Operations
Run of House
ROH
Run of house (ROH) is a rate sold without a guaranteed room type: the guest books at a single price and the hotel assigns whichever room is available at check-in, at or above the standard category.
ROH trades certainty for price. The guest accepts that they do not know which room they will get; the hotel gets complete freedom to assign inventory, which is operationally valuable on high-occupancy nights when fitting arrivals to rooms becomes a constraint.
It is most common in group and tour business, where an organiser needs a single predictable rate across a large block and does not want to negotiate a rate per room type.
In practice ROH guests are frequently assigned above the base category, since the hotel fills the standard rooms first and upgrades from whatever remains. Handled well, this reads to the guest as an upgrade rather than a lottery.
Frequently asked questions
What does run of house mean in a hotel?
Run of house (ROH) is a rate sold without a guaranteed room type. The guest books at a single price and the hotel assigns whichever room is available at check-in, at or above the standard category. It trades certainty for price.
What is a run of house room?
An ROH room is whatever the hotel allocates on arrival from its available inventory. In practice ROH guests are frequently assigned above the base category, since the hotel fills standard rooms first and upgrades from what remains — which often reads to the guest as an upgrade.
Related terms
- Rooming List — A rooming list is the roster a group organiser sends a hotel naming every guest in the block, along with arrival and departure dates, room type and sharing arrangements, so the hotel can assign rooms before arrival.
- Rack Rate — The rack rate is a hotel’s official published price for a room type before any discount, promotion or negotiated agreement is applied. It is the ceiling from which almost every rate a guest actually pays is discounted.