Let’s be honest, when it comes to revenue management in small and mid-sized hotels, most people are focused on the usual suspects: drive up occupancy, boost that ADR (Average Daily Rate), and stretch out those stays.  And sure, those are all solid plays, but if that’s where your strategy starts and ends, you’re probably leaving money on the table.

Here’s the real secret sauce: pattern.

No, we’re not talking about trendy wallpaper in your boutique property in Tofino. We’re talking about booking patterns, the shape of your guests’ stay across the week.  Think of it like a wave: your Saturday might be a tsunami of demand, but if Friday and Sunday are ghost towns, your revenue ride is bumpier than the Coquihalla in February.

Why Pattern Matters in the First Place

Hotels in BC, especially outside major metros like Vancouver, face uneven demand, wildly so. In the summer, Kelowna might be bursting at the seams, while in winter, Osoyoos might only see snowbirds lingering.  In these environments, your peak nights (typically Saturdays or midweek for corporate traffic) become gold, and protecting them is everything.

If you sell out that Saturday too early, you cut yourself off from guests who want to book longer weekend getaways.  The same applies to Tuesday, particularly in a downtown property like Victoria or Prince George, which relies on corporate crews. Book that one night too fast, and your Monday and Wednesday just got lonelier.

A Rookie Mistake That Still Happens

One of the most common slip-ups? Overcommitting specific room types to group blocks without thinking about how it clips your flexibility.

Take it from a story that could’ve happened anywhere from Kamloops to Cranbrook: a sales manager proudly gives a youth sports team all of the double-double rooms. Sounds like a win, right? Full house, guaranteed? Not so fast.

The result? You’ve blocked off any possibility for other travellers, especially those booking at the last minute, to squeeze in a longer stay that includes Thursday through Sunday. That group might have been a slam dunk on paper, but they just body-checked your weekend pattern.

Enter the Hero: Minimum Length-of-Stay Rules

You don’t need to install fancy AI systems or fly in consultants from Toronto to fix this. One of the easiest and smartest moves you can make is to use length-of-stay restrictions.

Let’s say you’re in Penticton, and Saturday is your absolute peak. You might set a minimum of 2 for guests arriving on Saturday. Translation: “Sure, you can stay Saturday—but only if you stay Friday too.”  This pushes booking activity to start earlier and helps smooth out your shoulder nights.

Midweek corporate properties can do the same thing in reverse.  If Tuesday is always full but Monday and Wednesday are dragging, a minimum of three on Tuesday can guide booking behavior and help create more even revenue distribution.

But Don’t Overdo It…

Now, here’s the caveat: only use these restrictions when demand is actually there.  If you’re staring down a slow season in January in Nanaimo, slapping on a bunch of stay rules is like locking the front door when no one’s trying to come in. You want to be smart, not stubborn.  Be flexible when occupancy is soft, and firm when the market’s hot.

It’s Not Just Revenue’s Job

And if you’re thinking, “This sounds like something our revenue manager should handle,” think again.  Sales teams and GMs play a huge role here.  Group contracts need to factor in room type allocation, length-of-stay impact, and booking windows.  The whole team needs to be aligned, especially in leaner operations where the sales manager is also the unofficial revenue manager.

A Pattern Worth Following

Here’s your call to action: look at your calendar right now. Identify your true peak nights and your shoulder trouble zones. Ask yourself:

• Are we selling out on peaks too soon?
• Are our group blocks cutting off longer-stay opportunities?
• Are we using minimum stay rules to shape behaviour, or just hoping for the best?

BC’s hotel market isn’t one-size-fits-all, but one thing holds true everywhere from Nelson to Nanaimo: the shape of your bookings is just as important as the number of them.

Start managing the pattern—not just the volume—and watch your RevPAR and guest mix grow smarter, not just bigger.

For more sales advice, contact Brent O’Connor – brent.o@telus.net.