AU and NZ Market Pulse · November 2026 · Queensland
Reviewed by Mark Joefer, Hotel Market Intelligence Researcher · 13 October 2026 · 10 min read
Whitsundays hotel rates for November 2026 split on Friday. Of 55 region hotels priced on both Friday 6 November (captured 7 October) and Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October), 26 lifted Friday by more than 2% and 26 held it level.
This post covers the region and Airlie Beach searches side by side: rate level, spread, Friday and midweek. All rates use the same search basis: 1 night, 2 adults, 1 room, cheapest offer; refund and board unknown.
Whitsundays hotel rates for November 2026 centre on a region market middle of A$239 for Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October), and A$277 in Airlie Beach. On Friday 6 November (captured 7 October), 26 of 55 paired region hotels priced Friday higher and 26 held it level, so the median change was 0.0%.
What are Whitsundays hotels asking for November nights?
Across the wider Whitsundays region search, the market middle on Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October) was A$239, from 96 properties returned with a public rate. The middle 50% ran A$148 to A$364. On Wednesday 11 November (captured 12 October), the middle was A$245 from 97 properties (middle 50% A$154 to A$384). On Friday 6 November (captured 7 October), it was A$205 from 56 properties, with a middle 50% of A$142 to A$448.
In the Airlie Beach search, the middle on Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October) was A$277 from 52 properties (middle 50% A$176 to A$383). On Wednesday 11 November (captured 12 October), it was A$284 from 54 (middle 50% A$195 to A$384). On Friday 6 November (captured 7 October), it was A$364 from 32 properties (middle 50% A$181 to A$472).
| Search | Night (capture date) | Returned | Middle | Middle 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitsundays | Friday 6 November (captured 7 October) | 56 | A$205 | A$142 to A$448 |
| Whitsundays | Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October) | 96 | A$239 | A$148 to A$364 |
| Whitsundays | Wednesday 11 November (captured 12 October) | 97 | A$245 | A$154 to A$384 |
| Airlie Beach | Friday 6 November (captured 7 October) | 32 | A$364 | A$181 to A$472 |
| Airlie Beach | Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October) | 52 | A$277 | A$176 to A$383 |
| Airlie Beach | Wednesday 11 November (captured 12 October) | 54 | A$284 | A$195 to A$384 |
Market Pulse Basic. public OTA search, same search basis: 1 night, 2 adults, 1 room, cheapest offer; refund and board unknown. Airlie Beach sits inside the Whitsundays region search, so the two overlap. Counts are properties returned, not the size of the market.
The two searches overlap: Airlie Beach is the main town inside the Whitsundays region. Across the three nights, 103 unique properties appeared in the region search and 70 in the Airlie Beach search. Read the region as "Airlie plus the islands and surrounding coast", and Airlie as the town on its own.
Why does the Friday middle point two ways?
Because the properties returned change between nights. In the region search, the Friday middle (A$205, captured 7 October) is below the Tuesday middle (A$239, captured 11 October). In Airlie Beach, the Friday middle (A$364) is well above Tuesday (A$277). Neither figure is a Friday premium.
Fewer properties returned a public rate on Friday: 56 against 96 in the region, and 32 against 52 in Airlie Beach. When the mix shrinks, the middle moves for reasons that have nothing to do with how any one hotel priced Friday. That is why we pair hotels with themselves.
A market premium is the median of each hotel's own premium, never the ratio of two market middles. When the property mix changes between nights, the middles can even point in opposite directions, as they do here.
Do Whitsundays hotels charge more on a Friday?
About half do. Of 55 Whitsundays region hotels priced on both Friday 6 and Tuesday 10 November, 26 (47.3%) priced Friday more than 2% higher. Another 26 (47.3%) stayed within 2%, and all 26 of those were identical. Only 3 priced Friday lower. This is a Friday-to-Tuesday comparison, captured four days apart (preview basis).
The median hotel's own Friday premium is 0.0%, because the identical group sits right in the middle. So the honest summary is a split market: half the hotels add something for Friday, half keep Friday the same as Tuesday, and almost none discount it. Since the median is 0.0%, there is no single "market premium" to quote, and the gap between the two halves is a matter for each hotel's own data.
For Airlie Beach on its own, the data holds no same-hotel Friday pair, and only 32 properties returned a Friday rate. We don't estimate a Friday premium for the town. The region figure is the better guide, and it includes Airlie. For how other towns split on Friday, see which AU and NZ towns charge more for Friday.
How steady are Whitsundays rates midweek?
Very steady. Of 91 region hotels priced on both Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October) and Wednesday 11 November (captured 12 October), 72 (79.1%) had identical rates. 7 priced Wednesday higher and 7 lower, by more than 2%.
In Airlie Beach, 34 of 49 (69.4%) were identical, with 6 higher and 5 lower. Both are in line with the wider pattern across 41 AU and NZ markets, where 64.6% of Tuesday and Wednesday pairs were identical.
The spread is where the Whitsundays stand out. On Friday 6 November (captured 7 October), the region's middle 50% ran A$142 to A$448, a band 149.3% as wide as its middle. On Tuesday 10 November (captured 11 October), it was 90.4%. Island resorts and town motels share one search, so a wide band is expected. Position against properties like yours, not the middle alone.
How does this compare with Cairns and Port Douglas?
Further north, the picture is similar in shape. In Cairns, the median hotel's own Friday premium is 0.0%, with 30 of 85 hotels lifting Friday. In Port Douglas, it is 0.0% from a small sample of 26 pairs. Both reads use the same Friday 6 and Tuesday 10 November captures (7 and 11 October).
Our Cairns and Port Douglas November 2026 read covers both in detail, and the Queensland Friday premium map sets every town side by side. Our read of rates across all 48 Australian and NZ markets goes wider still. In the tropical north this November, Friday is not a reliable premium night for the typical hotel.
What would a Friday step do to your revenue?
We don't know your occupancy, so we give break-even instead of dollars. Break-even occupancy = your current occupancy × your current rate ÷ the new rate. Since the region median is 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.
The question is which half of the market you belong in. If your Fridays fill early at your Tuesday rate, a small step may cost little. If your Fridays fill late, holding Tuesday's rate may be the right call. The 26 hotels lifting Friday and the 26 holding it flat may both be right for their own guests.
RevPARGenius Take
The Whitsundays are a split Friday market: 26 of 55 region hotels priced Friday 6 November more than 2% above Tuesday 10 November, 26 held it level, and the median change was 0.0% (captured 7 and 11 October).
Midweek is steady, with 79.1% of region hotels identical Tuesday to Wednesday. Airlie Beach has no Friday pair in this data, so we don't quote a Friday premium for the town on its own.
What to do this week in the Whitsundays
Five checks, each quick.
- Compare your own Friday 6 and Tuesday 10 November rates and decide which half of the market you are in.
- Pull Friday pickup for the last eight Fridays. Note how far out the final rooms sold.
- Place your Tuesday 10 November rate inside the region's A$148 to A$364 middle 50% and check it matches your product.
- List any November nights where you show no public rate, and confirm each restriction is deliberate.
- Run the break-even table with your real Friday occupancy before any change, and log what you changed.
Frequently asked questions
Do Airlie Beach hotels charge more on Fridays?
The data does not say for Airlie Beach on its own: there is no same-hotel Friday pair for the town, and only 32 properties returned a Friday rate. In the wider Whitsundays region, which includes Airlie, 26 of 55 hotels priced Friday 6 November above Tuesday 10 November, and the median change was 0.0%.
Why is the Whitsundays Friday middle lower than Tuesday?
Fewer properties returned a Friday rate, so the mix changed. The region's Friday middle fell while most paired hotels held or raised their own Friday rate. That is why we use same-hotel pairs rather than comparing two market middles.
Are the Whitsundays and Airlie Beach figures separate markets?
No, they overlap. Airlie Beach sits inside the Whitsundays region search. Read the region as the town plus the islands and surrounding coast.
Why is the Whitsundays rate spread so wide?
Island resorts, town apartments and motels appear in one search, so the middle 50% covers very different products. A wide band means the middle is a loose anchor. Compare yourself with properties that sell what you sell.
Does Magnetic Island belong in the Whitsundays figures?
No. Magnetic Island is a separate search near Townsville and is covered in our Townsville and Mackay read. None of its properties are counted here.
If you want your own Whitsundays comp set read night by night, 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, Whitsundays, Airlie Beach, 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.
