Background: Early mobilization is thought to be a key component of postoperative care following surgery. However, the benefit of early ambulation is not well studied. Normal and abnormal ambulatory patterns for postoperative cancer patients remains unknown. The aim of the current study is to characterize the postoperative movement patterns of the patients recovering from surgery at Comprehensive Cancer Center using an objective novel real-time location system (RTLS). Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patient ambulatory movements were captured using RTLS. Clinical data was extracted from the medical record. A custom algorithm was created to measure postoperative ambulation and an ambulatory mobility event was defined as movement in and out of the patient’s room on the postoperative ward lasting from three to 60 minutes. Mobility data was analyzed to determine predictors of postoperative ambulation. Results: 358 postoperative patients (39.7% female, median age 62) were identified for inclusion in this study. 272 (76.0%) patients had a postoperative mobility event. Median number of walks 1.2 (IQR 0.7-2.2) per day was 6.7 (IQR) with median duration of 6.7 (IQR4.6-10.8) minutes. Time to first ambulatory event after surgery was 1.2 (IQR 0.9-2.0) days. Time to first ambulatory events varied by surgical service with Thoracic Surgery having the most patients ambulating on postoperative day zero (43.3%). In univariate analysis, young age, shorter operation length, and surgical service were predictors of early first ambulatory event (all p < 0.05). In multiple variable analysis, young age and surgical service were predictors of early first ambulatory event (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: The current study demonstrates the feasible application of RTLS to passively monitor the recovery of postoperative cancer patients In addition, this technology provides a novel opportunity to correlating patient movement with clinical outcomes, such as morbidity, mortality, and length of stay.