Patent ID: 7328166

Claim:
A processor-readable medium comprising code representing instructions to cause a processor to: receive guest information from a first guest, said guest information including at least one item selected from the group of a name, a market segment, and a point of origin; receive a room request from said first guest, said room request from said first guest including at least one item selected from the group of an arrival date, a length of stay, and at least one room attribute; determine, based at least partially on the received guest information, a predetermined category of guests within which the first guest can be classified, the predetermined category of guests including guests having similar guest profile information; determine, based at least partially on the received room request, a predetermined category of room from which the room request can be satisfied; access an inventory of hotel rooms that is organized as a hierarchal combination of a plurality of attributes associated with a room; wherein said hierarchal combination of a plurality of attributes comprises: a plurality of first attribute combinations, second attribute combinations, and third attribute combinations, wherein each said first attribute combination comprises at least one second attribute combination and each said second attribute combination comprises at least one third attribute combination; determine whether a room satisfying said at least one room attribute in said room request is available within said inventory of rooms based on said plurality of attributes associated with said room; and determine a room rate for said first guest based on the predetermined category of guests and further based on a forecast of demand for a room from the predetermined category of room, said forecast of demand being based on historical data.