Autopilot allows you to take advantage of the automation and efficiencies that Duetto provides. When autopilot is enabled, the Duetto GameChanger application will send updates automatically for up to 364 days before arrival. Many hotels use autopilot to make sure that rates and restrictions are being updated in response to changes happening in their business even when they are away from a computer. This allows Duetto to automate tactical decisions while you spend more time on higher level, strategic decisions.

By default autopilot is turned off, meaning that you must log into Duetto and manually publish rates and restrictions in order for them to distribute to your connected systems (PMS, CRS, etc.). You have the option to turn on autopilot for any or all segments and sub rates that you are managing using Duetto. In addition, you can add conditions that control when autopilot runs. 

Autopilot can be enabled for both rates and restrictions. While this article outlines autopilot, you can search the Resource Hub for Autopilot Schedule for managing autopilot for rates, and search Autopilot for Restrictions for restrictions. 
 

Common Autopilot Strategies

• Automate dates further out: Many revenue teams will spend the bulk of their time managing rates and restrictions for dates within their main booking window, for example the next 30 or 60 days. In situations like these, you can set autopilot for the next 60 to 364 stay dates while you manually manage updates for days closer in. To do so, set the condition in your autopilot schedule rule to read Stay Date: Days Before Arrival greater than or equal to 60. 
• Automate low demand dates while controlling high demand dates: While using autopilot, a revenue team might want to manually control the rates and restrictions for high demand stay dates. To do so, set the condition in your autopilot schedule rule to read Criteria: Demand Occupancy less than 100%. While you can choose any demand threshold that you prefer, less than 100% will enable autopilot on days that are not projected to sell out.
• Automate rates and restrictions for a specific period: A revenue team might choose to automate rates and restrictions for a specific period of time or season when there is a lot of fluctuation in booking activity and want to have Duetto automatically publish updates in response to changing conditions. To do so, set the condition in your autopilot schedule rule to read Stay Date: Active Date Range then select the season or date range. This will ensure that Duetto automatically publishes rates and restrictions only for dates that fall within this date range. 
• Automate only certain Yield Segments (hybrid autopilot): You can choose to only automate one or several yield segments to keep control of some others. Please note that Duetto will publish the rates of this yield segment on autopilot based on the “current” rate of his parent segment.

Autopilot Frequency

When autopilot is enabled, Duetto will publish new rate or restriction recommendations to all connected systems as outlined in your autopilot schedule rules and restriction rules on the next optimization. Here are some important details: 
 

• Autopilot will publish rates either on the next scheduled Duetto optimization (this is based on the property's local time and times may vary depending on whether the Optimization Schedule was customized or not) or if you manually run an optimization. 
• With autopilot enabled, Restrictions are only distributed automatically on the three automatic Duetto optimizations. This means that clicking the Run the Duetto Optimizer button will not distribute any restrictions, even with autopilot turned on. 
• If there is no new recommendation for a particular stay date, then autopilot will not publish a rate or restriction for that stay date. New recommendations are selected and highlighted in yellow. 
• Even with autopilot enabled, you can always override the rate and restriction. Please note that with autopilot enabled, it is possible for Duetto to change the rate or restriction again after your override. Restrictions can be locked to prevent this from happening. 

In the example below, if this hotel were to enable autopilot for BAR in Duetto, at the next optimization Duetto would update rates for the stay dates April 17 and April 18 but not other dates on this page because only those two dates have new recommendations. 



 

Settings Checklist

 
While the automation that autopilot allows you is both very convenient and powerful, you are responsible for setting up Duetto to ensure that rates and restrictions are published in line with your strategy and should take some time to review your settings in the application before turning on autopilot. Check the following:
 

• Complete 365 Rate Push - Before turning on autopilot, make sure you have loaded and published your current BAR/Retail rates for the next 365 stay dates. Without a current rate, Duetto will automatically publish the recommended rate for segments and sub rates with autopilot enabled. 
• Minimum/Maximum Rates - As Duetto will not recommend a rate below the minimum or above the maximum, review and update the min/max room rate for all segments and room types. Make sure that these are up to date to help ensure that rates are distributed in line with your strategy. Go to GameChanger > Strategy > Min/Max Bounds. 
• Pricing Rules - Make sure that you have all of the pricing rules needed set up in the application to reflect your pricing strategy. Go to GameChanger > Strategy > Pricing Rules. 
• Room Type Pricing Rules - Room type rules must also be configured to reflect the property’s room type pricing strategy. Go to GameChanger > Strategy > Room Type Pricing Rules. 
• Room Type Automation (if applicable) - Ensure that both the minimum and maximum differentials are configured to reflect your strategy. You’ll want to review these, as well as the seasonality surrounding them. Go to GameChanger > Strategy > Min/Max Bounds. 
• Restriction Rules - Make sure that restriction rules are up to date. Go to GameChanger > Strategy > Restriction Rules. 
• Lock Restriction Overrides - With restrictions you have the option to lock an override so that Duetto does not recommend or publish a different restriction. Lock the necessary restrictions before turning on autopilot. 
• Rounding - Rounding settings will impact your pricing. Ensure that the rounding is configured for each rate managed from Duetto. Go to Settings > Hotels > Select hotel > Click Edit > Rate Rounding > Save. 
• Days to Publish - The setting Days to Publish controls the maximum number of stay dates in the future that autopilot can publish rates for. If it reads 360, then autopilot can publish rates for the 360 days. Go to Settings > Hotels > Select hotel > Days to Publish.

 

Workflow

Once you have enabled autopilot, review steps below on a regular basis. This workflow outlines the steps to review the rates that were automatically published and to make any changes necessary. 
 

1. Review the Rate Change Activity Report - Review the rates that were published in the last few days. Go to GameChanger > Rates > Rate Change Activity. Configure the report to Filter by Modified Date and select the date range. After reviewing rates, you can make adjustments and overrides as needed. For restrictions, visit the Restriction Change Activity report. 
2. Review the Pricing Visibility Report - If you have questions about a rate that Duetto published, refer to GameChanger > Insights > Pricing Visibility. This provides clarity into which factors influenced Duetto’s rate recommendations for the BAR or Retail rate. 
3. Review the Daily Pace Report - Check pickup daily for the next 90 days to identify any unusual pickup in GameChanger > Insights > Daily Pace. You can also set a notification for pickup variance in the notifications settings. As you review the report, make pricing adjustments and overrides as needed. On an ongoing basis you may want to review pickup weekly for the next six months and every three to four weeks for the next 12 months. 
4. Adjust Rates for High Demand / Special Events Days - Check high demand dates and special events to ensure that your pricing is still aligned with your strategy. Override rates as needed and use the Protect function on GameChanger > Rates > Manage Rates to protect against lower rates for individual stay dates. 
5. Update Manage Groups - Updates made in GameChanger > Rates > Manage Groups affect the yielding capacity. Here is where you can project additional group business or group wash. Once you start making overridden here, you will need to regularly check this page and keep the information up to date.

 

• Days close in with high occupancy: As your hotel approaches sell out close to arrival, the pickup typically slows down which may in turn prompt Duetto to recommend lower rates. Some hotels set the autopilot schedule to apply further out or to only apply on lower occupancy dates. Others manage this by using the Protect function in the Manage Rates page. For a discussion on how pickup impacts Duetto's rate recommendations, search the Resource Hub for Pricing Visibility. 
• When the hotel had large groups LY but not this year: Duetto does not forecast group business. As a result, if there was a large group block last year that did not repeat this year, Duetto will not project excess demand in the transient segments. On dates like these, the revenue manager may want to monitor rates, use Protect, and override rates as necessary. 
• Dates with little/no pickup: Since booking activity and actual pickup against your published rates are significant drivers of Duetto's rate recommendations, you may want to review dates that have had little or no pickup and few rate changes for extended periods of time. Overriding and publishing a new rate will trigger Duetto to monitor pickup against your new rate.

 

Tips & Troubleshooting 

 

• The application will keep a record of rates that were distributed from Duetto. You can see this by going to GameChanger > Rates > Rate Change Activity. If you're on autopilot, you will see rates that were published automatically listed with "Admin [company name]" as the modified user. Restrictions updates are recorded in the Restriction Change Activity report. 
• For a segment to be priced from Duetto, the segment attribute Can set price must be enabled. After enabling Can set price, you must enter the rate code that Duetto will send rates for in Settings > Hotels > Select hotel > Edit > Rate Writing Code Overrides. Alternatively you can also create a sub rate, which is typically easier to set up. In order to manage restrictions for a segment in Duetto, the attribute Can set restrictions must be enabled and the Restriction Writing Code Override must be filled out. For more detailed information, search for the articles Segmentation in Duetto and Sub Rate Management. 
• If you have not published BAR rates, then autopilot will publish the recommended BAR rate if it falls in the autopilot range outlined in your autopilot schedule rules. 
• For hotels using fixed rate restrictions in Duetto, the autopilot functionality can also automatically publish fixed rate restrictions. If autopilot is enabled for the default transient segment (your BAR or Retail segment), Duetto will automatically publish fixed rate restrictions upon optimizations.