Data Collection & Analytical Techniques Flashcards

A hotel analyst wants to compare its RevPAR growth to a group of similar nearby hotels. Which data source is most appropriate?

Answer: A STR competitive set report

STR competitive set reports benchmark occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR against an anonymized group of comparable hotels.

Which formula correctly calculates RevPAR?

Answer: Room revenue ÷ rooms available

RevPAR equals room revenue divided by rooms available, which also equals ADR × occupancy.

An RGI (RevPAR Index) of 112 means the hotel is:

Answer: Capturing 12% more than its fair share of RevPAR

An index above 100 indicates the hotel is earning more than its fair share relative to the competitive set.

Which type of data is a guest's free-text review comment considered?

Answer: Unstructured qualitative data

Free-text comments lack a predefined format and describe qualities rather than measured quantities.

When forecasting next month's occupancy, an analyst examines bookings already on the books for future dates. This data is known as:

Answer: Pace (on-the-books) data

Pace data shows reservations on the books for future dates compared with the same point in prior periods.

Which statistical measure is least affected by a few extremely high-priced suite bookings when describing a typical rate?

Answer: Median

The median is the middle value and is resistant to outliers, unlike the mean.

Rooms that were reserved but are expected to cancel or no-show before arrival are accounted for in forecasting through:

Answer: Wash or attrition factors

Wash factors adjust group or transient bookings for expected cancellations and no-shows.

An analyst wants to know whether a new loyalty promotion caused higher direct bookings. Which method best isolates cause and effect?

Answer: Controlled A/B test with randomized groups

Randomized controlled experiments isolate the effect of the treatment from other variables.

A correlation coefficient of -0.85 between room rate and booking volume indicates:

Answer: A strong negative relationship

Values near -1 indicate a strong inverse relationship where one variable rises as the other falls.

Unconstrained demand in hotel revenue management refers to:

Answer: Total demand that would occur if no capacity or rate restrictions existed

Unconstrained demand estimates true demand including denials and regrets, not just what was booked.

Turndowns and regrets are tracked primarily to help estimate:

Answer: Unconstrained demand

Denials (turndowns) and regrets capture demand the hotel could not or did not convert, informing unconstrained demand.

Which analysis technique groups guests into segments with similar characteristics without predefined labels?

Answer: Cluster analysis

Cluster analysis is an unsupervised technique that discovers natural groupings in data.

A hotel's PMS and its CRM show different guest counts for the same month. The best first step is to:

Answer: Reconcile definitions and data sources to find the discrepancy

Data validation requires understanding differing definitions or integration errors before using the data.

Which KPI measures total revenue from all hotel outlets divided by rooms available?

Answer: TRevPAR

TRevPAR includes rooms, F&B, spa, and other revenue divided by available rooms.

Which time series component describes recurring patterns such as higher occupancy every summer?

Answer: Seasonality

Seasonality is a predictable pattern repeating within a fixed calendar period.

An analyst uses multiple variables such as day of week, events, and lead time to predict room demand. This is an example of:

Answer: Multiple regression

Multiple regression models a dependent variable using several independent predictors.

GOPPAR is considered a stronger profitability measure than RevPAR because it:

Answer: Reflects operating costs, not just revenue

GOPPAR uses gross operating profit, capturing cost efficiency that RevPAR ignores.

Which data collection method gives the most accurate competitor rate information on a daily basis?

Answer: Automated rate shopping tools

Rate shopping tools scrape and record competitor public rates across channels daily or more often.

A forecast's Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 4% means:

Answer: On average forecasts deviated 4% from actuals

MAPE averages the absolute percentage differences between forecasted and actual values.

Which variable type is a guest's satisfaction rating on a 1–5 scale?

Answer: Ordinal

A 1–5 rating has a meaningful order but unequal or undefined intervals between values.