Revenue management, answered

Should my own listing (or my other properties) be included in my comp set?

Generally, no. Including your own listings creates circular pricing where your rates influence your comp set, which then influences your rates. Keep your portfolio separate from the comps you benchmark against, unless you manage a dominant market share that genuinely represents the competitive landscape.

By Jack Murphy, Head of Revenue Management at UpRev. Running pricing for US vacation rental managers since 2017. Last updated September 1, 2026.

Why Self-Inclusion Distorts Your Benchmark

A comp set exists to show you what the independent market is doing. When your own listings are inside that set, any rate move you make feeds back into your benchmark and creates drift over time. This is especially problematic across a large portfolio where your collective inventory can skew the average occupancy and rate signals you rely on to make decisions.

When a Limited Exception Makes Sense

If you manage a significant share of a small, supply-constrained market, excluding all your units can leave you with too few true comps to benchmark against meaningfully. In that case, include only properties that are genuinely distinct in type, location tier, or amenity profile from the specific listing you are pricing. Document that decision so your team applies it consistently and revisits it as market supply changes.

How to Structure Your Comp Sets Cleanly

Build comp sets at the property level, not the portfolio level, and pull from competitor inventory you do not control. Segment by bedroom count, location zone, and quality tier, then hold those comp sets steady enough to track meaningful trends over weeks. Revisiting comp set composition quarterly is a sound discipline that keeps your benchmarks honest and defensible to your property owners.