A copyable prioritization tool for independent U.S. hotels.
A list of nearby companies is not a sales pipeline. Before outreach, score whether an account has a plausible reason to generate room nights on the dates you actually need.
60-second decision tree
Start with the weak dates, then answer in order:
-
Do you have a verified reason this account could create overnight stays on those dates?
No → Park it. Do not outreach yet.
Yes → continue. -
Can your hotel actually support the likely stay pattern?
No → Park it or change the offer.
Unsure → Research first.
Yes → continue. -
Do you have an appropriate business contact route?
No → Research first.
Yes → Contact now with one qualification question.
Only use the 10-point scorecard when two or more accounts still look equally actionable. The tree is the default; scoring is the tie-breaker.
The 10-point scorecard
Score each account from 0 to 2 on five dimensions. Use only evidence you can record; do not award points because an organization is large or well known.
- Date fit: 0 = no known timing signal; 1 = recurring or possible activity near the period; 2 = verified activity overlapping the target stay dates.
- Overnight need: 0 = no plausible reason to stay; 1 = possible visiting staff/attendees; 2 = verified pattern or stated need that can require lodging.
- Property fit: 0 = known requirements conflict; 1 = fit uncertain; 2 = room type, location and essential conditions plausibly fit.
- Reachability: 0 = no appropriate business route identified; 1 = generic business route; 2 = relevant role or approved contact route identified.
- Commercial feasibility: 0 = known terms cannot be supported; 1 = needs clarification; 2 = likely volume/terms can be handled without creating an operational problem.
Interpretation
8–10: research complete enough for a tailored qualification attempt. 5–7: fill the missing evidence before outreach. 0–4: deprioritize unless new evidence changes the score.
These thresholds are an LSG workflow rule, not a market benchmark or prediction of booking probability. A high score means “worth qualifying,” not “likely to book.”
Copyable account card
- Account
- ______
- Target weak dates
- ______
- Verified reason-to-travel evidence
- ______
- Date fit (0–2)
- ______
- Overnight need (0–2)
- ______
- Property fit (0–2)
- ______
- Reachability (0–2)
- ______
- Commercial feasibility (0–2)
- ______
- Total / 10
- ______
- Missing evidence
- ______
- Next action
- ______
Decision rules
- Do not contact an account solely because it is geographically close.
- Do not increase a score because you want to fill more rooms.
- Re-score when dates, operational capacity or account evidence changes.
- Keep qualification and booking outcomes separate from the pre-outreach score.
Worked example: one screen, one decision
Scenario: an independent hotel has a soft Tuesday–Thursday period. A regional training company has a verified three-day course nearby, the hotel can support the likely stay pattern, and a corporate-travel contact route is available.
Fast tree: verified overnight reason = yes → operational fit = yes → appropriate contact route = yes → Contact now.
What goes into the CRM: “Training course overlaps target dates; ask whether instructors/attendees need local lodging.” Nothing else needs to be copied into a new LSG database.
What happens next: send one qualification question. If there is no lodging need, close/park the account. If a real stay need appears, move it into the hotel’s normal sales process.
Do not use this tool when…
- you have not defined the weak stay dates;
- the hotel cannot currently sell the relevant inventory;
- you are trying to mass-rank companies without evidence of overnight demand;
- the real problem is a broken booking path rather than missing demand.
Use this with the tools you already have
Do not create a second CRM for this scorecard. Add five small fields or columns to the system your team already uses: CRM, sales spreadsheet, account list or task board.
| LSG input | Where to get it | What to write back |
|---|---|---|
| Date fit | Target weak-date list + verified account/event information | 0–2 + evidence link/note |
| Overnight need | Past enquiries, account conversation, event/project information | 0–2 + one-line reason |
| Property fit | PMS/availability + property operating conditions | 0–2 |
| Reachability | Existing CRM/contact record or verified business route | 0–2 + next contact route |
| Commercial feasibility | Rate/terms + operational constraints | 0–2 |
One useful output: Contact now / Research first / Park. Keep the reservation, revenue and account history in your existing systems.
Fast version: if you have 20 accounts, score only the evidence you already have first. Research the missing evidence for the middle group; do not spend equal time on all 20.
Where this fits
Build the initial list with the 20-Account Local B2B Sprint. If the direct reservation path is uncertain, use the U.S. Direct-Booking Audit. Evaluate actual outcomes with the LSG measurement guide.
Editorial note: the scoring system is a Low Season Growth decision aid. It has not been presented as a validated statistical model, market benchmark or guarantee of conversion.