Recently we published a white paper where we asked five international revenue managers to share some of their secrets, successes and insights. Each one offers a glimpse into their world; how they view their role, what their everyday business looks like, which areas provide the greatest challenges and the tools they find invaluable.

Christian Boerger - Corporate Director of RM and Distribution at Pacific Hospitality Group

"Don't focus your revenue management exclusively on room revenue only! Use you skills and tools to elavate the role of the revenue manager to a new level."

• WISH: Come on guys: don't focus your revenue management exclusively on room revenue only! Use your skills and tools to elavate the role of the revenue manager to a new level.

• CHALLENGE: The amount of data used in strategic decision making is luckily increasing. The data come from mutliple sources such as F&B, POS, CRM, PMS, CRS, Salesforce tool ecc. Unfortunately the consolidation of that data is critical as the interfaces between those systems have the potential to fail!

• THE FUTURE OF RM: The role of the revenue manager will become more and more important in hotels and hotel chains. Skills that will become an integral part of the revenue manager's role will expand into digital marketing, communications as well as basic sales.

Antonio Hoyos - RM & Head of the Reservation Department at Infinito Hotel and Pampa Hostels

"It feels like the hotel loses autonomy regarding OTAs. The main goal of hoteliers is to elevate their direct sales share, and unregulated OTAs make this goal challenging."

• WISH: Report automation and a better connection between the members of the system - Channel Manger, OTA, PMS, CRS.

• CHALLANGE: The main challenge is that OTAs are not regulated. Sure, they are vital for online marketing and sales. However, every OTA has its own methods and its own commission rate, and the one keeping parity is the hotel, even with their own direct rates and web pages. It feels like the hotel loses autonomy regarding OTAs. The main goal of hoteliers is to elevate their direct sales share, and unregulated OTAs make this goal challenging.

• THE FUTURE OF RM: Revenue Managers have to update constantly their knowledge in several areas. The most importants ones might be technology and market behavior.

Pamela Heimer Braz - RM Carathotels

• WISH: Setting up of the interfaces would work in the same way for all the systems - Channel Manger, OTA, PMS, CRS.

• CHALLANGE: Collection of good quality data, keep an overview over the online distribution and rate management.

• THE FUTURE OF RM: Thea area of RM is really far-reaching. Depending on the given structures (technical, organizational and personnel formation) of a hotel the Revenue Manger will work more intensively in various areas.

Angelika Viebahn - Director of Revenue and Distribution of Ameron Hotels

• WISH: More automation.

• CHALLANGE: New OTAs popping up every day, and systems that do not talk to each other.

• THE FUTURE OF RM: The RM has to increase its awareness of e-commerce and to know the various systems that are out on the market.

Melody Grelat - RM at Qbic Hotels London City

• WISH: Efficient and reliable systems where you do not need to log in to different platforms to upload your rates, availability and restrictions.

• CHALLANGE: Managing various stakeholders, convince them that you are making the right decisions for the business, even if the strategy is risky.

• THE FUTURE OF RM: Building a very efficient infrastructure of systems that give their teams more time to focus on their guest.

Conlusion

The common denominator:
A better connection between relevant tools such as Channel Manager, OTA, PMS, CRS, GDS and Salesforce.

White Paper - 5 Tips from International Revenue Managers

International revenue managers share their insights, challenges, experiences and foresights in a look at the transformation of the industry and what’s waiting in the future.