Challenge

• Starwood wanted to develop a more comprehensive revenue management (RM) system to be able to price hotel rooms more effectively
• Starwood's original RM strategy analyzed only internal occupancy and revenue data, and did not incorporate competitor pricing and availability information available on the Internet

Solution

• Redpoint developed a powerful rate shopping capability that automatically collects pricing data from hotel web sites and travel sites such as Expedia.com
• The system includes extensive RM reports that incorporate real-time competitor pricing data
• Users access the system via a web-based interface and can be automatically notified of critical events via wireless devices (including cell phones and PDAs)

Results

• Having access to this competitive data allows Starwood to better forecast demand and maximize occupancy
• The system was successfully rolled out to all Starwood properties in the U.S. and Canada, and is now being extended to international properties as well