Customer spotlight: AC Hotel Bratislava Old Town
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How AC Hotel by Marriott Bratislava Old Town uses Rate Insight to stay competitive and maximize revenue opportunities
Key Results:
Improved visibility into competitor pricing and market trends
Optimized pricing strategies based on real-time data
Enhanced decision-making efficiency with up-to-date rate monitoring
About AC Hotel Bratislava Old Town
AC Hotel by Marriott Bratislava Old Town is a modern, upscale property located in the heart of the Slovakian capital. With 202 rooms and a contemporary design, the hotel offers a refined yet simple experience tailored to business and leisure travelers alike. The hotel’s prime city-center location and strong brand affiliation make it a key player in a competitive market, where both independent and branded hotels vie for business.
We spoke with Pavel Jindra, General Manager at AC Hotel by Marriott Bratislava Old Town, about how Lighthouse’s Rate Insight has become a crucial tool in shaping the hotel's pricing strategy and optimizing revenue management.
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Ensuring competitive pricing with real-time market insights
Challenge:
Bratislava’s hotel market is unique, with a mix of independent properties and a select number of international brands. Maintaining competitive pricing while responding to market trends and demand fluctuations requires constant monitoring of competitor activity. Before using Rate Insight, Pavel and his team had to rely on multiple sources or manual checks to stay informed.
Solution:
Rate Insight allows Pavel to track competitor pricing in real time, ensuring that AC Hotel by Marriott Bratislava Old Town remains competitive in the market. He checks Rate Insight three to four times per day, monitoring changes across the competitive set to adjust rates when necessary. The ability to set up and track events within the platform also provides valuable foresight for pricing decisions.
Results
With Rate Insight, Pavel can now make faster and more informed pricing decisions, ensuring the hotel stays in line with its competitors while maximizing revenue opportunities. The platform’s live updates and color-coded indicators make it easy to spot changes, reducing the risk of missing critical market shifts.
Rate Insight is my daily tool. I check it several times a day to monitor our comp set and see if any price movements require adjustments. It helps me make quick, data-driven decisions so we don’t miss any revenue opportunities."
Optimizing pricing strategies with event-driven demand forecasting
Challenge:
The hotel market in Bratislava is influenced by events such as sports tournaments, concerts, and international conferences. Without a structured way to track upcoming demand drivers, hotels risk setting rates too low or missing the opportunity to maximize pricing during peak periods.
Solution:
Rate Insight allows Pavel to log and track future events within the system, making it easier to anticipate market demand. By setting reminders for major events, such as the UEFA U-21 European Football Championship, he ensures that the hotel is well-prepared for increased demand.
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Results:
Having a clear overview of upcoming events enables Pavel to adjust rates proactively instead of reacting to market shifts too late. By comparing pickup trends with historical data, the hotel can implement rate strategies that capitalize on demand surges.
"I love that Rate Insight lets me track events in the market. If I hear about an important event, I log it in the system. That way, when demand starts picking up, I can immediately connect the dots and adjust rates accordingly."
Enhancing efficiency and streamlining rate management
Challenge:
Without an efficient rate-shopping tool, monitoring competitor pricing required multiple manual checks or relying on third-party reports, which were not always updated in real-time. This made it harder to respond quickly to market shifts.
Solution:
With Rate Insight, Pavel can instantly view live rate comparisons across his competitive set without needing to check individual booking platforms. The color-coded alerts make it easy to see if his hotel's pricing is aligned with the market, too high, or too low.
Results:
By reducing the time spent on manual rate checks, Pavel and his team can focus more on strategy and decision-making. Instead of reacting to pricing changes late, they can proactively adjust rates based on live market trends.
"Before tools like Rate Insight, you had to manually check competitor rates or call around to get pricing information. Now, everything is in one place, updated in real-time, making my job much easier."
Integrating Rate Insight into a holistic revenue strategy
Challenge:
Managing pricing across multiple distribution channels and business segments – including corporate clients, groups, and online bookings – requires a data-driven approach. While Rate Insight provides critical competitive intelligence, the hotel also uses Marriott’s internal systems and third-party tools for a complete revenue strategy.
Solution:
Pavel combines insights from Rate Insight with pickup reports, occupancy data, and business mix analysis to make comprehensive pricing decisions. This ensures that the hotel remains competitive across all segments while maintaining a balanced revenue strategy.
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Results:
By using Rate Insight alongside other tools, the hotel is able to maximize direct bookings, reduce reliance on high-commission third-party channels, and ensure that pricing reflects real-time demand.
"I don’t rely on just one tool – I use multiple data points to make the best decisions for our hotel. But Rate Insight is an essential piece of that puzzle because it gives me the market intelligence I need to adjust rates effectively."
Final thoughts: A must-have tool for dynamic pricing and market awareness
By using Rate Insight, AC Hotel by Marriott Bratislava Old Town has been able to:
Stay competitive by tracking competitor pricing in real time
Optimize pricing strategies based on market events and demand trends
Save time with automated rate monitoring instead of manual checks
"I would definitely recommend Rate Insight. It gives you everything you need in one place, saving time and making pricing decisions easier. If you want to stay ahead in your market, a tool like this is essential."
For Pavel Jindra, Rate Insight is a tool he relies on daily to ensure his hotel remains competitive and profitable in Bratislava’s evolving hospitality landscape.
