The Last 10 Bookings Exercise: A Simple STR Revenue Health Check

You do not always need a complicated analysis to begin asking better revenue-management questions.

Sometimes a useful starting point is your last ten bookings.

In Revenue Academy, Emile Sakhel recommends a simple exercise:

Review your last ten reservations and ask how far in advance each guest booked.

Then compare that timing with what is normal in your market.

The exercise focuses on one measurement: the booking window.

Step 1: Review Your Last Ten Bookings

Open your reservation history and identify your ten most recent bookings.

For each reservation, note the date it was made and the guest's check-in date.

The difference between those dates is the booking window.

For example, a reservation made 60 days before check-in has a 60-day booking window.

Repeat this process for each of the ten reservations.

Step 2: Look for Booking Timing Patterns

Once the booking windows are recorded, examine the results.

Are most guests booking far in advance?

Are reservations arriving closer to check-in?

Is there a noticeable difference between the timing of individual bookings?

The purpose is not to declare a result good or bad immediately.

It is to understand how demand is converting into reservations.

Step 3: Compare With the Market

Your booking windows become more meaningful when compared with relevant market behavior.

Suppose guests in your market normally book summer dates around 45 days before arrival.

If your property is consistently securing reservations much earlier, that may indicate stronger-than-expected demand or rates that deserve review.

If reservations are arriving much later, the operator may need to investigate pricing, restrictions, or positioning.

The comparison provides context.

Step 4: Interpret Early Bookings Carefully

Early reservations can be positive.

They provide confirmed revenue and reduce uncertainty.

But consistently booking much earlier than comparable properties may raise another question:

Could the property have supported a stronger rate?

That is a hypothesis, not a conclusion.

Booking timing alone does not prove that the price was too low.

Step 5: Investigate Late Bookings

If your property books substantially later than expected, consider why.

The episode identifies several possibilities:

• Rates may be too high for the current opportunity.

• Booking restrictions may be limiting demand.

• The property may be positioned incorrectly.

• The competitive comparison may need further review.

Market pace is also important.

If the entire market is booking late, the issue may not be unique to your property.

Step 6: Use the Findings to Guide Your Next Review

The purpose of the exercise is not to change every rate immediately.

It is to identify questions that deserve attention.

Perhaps certain dates are booking earlier than expected.

Perhaps others remain open after the normal booking window.

Perhaps the market is moving differently from your property.

Use those observations to decide where further analysis is needed.

Keep the Sample in Perspective

Ten bookings provide a manageable starting point, not a complete statistical picture.

The reservations may involve different seasons, days of the week, or guest types.

Those differences can affect booking timing.

Avoid treating a small sample as proof of a universal pricing rule.

Instead, use it as an initial diagnostic exercise.

One Simple Metric Can Reveal Useful Questions

The booking window is one of five measurements in the Pricing By Mira revenue scorecard.

It becomes even more useful when considered alongside occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, and market pace.

Start with the last ten bookings.

Understand when guests reserved.

Compare that timing with relevant market behavior.

Then decide what the results suggest you should investigate next.

The goal is not to guess faster. It is to make decisions with better context.