> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://revhero.gitbook.io/revhero-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://revhero.gitbook.io/revhero-docs/roompulse/choosing-your-comp-set.md).

# Choosing and managing your comp set

How to choose the hotels you compare yourself against, how to test the list, and how to keep it right as your market changes.

Your **comp set** is the list of hotels you compare your rates against. Every median, every percentage, every alert and every competitor figure in Revhero is measured against it. A good comp set tells you where you really stand. A poor one gives you precise numbers that point you the wrong way.

This page is about choosing the hotels and keeping the list right. For the screen itself, see [Competitors & competitor groups](/revhero-docs/roompulse/rate-settings/competitors.md).

## Start from your guest, not from the map

Ask one question about every hotel you consider:

> If my hotel were full tonight, would my guest book this hotel instead?

If the answer is yes, the hotel belongs in your comp set. If the answer is "only if nothing else were left", it does not.

The nearest hotels are not always your competitors. A 5-star resort next door may sell to a different guest from your family-run hotel. A hotel 2 kilometres away, with the same view and the same kind of guest, may be your closest rival.

## What to look for in each hotel

Check each candidate against these points. A strong competitor matches you on most of them, not on all of them.

| Check            | What to ask                                                                                       |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Location**     | Is it in the area your guests choose between? Same beach, same old town, same business district   |
| **Guest**        | Does it sell to the same guest? Couples, families, business travellers or groups                  |
| **Product**      | Does it have a room like the one you price? Similar size, view and board basis                    |
| **Price level**  | Does it usually sell in your price range, or close to it?                                         |
| **Quality**      | Is its guest review score close to yours? Guests compare scores before they compare prices        |
| **Season**       | Is it open when you are? A hotel closed for half your season leaves gaps in your comparison       |
| **Online sales** | Does it sell its rooms publicly online? RoomPulse can only compare prices that are on public sale |

## How many hotels to choose

Choose **4 to 8 hotels**. You can hold up to **12**.

* With fewer than 4, one hotel's pricing moves your median on its own.
* With more than 8, the median stops describing any real competitor.

Include **one hotel priced clearly above you**. It shows you how much room you have to move up. If every hotel in your set sits below you, you only ever learn about the floor.

## Build it in RoomPulse

1. Open RoomPulse, choose the **gear** icon, then the **Competitors** tab.
2. Choose **+ See Suggestions** to see comparable hotels near you, and add the ones that pass the checks above.
3. Add any hotel that is missing with **+ Add another competitor**. If the search does not find it, use **Can't find property?**
4. Choose **Save**.
5. Map the rooms of every hotel you added. See [Room mapping](/revhero-docs/roompulse/rate-settings/room-mapping.md). Without it, you compare against each hotel's cheapest room, not the room like yours.

Each step is described in full in [Competitors & competitor groups](/revhero-docs/roompulse/rate-settings/competitors.md).

## Test the set for 2 weeks

Watch [Market Rates](/revhero-docs/roompulse/market-rates.md) for 2 weeks before you trust the set. These signs tell you a hotel may not belong.

| What you see                                             | What it usually means                                                                                             |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The hotel is always far above or far below everyone else | It sells to a different guest. Move it to a group, or remove it                                                   |
| Its cells are often empty, or it is often **Sold Out**   | It has little on public sale. It weakens your median                                                              |
| Its **Type** often shows **None** in the day detail      | Its rooms are not mapped. Map them before you judge the hotel                                                     |
| Its rate moves sharply while the others stay still       | A different room is now its cheapest. Check [room mapping](/revhero-docs/roompulse/rate-settings/room-mapping.md) |

A healthy set moves with your own demand. When your dates get busy, the median of a good comp set usually rises too.

## Keep it right over time

A comp set ages. Hotels renovate, change hands, open and close. Review your set at least once a season, and straight away when one of these happens:

* A new hotel opens near you, aimed at your guest.
* A competitor renovates, changes its star rating, or changes the guest it targets.
* A competitor closes, or stops selling online.
* Your own hotel changes: a renovation, new room types, a new board basis.

Change the set for a reason, not out of habit. Every change moves your median, so a figure before the change and a figure after it are not a fair comparison. If you rebuild the set every month, you can no longer tell whether the market moved or your list did.

## Use groups instead of removing hotels

If you want to look at part of the market, build a **competitor group** rather than removing hotels. A group is a named subset of your comp set. Your full set stays as it is, and you choose the group in the **Competitor** filter on [Market Rates](/revhero-docs/roompulse/market-rates.md).

Groups people find useful:

* **Direct rivals.** The 3 or 4 hotels you lose guests to most often.
* **Same board basis.** Only the hotels that sell the board you sell.
* **Open all year.** For the months when seasonal hotels are closed.
* **Upper market.** The hotels priced above you, to test how far you can move up.

## After any change

* **Map the rooms** of every hotel you added. See [Room mapping](/revhero-docs/roompulse/rate-settings/room-mapping.md).
* **Check your alerts.** An alert can name a competitor. Removing or replacing that hotel changes what the alert watches. See [Alerts](/revhero-docs/roompulse/alerts.md).
* **Note the date.** When you compare this month with last month, you then know which figures came from the old set.

## Related

* [Competitors & competitor groups](/revhero-docs/roompulse/rate-settings/competitors.md): adding, removing and finding hotels
* [Room mapping](/revhero-docs/roompulse/rate-settings/room-mapping.md): making each comparison like for like, on every channel
* [Market Rates](/revhero-docs/roompulse/market-rates.md): where you read your comp set every day

***

**Was this page helpful?** If something here is wrong, unclear or missing, email [support@revhero.com](mailto:support@revhero.com?subject=Manual%20feedback%20%5Ben%5D%20roompulse%2Fchoosing-your-comp-set.md) and quote this page: `roompulse/choosing-your-comp-set.md`. Say what you expected to find. That is the part we can fix.