Time-Aware Cross-Validation for Dynamic Hotel No-Show Classification
Keywords:
Time-Aware Cross-Validation, Temporal Leakage, Rolling-Origin Validation, Purged K-Fold, Hotel No-Shows, Hospitality AnalyticsAbstract
Time-aware cross-validation strategies are examined for dynamic classification of hotel reservation no-shows. Standard random resampling methods, which assume independent observations, introduce temporal leakage when applied to booking data and consequently yield inflated performance estimates. Temporally consistent validation approaches, including rolling-origin, expanding-window, and purged cross-validation with temporal embargo, are evaluated using hotel reservation timelines as the empirical context. Results indicate that time-aware validation produces more conservative and stable performance estimates across forecasting horizons, reveals sensitivity of temporally driven features, and exposes generalization degradation obscured by random cross-validation. Validation strategy is shown to materially influence perceived model reliability and downstream operational decisions such as overbooking control. A practical framework and implementation guidelines are provided for temporally consistent evaluation in hospitality analytics, with broader relevance to event-driven classification problems.
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