What is revenue management
Revenue management is the process of analyzing and influencing revenue generated by a business or organization. The field of revenue management is constantly evolving and expanding, as new technologies and techniques are developed to help companies maximize their revenue potential.
To help you navigate this complex and constantly-changing field, here is a glossary of some of the most important terms and concepts in hotel revenue management.
The glossary of hotel revenue management
• Occupancy: The number of rooms or units that are occupied by guests, expressed as a percentage of the total number of rooms or units available.
• Average daily rate (ADR): The average amount of money that a guest pays per night for a room or unit. This is calculated by dividing the total room revenue by the number of rooms sold.
• Revenue per available room (RevPAR): A measure of the average revenue generated by a room or unit, calculated by multiplying the occupancy rate by the ADR.
• Length of stay (LOS): The number of nights that a guest stays in a hotel or rental unit.
• Room night: A unit of measure for the number of rooms sold, calculated by multiplying the number of rooms sold by the length of stay.
• Demand: The number of guests or customers who want to purchase a product or service.
• Yield management: The practice of maximizing revenue by adjusting prices and availability based on demand and other factors. This often involves using sophisticated software and algorithms to analyze data and make real-time decisions about pricing and availability.
• Dynamic pricing: A pricing strategy that involves regularly adjusting prices based on market demand and other factors.
• Upselling: The practice of selling a more expensive product or service to a customer who is already interested in purchasing a less expensive one.
• Cross-selling: The practice of selling complementary products or services to a customer who is already interested in purchasing a primary product or service.
• Market segmentation: The process of dividing a market into smaller groups of customers with similar needs or characteristics, in order to more effectively target marketing efforts and pricing strategies.
• Rate parity: The practice of ensuring that the prices for a product or service are consistent across all channels and platforms, in order to prevent price undercutting and maintain control over pricing.
• Channel management: The process of managing the distribution of a product or service through different channels, such as online travel agencies (OTAs) and the company’s own website.
• Distribution strategy: The plan for making a product or service available to customers through various channels, such as retail stores, online marketplaces, and direct sales.
• Revenue management system (RMS): A software system used to manage pricing and inventory for a business, often including advanced analytics and reporting capabilities.
• Data analysis: The process of examining and interpreting data in order to identify patterns and trends that can inform business decisions.
• Inventory: The total number of rooms, units, or products available for sale.
• Open pricing: A pricing strategy in which prices are determined by the market and can fluctuate based on supply and demand.
• Closed pricing: A pricing strategy in which prices are set by the business and do not fluctuate based on supply and demand.
• Group pricing: A pricing strategy in which special rates are offered to groups of customers traveling together, such as convention attendees or wedding parties.
• Corporate pricing: A pricing strategy in which special rates are offered to businesses or organizations that book a large number of rooms or units.
The importance of revenue management in the hospitality industry
Hotel revenue management is critical for the success of businesses, like hotels, that sell perishable products, like hotel room availability, because it allows them to optimize the use of their inventory and maximize revenue. These businesses have a limited amount of inventory that cannot be saved for future use, and if it is not sold, it is lost forever. Therefore, it is essential for these businesses to have a system in place to manage and sell their inventory in the most efficient and profitable way possible.
Revenue management allows these businesses to set different prices for different times, days, and seasons, based on demand and availability. This dynamic pricing strategy ensures that they are able to sell as many rooms as possible at the highest possible price. Additionally, revenue management helps hospitality businesses to identify and target specific customer segments, such as business travelers or last-minute bookers, to maximize revenue.
Furthermore, revenue management provides valuable data and insights on customer behavior, pricing trends, and competitors, which can be used to make informed decisions and improve overall business performance. Overall, revenue management is crucial for businesses that sell perishable products, as it helps them to effectively manage their inventory, increase revenue, and improve overall business performance.
If you want to improve revenue management of your hotel business contact us now for a free demo of our big-data-driven Lybra Assistant Revenue Management System!
