Hospitality Revenue Management Training Course

Duration 10 days 20 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Revenue Managers, Hotel General Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-TH-022

Before you join: Participants should understand basic hotel operations, room reservations and common accommodation terminology such as occupancy, ADR and distribution channels.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Hotels, resorts, serviced apartments and other accommodation businesses sell a fixed number of perishable room nights. Once a night passes unsold, its revenue cannot be recovered. Revenue managers must judge demand before it materialises, set prices that reflect willingness to pay, control availability, manage distribution costs and protect profitability during high-demand periods. Poor rate decisions, weak forecasts, uncontrolled discounts and channel mix drift can reduce both room revenue and gross operating profit.

This course develops the practical methods used to manage hotel revenue. Participants work with occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, GOPPAR, pickup, pace, wash, booking curves, price elasticity, displacement analysis and contribution analysis. They learn to segment demand, forecast by day and market segment, establish rate fences, build pricing ladders, manage restrictions, assess group requests and improve channel mix. The programme also addresses revenue meetings, commercial reporting, owner communication and coordination with sales, marketing, front office and finance.

Instructor-led sessions combine focused briefings with hotel cases, spreadsheet-based analysis, group decisions and revenue management simulations. Participants apply techniques to realistic trading conditions such as compressed citywide demand, low-season resort occupancy, corporate account negotiations and competing online travel agency offers. They leave with a revenue management playbook containing a forecast model, pricing structure, restriction plan, channel action plan, group evaluation method and reporting pack.

The course suits professionals responsible for rooms revenue, reservations, distribution, sales, commercial planning or hotel profitability. It is relevant to independent hotels, branded properties, hotel groups, resorts, aparthotels and accommodation portfolios seeking more disciplined revenue decisions.

What you will be able to do

  • Calculate ADR, RevPAR, GOPPAR, occupancy and contribution measures from hotel trading data
  • Build a segment-level demand forecast using pickup, pace, wash and booking curves
  • Design BAR pricing ladders, rate fences and demand-based availability controls
  • Evaluate group business using displacement analysis and net contribution calculations
  • Manage channel mix through distribution cost analysis, parity checks and inventory allocation
  • Apply length-of-stay controls, overbooking limits and cancellation assumptions to inventory decisions
  • Lead a structured revenue meeting using a commercial dashboard and documented actions
  • Produce and present a property revenue management playbook for a defined trading period

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Make defensible daily pricing and availability recommendations from demand evidence
  • Interpret revenue dashboards without relying solely on system-generated suggestions
  • Assess group requests against displaced transient demand and net contribution
  • Build stronger commercial discussions with sales, marketing and general management
  • Create a documented revenue management playbook for workplace use

For your organisation

  • Improved room-night yield through disciplined pricing and inventory controls
  • More accurate forecasts for staffing, purchasing and owner reporting
  • Reduced margin loss from poorly controlled discounts and high-cost channels
  • Better group acceptance decisions during compressed demand periods
  • Consistent commercial routines across property departments and hotel portfolios

Course modules

20 modules over 10 days

Participants can explain how revenue management decisions affect rooms revenue, contribution and operating profit.

  • Revenue management decisions balance price, availability, length of stay and channel cost
  • RevPAR, ADR, occupancy and GOPPAR calculations linked to operating decisions
  • Perishable inventory economics and marginal contribution behind room-night acceptance
  • Fixed versus variable costs in hotel profit and loss statements
  • Revenue strategy roles across rooms, sales, marketing, finance and operations
  • Daily revenue meeting cadence, inputs, decisions and accountability

Participants can prepare consistent hotel data for reliable revenue analysis and forecasting.

  • Audit property-management-system data for missing, duplicated and misclassified reservations
  • Build a data dictionary for segments, channels, rate codes and cancellations
  • Reconcile reservations, stay dates, revenue postings and room inventory records
  • Separate booking date, arrival date and stay date reporting views
  • Apply data quality checks before forecasting demand or changing prices
  • Define pickup, pace, wash and no-show measures consistently

Participants can define commercially useful segments and identify their principal demand drivers.

  • Segment transient demand by purpose, booking behaviour, channel and value
  • Distinguish negotiated, retail, group, wholesale and opaque rate business
  • Map corporate, leisure, event and airline demand patterns
  • Identify unconstrained demand hidden by sell-outs and closed availability
  • Use demand calendars to record events, holidays, disruptions and competitors
  • Rank segments by net contribution, displacement risk and strategic value

Participants can create a practical rooms forecast by date, segment and booking horizon.

  • Construct on-the-books forecasts from reservations, cancellations and expected wash
  • Apply pickup forecasting using comparable booking windows and arrival dates
  • Compare pace reports against prior year, budget and recent trends
  • Use booking curves to estimate final occupancy by segment
  • Adjust forecasts for events, renovations, weather and demand shocks
  • Document forecast assumptions, confidence ranges and revision triggers

Participants can measure forecast accuracy and improve forecast assumptions through structured review.

  • Calculate forecast variance for occupancy, ADR, RevPAR and room revenue
  • Use mean absolute percentage error for forecast accuracy tracking
  • Separate systematic bias from isolated forecasting errors
  • Review booking pace differences by channel, segment and lead time
  • Identify demand signals requiring same-day forecast revisions
  • Create weekly forecast commentary for general management and owners

Participants can design a pricing structure that connects demand levels to selling rates.

  • Build a best available rate ladder using demand thresholds
  • Set price floors from variable cost, contribution and positioning
  • Establish rate ceilings using competitive sets and willingness-to-pay evidence
  • Apply rate fences through room attributes, cancellation terms and booking conditions
  • Differentiate weekday, weekend, shoulder and peak-period price strategies
  • Test pricing ladders against competitor rates and historical conversion

Participants can assess price-response evidence and position rates against relevant competitors.

  • Estimate price elasticity from historical rate, demand and availability data
  • Separate true price response from demand changes and inventory restrictions
  • Build competitor rate shops by room type, stay date and terms
  • Use index measures to compare occupancy, ADR and RevPAR performance
  • Position rates according to product quality, location and demand conditions
  • Record competitor actions without copying unprofitable price moves

Participants can apply availability restrictions to protect high-value demand periods.

  • Apply minimum length of stay controls during compressed demand
  • Use closed-to-arrival restrictions to protect shoulder-night inventory
  • Set closed-to-departure controls for peak-night displacement protection
  • Manage maximum length of stay rules during extended high-demand periods
  • Open and close rate plans according to forecast demand
  • Review restriction effects through denied business and booking pattern analysis

Participants can set controlled overbooking limits using cancellation, no-show and walk risk data.

  • Calculate expected cancellations, no-shows, early departures and stay extensions
  • Set overbooking limits using historical wash and demand confidence
  • Differentiate overbooking tolerance by segment, channel and room type
  • Plan walk procedures, relocation costs and guest recovery standards
  • Monitor same-day arrival risk through reservation and front-office reports
  • Escalate overbooking decisions using documented authority thresholds

Participants can assess distribution channels by net revenue, cost and strategic contribution.

  • Compare direct, OTA, GDS, wholesale and metasearch distribution costs
  • Calculate net ADR after commission, transaction fees and loyalty costs
  • Allocate inventory by channel according to demand and net contribution
  • Check rate parity across public channels and room conditions
  • Identify rate leakage from wholesalers, affiliates and unauthorised resellers
  • Create channel action priorities from conversion, cost and availability data

Participants can identify revenue actions that improve direct booking conversion and value.

  • Analyse booking-engine conversion by device, source market and lead time
  • Use value-added offers without weakening public rate positioning
  • Apply member rates with eligibility rules and contribution safeguards
  • Coordinate paid search availability with revenue management restrictions
  • Review abandoned bookings for pricing, payment and user-experience barriers
  • Measure direct-channel gains against acquisition cost and displaced bookings

Participants can accept, decline or renegotiate group requests using displacement analysis.

  • Calculate group revenue from room blocks, catering, meeting space and ancillaries
  • Estimate displaced transient revenue during requested stay dates
  • Compare group net contribution with unconstrained transient demand
  • Assess shoulder-night value within multi-night group requests
  • Apply cut-off dates, attrition clauses and release-back conditions
  • Present accept, decline or counteroffer recommendations with assumptions

Participants can evaluate negotiated accounts against demand patterns and realised contribution.

  • Review corporate account production by room nights, ADR and booking behaviour
  • Measure negotiated rate discount against public rate availability
  • Identify last-room availability risks during high-demand periods
  • Set blackout dates and dynamic discount conditions contractually
  • Assess account value using ancillary spend and cancellation behaviour
  • Prepare rate-renewal recommendations supported by production evidence

Participants can adapt revenue decisions for seasonal leisure demand and package-led business.

  • Forecast resort demand around school holidays, weather and transport capacity
  • Price packages using room revenue, inclusions and incremental cost
  • Manage minimum stays around weekend and holiday arrival patterns
  • Evaluate tour operator allocations, release periods and net rates
  • Control family-room inventory during peak school holiday demand
  • Balance early-booking discounts against later higher-yield demand

Participants can include ancillary spend and departmental costs in revenue decisions.

  • Measure total revenue per guest including food, spa and parking
  • Calculate contribution margins for packages, upgrades and paid add-ons
  • Target upsell offers by segment, stay purpose and booking channel
  • Evaluate room upgrades against foregone premium room revenue
  • Use total revenue management for meeting, banquet and function space
  • Align rooms decisions with departmental capacity and service delivery

Participants can use revenue system outputs critically and define useful decision-support requirements.

  • Interpret revenue management system forecasts, recommendations and confidence indicators
  • Compare property management, central reservation and channel manager data flows
  • Configure rate-plan mapping to prevent inventory and pricing errors
  • Define dashboard requirements for executives, revenue teams and operations
  • Apply user access controls to rate loading and restriction changes
  • Escalate system exceptions affecting availability, rates or reservations

Participants can run a revenue meeting that produces clear decisions, owners and follow-up.

  • Structure revenue meetings around forecast, pace, pricing and channel decisions
  • Prepare a decision log with actions, owners and deadlines
  • Challenge sales requests using forecast evidence and displacement analysis
  • Coordinate marketing campaigns with inventory, rate and demand conditions
  • Report trading risks, opportunities and decisions to senior management
  • Set escalation rules for major events and demand disruptions

Participants can prepare commercial reports that explain performance, outlook and corrective action.

  • Build daily flash reports for occupancy, ADR, RevPAR and pickup
  • Prepare monthly variance analysis against budget, forecast and prior year
  • Explain revenue results through segment, channel, rate and volume drivers
  • Create annual rooms revenue budgets using demand and price assumptions
  • Develop rolling forecasts for management, lenders and property owners
  • Present corrective actions with expected revenue and profit effects

Participants can apply fair, transparent and controlled pricing practices in hotel revenue management.

  • Apply transparent price display requirements to advertised room rates
  • Prevent discriminatory pricing decisions unrelated to legitimate commercial criteria
  • Maintain accurate rate descriptions, taxes, fees and cancellation conditions
  • Control access to confidential competitor, guest and corporate account data
  • Document approval trails for discounts, overrides and exceptional rate decisions
  • Resolve rate disputes using reservation evidence and published terms

Participants can build, review and present a complete revenue management playbook for a selected property and trading period.

  • Define property objectives, market context, segments and commercial constraints
  • Build a segment forecast using on-the-books, pickup and wash assumptions
  • Set BAR ladders, rate fences and restriction rules by demand period
  • Evaluate channel allocation, direct booking actions and distribution costs
  • Complete group displacement decisions and corporate account recommendations
  • Present dashboards, meeting routines, actions and expected financial results

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Segment-level rooms forecast template
  2. BAR pricing ladder and rate-fence matrix
  3. Inventory restriction and overbooking control plan
  4. Group displacement analysis worksheet
  5. Channel profitability and allocation dashboard
  6. Property revenue management playbook

Who should attend

  • Revenue Managers — responsible for daily pricing, forecasting and inventory decisions
  • Hotel General Managers — accountable for rooms profit and commercial performance
  • Reservations Managers — managing booking conversion, availability and booking rules
  • Director of Sales — assessing group value and protecting high-demand dates
  • E-commerce Managers — improving direct bookings and distribution channel returns
  • Commercial Analysts — producing revenue reports, forecasts and trading recommendations

Skills and tools covered

Demand forecastingDynamic pricingChannel profitabilityGroup displacement analysisInventory controlsRevenue meeting leadership

Tools and standards

RevPAR, GOPPAR, BAR pricing, RFM segmentation

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings followed by hotel trading cases, spreadsheet analysis, group exercises, pricing simulations and action-planning sessions. Participants interpret booking data, compare channel costs, forecast demand, set restrictions and defend commercial decisions under changing market conditions. Cases reflect business hotels, resorts, airport properties and multi-property groups. Trainers use participant examples where appropriate, while protecting commercially sensitive information. Each module contributes material to the final property revenue management playbook.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic hotel operations, room reservations and common accommodation terminology such as occupancy, ADR and distribution channels. Experience in a hotel, resort, serviced apartment, travel company or accommodation portfolio is expected, ideally in reservations, sales, front office, finance, e-commerce or commercial roles. Participants should be comfortable interpreting tables and performing simple percentage calculations. Prior revenue management training, advanced statistics, coding, specialist revenue management system experience and formal finance qualifications are not required.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should have working familiarity with hotel operations, reservations or commercial reporting. Prior revenue management training and specialist system expertise are not required.

A laptop with spreadsheet software is recommended for data analysis and planning work. Participants may bring non-confidential examples of their property's reports, rate structures or commercial challenges.

The course is designed for revenue, reservations, sales, e-commerce, front office, finance and general management professionals. It is particularly useful for people moving into revenue responsibility or seeking more structured commercial decisions.

Sales courses focus on winning accounts and group business, while digital marketing courses focus on demand generation and conversion. This course focuses on deciding which demand to accept, at what price, through which channel and under what conditions.

Participants build reusable forecasts, rate structures, channel analyses and meeting routines during the programme. These materials can be adapted to a single property, resort, serviced apartment operation or portfolio.

Training days run from 08:30 to 16:30 and provide about 6.5 contact hours each. The first week establishes data, forecasting, pricing and inventory methods; the second week addresses channels, groups, profit, governance and the capstone playbook.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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