How To Understand Someone And Get Their Attention by Kaustav Sen

The most influential people strive for genuine buy-in and commitment — they don’t rely on compliance techniques that only secure short-term persuasion. 

These high-impact influencers follow a pattern of four steps that all of us can put into action. In earlier pieces we covered Step 1: Go for great outcomes and Step 2: Listen past your blind spots. Later we’ll cover Step 4: When you’ve done enough… do more. Here we cover Step 3: Engage others in “their there.”

For real influence we need to go from our here to their there to engage others in three specific ways:

1. Situational Awareness: Show that You Get “It.” Show that you understand the opportunities and challenges your conversational counterpart is facing. Offer ideas that work in the person’s there. When you’ve grasped their reality in a way that rings true, you’ll hear comments like “You really get it!” or “You actually understand what I’m dealing with here.”

2. Personal Awareness: You Get “Them.” Show that you understand his or her strengths, weaknesses, goals, hopes, priorities, needs, limitations, fears, and concerns. In addition, you demonstrate that you’re willing to connect with them on a personal level. When you do this right, you’ll hear people say things like “You really get me!” or “You actually understand where I’m coming from on this.”

3. Solution Awareness: You Get Their Path to Progress. Show people a positive path that enables them to make progress on their own terms. Give them options and alternatives that empower them. Based on your understanding of their situation and what’s at stake for them personally, offer possibilities for making things better — and help them think more clearly, feel better, and act smarter. When you succeed, you’ll hear comments like, “That could really work!” or “I see how that would help me.”

When you’re trying to influence, don’t start by trying to pull others into your here. Instead, go to their thereby to asking yourself:

• Am I getting who this person is?

• Am I getting this person’s situation?

• Am I offering options and alternatives that will help this person move forward?

• Does this person get that I get it?

by Kaustav Sen

Cluster Director of Human Resources & Training at Crowne Plaza & Staybridge Suites Yas@AUH/HR Committee-Yas Plaza Hotels

Food and Wine Harmony by Rahul Chowdhury, Assistant Professor, Dept of Hospitality & Tourism Administration at Sister Nivedita University

The art of ‘marrying ‘wine & food provides an inexhaustible & illimitable field of experiment & choice for the gourmet. Pairing wines and food is too often stressed about (and debated). The concept behind matching is that some elements of food & wine react opposite to each other & by balancing the elements will make the dining experience more enjoyable. It provides the greatest possible variety of pleasurable sensations & new experiences.

One can say that wine should be treated with respect & care. No hard & fast rules govern their service. The world of wine can be intimidating. It is said that the culture of drinking wine with food was first found in Italy. They rarely dine without wine. Italians used to drink local wines with their cuisine. French people are very much influenced by food & wine pairing as France is been known for their best quality grapes & wines production.

They categorized the wine according to their courses of French Classical Menu. The French Gastronomic meal, recognized by UNESCO in 2011 as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, also includes moderate wine intake. In some countries like Spain, with a strong tradition of wine as part of a balanced diet, wine has been recognized by law as food. Nonetheless, the exact caloric content of wine depends both on the alcohol and the residual sugar that remains after the fermentation of the grape juice into wine (1 g of sugar = 4 kcal). Therefore, the total calories of wine products can vary from vintage to vintage and depending on the type of wine (dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, sweet). From full-bodied red wines to crisp dry white wines. The options are truly endless! However, when it comes to pairing wine with food there are quite a few tips and tricks to help you along the way. This guide is your one-stop-shop on how to pair food and wine.  

Studies have also shown that eating while drinking (or doing so around the same time) can strengthen wine & health benefits. Drinking wine moderately with meals delivers maximum health benefits. Not only is food believed to make wine consumption healthier, but wine can make food healthier as well—at least in a few specific ways. Research has shown that if you happen to eat contaminated food, drinking alcohol with it decreases the risk of getting food poisoning. & What happens with the foodborne pathogens is that they go into your gastrointestinal tract and in your stomach, and it's an extremely acidic environment The first step in gaining in-depth knowledge into wine and food pairings is an understanding of some of the most commonly used wine terms such as acidity, body, dry & tannin.

These terms are used to describe all different aspects of wine. Each one of these elements plays a dynamic role in flavour—it enhances, magnifies, or suppresses it—and in how food and wine feel in the mouth—smooth, rough, hot, or sticky. These are all feelings that can be unpleasant in excess (too much salt, for instance, or too much drying tannin). They are also elements that can clash or work with each other’s strengths. Knowing a little bit about how they combine will help you to make choices that work more often than not Although there are some general rules concerning which wines are best served with which food, on some occasions these rules are not valid.

For example, one rule is that white wines go best with fish & white meat such as (veal, pork & chicken) & red wine with red meat such as (lamb & beef). However, Coq au vin (chicken in a red wine dish) is best served with a red wine that compliments the wine used in the sauce & even a red Beaujolais such as Valpolicella or Chianti can complement a heavy dish such as Veal Scaloppini. In other words, the richer the dish is, the richer the wine should be. Sometimes it can be tricky to pair wines with meats or fishes that have a heavy sauce. The best way to approach a dish is to pair the wine with the sauce and not the meat. This allows for a better experience because some sauces can have bad interactions with wine.

For instance, you want to avoid pairing bitter sauces with a bitter taste because of the bitterness will build, creating an unfavourable taste.  There are various ways to approach wine and food pairings, but every pairing falls within two categories. The first is congruent pairings and the second is complementary pairings. In a congruent pairing, the food and wine chosen will share several compounds or flavours. This can be a sweet wine paired with a sweet dish, a red wine with a buttery after taste paired with a buttery pasta dish. The important tip when creating congruent pairings is to ensure that the wine is not overwhelmed by the flavours of the food.  When this occurs it can make the taste of the wine become bland. The benefit of a congruent pairing is to allow the wine and the food to enhance the flavour of the other. Red wines are a great go-to when looking to create congruent pairings. With aromas and flavours ranging from cherry to smoky, red wines are very diverse and easy to match with like food pairings. Take a glass of a Syrah wine that is full-bodied and it will have a similar flavour profile of some of your favourite grilled meats, making it a great congruent pairing.

On the other hand, complementary pairings are based on food and wine combinations that share no compounds or flavours, but instead, complement each other. The flavours in each are balanced by their contrasting elements.  Rosé, White, and Sparkling wine make excellent choices for contrasting pairings. A sweet white wine paired with a spicy dish will allow the sugar in the wine to cool down and balance out the spiciness in the dish.

Another common complementary pairing is a white wine with salty dishes. The saltiness from the food actually decreases the sweetness of the wine and brings out the wines fruity taste and aromas. A glass of Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio will pair perfectly with salty popcorn and especially well with fried dishes.  Another popular method to pair wine and food is by placing them into one of 6 food flavour profiles. This includes salt, acid, fat, bitter, sweet, and spicy. The rule that white wine should not be served with red meats has validity because the acidity of some white wines contradicts the sweetness of those meats & the rule that white wine should be served with most fish is a good one as some fish contains oil that can cause a red wine to taste acidic. There are also some foods which should not be served with wine.

Similarly Indian & other strongly flavoured foods such as a curry or barbequed dish would make a wine useless as a complement for these foods spices & herbs will overpower a good wine & can cause it to taste bland or even sharp. For this same reason, a salad dressing containing vinegar or lemon juice, or a dish with heavy garlic, mustard, Tabasco, Worcestershire or soya sauce Flavor can ruin a delicate wine. For these dishes, a hearty red goes best. Other strong foods whose flavour a delicate wine cannot overcome are artichokes, smoked salmon & strong fresh herbs. Desserts containing cream, eggs, bananas & especially chocolates are not good companions to most wines, other than perhaps champagne or sparkling wines. Another general wine rule is that if more than one wine is to be served during a meal, white should be served before red, light before hearty or robust, young before old & dry before sweet.

However this is only a general rule that can be broken, for example, a fortified sweet wine, a sauternes or a German Auslese may be served with dessert. Sparkling wine is often suggested as the one wine that can be served throughout a meal. However sparkling wine does not compliment all food; for example, rich red meat. Wine should be chosen to complement the food with which they are to be served & in a restaurant the diner’s choice takes precedence over any general rule. “The most important thing is to be innovative & to try, test, experiment & discuss”.

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Imagine Front Desk without the word “Desk” by Soumyadeep Roy

As innovation keeps on upsetting almost every part of hotel's activities, one specifically that is about because of a genuine update is the front work area. To be specific, with the interest - and regularly the desire - for portable registration just as having a large group of administrations promptly accessible through an associated application, it would appear as those the whole front office is bound for termination. All things considered, there is a major expense here regarding work, so with all functionalities capably supplanted by present day programming why keep this 'relic' around?

In any case, in that lies an issue with plainly grasping innovation to where we overlook the center standards of friendliness. Extraordinary inns are in every case something other than a spot for an agreeable bed. A sign of genuine friendliness is administration with a grin. On the off chance that we dispose of the front work area by and large, we are losing a key purpose of contact among visitors and our groups.

The contemporary procedure of versatile registration briefly shows this point and its possibly unsafe results. Truly, such an element permits clients to move practically to their rooms without the problem of standing around in the anteroom while they trust that an agent will enlist that they've shown up and to affirm that housekeeping has completed the process of cleaning. In any case, the disadvantage here is that visitors don't communicate with any staff individuals and the inn can't establish an individual connection.

For what reason don't we see a greater take-up on advanced change activities in lodgings? A Mobile PMS and POS is More than an Operational Advantage: It Could Wow Your Guests and Transform Your Group Business The Digital Guest Journey Advances with Maestro PMS Mobile Check-Out and Tablet eFolio Display see all What's in danger is lost passionate availability to the brand. With portable registration, it's all only a progression of somber ones and zeroes, and there's no person on the opposite end to exhibit the property's sympathy and to create compatibility with approaching visitors. On the off chance that all lodgings were to evacuate the front work area and the administration operators behind them, at that point we are one stage towards nearer to every one of our properties being seen as exchangeable on the grounds that administration, and the individuals who make that administration occur, will consistently be a key separating factor among the bunch of inn marks in some random locale.

All things considered, however, this contention for conservation doesn't bar the front office from a genuine redesign. My proposal is to keep the front office flawless yet drop the work area, with the initial step being to rename said representatives to something like 'visitor representatives' in order to unpretentiously suggest what their center ought to be.

With every single significant Pm suppliers and a large group of other middle ware sellers ready to now offer tablet or portable answers for front office relates, the half and half arrangement is to tear down the anteroom registration region, supplant it with an all-inclusive parlor, and afterward have meandering colleagues who can appropriately coordinate fresh debuts just as offer help to whomever walks by to pose a particular inquiry or just to utilize the free WiFi.

The front work area is to some degree distant at any rate, so precluding the physical obstruction will normally help compatibility. For this situation, said visitor diplomats can fulfill the present need for adaptability while likewise permitting your front office group to shuffle a few distinct jobs on the double since they are binded to a work station.

Eventually, these kinds of contemporary redesigns - where we keep the center unblemished however use innovation to smooth out everything else - can be very worthwhile whenever executed adequately. Also, as usual, in the event that you think about these sorts of redesigns not as operational substitutions yet basically as approaches to improve administration then you will undoubtedly succeed.

About the author - Soumyadeep Roy

Completed hotel management from IHM Bhubaneswar (Batch 2001- 2004). I started my career with a small property in Bhubaneswar named Triumph Residency as Trainee Front Office Assistant. Then I continued my journey with different other hotels like Lemon Tree Hotels Gurgaon, Intercontinental The Grand New Delhi, The Clarks Inn Shahibabad (East Delhi), The Claridges, New Delhi and Taj Bengal Kolkata. The journey was through Front Office operation and Room Reservation. I have started my career in academics since 2017 with Amity University Kolkata as Assistant Professor.

Five ways hotels can use technology for a better guest experience

An interesting story about a hotel and its guest experience. The incident goes back to the early 70s when there was no internet and travellers would make hotel bookings through travel agents or phone calls. A couple in their mid-50s arrived at a hotel which was located far from the city. Little did they realise that the booking they made via phone prior to their arrival was tentative and not confirmed. On learning that the hotel was full, they were forced to look elsewhere.

The incident didn’t leave them happy as they weren’t prepared for this situation. The hotel was also helpless and couldn’t do much to accommodate them. This situation could have been avoided if both the hotel and the couple had a confirmed booking! Now imagine if this incident had occurred in today’s era: the guests would have most likely damaged the hotel’s reputation all over the Internet through negative reviews and posts. Technology has changed the way we travel, experience and share the hotel experience and I believe, the change is for good! I couldn’t have imagined myself in a situation like that of the couple. Using technology, new-age travellers are preparing their own itinerary and replacing the traditional travel agents. On the other hand, hotels are also experiencing broader visibility through platforms that bring travellers from all over the world together. They are able to use technology and provide value-added services, comfort and convenience to their guests which were not the case in the past. Here are five viable technology solutions that can help hotels serve their guests better and personalize the experience:

1. Mobile bookings are gaining popularity and have increased to 25% of online bookings by 2017. What is more interesting for hotel owners is that 40% of leisure travellers and 36% of business travellers book overnight accommodations in hotels using their mobile phones. Hotels should take advantage of this growth to engage with the travellers, especially with the rise in Millennial travellers who are highly dependent on their Smartphone. Having the hotel’s booking engine optimized for mobile viewing can offer guests a convenient option to book. Hotels can also try connecting with their guests pre-arrival through mobile apps that can help in a variety of ways, like assisting guests with directions, sending notifications of the seasonal packages and offers, or inviting a repeat stay from an old guest. Strong mobile promotions can be used as key marketing and sales strategy by hotels. Hotels can also look at integrating Beacon technology that will help them gather guest data in order to offer personalised services. The technology allows hotels to engage with the guests on a personal level by pushing special offers based on their location, request for special services, access to view maps, or connect with the hotel’s social media channels. Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International have already implemented beacon technology.

2. Tablets are growing in popularity among the new-age generation as seen in a recent survey that found that the number from 1 billion people worldwide in 2015, (representing nearly 15% of the global population) has reached 1.43 billion in 2018. So, hotels should consider providing tablets to enhance the guest experience and use it for multiple marketing purposes. Here’s how:  Front desk: Front desk is one of the busiest areas of the hotel which is mostly accessed by the guests, hence it’s good to use tablets at the front desk to check-in/out the guests and take their quick feedback. It can also be used for digital signage by displaying information on nearby attractions, local map and to encourage guests to sign up for future email marketing. Consider the OnSpot Social app that collects email addresses and guest data to engage with them through various digital marketing strategies.  Rooms: After Wi-Fi, guests are expecting hotels to provide tablets in the rooms. Seeing this rising demand, many hotels have started investing in tablets and are installing third-party apps to give their guests the control of room lights, AC, TV and more.  Restaurants/bars/spas: Another effective area where guests are more likely to engage with tablets is a hotel’s point of sale to browse through the menus and packages. Hotels can encourage guests to give real-time feedback on the services.

3. Self-check-in New-age travellers like to be on self-sufficient to save time and effort. Self-check-in technology can play a role in providing convenience to the guest while also easing the burden on the front desk staff. This technology allows guests to check-in via tablets or phones using a QR code that captures their expected time of arrival and sends the notification to the hotel. Checking-out the guest can also be done via smartphones or tablets from the luxury of the guest’s room using technology like a mobile-optimized hotel software. Self-check-in technology also eliminates errors and speeds the process. Ritz Carlton uses this technology for their guests to check-in via QR codes through their mobile app.

4. Live chat. While there have been many debates over the merits of embedding a live chat feature on a hotel’s website due to the cost and infrastructure involved, it is one of the best ways to connect with a potential guest. Live chat may be expensive, but it helps in increasing sales while providing a convenient platform for interaction. Research suggests that 52% of travellers visit your hotel’s website after seeing you on an OTA. With a live chat option, a hotel can tap into such travellers easily. This simply means that people prefer websites that can immediately attend to their queries while they are in the process of making a booking. This also helps eliminate website bounce rates as the live chat assists guests through every stage until they complete their action. Engaging potential guests through this feature will make them feel valued and can convert lookers into bookers. As many buying decisions are purely based on convenience, a live chat option could lead guests to stay and not move on to your competitor hotel’s website.

5. Door opening technology No, this technology is not for burglars, it’s for the hotel guests to open room doors using a mobile. This technology is similar to the self-check-in technology where guests receive a code on their mobile app through which they get control to their room door. Open Ways introduced this technology that uses a Crypto Acoustic Credential system for electronic access control in hotels. The system can also be integrated with many other services such as concierge or security. It can be activated on a guest’s handset without him paying a visit to the reception. Hotel chains like Hilton and Starwood provide the luxury to their guests to unlock their rooms using a Smartphone app. Travelling today is much easier than it used to be a few decades ago. Now, travelling is all about instant gratification for travellers. Millennial is a dominating segment that often looks for hotels that offer quick services and technology allows hotels to deliver what they expect. So, strike the iron while it’s hot!

About The Author

Soumyadeep Roy.

Completed hotel management from IHM Bhubaneswar (Batch 2001- 2004). I started my career with a small property in Bhubaneswar named Triumph Residency as Trainee Front Office Assistant. Then I continued my journey with different other hotels like Lemon Tree Hotels Gurgaon, Intercontinental The Grand New Delhi, The Clarks Inn Shahibabad (East Delhi), The Claridges, New Delhi and Taj Bengal Kolkata. The journey was through Front Office operation and Room Reservation. I have started my career in academics since 2017 with Amity University Kolkata as Assistant Professor.

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All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author's employer, organisation, committee or other group or individual.

Role of Industrial training in moulding future Hospitality Professionals by Rahul Chowdhury, Assistant Professor In-charge of Food & Beverage dept, Dept of Hospitality, Sister Nivedita University

For many, the thought of going out in the field with limited knowledge of how it operates is an unnerving prospect as they may not know what to do or even how to go about the whole process of industrial training (IT). Training is the process of providing guidance and education to increase the skills and capacity of trainees. Industrial training refers to the accretion of practical skills and firsthand knowledge about the industry concerning a profession whilst still acquiring a relevant degree or diploma.

A young trainee’s first industry exposure is likely to be the most prestigious in that persons career. IET/IT is an affair where a student/trainee closely works with other hospitality professionals & follows the instruction to get intuition about the operations. So what’s the target/purpose of an Industrial training for students/trainees?

It is to provide to them the feel of the actual working environment and to procure practical knowledge and skills, which in turn will stimulate, develop and build their confidence. Industrial training is a supreme part of the curriculum, since it conditions students to work with the industry, and get hands on experience in hotels. It acts as an exposure to the industry, wherein students are required to be observant, as well as understand the importance of training, punctuality, rules, regulations, grooming and etiquette.

The practical training provides them with an insight into the industry, which they can tally with their theory lessons. For students/trainees, industrial training is an opportunity for learning and practice skills which are beyond the capacity of the classroom learning Hospitality industry falls under the crown of Tourism industry as well as the service sector. Being part of the service sector its success lies on the providing best services to the guest. Quality manpower is required to understand and work with many intangible and tangible aspects associated with services.

Communication between employees and guests determine the success of any business. So what’s the goal of IET (Industrial exposure training)? -The goal of IET is to unmask the students to the actual working environment and to gain practical knowledge and skills. A positive workplace is one where all the trainees are valued, supported and nurtured irrespective of gender, sexual orientation or colour.

Past research has also pointed out that attrition rate of the hospitality industry are highest than any other industry and the huge number of employees either change the employers after short duration of work or leave the industry. Hotel industry as a whole needs to be extremely conscious & must focus on motivating the students to construct careers with hotel industry.

The effort needed to make the IET more effective and positive is rather small compared to dealing with the overall effects of attrition, as highlighted above. Hence it is advised that the hotel industry takes a much longer term view on the impact of the industrial training(IT), and be prepared to forego some medium-to- short term benefits of IT students like cheap labour, coverage during lean periods etc. It also provides a platform to train and select their budding recruit without actually making any long term commitment.

It is therefore concluded that both the Hospitality institutes/schools as well as the companies, training the future professional must review their roles and the content of the IET and make it a more worthwhile and a positive contributor in retaining the future workforce in the industry. Therefore on that note, this article goes ahead to present the comforts of Industrial training to all parties directly and indirectly involved with the aim of changing the unenthusiastic attitudes of both the students and the business community as well as gaining a better understanding and valuing for it.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr Rahul Chowdhury is an alumnus from IHM (NCHMCT) Bhubaneswar with specialization in Food & Beverage Service. He has earned many accolades. He was also the topper of the college & he was conferred the “Best Student of the Academic Year Award” from NCHMCT “Govt. of India” for securing the first position all over India. He holds an MBA degree in “Tourism Management” from a prestigious University & was placed in the 1st Division. His operational experiences range from working with leading hotel chains: The Taj, Fairmont, Park, luxury liners- among others.

Mr. Chowdhury is a dynamic, young, enthusiastic, quality driven professional with over 10 years of demonstrated success with Pre-opening of Hotel management colleges, top notch Luxury Cruise-ships of USA, Europe & Asia also Pre-opening of luxury hotel experience with some leading 5tar deluxe luxury hotels, resorts & palaces of Taj Group, The Park & Fairmont hotels & Resorts in India and abroad in U.A.E (Dubai & Abu Dhabi) in various positions around the world.   His academic experiences include working as the HOD- Food and Beverage dept at School of Hospitality and Culinary Art, The Neotia University. Presently, he is heading Food and Beverage department as the HOD at Sister Nivedita University (Techno India Group).

The Art of War, Post-Covid19, and the New Sales and Revenue Managers by Robert Hernandez

Whether the recovery of the hospitality industry is fast or slow is completely out of our hands. The only thing we can all do is prepare for the comeback. It’s almost as is if we need to adopt, for lack of a less cringy word, a warrior mindset. And that’s exactly what led me to write this post.

Sun Tzu was a general in a time where war was neverending and his people were under constant attack. Yet, unlike his enemies and counterparts, Tzu preferred to win by using intelligence instead of force. To prepare for the unprecedented business environment that all Sales and Revenue Managers will soon have to navigate, I found some ideas in Tzu’s timeless book, Art of War, that can provide us with some wisdom as to how to best maneuver through a Post-Covid19 world.

“Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.”

The New Sales and Revenue Manager should always be strategizing. As horrible as this crisis is, it presents a pause that can be used to become smarter about your work. Whether you are digging into reports that you never had the time to analyze, playing with data that you never had the time to explore, or learning new concepts which you never had the time to engage in, you should be getting better at your profession. You should be growing in knowledge and always thinking about what you will do when your company re-opens. Do this and by the time you get back to work, the crisis will seem less overwhelming.

“The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.”

The New Sales and Revenue Manager should be more analytical than ever before. It is through a deep understanding of guest behaviour, spending patterns, and demand curves, that you will be able to construct a multifaceted plan of attack. Those who only know their data on a superficial level will be caught at a serious disadvantage when they are flying blind in the face of constant changes. You have a world of information that you need to re-examine to be ready for the post-Covid19 market. These include data from previous Pace Reports, Forecasts, Comp Set reports, P&Ls, Google Analytics data, etc.

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”

The New Sales and Revenue Manager needs to be prepared for anything. No one really knows what is about to happen with the economy and the travel industry, but you should know what tactics you are going to use depending on how the situation plays out. Get together a comprehensive list of all your discounts and promotions and decide from now what you will try and under what scenario. Before you try these RM tactics, you should have a reasonable expectation of what the likely outcome will be. You should be digging into your rate code data to model the potential impact of different tactics.

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity”

The New Sales and Revenue Manager needs to forget the pre-Covid19 world. When there is an economic reset, all the old rules are discarded, at least for a while. Accounts that you could never reach, will now be open to speaking with you. People who would have never accepted your invite on Linkedin are more likely to accept now. Dig into your PMS or CRM and extract your old contact file. If you have data on old bid requests, begin to segment them by group size first since you will not be able to bring large groups for now. Then segment these contacts by as many dimensions as your system has and attack that list with no recollection of when they last rejected your offer.

“If quick, I survive. If not quick, I am lost..”

The New Sales and Revenue Manager needs to act fast and decisively. In this new world, you won’t really know what will work and what won’t until you try it. To minimize the risk associated with failure you need to try out ideas before your competitor does and be ready to abort very quickly. If you try a new discount, put it out there before anybody else does, but be sure that you can easily get out of it before it erodes your profit. Analytics on discounts performance will be critical. Knowing when a discount’s performance is statistically significant will help you quickly judge whether it is working in this new world. Obviously, most discounts will underperform last year’s results, but if you can put their performance in some historical context, then you can better explain your decision to open or close them.

“Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.”

The New Sales and Revenue Manager needs to be creative. The vast majority of hotels will reopen their operations offering only a slightly more relaxed version of the same old cancellation policy, contract terms, and rewards policies. That’s not going to cut it. You need to rethink your norms from the point-of-view of a traveler that is scared to make a decision that may cost them more than just money. To create more flexible terms, you need to understand your cancellation data, your group wash numbers, and any other data on business that did not materialize. This information is waiting for you in your PMS.

“Know yourself and you will win all battles”

The New Sales and Revenue Manager needs to understand their position. All hotels will reopen from a position of weakness because they will be begging for business. However, you can leverage your data so that you know more about your guests and competitors than they know about you. Understand your value position in your market. Know your weaknesses from past guest reviews and surveys. Be very clear about how you are perceived so that you have a better chance of pricing correctly and attracting the right guest. If you can, figure out your cross-price elasticity, then you can estimate the impact on your demand when your competitors lower their rates.

“Thus the expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by him.”

The New Sales and Revenue Manager needs to be proactive. When times are good, we can be reactive and not lose much. However, under crisis mode, only those that are ready for anything, will thrive. You have to get to a position where you are satisfied that you have done all the analysis that you need to do so that you are confident in your decision. Trust me, your bosses are just as confused as you are, and they will be looking to you for insight. If you have done your homework, and have all the deep analytics, and can clearly explain your thinking, they will believe in you even if you fail.

“The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.”

The New Sales and Revenue Manager needs to be ready to lower rates. I know that these days you will read many articles and studies that implore you not to lower your rates. You should know the flow impact on your P&L of different pricing levels. In other words, you need to understand your break-even pricing. Most Sales and Revenue Managers have never had to think about the rest of the P&L, but in a world where occupancy levels may be limited to less than 50% for a while, you will have to be able to model how rate decisions impact profit. Using a combination of PMS and General Ledger analytics, you can build an understanding of how much you can resist an all-out price war.

“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight”

The New Sales and Revenue Manager needs to stay calm. Again, the first reaction of the market will be to lower rates. Hotel owners are just under too much financial pressure right now to stand their ground. However, while you may have to make adjustments, you don’t have to show all your cards at once. You can limit the number of promotions and discounts that you offer until you see that there is enough occupancy, web traffic, and reservations inquiries to justify experimenting with more aggressive rate tactics. To accomplish this, you would have to have a clear understanding of the performance of each of your rate codes to know when and where to release them into the wild. You have all this data, don’t be afraid to use it.

“We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country-its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps.”

The New Sales and Revenue Manager needs to think like the competition. Look back at your old STR reports to see what your competition did when demand was slow. How far did they lower their rates? It’s very likely that they will run the same playbook. Know what to expect so you can plan how you will react. The last thing you need is to adopt the old attitude that you are smarter than your competition or that they have different motivations than you do. Everyone is now in the same boat trying to get to the same destination. Your competition is just as eager as you are, but you can be way more prepared.

“Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.”

The New Sales and Revenue Manager needs to embrace the unknown. Everyone in the hospitality business is now in learning mode. There are no experts, just people who are willing to do the work and make adjustments as they go along. Don’t be afraid to give your opinion and then take it back the next day. Have a flexible mindset and don’t get frustrated if management is constantly changing the rules, they are winging this just like the rest of us. We are all taking this one day at a time. Leverage your data and let it give you peace in the knowledge that it provides. And that is, that we always get past the crisis and onto better times.

Robert Hernandez | Statistical Analysis and Data Mining for Revenue Growth | robert@originworld.com
Robert is an expert in the field of Mathematical Pricing and Optimization. He has spent the last 17 years building data-driven forecasting and optimization models for companies in over 20 different industries, from tech to tourism