Revenue & Yield Management Blog

In last year’s article at XOTELS - Hotel Revenue Management Consulting on hotel ancillary revenue we shared insider tips on how to generate extra revenue at your hotel or resort. We explained, among other things, how to upsell and cross-sell your services and how to leverage underutilized areas to increase revenue.

These main strategies will stay relevant during the coming years, but there are now novel ways of increasing revenue per guest too. In this article, we will go into detail about these new methods of using the strategies mentioned previously and discuss other tips and tricks to supercharge your revenue by getting your guests to spend more.

The number of people who choose to bring their pets on holiday is increasing every year, so much so that travel with pets is one of the fastest-growing trends in the travel industry. As a result, hotels are adapting the way they do business to tap into this increasingly important customer segment and maintain their client appeal in the face of stiff competition.

Continuously rethinking revenue management, I have come to the point where I wanted to build a revenue management and pricing solution myself. One of the crucial elements was the recommended pricing. Together with two revenue management teams and technology specialists, we have established a significant list of elements that we wanted to incorporate when it comes down to how we decided on any price for any given day.

The list of elements keeps on expanding and it seems never ending, as we add new elements on a regular basis.

So, if you are thinking of adding new elements in the way you decide on your price strategy, here’s a bunch of ideas to play with.

Over the last few years we have gotten more and more involved in the businesses of our hotel clients. We have seen a clear difference in revenue and profitability in hotels where we got involved at project definition stage vs coming in at pre-opening. There are many key points that increase the revenue potential of a hotel or resort, which architects, designers and investors are overlooking. And we are not talking about pocket change. I estimate the upside by utilizing revenue management insights to be easily 10% to 25% in top line income. Just think about how much this would impact your bottom line profit.

Total Revenue Management is a much-discussed concept in hospitality, but in reality it has produced a great deal of confusion. Put simply, it is the revenue management of all revenue sources in a hotel. From your RevPAR and GOPPAR to the hotel restaurant, and from the bar, spa and gym to activities and excursions, it encompasses every single hotel income stream.

Let's dive in and see how this can be done ...

Hotel revenue management consulting underscores the pivotal role that hotel rooms play in driving revenue and maximizing profitability. Revenue managersmust be capable of leveraging your hotel rooms effectively to empower you to segment and position your product strategically, setting yourself apart from competitors. When appropriately segmented, it enables the development of a robust revenue management strategy founded on a comprehensive demand-based yield or rate grid. This strategic approach ensures optimized pricing strategies tailored to varying market demands, ultimately enhancing overall revenue performance. 

Following the global outpoor on International Women’s day last March 8 (2019), hoteliers around the world should take some time to look into a very important market segment, the solo female traveler. Tapping into and capitalizing on new and growing niches such as solo and experience-focused travel has become a major asset for hotel manager, but also to open up new revenue streams. “Female-friendly” is one such niche, which is now experiencing considerable growth in the hospitality industry.

In his book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell popularized what became known as the 10,000-hour rule, by documenting the lives of successful people such as Bill Gates, Mozart and the Beatles. "Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness", he wrote, inspired by the work of Daniel Levitin, the neurologist who scientifically proved that "10,000 hours of practice are required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert in anything".

The theory is fascinating, though, not always reliable, especially in our field of hotel revenue management and distribution, where adjectives such as disruptive are frequently (over)used and success is measured more on innovation rather than consolidation. A defining factor here is the ability to adapt and evolve!

As CEO of a revenue management consulting and hotel management company that has generated over €190 million in the last year, I can tell you how important it is to control every detail of your business’s finances, both on the revenue and cost side.

Managing hotels isn’t merely about strategy. There are many layers, each of which requires your undivided attention. Hotel Asset Management , Human resources, operations, budgeting, and income and cost control are but a few areas which necessitate focus, as well as the requisite knowledge and skill. But how can you efficiently assess the business areas that generate maximized profits?

Travelling with children is an adventure in itself, and as a hotel manager you venture into it when you host families at your hotel.

Helping parents with the logistics of travelling with their kids is a huge part of the job while simultaneously providing a stay at your hotel that is fun, inspirational and relaxing.