Owners don’t need more data—they need better decisions. In Cairns, demand swings with weather and events. The trick is watching a few KPIs that actually change what you do next week.
The 9 KPIs that matter (with simple formulas)
- ADR (Average Daily Rate) — Room Revenue ÷ Nights Sold. If ADR rises but occupancy drops, check RevPAR before you panic.
- Occupancy — Nights Sold ÷ Nights Available. Track separately for weekends vs mid-week.
- RevPAR — ADR × Occupancy. Your one-score sanity check.
- Lead Time (Booking Window) — average days from booking to check-in. Event weeks shrink; wet season can be last-minute.
- Pacing — how you’re filling vs target or last year for the same future month.
- Channel Mix — % of bookings per OTA/direct. Watch fee creep and review momentum.
- Length of Stay (LOS) — average nights per booking. Longer LOS = fewer cleans and better net.
- Turnover Cost per Night — Clean Cost ÷ LOS. If this is high, raise minimums or nudge weekly discounts.
- Net (after fees & cleans) — Room Revenue − OTA Fees − Cleaning − Linen/Laundry − Basic Ops.
How to use them (action over analysis)
- Strong pacing, low availability: raise rates in steps; enforce 3–5 night minimums over the peak weekend.
- Soft pacing mid-week: relax minimums for Tue–Thu and add week+ discounts; keep Fri–Sun firm.
- High turnover cost/night: stop accepting 1-nighters except for gap fills.
- Review dip: check linen/clean notes and AC performance first—Cairns guests are sensitive to heat/humidity.
Monthly owner memo — the structure we like
- Headline KPIs (ADR, Occ, RevPAR, Net) vs last year/target.
- What changed & why (events, weather, flight capacity).
- What we’re testing next (minimum stays, photo order, message tweaks).
- Maintenance log (AC service dates, grout touch-ups, consumables usage).
Sanity checks for Cairns specifically
- Wet season (Nov–Apr): expect shorter lead times and more date changes. Keep ADR sensible and offer 2–3 night minimums mid-week.
- Event weeks: price in stages and protect the week after with fenced offers, not blanket discounts.
- Northern Beaches vs City: Beaches skew to longer stays; city units see more short business/event trips.
Quick worksheet (plug your numbers)
- ADR = $$ ÷ nights sold = ____
- Occupancy = nights sold ÷ nights available = ____%
- RevPAR = ADR × Occupancy = $$ ____
- Lead Time (days) = ____
- LOS = nights ÷ bookings = ____
- Turnover Cost/night = clean cost ÷ LOS = $$ ____
- Net = revenue − fees − cleaning − laundry − ops = $$ ____
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Want a clean monthly memo with these KPIs and explanations? Book a free consult, or try our earnings & turnover calculator.