Insights & Strategies for Independent Hoteliers.
Todayโs Revenue Management Thought - ran for 4 years
Now I publish Monday Revenue Rethink each Monday
5 Revenue Management Mistakes
Costing You Money
Dynamic Pricing Myths
Holding Your Hotel Back
How to Compete with OTAs
Without Losing Margin
The Power of a
Balanced Channel Mix
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
The Future of Hotel Distribution โ A Choice, Not a Trap
Hotels that stay fully dependent on OTAs will face:
โ Rising commission fees
โ No control over guest relationships
โ Stagnant direct booking growth
Hotels that take control will:
โ
Own their pricing & brand positioning
โ
Increase guest lifetime value
โ
Invest in long-term profitability
Sacrificed profit today = sacrificed investments for the future. The good news? The shift starts with just 10-20% of inventory.
๐ก If youโre ready to break free from the OTA hamster wheel, whatโs your first step? Letโs discuss.
Have a profitable week.
โ๐ผ
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
How Hotels Can Take Back Control (Without Losing OTA Business)
You donโt need to ditch OTAsโyou need to balance the scales.
Hereโs how hotels can claw back 10-20% of bookings:
1๏ธโฃ Make direct pricing unbeatable (Best Rate Guarantee, exclusive perks)
2๏ธโฃ Improve your booking engine UX (Fewer clicks, frictionless checkout)
3๏ธโฃ Leverage data (Target past OTA guests with direct-only offers)
4๏ธโฃ Retarget website visitors (Catch them before they go back to OTAs)
5๏ธโฃ Train your team (Upsell direct benefits at check-in & checkout)
Start smallโshift 5% first and reinvest the margin into direct booking growth.
๐ฌ Have you tried reducing OTA dependency? What worked for you? Letโs share strategies.
Have a profitable week.
โ๐ผ
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
How Much Profit Are You Losing to Third Parties?
Hereโs a simple way to look at it:
For every โฌ1,000,000 in room revenue, losing 20% to OTAs = โฌ200,000 gone in commissions.
๐จ What could your hotel do with that โฌ200K instead?
โ Build a killer direct booking funnel
โ Invest in smarter revenue management
โ Train staff to convert lookers into bookers
The reality: Hotels sacrifice future growth every time they accept over-reliance on OTAs as โjust the way it is.โ
Reclaiming even 10-20% of inventory for direct bookings could shift the balance.
Where would you reinvest OTA savings? Letโs brainstorm in the comments.
Have a profitable week.
โ๐ผ
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
The OTA Addiction โ Are Hotels Their Own Worst Enemy?
Many hoteliers complain about high OTA commissions butโฆ
โ Still price their direct channels higher
โ Still prioritize OTAs over their own website
โ Still lack a proper direct booking strategy
The result? OTAs own the guest relationship, control demand, and dictate termsโwhile hotels scramble for profitability.
Hotels donโt need to eliminate OTAsโbut they do need to stop feeding the addiction.
What if you shifted just 10-20% of bookings to direct and reinvested that margin into tech, talent & targeted digital marketing?
๐ฌ How reliant is your hotel on OTAs today? Letโs talk in the comments.
Have a profitable week.
โ๐ผ
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
The Hidden Cost of Overdependence on OTAs
Many hotels feel stuckโrelying on third-party distribution while watching profits shrink.
Why? Underinvestment in talent, technology, and digital marketing.
Every euro lost to commissions is a euro not spent on:
๐ป Better direct booking technology
๐ข Stronger brand marketing
๐ Upskilled teams who drive profitability
Sacrificed profit today = sacrificed investment for the future.
But hereโs the thingโbreaking free doesnโt mean cutting off OTAs entirely. A strategic shift of just 10-20% of inventory to direct channels could change the game.
Are you ready to get off the OTA hamster wheel? Stay tuned for practical steps in my next post.
Have a profitable week.
โ๐ผ
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
โ๏ธ๐ฐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ซ โ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ! โ๏ธ๐ฐ
This Isnโt Just About More MoneyโItโs About a Better Stay. โจ
If you think upselling is just about squeezing more cash out of guests, youโre doing it all wrong.
Ryanair doesnโt force you to pay for extra legroomโyou pay because it makes your journey better.
Same for hotels. When upselling is done properly, it:
โ๏ธ Creates a better guest experience (a better room, a better breakfast, a more relaxing checkout).
โ๏ธ Gives guests more control over their stay (nobody books late checkout unless they actually want it).
โ๏ธ Increases satisfaction (guests who choose extras are usually happier!).
Hotels need to ditch the mindset that selling is intrusive.
Itโs not about pressureโitโs about giving guests better choices.
The final question: Are you running a hotelโor a โroom-onlyโ business model while ignoring huge revenue opportunities?
Your turn: Whatโs stopping your hotel from being a revenue-generating machine? ๐
Have a profitable week.
โ๐ผ
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
โ๏ธ๐ฐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ซ โ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ! โ๏ธ๐ฐ
Hotels Need to Get Serious About Selling. Hereโs How. ๐ฏ
Ryanair doesnโt leave ancillary revenue to chance.
They donโt rely on a flight attendant randomly deciding to sell scratch cards and drinks.
They systematise and automate the processโand hotels should be doing the same.
โ๏ธ Make it standard at check-in.
๐น Train your front desk to offer TWO upsell options, every timeโjust like Ryanairโs baggage selection.
โ๏ธ Use technology to automate pre-arrival upsells.
๐น Pre-stay emails & online check-in screens should always offer room upgrades, breakfast, and late checkouts.
โ๏ธ Track performance and reward staff.
๐น The airline crew that sells the most gets incentives. Why arenโt front desk teams being rewarded for driving revenue?
If Ryanair can convince millions to pay for a seat they already own, then hotels should be able to convince guests to enhance their stay.
Tomorrow, the final pieceโwhy upselling isnโt just about money, itโs about better experiences.
Have a profitable week.
โ๐ผ
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
โ๏ธ๐ฐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ซ โ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ! โ๏ธ๐ฐ
The Real Cost of Not Selling MoreโAnd Itโs Enormous! ๐ธ
Hotels say they want higher profitsโbut then ignore the easiest way to get there.
Letโs break it down:
๐น Your hotel has 100 rooms.
๐น If just 30% of guests booked a โฌ20 upsell per stayโฆ
๐น Thatโs โฌ600 extra per night.
๐น Over a year? โฌ219,000 in additional revenue.
From just one small upsell. ๐คฏ
Now imagine if your front desk also sold:
โ๏ธ Priority early check-in (โฌ15) โ๏ธ Breakfast pre-booking (โฌ10) โ๏ธ Premium WiFi (โฌ5) โ๏ธ Welcome champagne (โฌ25)
Suddenly, youโre adding hundreds of thousands in profitโjust by doing what Ryanair does every day.
The question isnโt, โShould we upsell?โ
Itโs, โWhy on earth arenโt we already doing this at scale?โ
Tomorrow, we tackle HOW to make upselling foolproof. ๐๏ธ
Have a profitable week.
โ๐ผ
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
โ๏ธ๐ฐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ซ โ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ! โ๏ธ๐ฐ
Why Are Hotels So Afraid to Upsell? ๐คทโโ๏ธ
Ryanair doesnโt hesitate for a second when charging for extras.
Yet hotelsโbusinesses that literally sell experiences and upgradesโare weirdly shy about offering add-ons.
๐๏ธ When was the last time reception proactively sold a better room?
๐ฅ Why isnโt every guest offered a welcome drink package?
๐ณ Why isnโt breakfast pre-sold at check-in to boost F&B revenue?
Hotels, letโs be real:
๐จ Guests expect to be offered extras.
๐จ If they donโt book it at your hotel, theyโll spend it elsewhere.
๐จ If youโre not selling, youโre losing money.
Ryanair doesnโt apologise for offering add-onsโthey just do it as a matter of process.
So why are hotels leaving money on the table? Tomorrow, we talk numbers.
Have a profitable week.
โ๐ผ
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
โ๏ธ๐ฐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ซ โ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ! โ๏ธ๐ฐ
The 'Everything Is Extra' Playbook
I know, I knowโRyanair isnโt exactly the Four Seasons of the skies. But love them or hate them, their upselling strategy is nothing short of genius.
โ๏ธ Want a seat next to your partner? Thatโs extra.
โ๏ธ Need a carry-on bag? Thatโs extra.
โ๏ธ Fancy skipping the boarding queue? Thatโs extra.
And you know what? People pay. Every. Single. Time.
Now, letโs talk about hotels.
When was the last time your front desk actively upsold anything?
When did a guest last hear, โWould you like a room with a view?โ or โWould you like to pre-book breakfast?โ
Why arenโt hotels applying the same relentless focus on ancillary revenue as airlines?
Stay tuned. Because Ryanair-level upselling isnโt just for budget airlinesโitโs for hotels too.
Have a profitable week.
โ๐ผ