We know too little about our local competition

You know the other properties in town by sight and from conversations. But nobody knows exactly what they charge, whom they target or where they are investing right now.

Typical for: family businesses in destinations with many similar properties · hotels facing pricing or positioning decisions · properties whose picture of the competition hasn't changed in years

Documented by Hospis

Updated: 24 September 2026

How you recognize it

  • Decide which five to eight properties your guests actually see as alternatives. Ask at the front desk too.
  • Look at their prices on several reference dates across different seasons.
  • Compare offer, target group, reviews and presentation in a simple overview.
  • Note where others are investing right now: renovation, spa, new room categories, new markets.
  • Derive two or three points where you deliberately differ.
  • Update the overview on a fixed date, for example before each season's price planning.

Matching Hospi

SF

Sophia Marie Fehr

Concept · Brand core & positioning · Vienna
Works with Adobe Creative Cloud · Mews
Advise

Places the property within its actual competitive environment and derives from that what it should stand for.

Mapped to root cause
The wrong comparison setObservation without consequences
View profilePersonally vetted · independent match

Which path fits your situation?

01

Diagnosis

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02

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Cause fields and how to tell them apart

In small destinations everyone believes they know the competition. But that knowledge often comes from impressions, is years old and refers to the properties next door. Nobody has checked which properties guests really choose between.

These fields are complete, and many properties get there on their own. That is what this page is for. The cost simply does not appear on an invoice: internal hours, a few attempts, and a season that keeps running in the meantime.

01

The wrong comparison set

How you spot it

You compare yourself with the neighbour, although guests choose between you and properties in other towns.

The way out

Define the comparison set from the guest's point of view: booking data, review platforms, questions at the front desk.

02

Second-hand knowledge

How you spot it

What the others charge and offer is known from hearsay. Nobody has looked at current prices or offers.

The way out

Check prices, offers and reviews yourselves on a regular basis and record them in one overview. For prices, a rate monitoring tool can make this easier.

03

No view of developments

How you spot it

The competitor's renovation is only noticed once the new pictures are online.

The way out

Follow construction plans, operator changes and new projects in the destination through the municipality, the tourism board and trade media.

04

Observation without consequences

How you spot it

There are lists and impressions, but no decision that follows from them.

The way out

Close every competitive analysis with two or three concrete decisions: price, offer, target group or presentation.

Frequently asked

How often should we look at the competition?
Prices before every pricing decision, the overall picture once a season. A fixed date matters more than the frequency, so it doesn't get dropped.
Should we copy the others' prices?
The comparison shows where you stand. Your price follows from your demand and your offer. Whoever only follows others loses sight of their own guests.
Does it make sense to cooperate with competitors?
Often, yes. In many destinations properties benefit from joint offers, events or staffing initiatives. Knowing the competition also shows where cooperation achieves more than setting yourselves apart.

Describe your situation

The problem context is automatically included, you do not need to repeat anything.

Problem
We know too little about our local competition