Running pricing and revenue management for one hotel is tricky enough, but for three, five, or even more? That’s a whole new level of complexity.
Small hotel groups want each property to perform at its best, but they also need a consistent strategy across the portfolio. Time and resources are often stretched thin, so efficiency is essential.
That’s where a revenue management solution (RMS) can make all the difference.
A good RMS doesn’t just automate pricing; it also streamlines performance tracking, forecasting, and reporting, helping small hotel groups compete with big brands and independents alike.
Let’s look at the top RMS features that matter most for multi-property groups.
1. Centralized Oversight, Local Flexibility
Successful hotel groups strike a balance between centralized strategy and local decision-making. Your RMS should do the same.
At the group level, you need one dashboard to:
- Manage multiple properties
- Easily switch between properties
- Track daily KPIs like pick-up, occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR
- Compare performance across the portfolio
With the right RMS, corporate teams can view all properties, while on-site managers focus on their own performance. This keeps everyone aligned and accountable for maximizing revenue across the group.
2. Portfolio-Wide Reporting That Saves Hours
For many small hotel groups, revenue responsibility often falls to one revenue manager shared across properties. That can easily turn reporting into a full-time job.
A great RMS streamlines and automates reporting across the portfolio. Look for tools that allow you to:
- Generate portfolio-wide reports from a single platform
- Run daily, weekly, or monthly reports for each property
- Compare each property’s forecast to the budget and actuals
- Automate distribution of reports to key stakeholders
- Identify top- and low-performing hotels at a glance
These insights help you make smarter, faster decisions without drowning in spreadsheets.
For example, if one hotel consistently achieves higher ADR despite similar demand, you can dig into what’s working and apply those learnings across the group.
Need help pitching an RMS? Check out How to Convince Your General Manager to Say Yes to an RMS.
3. Smart Pricing That Works 24/7
Even in quieter destinations, demand is always shifting. Managing pricing manually for multiple hotels is nearly impossible.
An RMS automates dynamic pricing, adjusting rates in real time based on demand, occupancy, and competitor data. It enables hotel groups to:
- Set pricing parameters and rules for each property
- Keep rates in sync, even when you’re off the clock
- Ensure hotels react quickly to market changes
- Increase rates automatically when demand surges (like when a concert is announced)
With automated pricing, small teams can manage multiple hotels efficiently, freeing up more time for strategy, collaboration, and guest experience.
4. Accurate Forecasting for Every Property
Forecasting is often overlooked in smaller hotel groups, but it’s the foundation of smart planning.
An advanced RMS automatically forecasts daily occupancy, ADR, and revenue for each property based on historical data, pickup, and current rates.
Forecasts give you insights into:
- When demand is soft, so you can plan promotions
- When demand is strong, so you can raise rates or apply minimum stays
- How to plan staffing schedules and inventory accordingly
By identifying peaks and lulls early, hotel groups can shift marketing and staffing where they’re needed most. This foresight helps maintain profitability year-round.
5. Multi-Property Configuration
No two properties in a small group are identical. One might be a city boutique hotel, another a hostel on the outskirts of town. Your RMS should accommodate those differences.
Multi-property configuration allows each hotel to:
- Define unique room types, rate plans, and restrictions
- Identify its own competitive set
- Price according to its individual booking pace and price elasticity
This flexibility ensures the system is tailored to each property while still supporting the overall objectives of the group.
6. Simple Onboarding and Reliable Support
Small groups rarely have the dedicated IT or revenue teams that big brands do, so support and simplicity are key.
When evaluating RMS providers, ask:
- How quickly can new hotels be onboarded?
- Is group-level training included?
- Will there be a single point of contact for all properties?
- What learning resources are available?
A provider that offers hands-on, human support can make all the difference, especially during rollout and high seasons.
Get tips for choosing the right revenue management system for your property here: 10 tips to choose the right Revenue Management System for your hotel.
Hotel Groups: Doing More with Less
Small hotel groups face the same challenges as big brands, just with fewer resources and tighter margins.
The right revenue management solution delivers the tools and insights you need without complicating things with features you won’t use (but might still pay for).
By centralizing control, empowering local teams, and automating the hard stuff, an RMS lets you focus on what really matters: running great hotels.
To learn how RoomPriceGenie can help your property increase your property’s profitability, start your free trial of our automated pricing solution today!
