AI stole my job! Or did it? by Geetika Bahri J, Director of Distribution Services, APAC at Radisson Hotel Group.
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Rahul was a revenue executive, and he was great at it. Every morning, he would log into the property management system, armed with his coffee and confidence, ready to battle fluctuating demand, OTA rate disparities, and inventory adjustments. His job was to ensure that prices were optimized, availability was managed, and reports were ready for his manager.
Was it exciting? Not always. But it was a stepping stone. It was how every revenue professional started.
For years, revenue management had a clear career ladder. You started with rate loading, inventory management, and report generation. Slowly, you learned the logic behind pricing decisions. Then, you moved up, first to revenue manager, then to director, and if you played your cards right, maybe even to vice president of revenue management.
It was a grind, but it worked.
Then AI walked in. And just like that, Rahul's daily grind was gone.
At first, AI seemed like an assistant. It automated routine tasks, updating rates faster than any human ever could. It managed inventory across platforms in real time. It predicted demand so accurately that revenue meetings started feeling redundant.
Rahul thought, “Great! Less manual work means more time to focus on strategy.”
But then he overheard his general manager saying, “With AI doing all this, do we really need such a big revenue team?”
That was the moment of panic.
Because if AI was doing everything that made up an entry-level revenue job, then what was left for the people in those roles?
Would AI erase the first step in revenue management? And if so, what happened to the entire career path that followed?
AI DID NOT STEAL YOUR JOB—IT JUST UPGRADED IT
The truth is, AI did not take away revenue management jobs. It freed them up.
With AI handling the grunt work, revenue teams now have time to do what they never could before:
Focus on total revenue management, not just rooms.
Analyse guest behaviour and demand drivers, rather than just reacting to rate fluctuations.
Optimize food and beverage, spa, and event spaces, increasing overall profitability.
Work more closely with marketing and sales, creating targeted offers that drive direct bookings.
For young professionals entering the industry, this is a golden opportunity. No longer do they have to spend years manually updating rates before being allowed into strategic discussions.
Instead, they start their careers where revenue managers used to be thinking, analyzing, and making real business decisions.
WHO NEEDS TO ADAPT?
This shift does not just affect entry-level professionals. The entire revenue hierarchy needs to evolve.
Revenue Managers must become commercial strategists, thinking beyond pricing and into demand generation.
Directors of Revenue must integrate with digital marketing and sales, ensuring total profitability across all revenue streams.
Hotel Schools must rethink their curriculum, training students in AI-driven revenue strategies instead of outdated manual processes.
Front Office and Reservations professionals should consider switching to revenue management, as the field expands beyond just rate setting.
The hospitality industry is at a turning point. The question is no longer "Will AI take my job?" but "Am I evolving fast enough to keep up?" This is not a threat. It is a career revolution.
Geetika Bahri J. is a hospitality leader with over 22 years of experience in revenue management, distribution, and commercial strategy. She is passionate about mentoring the next generation of hospitality professionals and has served as a guest faculty at leading hotel management institutes.
Geetika is currently the Director of Distribution Services, APAC at Radisson Hotel Group.
