What it means
Booking lead time is the interval between reservation creation and the planned arrival. It is not the length of the stay. It also differs from a booking window, which commonly means the rule controlling how far into the future guests may book.
Why it matters
It helps determine when to review prices, prepare messages and expect last-minute demand. The distribution matters: a 30-day average can hide a mix of same-day bookings and bookings made two months ahead.
An example in practice
A booking created on June 1 for arrival on June 16 has 15 days of lead time when using local dates. If arrival moves to June 20, you can preserve 15 as original lead time and record 19 against the current arrival. Label which measure the report shows.
A mistake to avoid
Using the PMS import date as the creation date makes old bookings appear new. Time zones can also move a booking into the previous day. Retain the original channel timestamp whenever it is available.
Put it into practice
- Define whether you calculate with local dates or exact hours.
- Separate same-day, near-term and distant bookings.
- Compare the median and distribution as well as the average.
A common question
Does longer lead time mean a better booking?
Not by itself. It can provide planning time while also accompanying different cancellation behavior or rates. Compare policy, stay length, channel and final outcome before changing your strategy.