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Elasticity in Hotel Room Demand Analysis

This document provides a problem set with questions about business economics concepts like demand elasticity and how it applies in different contexts. It includes questions about how shorter booking windows might impact hotel room rates and revenues over time. It also asks about examples like how a natural disaster affecting banana crops or the holiday season impacting toy demand would influence demand curves and producer responses. Additional questions analyze case studies and data on factors like Super Bowl ticket markups, water usage impacts of price increases, and how price elasticities vary between user groups and trip types.

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Sunil Pipaliya
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
44 views2 pages

Elasticity in Hotel Room Demand Analysis

This document provides a problem set with questions about business economics concepts like demand elasticity and how it applies in different contexts. It includes questions about how shorter booking windows might impact hotel room rates and revenues over time. It also asks about examples like how a natural disaster affecting banana crops or the holiday season impacting toy demand would influence demand curves and producer responses. Additional questions analyze case studies and data on factors like Super Bowl ticket markups, water usage impacts of price increases, and how price elasticities vary between user groups and trip types.

Uploaded by

Sunil Pipaliya
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

MBA439 Business Economics

Trimester 3, 2021
Problem Set Three

1. Timeframe is important in the hotel industry when it to comes booking windows. Leisure
travelers aren’t booking as far in advance as they used to, and groups are also booking
closer to their arrival date.

a. If booking windows are getting shorter, how does it change demand elasticity for
room rates?
b. How can hotel management maximize revenues, knowing that elasticity of demand
for hotels rooms are changing continuously? Consider the argument that
accommodation is advertised online and on more than one platform.

2. When a tropical cyclone ruined banana crops in Queensland, the price of bananas rose
from $1 a kilogram to $2 a kilogram. Banana growers sold fewer bananas, but their total
revenue remained unchanged.

a. By how much did the quantity of bananas demanded change?


b. Is the demand for bananas from Queensland elastic or inelastic?

3. In the holiday season, people have to buy toys and gifts for loved ones. How does this
impact demand curves? How are firms expected to respond?

4. Case Study: Read the story on “Super Bowl XLVIII Pricing: A Lesson in Demand
Elasticity”. Why are organizers able to increase mark ups for Super Bowl tickets? What
is fundamentally driving the mark ups?

5. Single family residence water demand in the Las Vegas Valley report a price elasticity of
-0.34 (Rollins, Lott and Tchigriaeva, 2014). What will be the impact on water
consumption if water rates increase by 10%?

1
6. See table below which provides price elasticities of demand for water in Las Vegas
Valley (Las Vegas Valley Water District Price Elasticity Study, 2016). Residential refers
to single family (individual residences) and multi family (apartment buildings,
condominiums and manufactured home parks) water users. Commercial refers to
manufacturing, retail and other commerce-based water users.
Group Price Elasticity
Single Family Residences -0.34
Multi Family Residences - -0.68
Commercial -0.61

a. Why do the price elasticities of demand differ by groups (as shown)?


b. Why is it important for utility companies (water and electricity) to estimate price
elasticities of demand?

7. Case Study: Research shows that type of Trip and Traveler elasticities vary (Victoria
Transport Policy Institute, 2019). Argue why elasticities tend to vary by type of trip and
traveler:

a. Commercial (business) travel tends to be less price sensitive than personal travel.
b. Commute trips tend to be less elastic than shopping or recreational trips.
c. Higher income travelers tend to be less price sensitive than lower income travelers.
d. Weekday trips may have very different elasticities than weekend trips.
e. Urban peak period trips tend to be price inelastic.

Common questions

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Given the price elasticity of demand for single-family residential water consumption in the Las Vegas Valley is -0.34, a 10% increase in water rates would lead to a 3.4% decrease in water consumption. This inelastic response reflects the necessity of water and the limited changes consumers can make in their usage patterns .

Weekday trips often have lower elasticity compared to weekend trips because they are primarily for commuting to work or school, making them necessary and less avoidable. Weekend trips are typically discretionary, such as leisure or shopping travels, where consumers have more flexibility in altering plans based on prices. This means providers can charge higher prices for weekday services while using discounts to stimulate demand during weekends .

The unchanged total revenue despite a doubling in price suggests that the demand for bananas in Queensland is unitary elastic. This means that the percentage decrease in quantity demanded matches the percentage increase in price, keeping total revenue constant. Hence, the quantity of bananas demanded decreased by approximately 50% as prices doubled .

As booking windows shorten, customers become less flexible and more likely to accept higher prices, leading to less elastic demand for room rates. This is because travelers have fewer alternatives and are less able to adjust their travel plans. To maximize revenue, hotel management can implement dynamic pricing strategies, using online platforms to adjust rates based on real-time demand changes. They can also leverage direct marketing and loyalty programs to target different customer segments and increase customer retention .

Commercial travel is less price sensitive because it is often a necessary expenditure for business operations and is typically funded by organizations rather than individuals. Time and convenience are prioritized over costs. As a result, airlines and travel companies can adopt premium pricing strategies with less risk of demand reduction. They may also offer value-added services to strengthen brand loyalty and capture market share among high-value commercial travelers .

Estimating price elasticity of demand helps utility companies understand consumer responses to price changes, allowing them to set tariffs that manage demand and revenue effectively. This knowledge aids in making informed infrastructure investments, forecasting future consumption, and designing conservation programs that mitigate excessive use during shortages. It also helps in aligning pricing strategies with regulatory requirements and sustainability goals .

The variation in price elasticities among different groups is due to differing levels of necessity and flexibility in water usage. Single-family residences have less price elasticity since water is a basic necessity with limited substitutes. Multi-family residences show greater elasticity as they can implement conservation measures more effectively due to shared facilities. Commercial users have a slightly lower elasticity than multi-family users, as water is a crucial input for operations but there still exists potential for efficiency improvements such as recycling water or optimizing usage .

During the holiday season, demand curves for toys and gifts shift to the right as consumers are compelled to purchase gifts regardless of price increases. In response, firms can capitalize on the heightened demand by increasing production, optimizing supply chains, and implementing promotional strategies to differentiate their products. Additionally, businesses can use temporal pricing techniques, offering holiday discounts to attract more buyers, thereby maximizing sales volume during this peak period .

Organizers can increase markups for Super Bowl tickets due to the high inelasticity of demand. The unique, once-a-year nature of the event, combined with its cultural significance, creates a scarcity that diminishes price sensitivity among consumers. Factors driving these markups include the limited availability of tickets, high competition among buyers, and the willingness of fans to pay premium prices to experience the event live .

Urban peak period travel is price inelastic because it is tied to essential activities like commuting, with few viable alternatives available to the workforce. Urban planners can manage peak demand by implementing congestion pricing, encouraging flexible work hours, and promoting the use of public transport. Additionally, investments in infrastructure that enhance traffic flow and policies that incentivize remote working can effectively reduce congestion during peak times .

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