Game theoretic pricing models in hotel revenue management: an equilibrium choice-based conjoint analysis approach

This paper explores a game-theoretically founded approach to conjoint analysis that determines equilibrium room rates under differentiated price competition in an oligopolistic hotel market. Competition between hotels is specified in terms of market share functions that can be estimated using multinomial logit models of consumer choice. The approach is based on choice-based conjoint analysis that permits the estimation of attributes weights (“part-worths”) for an additive utility formulation of the utility function. From this, room rates that equilibrate the market, conditioned on the differences in services and facilities offered by competing hotels, can be determined. The approach is illustrated by an example

Overexpression of Mal61p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Characterization of Maltose Transport in Artificial Membranes

For maltose uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, multiple kinetic forms of transport as well as inhibition of transport by high concentrations of maltose at the trans side of the plasma membrane have been described. Most of these studies were hampered by a lack of genetically well-defined mutants and/or the lack of an artificial membrane system to study translocation catalysis in vitro. A genetically well defined S. cerevisiae strain lacking the various MAL loci was constructed by gene disruption. Expression of the maltose transport protein (Mal61p) was studied by using various plasmid vectors that differed in copy number and/or type of promoter. The expression levels were quantitated by immunoblotting with antibodies generated against the N-terminal half of Mal61p. The levels df expression as well as the initial uptake rates were increased 20-fold compared with those in a yeast strain carrying only one chromosomal MAL locus. Similar results were obtained when the transport activities were compared in hybrid membranes of the corresponding strains. To generate a proton motive force, isolated membranes were fused with liposomes containing cytochrome c oxidase as a proton pump. Fusion was achieved by a cycle of freeze-thawing, after which the hybrid membranes were passed through a filter with a defined pore size to obtain unilamellar membrane vesicles. Proton motive force driven maltose uptake, maltose efflux down the concentration gradient, and equilibrium exchange of maltose in the hybrid membranes vesicles have been analyzed. The data indicate that maltose transport by the maltose transporter is kinetically monophasic and fully reversible under all conditions tested.</p