How The Birch Ridge Inn increased its ADR With PriceLabs’ Seasonal Pricing

Customer type: Hotel Owner

Region: North America

Products: Dynamic Pricing, Portfolio Analytics

Number of units: 10-50

PMS: Streamline

Executive Summary

Dave McComb, owner of The Birch Ridge in Killington, Vermont, faced challenges managing revenue for his boutique 11-room inn in a highly seasonal market. With significant fluctuations between bustling ski season and quiet off-peak months, balancing occupancy and revenue was complex.

Dave tailored booking rules within PriceLabs to match the unique demands of his drive-to destination. He set minimum stay requirements, avoided Saturday check-ins to optimize weekend bookings, and adjusted rates based on real-time market data. Discover how Dave used data-driven strategies and automation to balance occupancy and revenue effectively.

About The Birch Ridge

The Birch Ridge is a boutique 11-room inn in Killington, Vermont, that offers guests a seamless, contactless experience. It attracts nature-loving guests year-round, featuring A-frame structures, fireplaces, outdoor amenities like hot tubs and fire pits, and proximity to skiing and mountain biking.

When Dave McComb acquired The Birch Ridge, he aimed to modernize operations while preserving the charm of a boutique inn.

“Post-COVID, guests want simplicity – clean rooms and an experience where they don’t have to talk to anyone. With PriceLabs and the right tech, we’ve delivered exactly that.”

– Dave McComb, Owner, The Birch Ridge

While Dave’s background in short-term rental management informed some decisions, his focus shifted to optimizing The Birch Ridge’s revenue and operations using tools tailored to the hotel industry.

Challenges Before PriceLabs

Managing revenue for The Birch Ridge required carefully balancing seasonality, group bookings, and guest expectations for a premium experience.

“The biggest challenge was gauging the best rates versus occupancy. I’d manually check competitor sites and create spreadsheets without software – it was time-consuming and prone to errors.”

– Dave McComb

Seasonal peaks also posed challenges: outdated rates for high-demand dates occasionally resulted in missed revenue opportunities.

PriceLabs as a Solution

Dave implemented PriceLabs to streamline revenue management and tailor dynamic pricing strategies for The Birch Ridge. The hotel dynamic pricing platform eliminated the risk of outdated pricing for high-demand dates and reduced manual effort.

Key features that made a difference:

• Hotel-Specific Pricing Models & Competitor Data: Dave set PriceLabs to focus on hotel competitors, ensuring rates aligned with comparable properties. The Hotel Weights feature allowed him to power his rates based on nearby hotels and the Hotel Data Tab provided detailed insights into rates of specific competitors.

• Property-level Occupancy-Based Adjustments: Dave grouped all 11 rooms in PriceLabs, enabling portfolio-based adjustments.

“Grouping all rooms and dynamically adjusting pricing based on overall occupancy has been a game-changer.“

– Dave McComb

• Flexible Length-of-Stay Rules: Using PriceLabs, Dave tailored length-of-stay requirements to align with guest behavior. 

“Avoiding Saturday check-ins and setting longer weekend stays was critical for maximizing revenue.“

– Dave McComb

Implementation and Results

Implementing PriceLabs for The Birch Ridge was seamless and quickly delivered measurable benefits:

• Time Savings: Automation freed up hours spent on manual pricing updates, allowing Dave to focus on enhancing guest experiences.
• Improved Revenue: PriceLabs helped Dave achieve better ADRs and revenue while avoiding losses from outdated rates.
• Optimized Occupancy: Portfolio-based adjustments ensured minimal vacancies and competitive pricing across all rooms.
• Seasonal Adaptation: Flexible rules allowed Dave to manage peak and off-season pricing effectively, maximizing revenue while maintaining fair rates for guests.

“This summer, we avoided underpricing and saw ADRs improve significantly. When inventory tightened, dynamic pricing helped us capture more value.”

– Dave McComb

Advice for Other Hotel Owners

Dave’s journey managing The Birch Ridge offers valuable lessons for hoteliers:

• Streamline Operations with Automation: Automating tasks like pricing updates and length-of-stay adjustments reduces manual effort, saves time, and minimizes errors.
• Leverage Competitor Insights: Using tools to analyze competitors’ rates helps ensure your pricing reflects market demand while staying competitive. Dave used PriceLabs’ Hotel Data Tab to monitor local pricing trends and adjust his rates accordingly.
• Understand Guest Behavior: Tailoring pricing and length-of-stay rules to your guests’ preferences can improve occupancy and guest satisfaction.

Conclusion

For The Birch Ridge, PriceLabs has been transformative. Its dynamic pricing, analytics, and automation enabled Dave to optimize operations, adapt to guest preferences, and maximize revenue. 

“With PriceLabs, I can confidently price rooms based on market demand and spend less time worrying about missed opportunities.”

– Dave McComb