Dinslaken – In the hotel industry a revenue manager has a key role. He steers the prices and capacities, creates the basis for the budget production and provides a steady utilization of the hotel. However, it is still very difficult to find a really good revenue manager in the hotel industry. „Development of revenue management is still at an early stage and is expandable“, says the hotel expert Christine Sauer from the company revway. Therefore, she wants to put a stronger focus on the position of a revenue manager.
„Revenue managers are important not only for the big hotel groups. Also in smaller hotels they can input determining impulses“, Sauer says. Unfortunately, this position in the hotel industry has not yet received the recognition that it deserves. That is shown in the education which trainees receive, believes the hotel expert. „Revenue management hardly appears in any learning plans. Even the German hotel technical schools have integrated this area only as an undersubject.“ In many hotels the lack of education can be seen in the case of forecast procedures. Therefore systems already exist which can provide you with an analysis. “In spite of everything, many people trust their feelings and skip the figures roughly because they cannot use the accurate techniques“, Sauer says.
Revenue managers have to fulfill a complicated job. Primarily, they must understand the available technology and only then they can start. Systems such as Property Management System (PMS), Central Reservation System (CRS), Extranet of the travel portals, tourism headquarters and own homepage should be kept an eye on, particularly as the systems change constantly.
However, even if the revenue manager controls his duties, his knowledge must be applied first of all. „This unfortunately lacks in many hotels too“, Christine Sauer complains about the missing recognition of this professional group. „Revenue managers are often subordinated to the Director of Sales and have no authority to issue directives, for example, regarding the sales during events.“ It appears that many hotel employees think, that they know it better, than the real expert in the area.
According to Sauer the aim has to be to develop the position of the revenue manager even further. „Only if all participants have recognized the meaning of revenue management, the whole potential of the hotel and the capacities of a revenue manager can it be used.“
Revenue Management Education
The only hotel technical school in Europe, that teaches revenue management as an independent subject, is located in Swiss Lausanne. The USA also excels in this area. The famous Cornell University in New York has been training for many years in the area of revenue management.
Further information can be obtained from company revway by phoning +49 (0)2064-601161, by E-Mail info[at]revway.com or in the Internet on www.revway.com.
The Dinslaken hotel professional Hans Jürgen Rüffert aims with his company „revway“ to show the hotel industry new ways of consultancy for revenue maximization. “revway” is specialized in the areas of electronic distribution, revenue maximization (Revenue Management), Hotel (Interims-) Management and Channel Marketing Consulting.