This release introduces a fundamental change to how cover forecasts are presented in Distil Diagnostics.
Forecasts are now split between À la carte (ALC) and Group (GRP) bookings and the total forecast value now shows the contribution from each booking type.
What’s New
- À la carte (ALC) Forecast and Group (GRP) bookings displayed separately, with a combined total forecast figure retained
- Expectations (sales targets) distributed dynamically across ALC and GRP bookings
- Improved loading performance for Forecast tabs and Availability Scan
- Charts and tooltip hover-overs updated to reflect new ALC and GRP split
This article explains the ALC / GRP split and how it improves forecasting accuracy in Distil Diagnostics.
About À la carte (ALC) and Group (GRP) booking
The definition of an À la carte (ALC) booking and a Group (GRP) booking is specific to each business and depends on the number of covers in the booking.
À la carte (ALC) bookings typically include smaller parties that can be created through online booking channels.
Group (GRP) bookings typically include larger parties that are managed separately, for example through enquiry forms or by a reservations or events team.
For example, bookings up to 12 covers can be made online, but a group booking above that size may be made through an enquiry form or email request. The former would be classified as an ALC booking, the latter a GRP booking.
The cover threshold between ALC and GRP is configurable within Distil. For more information, see Setting Expectations article.
Enhanced Forecast Transparency: À la carte (ALC) and Groups (GRP)
Previously, the Forecast view focused on À la carte (ALC) forecasts only. Group (GRP) bookings were not clearly represented, despite contributing to overall sales expectations. This made it difficult to fully understand performance drivers.
The forecasting algorithm continues to focus on ALC bookings as they follow more consistent and predictable patterns. GRP bookings are inherently less predictable and are not included in the algorithmic forecasting model in the same way.
The total forecast now combines:
- ALC forecast (model-driven)
- GRP bookings currently in the books (both confirmed and unconfirmed)
What this means:
- Clearer visibility of demand drivers across ALC and GRP bookings
- Improved alignment between Forecast and Expectations
Dynamic Expectations: Smarter Breakdown and Improved Visibility
Previously, Expectations were distributed evenly across all days, and the daily contribution from ALC and GRP bookings was not visible.
Now, both the calculation and visibility of Expectations has been updated to reflect the new ALC / GRP split. Monthly cover expectations are still defined at a total level, but daily values are now intelligently distributed based on the Distil algorithm for ALC covers, and historical performance for GRP covers.
The Expectations tab now shows a clear daily breakdown of ALC vs GRP covers, with totals rolling up from day → week → month.
What this means:
- Clear visibility into what drives expected demand (ALC vs GRP)
- More realistic daily expectations aligned with actual demand patterns
- Consistent experience across Forecast, In-Books, and Expectations
Faster Performance: Forecast Tab and Availability Scan
Loading performance of the Forecast Tabs and the Availability Scan (AS) grid has been improved to deliver a faster and smoother experience.
Previously, load times could exceed 10-30 seconds on occasion. Data processing and retrieval have been optimised using pre-processing and caching, significantly reducing the time it takes to render the Forecast tabs and the Availability Scan.
What this means:
- Faster initial load times (target ≤ 2 seconds)
- Improved performance for larger data sets
- Smoother, more responsive navigation between tabs
Easier to Follow: Updated Charts and Tooltips
Charts and tool-tip hoverovers have been updated to reflect the ALC and GRP split more clearly.
This means charts are now more accurate and intuitive. Hoverovers now offer clearer, more contextual information.
What’s changed:
- Forecast line is labelled ALC Forecast and represents ALC bookings only
- GRP bookings (confirmed and unconfirmed, in orange) are layered on top for future dates only
- Historical views focus on Actuals vs Expectations to avoid double counting (GRP historical display planned for a future update)
- Forecast data has been removed for historical dates, so that focus is on Expectation vs Actuals (planned to return in a future dashboard update).
What this means:
- ALC and GRP values easy to see at a glance on any chart
- Quicker understanding of forecast trends with ALC and GRP split contribution
- Reduced ambiguity when comparing Forecast, Expectation and Actuals
Keep track of progress: Monitors updated with ALC and GRP forecasts
The Monitors Details slide-out has been updated to align with the new ALC and GRP forecast split, giving a consistent experience across all Forecast views in Distil Diagnostics.
The updated Monitor Details now includes:
- ALC and GRP expectation values displayed side by side
- Total forecast values now includes ALC + GRP
- GRP booking confirmed vs unconfirmed breakdown
- Updated layout aligned with the latest Groups and Parties design
- Copyable UTM code for reuse in tracking links
What this means:
- Clearer view of total demand and monitor performance
- Improved visibility of Group booking contribution
- More consistent experience across Forecast and Monitor views
- Faster access to copy tracking links
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