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WHEN IT COMES to growing hotel revenue, size does not matter. Economy hotels and micro-inventory properties are experiencing one of the biggest booms in recent years, thanks partly to a massive resurgence in small group travel, changing economic trends, and the staying power of global "return to travel". CBRE noted economy and midscale hotels recovered to 2019 performance levels by 2021, and properties with fewer rooms may benefit from lower operating costs when compared to their big-box brethren-though they also tend to have fewer resources with which to hire revenue professionals. Revenue managers are driving the charge for better operating returns. Many are taking the lessons they learned from their success at larger hotels and applying these truths to the industry's smaller properties. These revenue managers leverage new technology and strategies, options that small hotels with smaller, cross-functional staff haven't fully embraced. However, competition among economy hotels and properties tends to be fierce, requiring new action, especially with recent economic pressures and a downward 2023 RevPAR forecast of 0.2 percent in recent data shared by Tourism Economics . Modern revenue management practices and technology can provide these hotels with many benefits and significant competitive advantages. Small hotels need to avoid the erratic rate shifts of the past and capitalize on new trends as they emerge. By embracing strong revenue management systems and discipline in these properties, operators can realize greater control over a typically inconsistent space. Room Enough for Revenue The most common misconception about revenue management's place in hospitality is that it is the domain of large or full-service hotels. This is simply not the case today. No two hotels are the same, in practice, with key differences always existing between the layout of a property, its location, third-party partnerships, and so on. Every hotel has different revenue pot

IDEAS HAS LAUNCHED the G3 RMS Portfolio Navigator for automating multi-property revenue management. The tool analyzes business and market trends to identify revenue opportunities and necessary actions, while streamlining strategy decisions for individual properties and enabling swift responses to market changes for optimal revenue generation, IDeaS said in a statement. "IDeaS is committed to ensuring our customers, regardless of size, have the tools they need to become more efficient and productive," said Sanjay Nagalia, IDeaS' cofounder, COO and chief technology officer. "The addition of Portfolio Navigator to our flagship product, G3 RMS, is a game changer for multi-property revenue management. It helps teams highlight suboptimal business or system conditions by property, prioritize tasks with the highest revenue impact, display outstanding revenue tasks by individual property and scale revenue operations and brand contribution. This functionality helps revenue management leaders turn insights into impactful commercial actions at scale."

ACCOR HAS SELECTED IDeaS as its global revenue management software provider for its portfolio of more than 5,600 hotels across 110 countries. IDeaS will "future-proof" Accor's revenue management strategy to provide a competitive advantage, the companies said in a joint statement. "We are thrilled to be selected as a global partner to drive Accor's commercial revenue platform transformation at a moment of unparalleled growth and opportunity for the company worldwide," said Ravi Mehrotra, IDeaS' cofounder and chief scientist. "In a new era of innovation and consumer and product diversification, we are pleased to bring IDeaS' market-leading automation, pricing approach, and a singular focus on holistic revenue optimization to Accor's diverse brand portfolio."

ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING stations are a growing fixture at hotels around the U.S. Now, EV charging hardware and software producer EVPassport has released a new cloud-based system that connects its users to the hotel's guest services platform. The EVPassport Hotel Cloud, a variation of the company's cloud platform designed specifically for the hospitality industry, offers several options beside a simple charge. Guests can use the platform to locate the hotel on all EV charging location maps and apps. It allows owners to set charging prices, manage access and get details on energy usage, earnings history and carbon offset. EVPassport Hotel Cloud's "scan and charge" QR code technology allows users to pay without needing fobs, apps or cards. Hotels get an extra revenue stream from the stations, which can be wrapped in the hotel's name, logo and colors.

Hotels are a business and business is about are making money.That's why a major focus for the industry now is on the technology that improves revenue generation. One company aiming to meet that need in Bloomington-Minnesota based ideas founded by life-long friends and colleagues Ravi Mehrotra and Sanjay Nagalia.Using their background in artificial intelligence ,they have created a revenue management system, that has been deployed by 19000 hotel properties, including recently added Choice Hotels International with that company's launch of its ChoiceMax program. Ideas software offers clients the ability to make rate decisions based on multiple factors that are most human brains can fully calculate.The program puts all the relevant data together in a comprehensive manner.

WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE can help hotels better deal their reduced workforce, according to a white paper from Unifocus. The paper examines the persistent labor shortage in the hotel industry, while outlining strategies for operators to adapt for sustained efficiency and profitability. The white paper, titled 'The hotelier's definitive guide to success amid staffing shortages,' offers strategies for cost control, optimizing staffing, and reducing turnover to create a sustainable and predictable operational framework, Unifocus said in a statement. It gives insights into lessons drawn from the gig economy, strategies for upholding service excellence with fewer available workers, and means to assess the sustained advantages of these approaches. Roughly 92 percent of hotels experiencing staffing shortages despite job growth in the second quarter of 2023, Unifocus said.

HOSPITALITY RESEARCH FIRM Knowland recently launched the Knowland Certification Program. The program offers three certification credentials aimed at enabling hotel sales professionals to enhance their skills, elevate their professional profiles and demonstrate proficiency in management, Knowland said in a statement. "Today's data-driven solutions require hoteliers and software companies to work together to ensure software investments are being used to their fullest potential," said Jessica Carey, VP customer operations, Knowland. "Knowland is a vital sales skill and a must-have expertise for today's sales teams; therefore, having a certification program advances our efforts to demonstrate that sales teams are comfortable and knowledgeable in all aspects of the platform and can prove that knowledge." Sales professionals who come to the table with verifiable experience can advance their careers by documenting their skills and efficiently communicating that value to current or potential employers, Knowland said. The program provides three credential levels: Certified Knowland Sales Leader Professional, Certified Knowland Power User Professional and Certified Knowland Revenue Leader Professional (launching in 2024).