15 or more are priced. It is a reference point, not your right rate. Our explainer on why the market middle is a median covers why the median is used. Look at it for the next 14 nights only: where is your rate above it, where below, and has anything changed since last week?
Then check behaviour: how often your rate differs from the night before, compared with the hotels around you. It needs no argument about which comp set is right, and you can check your own figure in your extranet. For real reference points:
In an Auckland CBD set of 18 hotels captured 9 October 2026, the median hotel's rate differs from the night before on 72% of nights. That is the median for one set of hotels, not the whole city. We do not publish figures for sets of fewer than 15 properties.
Across 41 AU and NZ markets, 1,870 of 2,894 same-hotel pairs (64.6%) showed an identical rate for Tue 10 Nov (captured 11 Oct 2026) and Wed 11 Nov (captured 12 Oct 2026).
So some markets move rates almost every night and others barely move at all. In the worked example, the park's ADR stays between NZ$116 and NZ$124 across 90 nights. Check your loaded rates in the extranet rather than the ADR, because ADR also moves with room-type mix.
What should you do this week?
Set the review up once and it runs itself.
- Book a fixed 20-minute slot, same day and time every week. Many GMs pick Monday morning.
- Save this week's on-the-books report so next week's pickup has a starting point.
- Build the three-window table (14, 30, 90 nights) from your PMS.
- List events inside 90 nights, using real dates only.
- Note your rate against the market middle for the next 14 nights, and how often your rate differs from the night before.
- Start a decisions log with four columns: date, change, reason, review date. Rate decisions are only useful if you can check them later. The six-step hotel pricing analysis framework is a good next step when the log shows a pattern.
Our take
A short review every week beats a long one every quarter.
In this worked example, twenty minutes shows a park whose occupancy and rate look the same at 14, 30 and 90 nights, with an event weekend inside the first fortnight. That is enough to make one decision and write it down. The log, not the meeting, is what improves pricing over time.
Frequently asked questions
Who should attend the weekly rate review?
In a small property, the GM or owner plus whoever loads rates. Keep it to the people who can make and apply a decision. Larger teams can add front office or sales, but the review should still fit in 20 minutes.
What if nothing needs to change this week?
Write that down too. A log entry saying no change, with the reason, is useful evidence later. It shows the rate was checked on purpose rather than left alone by default.
Do I need a market data tool for the review?
You can run most of the review from your PMS alone. A market view adds the market middle and behaviour checks, which help you see whether your rate is in line with comparable properties on the same nights.
How far ahead should a small hotel look each week?
Look at 14, 30 and 90 nights. The first two are where rate changes still reach most bookings. The 90-night view catches events and seasonal shifts early enough to plan for them.
What should a decisions log include?
Four columns are enough: the date, what changed, why, and when you will review it. Add the nights affected and the result once you have it, so each decision can be checked against what actually happened.
Your PMS covers occupancy and pickup. RevPARGenius adds the market middle and how often rates move around you, dated, so the weekly review has both halves.
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Data sources: RevPARGenius worked example (synthetic PMS and reservation data for a fictional 40-cabin NZ holiday park, 90 nights from 14 Oct 2026; market middle column is an illustrative assumption). RevPARGenius behaviour set capture: Auckland CBD (18 hotels, captured 9 Oct 2026). RevPARGenius Market Pulse Basic, public OTA search (1 night, 2 adults, 1 room, cheapest offer; refund and board unknown), Tue 10 Nov captured 11 Oct 2026 and Wed 11 Nov captured 12 Oct 2026, 41 markets. 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.
