Who this is for: owners, general managers, and revenue managers at independent hotels, hotel groups, motels, resorts, and hostels who compare booking speed against historical patterns. Bed & Breakfasts and Parks can use a simplified version further down.
A pace report and a pickup report are closely related. In parts of the industry, they're treated as the same document. RoomKeyPMS literally calls theirs a "Pickup/Pace Report." The distinction that matters here: a pickup report logs new bookings date by date. A pace report compares booking speed at the same point in the booking window, like 90 or 60 days out, to that same point last year. It's a curve, not a daily log.
What's Included in This Template
- Core columns tracking OTB this year vs. OTB last year, by booking window
- A Pace Index that turns raw variance into a comparable score
- A pace curve tracker organized by lead time, not by calendar date
- A pace-vs-budget view, since last year isn't always the right benchmark
- A completed example showing how to read the curve
Core Template Columns
These five columns are what actually gets compared, at every lead-time checkpoint.
- Date / Day: the target arrival or stay date being measured.
- On-the-Books (OTB) Current Year: total rooms already booked for that date, as of today.
- On-the-Books Last Year (LY): what OTB looked like at the same point in the booking window last year.
- Variance (Picked Up / Deficit): the difference in room nights between this year's OTB and last year's, at that lead time.
- ADR & RevPAR: projected rate and revenue per available room, compared to last year at the same lead time.
Essential Setup Fields
Before building the curve, set these two fields. They define what "pace" actually measures.
- Booking Window: the lead-time buckets you're tracking, typically 90, 60, 30, 14, and 7 days out.
- Pickup Interval: how often you're measuring, net new reservations added in the last 24 hours or the last 7 days.
Essential KPIs
| KPI | Formula | What It Tells You |
|---|---|---|
| Room Nights | Count of rooms booked for a target date | Raw OTB volume at a given lead time. |
| ADR | Room Revenue / Rooms Sold | Rate performance at that lead time. |
| RevPAR | Room Revenue / Rooms Available | Combined rate and demand performance. |
| Pace Index | (OTB This Year at Lead Time X / OTB Last Year at Lead Time X) x 100 | Whether you're ahead of or behind last year's pace, as a comparable score instead of a raw number. |
Most pace report templates stop at a raw variance number. A Pace Index above 100 means you're ahead of last year at that exact lead time. That's easier to act on than "12 rooms behind."
Pace Curve Tracker
This is the core of the template. Unlike a pickup log, it's organized by lead time. You see the shape of the curve, not just today's snapshot.
| Lead Time (Days Out) | OTB This Year | OTB Last Year (Same Lead Time) | Pace Index | ADR This Year | ADR Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | [Number] | [Number] | [Index] | $[Amount] | $[Amount] |
| 60 | [Number] | [Number] | [Index] | $[Amount] | $[Amount] |
| 30 | [Number] | [Number] | [Index] | $[Amount] | $[Amount] |
| 14 | [Number] | [Number] | [Index] | $[Amount] | $[Amount] |
| 7 | [Number] | [Number] | [Index] | $[Amount] | $[Amount] |
Pace vs. Budget
Last year isn't always the right benchmark. A soft prior year can make a weak pace look fine by comparison. Check pace against budget too.
| Lead Time (Days Out) | OTB This Year | Budgeted OTB at This Lead Time | Variance vs. Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | [Number] | [Number] | [+/- Number] |
| 60 | [Number] | [Number] | [+/- Number] |
| 30 | [Number] | [Number] | [+/- Number] |
Completed Example
Riverside Inn checks pace for a target arrival date 40 room nights out from a holiday weekend.
| Lead Time (Days Out) | OTB This Year | OTB Last Year | Pace Index | ADR This Year | ADR Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | 12 | 15 | 80 | $145 | $140 |
| 60 | 22 | 24 | 92 | $148 | $142 |
| 30 | 34 | 33 | 103 | $152 | $144 |
The curve tells a clearer story than any single number. Riverside Inn started behind pace at 90 and 60 days out, then caught up by 30 days out. Rate held above last year the whole time. Waiting until 30 days to check would have missed the early lag entirely.
How Do You Use a Pace Report?
Build the curve before you react to any single lead-time reading.
- Set your booking window buckets once, then track the same ones every period for consistency.
- Pull OTB for both years at each lead time, not just today's total.
- Calculate Pace Index at every bucket, so early lead times get checked, not just the final week.
- Compare to budget as well as last year, since a soft prior year sets a low bar.
- Read the whole curve, not one point on it, before deciding to act.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Only checking pace close to arrival, missing an early lag that was fixable at 90 or 60 days out.
- Comparing to last year only, when last year was itself a weak season.
- Tracking a raw variance number instead of an index, making patterns harder to spot across dates.
- Confusing this with a daily pickup log and duplicating that report instead of building the curve.
- Changing booking window buckets period to period, breaking the ability to compare trends over time.
Pace Report Templates by Property Type
Every property type benefits from pace tracking, but how far out the booking window matters, and how granular it needs to be, changes by type.
This applies at full detail to Independent Hotels, Hotel Groups, Resorts, and Hostels below. Motels, Bed & Breakfasts, and Parks get a simplified version instead, since they typically book closer to arrival with a shorter useful booking window. Independent Hotels use the template above as-is.
Hotel Groups Pace Report
Adds the specific property and a portfolio rollup, since pace curves can differ sharply by property even within one group.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Group / Brand Name | [Hotel Group Name] |
| Specific Property Name & Location | [Property Name, City, State] |
| Portfolio Rollup: Average Pace Index Across Properties | [Index] |
Resort Pace Report
Extends the booking window further out, since resort stays are often booked well ahead of limited-service properties.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Property Name | [Resort Name] |
| Extended Booking Window | [120, 180 days out, in addition to standard buckets] |
Hostel Pace Report
Shortens the booking window, since hostel bookings skew short-lead-time, and tracks beds instead of rooms.
| Lead Time (Days Out) | Beds OTB This Year | Beds OTB Last Year | Pace Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | [Number] | [Number] | [Index] |
| 14 | [Number] | [Number] | [Index] |
| 7 | [Number] | [Number] | [Index] |
Motel Pace Report (Simplified)
Drops the far-out buckets, since motel bookings concentrate close to arrival.
| Lead Time (Days Out) | OTB This Year | OTB Last Year | Pace Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | [Number] | [Number] | [Index] |
| 7 | [Number] | [Number] | [Index] |
Bed & Breakfast Pace Report (Simplified)
Uses a weekly view instead of a lead-time curve, since B&B booking windows are typically too short for a full curve to be useful.
| Week Of | Bookings This Year to Date | Bookings Last Year (Same Point) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| [MM/DD] | [Number] | [Number] | [Local event, holiday weekend, etc.] |
Parks Pace Report (Simplified)
Tracks sites instead of rooms, over a shorter booking window matched to typical camper lead times.
| Lead Time (Days Out) | Sites OTB This Year | Sites OTB Last Year | Pace Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | [Number] | [Number] | [Index] |
| 7 | [Number] | [Number] | [Index] |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What's the difference between a pace report and a pickup report?
They're closely related, and some hotels use the terms interchangeably. This template treats a pickup report as a daily log of new bookings, and a pace report as a curve comparing booking speed at the same lead time across years.
2. What is the Pace Index?
It's this year's OTB at a given lead time, divided by last year's OTB at that same lead time, times 100. Above 100 means you're ahead of last year at that point in the booking window.
3. How many booking window buckets should I track?
Most properties use 90, 60, 30, 14, and 7 days out. Shorter-lead-time property types can drop the far-out buckets.
4. Why compare pace to budget instead of just last year?
Last year isn't always a fair benchmark. A weak prior year makes a mediocre pace look fine by comparison, budget doesn't have that problem.
5. Can a pace report replace a forecast?
No. A pace report shows how current booking speed compares historically. A forecast uses that pace data, plus other inputs, to project future occupancy and revenue.
