Too many rate plans is a pricing problem
Hotels accumulate rate plans the way kitchens accumulate spices. Every promotion, partner and season adds one, and after three years nobody knows which of the forty plans are still sold. Every extra plan is one more thing to update when prices change, and one more chance of a wrong price on an OTA.
Start from one base rate
Most well-run hotels have a single BAR (best available rate) per room type per night, and derive everything else from it:
| Plan | Rule | Why |
|---|---|---|
| BAR flexible | Base price | Reference for everything |
| Non-refundable | BAR -10% | Cash certainty |
| Bed and breakfast | BAR + breakfast price | Package, not a new price |
| Corporate | BAR -12%, flexible | Negotiated accounts |
| Long stay | BAR -15%, minimum 7 nights | Fill shoulder weeks |
Change the BAR, and every derived plan follows. The revenue manager changes one number, not five.
Seasons are ranges, not plans
A season is a date range with a base price or a multiplier: low, shoulder, high, events. Do not create a "Summer BAR" plan; create a summer season that changes the BAR. OTA mappings stay untouched when next year's dates move.
Restrictions belong to dates, not plans
Minimum stay, closed to arrival and closed to departure should be set per date and per room type, and pushed to every channel from the same place. Setting them on each OTA extranet separately is how a three-night minimum ends up on one channel and not on the others.
For groups of hotels
Use the same plan names and the same derivation rules in every property. Local prices differ; the structure should not. It makes group reports comparable and staff can move between properties without relearning.
In FrontDesk
FrontDesk has rate plans per room type, seasons as date ranges and minimum stay rules, and the booking engine and channel connection read from the same place. Rate structure is part of the setup in the multi-property guide.
Simple hotel property management software for independent hotels, chains and groups. 14 days free, no card.