Hotel budgeting and forecasting: Key steps and best practices for 2025

The government has started issuing £25 cold weather payments to eligible households – as the UK is hit with a cold snap. Read this and the rest of today’s consumer and personal finance news below. Bear in mind that in some places a service fee – which is a percentage of the amount you spend – is already added to the bill, and means you don’t need to add an additional tip unless you really want to.

How does DMC software work in the hotel industry?

• Decisions made during this period have long-lasting implications, affecting everything from staffing levels to capital investments to where you can invest to increase hotel room sales.
• Accommodation is usually one of the biggest costs on any trip abroad – but what you pay in the end will depend a lot on the accommodation type you pick.
• Below we’ve got a handy overview of prices for accommodation, food and services for tourists in Hong Kong.
• As any hotel manager knows, the greater the number of workplace injuries, the higher your insurance premiums will be.
• Hotels often rely on disparate systems for tracking reservations, revenues, expenses, and other critical data points.
• While many hotels don’t have a budget today, even small, independent hotels can benefit from having one.

Bidding is auction-style, so the #1 placement theoretically goes to the highest bidder. To fill some of those knowledge gaps in the short-term, hiring different agencies or freelance specialists could help your hotel move projects forward more efficiently. Unless you’re currently sitting pretty at 100% occupancy, you need to have some ad campaigns hotel budget running. If writing is just not your jam, consider hiring a professional hotel copywriter for specific one-off projects or even a monthly retainer. Then, if you’re able to, try to budget something (even just a small amount) for channels you want to TRY.

• Kim has championed numerous successful sales efforts, revenue strategies, and marketing campaigns — all of which landed her a spot on Hotel Management Magazine’s “Thirty Under 30” list.
• If you plan to take cash with you to spend while you’re away, you’ll need Hong Kong Dollars.
• These reviews provide an opportunity to analyse the effectiveness of the strategies implemented and make any necessary adjustments.
• This highlights the growing significance of digital marketing in the hospitality industry and the need for hotels to adapt to changing trends and consumer preferences.
• However, it is equally important to gather data on customer satisfaction scores, online reviews, and feedback from guests to gain deeper insights into areas that may require investment and improvement.

The Comprehensive Guide to Planning a Hotel Budget

Hotel budget season typically occurs a few months before the start of the fiscal year, often in the final quarter. Also, keep in mind that time needs to be allocated for when it will be presented to different management teams. As you can see many things have to be considered and included in your hotel budget plan. We need to look at these aspects of the business, and many more, as they influence your financial results. Inflexibility is another common issue because budgets should not be stagnant as market conditions and operational needs are constantly evolving. Adjusting budgets regularly (whether yearly or monthly depending on market volatility) is key.

Lybra Tech Partners with Afixis Hospitality to Elevate Revenue Management for Greek Hoteliers

Captures periodic variability attributable to temporal discrepancies, such as holidays, vacation seasons, weather anomalies, or special events. Recognition of recurrent peaks and troughs permits tailored approaches to resource provisioning, promotion design, and channel distribution. Understanding how each department contributes to the performance of the hotel is essential. Without giving your team the much needed goals, there´s no clear direction making it nearly impossible for them to know if they’re on the right track to reach the goals by the end of the year. The budget generally doesn´t change, this is where the unearned revenue hotel forecast comes into play where you start comparing your budget vs. your forecast.

The survey revealed that 50% of respondents ranked revenue-boosting strategy management as their top priority, closely followed by digital marketing activities. Interestingly, hoteliers mentioned that they would allocate a smaller portion of their budget to staff training and recruitment, indicating a shift towards investing in newer skills like SEO. By setting SMART goals, hoteliers can effectively measure their progress towards achieving financial targets and stay focused on their long-term objectives.

• Get a Revolut account that supports 30+ currencies and cards to buy, store, send and receive money.
• It enables you to establish revenue benchmarks, control operational expenditures, allocate resources judiciously, and prepare for contingencies such as economic downturns or unexpected maintenance issues.
• Confirm that your projected operating cash flow, the amount of revenue generated by standard hotel operations, is going to generate enough profit to keep the hotel operating until next season.
• From there, Lund recommends getting into the details with zero-based budgeting as described above.
• This will help you identify any liquidity issues and make informed financial decisions.
• Most importantly, you need seamless integration of your booking PMS to drive your direct booking strategy.

Occupancy rate

As mentioned above, fixed costs include salaries, property taxes, and insurance, while variable expenses cover utilities, marketing, and guest supplies. Typically, the process starts with forecasting occupancy rates and room revenue. An operational budget, as the name implies, focuses on the day-to-day expenses necessary for the hotel to function smoothly. This covers essential costs like food and beverage supplies, utilities, employee wages, and housekeeping supplies. This should include room occupancy rates, average daily rates (ADR), revenue per available room (RevPAR), and customer acquisition costs. Also, gather data on customer satisfaction scores, online reviews, and feedback to understand areas that may require investment.

Some marketing tactics — like organic social media and blogging — require minimal to no upfront cost. You will invest your time, but these channels tend to require consistent effort (…and time) to make an impact. Expect to invest at least $500-1,000 USD monthly for either type of display campaign to have measurable impact. Of course, full-service hotels with multiple business segments to support should expect to spend more than a select service property. For hotels, social media advertising is a great way to reach a desired audience in target markets, promote niche special offers, or retarget website visitors who looked, but didn’t book.

How to prepare a hotel budget

For room revenue, forecast occupancy rates, ADR (Average Daily Rate), and RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) to inform your budget. Similarly, estimate food and beverage revenue based on average guest spend, keeping in mind that not all guests will dine at your hotel’s bar or restaurant. Be sure to track changes in guest behavior to refine your projections for the https://www.bookstime.com/articles/recurring-billing following year.