Quick answer: Before going on vacation, a revenue manager should update the forecast for the offline period, lock in rates and stay restrictions on peak nights, tighten the distribution mix, double-check the RMS is set up to keep working, and brief someone to step in. Done right, your pricing keeps earning while you’re at the beachānot waiting for you to come back.
Summer is coming fast, and if youāre lucky, you have a fabulous vacation planned.Ā
When the revenue manager steps away, the stakes are high. For highly seasonal properties, summer can deliver up to 70% of annual revenue in just five or six months, leaving almost no room for an offline period that goes wrong.
For many hotels, revenue management is a department of one, with expertise that isnāt easily replaced.Ā
So before you head off for that much-needed break, hereās a checklist to keep revenue humming while youāre soaking up the rays.
TL;DR: Six things to do before you go:
- Update your forecast for the offline period
- Review rates and restrictions for the summer period
- Check your distribution channels
- Balance your business mix
- Review your RMS controls
- Name an acting revenue manager
Update Your Forecast
To get a clear picture of demand while youāre away, start with your forecast. Review the full summer period, but focus closely on the dates when youāll be offline.
Zoom in and ask:
- Ritmo de reserva: Are you ahead of normal patterns or behind?Ā
- Plazo de reserva: Is most demand already on the books or still to come?Ā
- High-demand dates: Are rates and restrictions set to capture peak revenue?
- Low-demand dates: Do you have the right demand-gen initiatives in place to stimulate bookings?
- Group blocks: Are they tentative or definite? How much wash is expected, and can you replace it?
Your forecast is your early warning system. If something looks off, donāt wait until youāre back and buried in emails. Fix it now.
Review Rates for the Summer PeriodĀ
Your forecast should help you validate that pricing and restrictions are aligned with expected demand.
Get this wrong, and you lose revenue you canāt recover. But donāt stop at BAR. Review your full pricing structure:
- Rate plans: Are they priced correctly and opened or closed on the right dates?
- Promotions: Are they limited to days when you donāt expect to sell out?
- Cancellation policies: Are you protected against late cancellations?Ā
- Room types: Do price differentials reflect demand, or are you setting yourself up for free upgrades?
Small rate adjustments add up to big revenue gains. The kind of detail that’s easy to miss when someone else is covering, so get them locked in before you go.
Check Your Distribution Channels
Distribution is where profitability often gets lost. Itās easy to track revenue from each channel, but itās harder to see what each booking actually costs.
When demand spikes, every channel wants inventory. That doesnāt mean they should get it. Know how channel costs compare across OTA, direct, wholesale, and corporate bookings.Ā
On peak nights:
- Limit or close high-cost channels (OTAs), depending on how dependent you are on their visibility
- Limit or close low-rated channels (discount, wholesale)
- Keep high-value channels fully open and competitive (direct)
OTA commissions typically run 15ā25% of booking value, and effective costs for independent properties often run several points higher once promotional discounts and platform fees are factored in. So the more peak nights you sell direct, the more margin you keep.
The result: a distribution mix that protects profit, not just occupancy.
Balance Your Business Mix
Knowing where bookings come from matters, but deciding who to fill your hotel with matters even more.
A full house isnāt always a profitable one. If peak nights are filled with low-rated segments or high-cost business, youāre leaving money on the table.
Before you go, step back and assess your mix:
- Segments: Are you prioritizing guests willing to spend more on property?
- Stay patterns: Are you attracting business that helps fill shoulder nights?
- Groups vs transient: Are group rates aligned to avoid displacing higher-value demand?
To protect your busy nights, limit lower-value segments and leave space for higher-rated bookings that tend to come later.
Review Your RMS Controls
If youāre using a revenue management system (RMS), you can rest easy knowing your pricing and inventory decisions will be automated while youāre away.Ā
But before you head off, check that itās configured correctly. Without the right controls, your hotel fills on a first-come, first-served basis, creating missed opportunities and lost revenue.
Verify that settings are where they should be:
- Promotion rules and validity dates
- Minimum and maximum rate thresholds
- Fixed rates and overrides
- Room type differentials
- Minimum length-of-stay restrictionsĀ
- Overbooking settings
Pricing should keep moving in real-time while youāre away, not weeks later when you log back in.
Name an Acting Revenue Manager
Is someone ready to step in while youāre away ā and eventually take over?Ā
Rather than scrambling last-minute, start mentoring someone in advance. Revenue management is a team sport, and the best leaders build a bench.
Your backup should:
- Understand your pricing strategy
- Know when to act and when not to
- Be confident running revenue meetingsĀ
- Hold firm on pricing when demand is strong
- Provide performance updates to stakeholders
To set them up for success:
- Create a simple checklist
- Meet with the revenue team to review plans while youāre awayĀ
- Discuss what to do if thereās an unexpected spike or drop in demand
That way, you wonāt be disturbed while sipping margaritas at the swim-up bar.
Bon Voyage (and Donāt Forget to Come Back)
With the right setup, revenue management doesnāt stop when you go on vacation. And you wonāt come back to a mess.Ā
Now go enjoy that vacation. Youāve earned it.
Heading into peak season? Our webinar, Pricing with Confidence in an Unpredictable Market, has more.
Pre-vacation revenue management: common questions
How far in advance should a revenue manager prepare before going on vacation? Start two to three weeks before you leave. That gives you time to update the forecast for the offline period, adjust rates and restrictions on peak nights, audit distribution settings, and brief an acting revenue manager without scrambling.
What should an acting revenue manager be able to do? An acting revenue manager should understand your pricing strategy, know when to act and when to hold, be confident running revenue meetings, hold firm on pricing when demand is strong, and provide performance updates to stakeholders.
Can a revenue management system (RMS) replace a revenue manager on vacation? An RMS can automate pricing and inventory decisions in real time, but it still needs to be configured correctly before you leave. Verify promotion rules, minimum and maximum rate thresholds, fixed rates, room type differentials, minimum length-of-stay restrictions, and overbooking settings. Without the right controls, the hotel fills first-come, first-served.
What channels should be limited or closed on peak summer nights? On peak nights, tighten exposure to high-cost channels (OTAs) and low-rated channels (discount, wholesale) to protect margin, and keep high-value direct channels fully open and competitive.
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