Managing and measuring rooms revenue is no longer enough; today, hoteliers must expand their strategies to all departments of the hotel and sharpen their focus on the bottom line. The recent webinar, Mastering Total Profitability in Hotels, brought together industry experts to share actionable insights for leveraging data to optimize ancillary revenue and manage expenses. You can watch the replay of the webinar here, or read key takeaways for hoteliers looking to enhance their operations in 2025 below:
Dana Cariss, SVP of Revenue Optimization for CoralTree Hospitality, highlighted the importance of integrating diverse data streams to create a holistic view of operations. CoralTree consolidates revenue data from property management systems, sales and catering, point-of-sale systems, and even golf and spa departments in Otelier IntelliSight, providing a unified view enables better decision-making and more personalized guest experiences.
“For our team, it all starts with data.”
– Dana Cariss, CoralTree Hospitality
Takeaway: Invest in technology to centralize and analyze data across all revenue streams. A single source of truth empowers teams to make informed, real-time decisions.
Sudharshan Chary, Manager of the Resorts Division at Otelier, emphasized the need for a mindset shift. He stressed the importance of empowering department heads to embrace analytics and make proactive decisions based on trends, forecasts, and key metrics.
“You can have the best data and dashboards, but without a data-driven culture, it’s just numbers on a screen.”
– Sudharshan Chary, Otelier
Takeaway: Beyond investing in business intelligence tools, focus on training teams to access, interpret, and act on data effectively.
Labor costs remain the largest expense for most hotels. Chary suggested using time clock data alongside payroll metrics to track regular, overtime, and double-time hours by department.
Yohannes Semere, Corporate Director of Revenue Strategy at Peregrine Hospitality, added that accurate forecasting plays a key role.
“We aim for less than 3% variance in our 90-day forecasts. This precision allows us to align labor needs with anticipated demand.”
– Yohannes Semere, Peregrine Hospitality
Takeaway: Combine accurate forecasting with detailed labor tracking to control costs without sacrificing service quality.
While room revenue remains central, ancillary revenues like F&B, golf, spa, and retail are increasingly significant. Chary pointed to a Florida golf resort where package deals boosted Total Revenue Per Available Room (TrevPAR) by $450 over RevPAR.
“The key is to understand the interplay between departments and strategically bundle offerings.”
– Sudharshan Chary, Otelier
Takeaway: Leverage TrevPAR as a key metric and focus on ancillary revenue streams to maximize profitability.
Personalization is the key to providing exceptional guest experiences moving forward. Cariss underscored the role of CRM systems in capturing guest preferences and transaction history. For example, guests who previously booked spa services but lack a current reservation can be offered exclusive spa packages during their stay.
Semere added that investing in scalable systems ensures seamless data aggregation across diverse platforms, enabling deeper guest insights.
“Understanding guest tendencies enables targeted marketing and upselling.”
– Dana Cariss, CoralTree Hospitality
Takeaway: Use guest data to craft bespoke experiences that enhance loyalty and encourage incremental spending.
Both Cariss and Semere stressed the importance of accurate forecasting and channel optimization. Semere’s team achieved a 5% year-over-year increase in direct bookings by improving website content and using guest-centric search strategies.
“Revenue professionals must understand their cost of acquisition and prioritize profitable channels.”
– Dana Cariss, CoralTree Hospitality
Takeaway: Balance OTA and direct bookings strategically. Optimize digital content and leverage loyalty programs to drive direct bookings.
With advancements in artificial intelligence and automation, the opportunities for efficiency and personalization are growing rapidly.
Cariss encouraged hoteliers to take the first step: “It’s overwhelming, but one step at a time—even small changes can lead to big results over time.”
“Business intelligence is a journey. Start small, build trust in the data, and scale as your team’s comfort level grows.”
– Sudharshan Chary, Otelier
Takeaway: Embrace technology and build a data-driven culture. Start with incremental changes that align with your property’s specific needs and scale your efforts as you see success.
Ready to take the next step? Explore how Otelier’s solutions can help your property harness the power of centralized data achieve total profitability. Contact us today.