How to prepare your independent hotel for peak season 2025

Pricing is your most powerful lever during high-demand periods. Find out how getting it right directly impacts your bottom line.

Explore the key factors – like market demand and competitors – that should guide your pricing decisions.

Learn how to leverage real-time data and automation tools to adjust prices dynamically and stay competitive without endless manual work.

Understand which pricing performance metrics to monitor – like ADR, RevPAR and GOPPAR – so you can make data-driven decisions to fine-tune your strategy.

See how one property owner used smart pricing tools to increase revenue and save time – while staying in full control of their strategy.

You’ve reached the end of the first crash course chapter – congratulations! In this chapter, you discovered:

• Why optimized prices are so impactful

• How to implement dynamic pricing efficiently

• How to monitor your pricing performance

If you wish to dive deeper into any pricing-related topics, we suggest checking out the following resources:

• Guide: Your personalized path to revenue excellence (pdf download)

• Blog: Hotel competitors: The ultimate guide to building your perfect competitive set in 2025

• Blog: How to keep up with event-driven travel as an independent hotelier

• Blog: Dynamic Pricing defined: A guide to setting competitive hotel rates

• Blog: The small hoteliers essential guide to revenue metrics

• Blog: How to calculate and improve 12 hotel performance metrics

Learn why a well-considered selection of direct and indirect channels is crucial to reach more guests and maximize revenue during peak season.

From understanding your audience to balancing direct and OTA bookings – explore the key elements that make up a smart, profitable distribution strategy.

Discover practical steps to choose, monitor and fine-tune your channels to boost visibility, reduce costs and increase conversions.

Find out which distribution KPIs really matter – like booking window, occupancy, and cancellation rate – and how to use these metrics to make informed strategic decisions.

See how a channel management tool reduces your workload, keeps your availability synced and facilitates accurate pricing across platforms.

This concludes the distribution-part of our crash course. That means you’re over halfway there! You now know:

• Why being visible in the right places matters

• How to compose a profitable distribution mix

• How to manage your channels efficiently

• How to track and optimize key distribution metrics

Would you like to know more about any of the topics we covered? We recommend the following deep-dives:

• Guide: The ultimate OTA directory for independent hotels

• Blog: Everything you need to know about hotel distribution channels

• Blog: 12 proven strategies for hotels to increase direct bookings and cut OTA commissions

• Blog: How to increase direct bookings through Google’s hotel search platform

• Blog: 5 essential tips for healthy distribution for independent hotels

• Blog: The hotelier’s ultimate guide to channel management tools

• Blog: Can independent hotels attract multiple traveler types? 

Discover practical ways to reduce repetitive work and automate processes – giving your team more time back to focus on what really matters: the guest experience.

Learn how to keep guests informed and engaged from pre-arrival to post-checkout with clear, timely and automated communication.

From booking engines to channel managers – uncover the essential tools that help you run your property more efficiently and professionally.

Understand which KPIs help you measure your team’s productivity, cost efficiency and overall service quality during the busiest time of year.

See how other independent hotels have implemented simple tech and smarter workflows to save time, cut costs and improve guest satisfaction.

You’ve reached the end of our crash course – well done! We hope you found it helpful in prepping your hotel for a successful peak season.

If you wish to expand your knowledge on efficient hotel management and operations further, don’t hesitate to take a look at the following resources:

• Blog: How to run a successful small hotel: Overcoming operational challenges

• Blog: A hotelier’s guide to property management systems

• Blog: AI for hotels: how to save time and boost profits with AI as your personal assistant

• Blog: AI for Independent Hoteliers: Saving time and staying in control

• Blog: Thriving with your small team: How Independent Hotels can beat staff shortages

• Blog: 5 ways to save time as an independent hotelier

• eBook: The Independent Hotelier's Handbook

We probably don’t have to tell you how time-consuming it is to keep your pricing, availability and restrictions aligned across multiple OTAs. Next to that, you always run the risk of ovebooking if you’re not quick enough to manually implement those changes. Not to worry, Delphine is here to help you discover how you can optimize your workflow.

OTA commissions can take a significant cut of your revenue, but they don’t have to dominate your business. There are multiple ways to encourage guests to book direct instead of via different OTAs. Let’s hear what tips Delphine can offer you to boost your direct bookings.

An empty room means you lost revenue. But lowering your rates to fill those beds might not be the ideal solution to improve your occupancy rate. There are other, more profitable ways to make sure travelers choose your accommodation. Learn from Delphine how these smart occupancy strategies can take your occupancy to the next level.

Pricing is one of the biggest revenue drivers for any hotel, yet many hoteliers struggle to set the right rates at the right time. Pricing too high can drive potential guests away, while pricing too low leaves money on the table. So how can you consistently optimize their rates without spending hours manually adjusting prices? Delphine has a clear answer for you!

Independent hoteliers don’t need massive budgets or large teams to compete with big brands. With the right tools and strategies, you can optimize pricing, increase occupancy, and reduce reliance on OTAs.

• Assess your current tech stack: The 5-minute tech audit: Is your hotel software meeting your needs?

• Want to test your knowledge? Take the quiz: Is your hotel or B&B ready for the 2025 summer travel season?