The Oceanside Hotel is adjacent to Bayside City Coliseum, a 24,000-seat arena that is home to the city’s professional basketball and ice hockey teams and that hosts a variety of concerts, trade shows, and conventions throughout the year. The hotel has experienced the following occupancy rates for the ten years since the coliseum opened: (a) Determine an exponential smoothing forecast for 2008 given an initial forecast for 1998 of 72% and a smoothing parameter of 0.2. Also determine the 2-year simple moving average forecast as well as the weighted 3-year weighted average forecast for 2008. For the weighted average forecast, use weights of 0.5, 0.3, and 0.2, with greater weights applied to the most recent years. Using the Mean Absolute Percent Error (MAPE) determine which of the above three forecasting methods is best based on the 10-year data. Use Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet to do this exercise. Use the occupancy rates provided as demand – Please use the occupancy rates as demand values — do not convert to actual demand values.
Expert Answer


Data Given | Exponential Forecasting | 2Yr SMA | 3Yr WA | ||||||||||||||||||||
Year | Occupancy rate (%)(A) | Forecast % | Trend(T) | TAF | S | Error | [Error] | [Error]2 | [(Error/Actual) *100] | MAPE | Forecast(F) | Error(A-F) | abs(Error) | [Error]2 | [(Error/Actual) *100] | MAPE | Weights | Forecast | Error | abs(Error) | Error2 | [(Error/Actual) *100] | MAPE |
1998 | 75 | 72 | 0.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1999 | 70 | 0.3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2000 | 72 | 72.5 | -0.5 | 0.5 | 0.25 | 0.694% | 0.5 | ||||||||||||||||
2001 | 77 | 71 | 6 | 6 | 36 | 7.792% | 72 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1.299% | ||||||||||||
2002 | 83 | 0.67 | 77.67 | 78.73 | 5.33 | 5.33 | 28.44 | 6.426% | 74.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 72.25 | 10.241% | 74.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.16 | 0.482% | |||||
2003 | 81 | 0.88 | 79.40 | 79.72 | 1.60 | 1.60 | 2.56 | 1.975% | 80 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.235% | 79 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.235% | |||||
2004 | 86 | 0.94 | 80.60 | 81.68 | 5.40 | 5.40 | 29.16 | 6.279% | 82 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 4.651% | 80.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.44 | 1.395% | |||||
2005 | 91 | 1.16 | 82.62 | 84.30 | 8.38 | 8.38 | 70.16 | 9.204% | 83.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 56.25 | 8.242% | 83.9 | -0.4 | 0.4 | 0.16 | 0.440% | |||||
2006 | 87 | 1.50 | 85.46 | 85.77 | 1.54 | 1.54 | 2.37 | 1.771% | 88.5 | -1.5 | 1.5 | 2.25 | 1.724% | 87.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.149% | |||||
2007 | 82 | 1.56 | 87.26 | 86.21 | -5.26 | 5.26 | 27.69 | 6.418% | 89 | -7 | 7 | 49 | 8.537% | 88 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.220% | |||||
2008 | 1.35 | 87.77 | 84.5 | 85.3 | |||||||||||||||||||
16.99 | 27.51 | 160.39 | 32.073% | 0.032073072 | 18 | 18 | 324 | 43.116% | 0.043116 | 3.2 | 6 | 5.76 | 7.219% | 0.007219 |