Treebo Hotels Revenue Analyst Interview: Rounds, Questions and Preparation

What the job involves

A Revenue Analyst in travel, hospitality and food service monitors booking data, pricing, and demand patterns to help maximise revenue per available room or table. Day to day, you will pull data from property management and distribution systems, build reports, track competitor rates, and suggest pricing or inventory changes to managers. At a company like Treebo Hotels, this means working with hotel-level teams and central revenue managers to improve occupancy and average daily rate.

Role and Technical Knowledge

1. 1

   What is RevPAR and how is it different from ADR?

   Explain RevPAR as revenue per available room (total room revenue divided by total rooms available) and ADR as average daily rate (room revenue divided by rooms sold). Highlight that RevPAR combines both occupancy and rate.

2. 2

   How would you use Excel to analyse a month of booking data for a hotel?

   Mention cleaning data, using pivot tables to summarise by date, room type, and channel, then calculating occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR. Add that you would look for trends and outliers.

3. 3

   What are the main distribution channels for a hotel and why do they matter for revenue?

   Cover direct bookings, OTAs, travel agents, and corporate contracts. Explain that each channel has different commission costs and customer profiles, which affect net revenue.

4. 4

   Explain seasonality in travel and hospitality and how it affects pricing.

   Describe peak and lean seasons, local events, and holidays. Strong answers mention adjusting rates and inventory to capture higher demand in peak periods and protect occupancy in lean periods.

Practical Scenarios

1. 5

   A hotel's occupancy is high but RevPAR is falling. What could be the reasons and what would you check?

   Check if ADR has dropped due to discounting or a shift to lower-rate channels. Also review room type mix, length of stay, and cancellation patterns. Suggest actions like rate fencing or channel mix adjustment.

2. 6

   You notice a competitor hotel has cut its rates by 20 percent for the coming weekend. What do you do?

   Do not react immediately. Analyse your own demand forecast, remaining inventory, and historical pickup for similar weekends. Recommend a measured response only if it protects overall RevPAR.

3. 7

   How would you forecast demand for a hotel for the next month?

   Use historical data, booking pace, local events, holidays, and market trends. Mention building a simple forecast in Excel and updating it weekly as new bookings come in.

4. 8

   A restaurant within a hotel has low weekday lunch covers. What data would you look at and what ideas do you have?

   Look at covers, average spend, walk-ins versus reservations, and nearby office demand. Suggest targeted promotions, corporate tie-ups, or menu changes based on data.

Behavioural and Situational

1. 9

   Tell me about a time you used data to solve a problem or make a decision.

   Use the STAR method. Focus on the data you gathered, the analysis you did, and the outcome. Even a college project or internship example works if it shows analytical thinking.

2. 10

   Describe a situation where you had to explain a complex number or trend to someone who was not comfortable with data.

   Show that you simplify without losing accuracy. Mention using charts, plain language, and focusing on the 'so what' for the business.

3. 11

   How do you handle tight deadlines when multiple reports are due at the same time?

   Talk about prioritising based on business impact, communicating early with stakeholders, and using tools like checklists or automation to save time.

4. 12

   Why do you want to work in revenue analysis for the travel and hospitality sector?

   Connect your interest in data with the dynamic nature of travel demand. Mention wanting to learn how pricing and inventory decisions directly affect business performance.

HR and Company Fit

1. 13

   What do you know about our company and how it makes money?

   Research the company's model, such as budget or mid-scale hotels, franchise or managed properties, and key revenue streams like room bookings and food and beverage. Avoid claiming specific internal facts.

2. 14

   Where do you see yourself in three years in a revenue role?

   Show a realistic growth path, such as moving from analyst to senior analyst or revenue manager, and mention deepening skills in forecasting and pricing strategy.

3. 15

   Are you comfortable working with hotel or restaurant teams who may not have a data background?

   Emphasise collaboration, listening to their ground-level insights, and translating data into simple actions they can take.

4. 16

   What are your salary expectations for this role?

   For a fresher, give a reasonable range based on market research for entry-level analyst roles in India. Show flexibility and focus on learning and growth.