September 14, 2010 - The recession has been particularly hard on revenue managers.  RMs have been under pressure to reduce rates to increase demand (which largely didn’t work) and conversely, to increase rates in alignment with the recent increases in demand.   Will recent demand increases continue or will the economy slowdown or dip again into recession and drive decreases in demand?

In this webinar, we will discuss the habits for highly successful revenue managers for the uncertainty of the upcoming year. We will also discuss new habits that emerge as a result of trends in customer buying behavior. 

• Alternative Strategies Based on Market Intelligence.  It is still unclear the rate of economic growth or if the economy will slip back into recession.  Having two strategies in place for each alternative allows the RM to shift seamlessly when the market intelligence indicates which is happening in the larger economy and the consumer trends.
• Market Intelligence from the Macro to the Micro.   What sources will you access to stay in touch with the national market trends and how they translate to the hotel?    Which sources will RMs use to assess the local trends and are those trends congruent with the national trends?
•  Distribution Trends based On Changing Customer Behavior.   What distribution channels will RMs use to target different customer demographics?  Do you have a mobile app?  Is Twitter still a viable channel for offers other than heavy discounts?   Are you ready for Google sponsored rate results appearing on the local map?   What is the OTA strategy in regard to ‘private offers’ on Travelocity and are the opaques as important as they were a year ago?
• Rate Parity and Rate Integrity.   Is this still an important part of the hotel Revenue Management strategy?    If not, how does this impact customer buying behavior from the various channels?  

Special guest – Kate Varini, Revenue Management expert and Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University , will join us from the UK for a discussion on the issue of Rate parity and Rate Integrity.

At the end of this program, RMs will be able to formulate alternative strategies based on market intelligence and select distribution channels according to economic trends and consumer behavior.   This program should be attended by revenue managers, Directors of Sales and General Mangers as well as anyone else involved in revenue management strategies.

The webinar will be on September 23 at 1pm EDT, Noon CDT, 11:00am MDT and 10am PDT.  The fee is $99 per connection or $89 per connection for multiple registrations from the same hotel or management company.  This webinar will be recorded and each participant will receive the recording.