Performance & revenue
Closed to arrival
Also written: CTA
Closed to Arrival (CTA) is a yield management restriction that prevents guests from booking a reservation that begins on a specific date. Guests can still stay through or check out on that date, provided their stay commenced on an earlier, unrestricted day.
How it is used
Revenue managers deploy CTA controls during peak demand periods, such as major conventions or holiday weekends, to protect inventory for multi-night stays. By blocking single-night check-ins on a high-demand date, hotels force guests to book longer lengths of stay, maximizing total revenue and preventing low-value single-night bookings from displacing multi-night guests. CTA is often paired with Minimum Length of Stay (MLOS) restrictions, though CTA specifically targets the check-in date itself. Overusing CTA risks driving away potential guests and leaving rooms unbooked if surrounding dates lack sufficient demand.
Worked example
A 200-room hotel expects sold-out demand on Saturday due to a local festival. To avoid filling rooms with Friday-only or Saturday-only stays, the revenue manager applies CTA to Saturday. A guest attempting to book a stay from Saturday to Sunday is denied, while a guest booking Friday through Sunday is accepted.
Common mistake
Applying CTA without monitoring surrounding demand can inadvertently create artificial vacancy on the restricted date if multi-night pickup fails to materialize.