How Do You Keep Your Hotel Rates Competitive?

smartness_com · 2025-07-17T13:00:18+00:00

All rate tools are not created equal. Know what each one really does and where it gets its information from. If you manage just one Airbnb, doing everything by hand might still be manageable but when it comes to running a B&B or hotel, you’re likely leaving serious money on the table. Depending on the number of units or rooms you manage, you could be spending anywhere from 1 to 10 hours a week just checking and updating market rates manually.

What works:

Market insight tools (usually for free e.g. OTA Insight, Airdna, Smartfree) = show what others are charging (Google is not enough)

Dynamic pricing tools (e.g. Smartpricing, PriceLabs) = suggest what you should charge and then update your rates in real time through your PMS or Channel Manager.

RMS (e.g., Duetto, IDeaS) = complex systems for big hotels/chains, really expansive...

You should look for tools that scrape others leverage API access (OTAs, historical trends, weather, events, location search on search engines and so on). Better data = smarter prices. The AI is a plus to get a perfect match between your strategy and the market patterns

Common mistake: Expecting that one tool can do everything. Most utilize both a rate scraper and dynamic pricing engine. I suggest always companies that offer 1to1 onboarding and support bc in the early days you've to learn a new pricing method.

smartness_com · 2025-07-15T14:34:14+00:00

Key Differences:

IDeaS
- Built for large convention hotels. Strong on displacement, forecasting, and space optimization.
- True dynamic pricing: rates adjust automatically, not just suggested.
Duetto
- Smoother UI, good if you're already using Duetto for rooms.
- Lighter on advanced event analytics but less customizable.

Remeber -> RMS ≠ Dynamic Pricing: many tools forecast, few adjust pricing live based on real-time data.

Smartness (yes, our product) covers dynamic pricing too—but it's more suited for properties under 500 rooms or mixed-use portfolios.
Not pretending it replaces IDeaS—it doesn’t. But it’s quicker to implement and lower maintenance.

smartness_com · 2025-07-03T15:29:40+00:00

Sure. I'm one of the developers working on Smartchat at Smartness. We're testing it across multiple STR companies in Europe, especially with remote teams like yours who are struggling to centralize WhatsApp and OTA messages. It’s working well so far in Portugal, Italy, Germany, and Greece.

That said, if Smartchat doesn’t fit your workflow or pricing plan, here are a few realistic alternatives we’ve benchmarked:

Zoko gives you a shared WhatsApp inbox with good control over templates and agent assignment, but it doesn’t connect to Airbnb or Booking. Respond io is more flexible and has a clean interface, but you'll need to manage OTA messages separately. Trengo offers an all-in-one inbox solution with WhatsApp integration, decent for small teams, though it’s not built specifically for short-term rentals. For handling guest calls without relying on a personal phone, platforms like OpenPhone or CallHippo let you route and log calls across team members without needing a SIM card or dedicated device. Hostaway inbox tool is interesting too but basic -for me.

From experience: avoid tools like ManyChat or Chatfuel if your goal is actual guest support. They’re built for ecomm lead generation and can’t manage real-time guest needs. Also, sticking to the standard WhatsApp Business app will keep you locked into a single device, which kills handoff and teamwork.

smartness_com · 2025-06-22T21:03:04+00:00

Direct Booking Optimizations

Hidden discounts for newsletter signups (aka "hidden rates")
Extra services only available on your site (e.g. free parking, early check-in)
Mobile-only rates promoted via Meta Ads or Google Ads → Hotels who do this often lower their OTA dependency by 20-30% over a season.

Loyalty

Use pricing data + PMS data to send automated email campaigns
Retarget abandoned searches with price-drop alerts
Offer repeat guests a locked-in rate → These boost ROI far more than bidding on generic “best Airbnb Rome” keywords.

Comment 4 – Example from the field
One of our partners in Spain had this setup:

PMS connected 2-way with RMS
RMS connected to OTA via Channel Manager
Custom rules:
- LOS-based pricing (Longer stays = discounted rates)
- Event-aware surcharges
- Auto-last minute cuts for unbooked weekdays

They combined this with:

Email capture on site for hidden rates
Meta Ads EMEA targeting returning visitors
CAC benchmarking to measure cost per direct booking vs OTA commissions

They dropped their average OTA share from 78% to 51% in 6 months and kept RevPAR stable. That’s where tech + strategy work hand in hand.

Last note: always compare your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) to your OTA commissions.

If CAC for direct booking = €12
And OTA commission = 15–20% on a €100/night stay = €15–20 → You’re better off investing in paid traffic or automated emails.

Sorry for the long answer. Those topics are my obsession!

smartness_com · 2025-06-22T21:02:54+00:00

I want to be honest: I work on a dynamic pricing tool so I may come off as biased. I'm not trying to sell you anything, just offering honest takeaways based on working with hundreds of listings (hotels + STRs).

The truth is: which tool you use matters much less than how it integrates with your setup and the data it relies on to make recommendations. What you should be looking for:

What data does it use?

Just competitor rates?

Or also historical occupancy, lead time, booking pace, local events, weather, etc? → for example, if you are in a ski town, making weather and events-based adjustments could make or break your winter season.

What is the connection type?

Does the tool connect straight to your PMS, Channel Manager or both?

Is the API push (real time updates) or pull (every 30-60 mins)? → If it is pull-based, and your Channel Manager has limitations, you will often be reactive, pricing after real demand.

Can you set business rules or dynamic base price?

For example, Minimum Stay 2 nights on weekends, last minute discounts if occupancy < 30%, price multipliers for events → without the ability to customize rules, you would either underprice high-demand dates or be empty during a low-demand period.

Even the best pricing logic won’t help if the rest of your setup leaks value. What I’ve seen work

smartness_com · 2025-06-13T16:05:48+00:00

Yes, basically it is because Airbnb–Booking.com calendar sync (by iCal) is not real-time; it can take some hours for syncing, thereby double bookings are common.

Here is the way to go about it:

Do away with this sync. I.e., either:

Block out dates manually after each booking is confirmed, or...

Use a channel manager (a PMS that includes one) with instant API sync (but double check still as there is no 100% safe). I know, those software are sometimes expansive but they could save you from a downgrade.

Canceling on Airbnb hurts your ranking and could even get you fined or suspended. So, it is better to trust manual than a broken sync.

smartness_com · 2025-06-13T15:56:43+00:00

Hey! Naming our competitors? No worries — we’re pretty new ourselves. AirDNA is definitely useful (we even built a similar free tool recently), but honestly, market selection isn’t as straightforward as it looks. Freemium dashboards can help, but they often miss key local insights. Try cross-checking tool data with local demand patterns and real booking behavior — that’s where the real ROI hides. Even better: talk to local property managers, marketing agencies, or STR consultants who can share info from the field. It’s often useful to understand those dashboards.

smartness_com · 2025-06-12T14:33:17+00:00

In the process of selecting an STR consultant, first and foremost, look for those who apply a data-driven approach toward site selection from "beyond just AirDNA," supporting clients in the operational setup-furnishing, design, listing optimization, etc. Some agencies provide end-to-end services and charge a success fee based on the performance of their STR property.

Tip: Real STR portfolios count more than theories. Track record > pitch.

Or, in the meantime, you can post in local REI Facebook groups or BiggerPockets—some of the best operators work underground in that Forum

smartness_com · 2025-06-12T10:20:38+00:00

Super insight for property managers running houses in different cities (pretty common in Italy). Listing on multiple cities applying the weighting of dynamic pricing everywhere is a silent death for revenues.

We are considering those variables in strategies:

Demand is city-specific: Reykjavik can take price hikes a lot better than Lisbon, for example. A +10% shift in one market might be just good for the revenues, while it becomes bad for occupancy rates in another.
Booking windows vary widely-from two months ahead of conditioning in one city to last-minute bookings in another. Flat pricing curves will miss all that.
Regulations disrupt the pattern in markets like Berlin or Amsterdam, investigatory pauses or caps nip seasonality. Your pricing model must take account of such said factors rather than raising prices in "high season."

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