Most hotels have a revenue strategy. Far fewer can confidently say whether it is actually working. Having meetings, moving rates around, and staring at pickup reports does not automatically count as strategic success. Sometimes it just means you’re busy and… hotel people are always busy.
NB: This is an article from Topline Revenue, one of our Expert Partners
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When performance is strong, it is easy to assume the strategy deserves a round of applause. When results soften, the instinct is often to shrug and blame the market, the economy, the weather, or whatever else is available that week. The truth is usually somewhere in between. A good revenue strategy leaves clues when it is working, and it leaves clues when it isn’t. The hard part is knowing what signals matter beyond the obvious stuff like “we were full last Saturday”.
Strong Results Feel Predictable, Not Chaotic
One of the clearest signs your revenue strategy is working is honestly how it feels day to day. Strong strategies create a sense of rhythm. You are not waking up every morning thinking, “Well, what fire are we putting out today?” There is more structure, more confidence, and fewer last minute surprises that send everyone into spreadsheet mode.
If pricing decisions feel logical, forecasts stay mostly steady, and you are not constantly scrambling to fill holes at the last second, that’s a good sign. When a strategy works, surprises can still happen, because hotels are hotels, not math equations.
You’re Not Constantly Chasing Occupancy
A working revenue strategy doesn’t obsess over filling every single room at any cost. That is not strategy. That is survival mode. Strong revenue work balances occupancy with rate integrity and profitability, which is a fancy way of saying you do not give away rooms just to feel better about the numbers.
Hotels with good strategies rarely panic over one soft week. They understand that some periods need volume and some periods need protection. They also understand that pace is not a personality test. If your team feels comfortable holding rate when demand supports it and only stimulating demand when it actually makes sense, the strategy is doing its job. Full is nice. Profitable is nicer.
