Journal
What a competitive-set occupancy number will not tell a general manager
A competitive-set occupancy figure tells you that a basket of nearby houses filled, or did not, on a given night. It does not tell a general manager why. A house on the ring road with sixty twins will fill differently from a coaching inn with four-posters and a wedding lawn. A contractor contract at one address will move the set without teaching you anything about your own transient demand.
Boards like the set because it looks like a score. We use it only when the group already belongs to an occupancy exchange and can share the file. Even then, the commentary has to name room mix, location, and contracted occupancy before anyone is blamed for “losing” a Tuesday. A neighbouring hotel that took a road crew is not evidence that your rate was wrong.
If you do not subscribe to a set, we will not fabricate one from publicly guessed occupancy. Guessing is how occupancy arguments become folklore.