
Understanding Market & Competitor Intelligence Course
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Start anytime
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Study anywhere
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Learn practical skills
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Be job ready
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US$45 for HSMAI Members
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US$55 for Non-members
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3 Hours Study Time
Course Overview
In a competitive hotel market, salespeople need to understand more than their own property. They need to know what is influencing demand, which alternatives customers are considering, how competitors are positioning themselves and where their hotel can offer meaningful value.
This course provides hotel sales professionals with a practical approach to understanding their market and competitive landscape. Participants will learn how to identify relevant competitors for different customer segments and booking occasions, gather intelligence ethically, interpret market trends and use verified evidence to strengthen their hotel’s competitive positioning.
Throughout the course, participants will build a practical Market and Competitor Intelligence workbook for their own hotel. They will use it to create competitor profiles, monitor market signals, benchmark customer perception, develop a positioning statement, prepare a Sales Battle Card and respond professionally to competitor comparisons.
The course also explores how AI tools can support research, analysis and sales preparation—while reinforcing the importance of source verification, confidentiality and professional judgement.
Whether you are developing your hotel-sales skills or looking for a more structured way to understand your market, this course will help you turn competitor information into focused and practical sales action.
Availble 15th August 2026
HSMAI MEMBER – US$45
NON-HSMAI MEMBER – US$55
Testimonials
Course Modules
- Understanding the Market
- Understanding your Competitor Landscape
- Gathering Competitor Intelligence Ethically
- Understanding Market Trends
- Competitive Positioning
- Sales Battle Cards
- Benchmarking Customer Perception
- Winning Against Competitors
- Creating a Market Intelligence Plan
Course Outcome
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Explain why market and competitor intelligence matters in hotel sales.
- Identify the internal and external factors that influence hotel demand.
- Define a customer-led competitive set for a priority segment or booking occasion.
- Distinguish between direct, indirect and segment-specific competitors.
- Gather and verify competitor intelligence using ethical and appropriate sources.
- Separate verified facts from interpretations, hypotheses and assumptions.
- Recognise market signals, demand generators and wider trends that may create opportunities or risks.
- Benchmark customer perception using comparable review scores and recurring review themes.
- Assess competitive strengths, areas of parity and potential weaknesses.
- Develop a credible, segment-specific positioning statement supported by evidence.
- Create a concise and practical Sales Battle Card for a customer or sales situation.
- Respond professionally to competitor comparisons without criticising the competitor or discounting too quickly.
- Use AI tools responsibly to support market research, analysis and sales preparation.
- Create a Market Intelligence Plan with clear priorities, owners, review rhythms and update triggers.
This course is designed for hospitality professionals who need to understand their market, prepare for competitor comparisons and position their hotel more effectively, including:
- Hotel Sales Managers
- Sales Executives and Sales Coordinators
- Business Development Managers
- Account Managers
- Meetings and Events Sales professionals
- Corporate, Group and Leisure Sales professionals
- Directors of Sales and Marketing
- Cluster and Regional Sales professionals
- Revenue, Marketing and Commercial professionals who work closely with hotel sales teams
- Hotel owners, General Managers and department leaders who want a stronger understanding of competitive sales strategy
- Hospitality professionals preparing to move into a hotel-sales or commercial role.
No specialist market-research or data-analysis experience is required. The course is suitable for both newer sales professionals and experienced hotel salespeople who want a more structured, evidence-based approach to market and competitor intelligence.
The course is entirely online and self-paced, with quizzes to check your knowledge throughout.



