Demand Calendar Blog by Anders Johansson

Reactive Hoteliers: Fear of Change Is Holding You Back

Written by Anders Johansson | 29 October 2024

Demand Calendar has created a practical path to finally implement total revenue management—a concept that has been discussed but seldom realized in the hotel industry for decades. Our solution empowers you to start small, think big, and scale fast, leading to significant performance enhancements without disrupting your daily operations.

Embracing the Future: The Beliefs That Drive Demand Calendar

Success isn't just about adapting to change—it's about anticipating it and leading the way forward. At Demand Calendar, our passion lies in professional hotel management, particularly in how hoteliers acquire customers and guests to maximize revenue, control customer acquisition costs, and focus on profit rather than solely on revenue. We believe in incremental improvements—adopting a lean approach instead of taking giant leaps with entirely new systems and processes. Demand Calendar enables hoteliers to implement changes step by step, allowing for significant performance enhancements over time without overwhelming your team. We're not merely offering a solution but championing a shared future vision. We're not looking for customers; we're seeking fellow believers as passionate about this future as we are.

Believing in Total Revenue Management

The hospitality industry has traditionally focused on room revenue as the primary metric for success and has done a great job optimizing room revenue. For decades, hotels have talked about the next step, total revenue management, without knowing how to get started or manage data from all the siloed systems within their operations. This lack of practical implementation has caused the concept to come to a standstill - until now.
We've unlocked the pathway to true total revenue management at Demand Calendar. By providing an integrated solution consolidating data from all revenue streams, we enable hotels to finally realize this approach's full potential.

Prioritizing Customer-Centric Revenue Management

The guest experience is at the heart of total revenue management. Customer-centric revenue Management places your guests at the core of your strategy. You can tailor offerings that resonate with them by leveraging data to understand their behaviors and preferences across all departments - rooms, dining, spa services, and events. This enhances the guest experience and fosters loyalty in a competitive market.

From the Guest Perspective: Crafting Fuller Experiences

Today's guests seek more than just accommodation; they desire enriching experiences that create lasting memories. Adopting a holistic approach, you can curate personalized offerings that elevate their stay, encouraging positive reviews and repeat visits. This holistic approach transforms a simple stay into a fuller guest experience.

Embracing Profit-Oriented Revenue Management

While maximizing revenue is crucial, ensuring that the revenue contributes positively to profitability is equally important. There's a risk that focusing solely on increasing revenue can lead to bringing in non-profitable business. Profit-oriented revenue management is the next vital step, where all revenue streams are analyzed from a profitability perspective. By scrutinizing costs, margins, and the profitability of each segment and customer, you ensure that every dollar earned positively impacts your bottom line.

From the Investor/Owner Perspective: Maximizing Return on Investment

For investors and owners, the focus isn't just on revenue but on profitable revenue. Profit-oriented revenue management unlocks additional revenue streams by optimizing every aspect of the guest experience. By breaking down departmental silos and leveraging data across the entire operation, you can identify new growth opportunities and ensure no revenue potential is left untapped. This comprehensive strategy directly contributes to a higher return on investment, satisfying stakeholders and fueling future expansion.

Demand Calendar: Turning Vision into Reality

While the industry recognizes the importance of these concepts, practical implementation has been lacking.

Our Passion for Professional Management

At Demand Calendar, we believe that professional management is the cornerstone of success in hospitality. This means mastering how you acquire customers and guests to maximize revenue while controlling customer acquisition costs. By focusing on profit rather than just revenue, you can make smarter, data-driven decisions that enhance the guest experience and your financial performance.

Overcoming Reactive Practices

Many hoteliers admit, "We have the data, but we do not use it," or "We use Excel or PowerBI when we need to analyze data." These statements indicate that hoteliers often work on an ad-hoc basis, analyzing data only when a problem arises or a specific report is needed. This approach is inherently reactive rather than proactive.

Reactive vs. Proactive Data Analysis

  • Reactive Approach: Waiting for issues to surface before analyzing data means opportunities are missed and responses are delayed. It involves looking backward to understand what went wrong rather than looking forward to anticipate what could happen.
  • Proactive Approach: Continuously analyzing data allows you to identify trends, forecast demand, and make informed decisions ahead of time. This foresight enables you to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate potential risks before they impact the business.

What Problems Does Demand Calendar Solve?

Transitioning from Reactive to Proactive Management

Problem: Hoteliers often rely on ad-hoc data analysis, which is time-consuming and reactive.
Our Solution: Demand Calendar enables continuous data integration and analysis, shifting the focus from reactive problem-solving to proactive strategy development. Automated insights and real-time data empower you to make informed decisions before challenges arise.

Data Silos Across Departments

Problem: Fragmented data stored in separate systems hinders a comprehensive view of performance.
Our Solution: We integrate data from all siloed systems into one unified platform, allowing for seamless analysis and reporting across all revenue streams.

Inefficient Customer Acquisition

Problem: Without proper management, customer acquisition can become costly and inefficient.
Our Solution: By providing insights into customer acquisition costs and behaviors, Demand Calendar helps you optimize your marketing spend and target the most profitable segments. This ensures that your efforts are both cost-effective and revenue-enhancing.

Lack of Profit Focus

Problem: Focusing on revenue alone can lead to decisions that don't necessarily improve profitability.
Our Solution: We provide tools to analyze the profitability of each segment, channel, and customer. This allows you to focus on strategies that improve the bottom line, not just the top line.

Disconnected Teams and Strategies

Problem: Operating in silos leads to misaligned goals and inefficiencies.
Our Solution: Our platform fosters collaboration by providing shared access to critical data and insights, aligning team strategies towards common objectives centered around profit and professional management.

How Does This Benefit Hotels?

Maximized Revenue and Controlled Costs

By optimizing customer acquisition and focusing on profitable revenue streams, you maximize income while controlling expenses.

Enhanced Profitability

Focusing on profit-oriented revenue management means increasing revenue and improving margins. By understanding the costs associated with each revenue stream, you can make smarter decisions that boost your bottom line.

Proactive Decision-Making

Continuous data analysis helps you anticipate market changes, adjust strategies proactively, and stay ahead of the competition.

Improved Guest Satisfaction and Loyalty

Personalized experiences lead to happier guests who are more likely to return and recommend your hotel to others. This drives repeat business and enhances your reputation in the market.

Higher Return on Investment

Maximizing revenue, controlling costs, and focusing on profitability deliver higher value to stakeholders, strengthen relationships, and fuel growth.

Joining a Community of Proactive Hoteliers

By embracing professional management and shifting from a reactive to a proactive approach, you're not just improving your hotel's performance - you're joining a movement of innovative hoteliers setting new industry standards. Demand Calendar supports you on this journey, providing the tools and insights needed to transform your operation.

Are You Ready to Lead the Way?

If you're passionate about maximizing revenue, controlling costs, and focusing on profit rather than just revenue, it's time to take action. Demand Calendar empowers you to take control, anticipate challenges, and seize opportunities before your competitors do.