Insights & Strategies for Independent Hoteliers.
Today’s Revenue Management Thought - published all weekdays
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:-
How Hotels Can Take Back Control (Without Losing OTA Business)
You don’t need to ditch OTAs—you need to balance the scales.
Here’s how hotels can claw back 10-20% of bookings:
1️⃣ Make direct pricing unbeatable (Best Rate Guarantee, exclusive perks)
2️⃣ Improve your booking engine UX (Fewer clicks, frictionless checkout)
3️⃣ Leverage data (Target past OTA guests with direct-only offers)
4️⃣ Retarget website visitors (Catch them before they go back to OTAs)
5️⃣ Train your team (Upsell direct benefits at check-in & checkout)
Start small—shift 5% first and reinvest the margin into direct booking growth.
💬 Have you tried reducing OTA dependency? What worked for you? Let’s share strategies.
Have a profitable week.
✌🏼
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
How Much Profit Are You Losing to Third Parties?
Here’s a simple way to look at it:
For every €1,000,000 in room revenue, losing 20% to OTAs = €200,000 gone in commissions.
🚨 What could your hotel do with that €200K instead?
✔ Build a killer direct booking funnel
✔ Invest in smarter revenue management
✔ Train staff to convert lookers into bookers
The reality: Hotels sacrifice future growth every time they accept over-reliance on OTAs as “just the way it is.”
Reclaiming even 10-20% of inventory for direct bookings could shift the balance.
Where would you reinvest OTA savings? Let’s brainstorm in the comments.
Have a profitable week.
✌🏼
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
The OTA Addiction – Are Hotels Their Own Worst Enemy?
Many hoteliers complain about high OTA commissions but…
❌ Still price their direct channels higher
❌ Still prioritize OTAs over their own website
❌ Still lack a proper direct booking strategy
The result? OTAs own the guest relationship, control demand, and dictate terms—while hotels scramble for profitability.
Hotels don’t need to eliminate OTAs—but 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?
💬 How reliant is your hotel on OTAs today? Let’s talk in the comments.
Have a profitable week.
✌🏼
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
The Hidden Cost of Overdependence on OTAs
Many hotels feel stuck—relying 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:
💻 Better direct booking technology
📢 Stronger brand marketing
🛎 Upskilled teams who drive profitability
Sacrificed profit today = sacrificed investment for the future.
But here’s the thing—breaking free doesn’t 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.
✌🏼
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
✈️💰 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐔𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫 – 𝐀𝐮𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲! ✈️💰
This Isn’t Just About More Money—It’s About a Better Stay. ✨
If you think upselling is just about squeezing more cash out of guests, you’re doing it all wrong.
Ryanair doesn’t force you to pay for extra legroom—you pay because it makes your journey better.
Same for hotels. When upselling is done properly, it:
✔️ Creates a better guest experience (a better room, a better breakfast, a more relaxing checkout).
✔️ Gives guests more control over their stay (nobody books late checkout unless they actually want it).
✔️ Increases satisfaction (guests who choose extras are usually happier!).
Hotels need to ditch the mindset that selling is intrusive.
It’s not about pressure—it’s about giving guests better choices.
The final question: Are you running a hotel—or a “room-only” business model while ignoring huge revenue opportunities?
Your turn: What’s stopping your hotel from being a revenue-generating machine? 👇
Have a profitable week.
✌🏼
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
✈️💰 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐔𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫 – 𝐀𝐮𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲! ✈️💰
Hotels Need to Get Serious About Selling. Here’s How. 🎯
Ryanair doesn’t leave ancillary revenue to chance.
They don’t rely on a flight attendant randomly deciding to sell scratch cards and drinks.
They systematise and automate the process—and hotels should be doing the same.
✔️ Make it standard at check-in.
🔹 Train your front desk to offer TWO upsell options, every time—just like Ryanair’s baggage selection.
✔️ Use technology to automate pre-arrival upsells.
🔹 Pre-stay emails & online check-in screens should always offer room upgrades, breakfast, and late checkouts.
✔️ Track performance and reward staff.
🔹 The airline crew that sells the most gets incentives. Why aren’t 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 piece—why upselling isn’t just about money, it’s about better experiences.
Have a profitable week.
✌🏼
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
✈️💰 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐔𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫 – 𝐀𝐮𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲! ✈️💰
The Real Cost of Not Selling More—And It’s Enormous! 💸
Hotels say they want higher profits—but then ignore the easiest way to get there.
Let’s break it down:
🔹 Your hotel has 100 rooms.
🔹 If just 30% of guests booked a €20 upsell per stay…
🔹 That’s €600 extra per night.
🔹 Over a year? €219,000 in additional revenue.
From just one small upsell. 🤯
Now imagine if your front desk also sold:
✔️ Priority early check-in (€15) ✔️ Breakfast pre-booking (€10) ✔️ Premium WiFi (€5) ✔️ Welcome champagne (€25)
Suddenly, you’re adding hundreds of thousands in profit—just by doing what Ryanair does every day.
The question isn’t, “Should we upsell?”
It’s, “Why on earth aren’t we already doing this at scale?”
Tomorrow, we tackle HOW to make upselling foolproof. 🛎️
Have a profitable week.
✌🏼
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
✈️💰 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐔𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫 – 𝐀𝐮𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲! ✈️💰
Why Are Hotels So Afraid to Upsell? 🤷♂️
Ryanair doesn’t hesitate for a second when charging for extras.
Yet hotels—businesses that literally sell experiences and upgrades—are weirdly shy about offering add-ons.
🛎️ When was the last time reception proactively sold a better room?
🥂 Why isn’t every guest offered a welcome drink package?
🍳 Why isn’t breakfast pre-sold at check-in to boost F&B revenue?
Hotels, let’s be real:
🚨 Guests expect to be offered extras.
🚨 If they don’t book it at your hotel, they’ll spend it elsewhere.
🚨 If you’re not selling, you’re losing money.
Ryanair doesn’t apologise for offering add-ons—they 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.
✌🏼
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
✈️💰 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐔𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫 – 𝐀𝐮𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲! ✈️💰
The 'Everything Is Extra' Playbook
I know, I know—Ryanair isn’t exactly the Four Seasons of the skies. But love them or hate them, their upselling strategy is nothing short of genius.
✔️ Want a seat next to your partner? That’s extra.
✔️ Need a carry-on bag? That’s extra.
✔️ Fancy skipping the boarding queue? That’s extra.
And you know what? People pay. Every. Single. Time.
Now, let’s talk about hotels.
When was the last time your front desk actively upsold anything?
When did a guest last hear, “Would you like a room with a view?” or “Would you like to pre-book breakfast?”
Why aren’t hotels applying the same relentless focus on ancillary revenue as airlines?
Stay tuned. Because Ryanair-level upselling isn’t just for budget airlines—it’s for hotels too.
Have a profitable week.
✌🏼
Today's Revenue Management thought:-
Simplify to Multiply 💰
Let’s cut to the chase.
Too many rate plans =
💸 Lower conversion
💸 Slower teams
💸 Tech headaches
💸 Messy data
Simplified pricing =
💰 Higher conversions
💰 Faster operations
💰 Smarter pricing decisions
💰 More profit, less pain
✅ Want me to help streamline your rate plans? Let’s book a quick call — DM me to set it up. Schedule a meeting - https://calendly.com/nikolashall/freecall?
Have a profitable week.
✌🏼