Revenue Management & Channel Opt

The hospitality industry is at a crossroads. As hotels grapple with rising operational costs and intensified competition from Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), the need to strengthen direct booking channels has never been more pressing. According to h2c’s 2024 study, "The Direct Booking Acceleration," the key to thriving in this landscape lies in harnessing technology to foster guest loyalty, streamline operations, and enhance the booking experience.

There have been a lot headlines that traditional search is dead due to the rise of AI Search via the generative AI platforms ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, etc. Some experts herald the end of Google’s monopoly on search and claim that traditional search marketing is becoming obsolete.

The hospitality industry, like much of the global economy, is facing an uncertain road ahead. From fluctuating tariffs and inflation to wavering consumer confidence and international travel slowdowns, macroeconomic forces are pressuring our sector in 2025. While the word “recession” remains speculative, the signs of a travel downturn are present – and hoteliers must prepare accordingly.

Ever been stuck in a long airport restroom queue, staring at an occupancy screen, wondering why one side is packed and the other is empty? Now, if you’re like me, you probably saw this and thought… This could be optimized!

In the hospitality industry, staff turnover is a constant challenge. The fluid nature of hotel operations often leads to high employee turnover rates. In fact, findings from Deloitte have revealed hospitality to have one of the highest turnover rates of any industry, with some segments experiencing up to a 73.8% turnover rate annually. This volatility not only affects day-to-day operations but puts a strain on maintaining consistent service quality and operational efficiency. While employee retention strategies are crucial, they’re not always enough to curb the impact of turnover. This is where venue booking software steps in, offering solutions that mitigate the operational disruptions caused by staffing changes. By leveraging the right technology, hotels can maintain a seamless workflow, reduce the learning curve for new staff, and ensure service standards remain consistent, even during periods of high turnover. Venue Booking Software: Impacts on Short Staffed Hotels Streamlined Onboarding and Training One of the most significant challenges posed by high staff turnover is the need for continuous onboarding and training. When new employees join, they need to quickly get up to speed with the hotel’s processes, software, and service standards. Traditional onboarding can be time-consuming and inconsistent, leading to gaps in service quality. With venue booking software like iVvy, the onboarding process becomes significantly more streamlined. iVvy’s intuitive interface and user-friendly design mean that new staff can quickly grasp the essential functions they need to perform their roles. The software’s comprehensive training options and onboarding webinars further accelerate this process, reducing the time it takes for new hires to become fully operational. Having role-based access controls also ensures employees only see features and data relevant to their position. This targeted access simplifies the user experience for new staff, minimising the risk of errors and ensuring a smoother transition during periods of high turnover. Consistency in Service Delivery Maintaining consistent service delivery is at the centre of your hotel’s industry reputation. High staff turnover can put this consistency at risk. New staff members may not be familiar with the hotel’s specific service standards, resulting in inconsistencies in managing events and bookings. Venue booking software helps to maintain consistency by standardising the booking process for a hotel’s meeting and event spaces. Advanced template editing features allow hotel venue managers to create detailed, customisable templates for various event types, ensuring all venue bookings adhere to the same high standards, regardless of who is managing them. This standardistion reduces the likelihood of mistakes and ensures event clients receive a consistent experience every time. Integrated into venue booking software, communication tools ensure all departments are on the same page. By centralising communication within the platform, staff can easily access and share vital information about venue bookings, reducing the chances of miscommunication and ensuring everyone is aligned, even with frequent staff changes. Enhanced Operational Efficiency High staff turnover often leads to operational inefficiencies as new employees take time to adjust to their roles. This adjustment period can result in slower response times, missed deadlines, and operational bottlenecks, all of which can negatively impact the guest experience. Venue booking software addresses these challenges by automating many of the routine tasks associated with venue and event management. For example, iVvy venue management software’s automated quote generation feature can create quotes up to 80% faster than manual processes, ensuring enquiries are handled promptly, even when the team is understaffed. Similarly, its automated invoicing feature can save up to five minutes per event invoice, freeing staff to focus on more complex tasks. Improved Collaboration Across Departments In a hotel, effective collaboration between departments is essential for delivering a seamless experience. High staff turnover can disrupt this collaboration, as new employees may be unfamiliar with inter-departmental processes or communication channels. Venue booking software fosters improved collaboration by centralising all booking-related information on one platform. This centralisation ensures all departments, from sales to operations to catering, have access to the same information, reducing the chances of miscommunication and errors. The software’s task management feature also allows managers to assign and track tasks across departments, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks, even during periods of high turnover. Venue booking software like iVvy also integrates with other hotel systems and software such as Property Management Systems (PMS) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. Integration further enhances collaboration by ensuring all relevant data is shared across systems, improving reporting accuracy and removing information double handling. Data-Driven Decision Making High staff turnover can lead to a loss of institutional knowledge, making it difficult for hotels to make informed decisions. Without this knowledge, hotels may struggle to identify venue booking trends, anticipate client needs, or optimise on-site operations. Venue booking software helps mitigate this loss by providing robust data collection and reporting tools. Tracking all venue booking-related data, from enquiry to execution, allows hotel venue managers to build a comprehensive database of event client preferences, booking patterns, and operational performance. This data can then be used to make data-driven decisions that improve the way venue space and event packages are marketed and managed to certain audiences. For example, hotels can use iVvy’s reporting tools to identify trends in venue booking volume or event preferences, allowing them to adjust offerings or staffing levels accordingly. This proactive approach not only helps hotels stay ahead of the competition but also ensures that they can continue to deliver exceptional service, even during periods of high turnover. Minimise Staff Turnover Disruption with Smart Venue Booking Solutions High staff turnover is an unavoidable challenge in the hospitality industry, but it doesn’t have to disrupt your hotel’s operations. While no software can eliminate the challenges of high staff turnover, venue booking software provides the tools and support that hotels need to minimise its impact. By adopting this technology, hotels can ensure that they are well-equipped to handle the demands of the industry, regardless of staff changes, and continue to deliver the exceptional experiences that their guests expect.

Hotel operators have only recently begun mastering digital marketing to effectively reach consumers. Just as many are catching their breath, a new revolution is well underway.

Hospitality is special, but as with any business, success comes down to revenue. Making it, keeping it, and finding new ways to generate it during the highs and lows. Many hoteliers continue to focus their attention on traditional methods, legacy metrics and outdated technology that limits revenue potential. This makes it hard to stay competitive, and it leaves a whole lot of money on the table.

Hotel experiences have become increasingly tailored. Preferences remembered, services preempted, journeys smoothed out by systems that learn as guests move. AI and data analytics make all this possible, but they also raise an unavoidable question: what’s the cost of personalization?

This viewpoint explores the growing scarcity of human labor in hospitality and how automation, robotics, and AI (especially agentic) may redefine the nature of service. The paper argues that human workers could evolve into a luxury feature in an increasingly automated environment by drawing on examples from art, spirituality, and emerging workplace trends. Three potential hospitality models—technocentric, anthropocentric, and hybrid—are identified, each defined by the proportion of human labor versus agents, digital workers, synthetic or automated solutions. The findings highlight how, far from becoming obsolete, human labor may assume a premium status as personalization, authenticity, and empathy become highly sought-after commodities.

The hospitality industry faces a critical labor shortage that affects operations, service quality, and overall customer satisfaction. This growing challenge arises from a complex combination of economic, demographic, and social changes. Addressing this urgent issue is essential for stimulating the sector and ensuring the high standards of service that characterize the hospitality experience.