Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

FRONT OFFICE SEMANTICS
Booking pace:
Term that refers to the amount of future demand for rooms (or for hotel services such as
catering). Often shortened to 
pace.
FOMs monitor forecasts so that they can alert staff about the arrival of large groups.
©
Jeff Gr
eenberg/P
hotoEdit
196

---

FRONT OFFICE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
To illustrate the importance of pace information, let’s again consider the FOM
Allisha Miller and her 300-room property:
•
It is May 1 and Allisha’s PMS can produce pace reports for each of the upcom-
ing 12 months.
•
Allisha reviews a pace report for October (6 months in the future). The PMS
reports that the current number of guestrooms already reserved (sold) for
October is 1,860, or 20 percent of available rooms (1,860 rooms ÷ [300 rooms 
⫻
31 days] 
⫽
20 percent occupancy).
•
Last year, on May 1, the number of rooms already reserved for the month
of October was 465, or 5 percent (465 rooms ÷ [300 rooms 
⫻
31 days] 
⫽
5
percent occupancy).
•
By the end of October last year, the hotel had sold 6,510 rooms and achieved
an occupancy of 70 percent for that month (6,510 rooms 
⫼
[300 rooms 
⫻
31
days] 
⫽
70 percent occupancy). In fact, the month was one of the hotel’s best
that year.
Allisha must now evaluate whether the rates this October, when compared with
data for forecasted rooms and actual rooms for last October, should be discounted,
remain the same, or be increased. Although many variables affect the determination
of appropriate room rates, the demand for Allisha’s rooms is strong and is clearly out-
pacing the past year’s demand. Demand information will be critical as Allisha makes
decisions about how to maximize her property’s RevPar by minimizing room rate
discounts that are not likely to be necessary to help fill her rooms.
FOMs must continually monitor PMS reports about booking pace reports.
Based on a thorough understanding of future demand, FOMs can effectively price
rooms to achieve maximum revenues, because increased demand typically yields
increased ADRs.