Project Description
The Inn or Out Yield Management Simulation is an in-class simulation where students take on the role of a hotel manager in charge of room bookings and check-in.
Throughout the game, students will be prompted with guests with various profiles and the amount they will be willing to pay. Students will then have to decide whether to accept or reject the booking.
At the end of the game, students will be rewarded for efficiently utilizing the allocated room. There will be penalties for overbooking and empty rooms.
Teaching Strategy
The app is primarily played by students during class time. Faculty members set up the game and students connect via their laptops. The game-play is usually completed in 15 minutes
When the game starts, guests will start to stream into the hotel in 2 Phases.
In Phase One, it is well before the holidays and prospective tenants want to book their stay well in advance. Phase Two consists of last-minute bookings.
In these phases, students have to decide if they will accept their bookings before the timer runs out for each group. The booking will be rejected if no input is detected before the timer runs out.
The final phase is the actual season itself, and students will see how their decisions pan out as prospective guests book into the hotel and the resulting revenue and earnings.
Faculty members can also set up the game beforehand and customize the guest details and other game particulars.
Download the case and teaching note at this link.
For access to the project, please contact CTE at cte [at] smu.edu.sg