Unconstrained with Dipak

What happens when a hotel is full, but the revenue manager keeps selling rooms anyway?

I did exactly that. Not by accident, not because of a system error, but as a deliberate decision. For an entire week, I oversold a full boutique hotel so guests could be moved to our empty sister hotel down the road.

In this episode of Unconstrained with Dipak, I explain why hotels overbook, the difference between accidental and deliberate overbooking, and how one decision made commercial sense while making me rather unpopular with the front desk.

Would I do it again? Yes.

If you work in hotels, or have ever wondered what happens behind reception, this one's for you.

Ever searched for a hotel on Booking.com or Expedia, seen a big red “SOLD OUT” banner, only to jump over to the hotel’s direct website and find rooms available?

Is the OTA lying? Did the hotel build extra rooms overnight? Or is there something else happening behind the scenes?

In Episode 2 of Unconstrained with Dipak, we look at why “sold out” doesn't always mean the hotel is actually full — from room categories and channel strategy to technology, operational holds and the slightly dangerous world of overbooking.

We’ll look at it from both sides: what it means if you're booking a hotel, and what it means if you're the person behind the scenes trying to decide where those last few rooms should be sold.

And yes, I’m expecting a few phone calls from my OTA account managers tomorrow. 😂

Come curious. Leave slightly more informed.

Is the hotel tracking you?

Has someone decided you look like you can afford more?

Or is there actually some logic behind the madness?

In Episode 1, Dipak takes a look at what really happens behind the scenes when hotel room price change - from fixed inventory and demand to market segmentation, booking pace and the eternal battle between Sales and Revenue.

Welcome to the first episode.