Running an independent or boutique hotel is a labor of love.
You’re not just selling rooms. You’re crafting unique guest experiences, building a brand, and competing in a crowded market. And you’re doing it all without the corporate infrastructure that supports pricing and strategy at big hotel chains.
Chances are, you’re still relying on spreadsheets or outdated systems to manage your rates – which makes it tough to react quickly to demand shifts or spot pricing opportunities.
That’s where Open Pricing comes in. An innovative revenue management solution for independent hotels that keeps your pricing agile, competitive, and profitable.
What is Open Pricing and why should independent hotels care?
Open Pricing is a dynamic approach to revenue management for independent hotels, built to give you real-time control and agility over your pricing.
Unlike traditional BAR-based models that tie room rates to a fixed hierarchy, Open Pricing enables you to:
- Adjust prices independently for each segment, channel, and room type, not just by season or day of the week.
- Balance strategy and control with the flexibility to develop more complex revenue avenues when the opportunity arises.
- Create promotional offers that reflect your hotel’s unique positioning.
This makes it the perfect revenue management tool for independent hotels, where responsiveness and creativity are key to outperforming the competition.
Whether you operate a luxury riad or a boutique city hotel, Open Pricing puts powerful levers in your hands so you can:
- Set special rates tied to local events or festivals.
- Offer curated packages with tours, dining, or wellness experiences.
- Attract a diverse range of guests with tailored offers.
Open Pricing isn’t just another pricing tool — it’s a methodology designed to automate and streamline your pricing strategy to adapt to market demand, reduce manual work, and drive revenue.
Now, let’s explore how independent and boutique hotels are putting it into action, and what they’ve achieved.
How independent hotels are using Open Pricing
Adriatic Luxury Hotels: Optimizing room types and packages
Adriatic Luxury Hotels is a standout collection of eight independent luxury hotels in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Before adopting Duetto in 2020, their revenue strategy relied heavily on manual processes.
“We were searching for revenue management software that would yield our room types independently. The possibility to set up supplements for each room type individually has helped us to optimize revenue per room type.” – David Taylor, CEO at Adriatic Luxury Hotels.
The team now dynamically manages pricing for each room type, combining amenities into tailored packages to maximize revenue. By adopting Open Pricing they have been able to yield all segments, room types, and channels in real time — right down to the last available room; increase their average daily rate (ADR).
“Open Pricing has helped us to maximize our last room availability which has increased ADR,” Taylor confirmed.
Heure Bleue Palais: Increasing total guest spend
This 33-room five-star boutique hotel in Essaouira, Morocco, is part of the Relais & Châteaux collection. The hotel needed to optimize revenue from every room, every night and in 2022, they shifted from a traditional best available rate (BAR) model to a more dynamic pricing strategy using Open Pricing.
“We were looking to maximize our revenue efficiently and rapidly, and work on our opportunities lost to OTAs. Duetto changed all that for the better.” – Eric Molle, General Manager at Heure Bleue.
With real-time rate adjustments, Heure Bleue Palais not only increased ADR but was also able to attract guests who spend more on ancillary services.
By drawing in higher-spending guests, the team could also optimize pricing for additional services, such as the spa and restaurant — driving even greater profitability.
This led to:
- +37% ADR (YoY)
- +115% RevPAR (YoY)
- +29% occupancy (YoY)
- Higher guest spend on F&B and wellness services
The Remington Orange: Real-time rate optimization and OTA control
The Remington Orange is an 82-room luxury hotel in New South Wales, Australia. Previously, the property managed rates manually and reactively — relying on spreadsheets and gut instinct. Group pricing was done by feel, and time constraints made it difficult to manage rates beyond a 45-day window.
In April 2023, the hotel adopted our purpose-built revenue management tool for independent hotels and saw immediate results: a 10% ADR uplift in just the first month.
“ADR went from $217.08 to $238.73. I would credit a huge portion of that to how much more aggressive we were able to be with Duetto.” – Alex Tran, Hotel Manager at The Remington Orange.
With Open Pricing now in place:
- Room type differentials are dynamically adjusted based on availability.
- Discounted rates and OTA prices shift automatically with occupancy.
- Promotions are targeted and automated per channel to drive bookings where needed.
“Open Pricing as a concept blew my mind. This is where my relative inexperience in the revenue management field is showing. Having said that, it is a credit to the Duetto UI team that such a complex concept is broken down so seamlessly that even a relative newbie like myself can grab hold of it and run with it,” Tran said.
Tran also highlighted the operational benefits of implementing a scalable revenue management tool for independent hotels:
“Duetto essentially saved me a full-time salary point. All the little revenue boosts do add up quickly,” Tran noted.
And when it comes to OTA strategy:
“Guests now either book at a higher price on OTAs or go direct at a lower rate. Win-win.”
The result?
- +10% ADR in the first full month.
- Improved control over OTA rates and reduced commission costs.
- Operational efficiency without increased headcount.
Overcoming revenue management challenges in independent hotels
Too often, independent hotel revenue management means juggling spreadsheets or reacting late to market changes.
Open Pricing changes that. It provides the tools and agility you need to compete with larger hotel groups—without the need for a big team or complex systems. It empowers you to make data-driven pricing decisions backed by automation, not assumptions.
It’s revenue management designed for the way independent hotels actually operate.
Want to dive deeper into how independent hotels are winning with Open Pricing?
Download our free guide Always open, always selling: A guide for independent hotels and explore additional real-world use cases and practical tips to unlock profitability at your independent hotel with Open Pricing.
