Meet the Team Dedicated to Maximizing Revenue
As M&R’s vice president of revenue management, Brian Athas and his dedicated team of six revenue managers have a daily mission: to help hotels make as much money as possible by maximizing revenue.
The Revenue Management team includes Zohal Diaz, regional director of revenue management; Daisy Santiago, senior director of revenue management; and Fahad Abukari, James Enloe, Joshua Franklyn and Ashley Nunez, all area directors of revenue management.
“Our job is to sell the right room, at the right price, to the right guest, at the right time, through the right channel,” said Brian. “If you have ever booked a room online, we're the ones who strategize, set the rates with the property teams, decide if the AAA discount is open or closed and what that discount might be.”
Behind the scenes, the Revenue Management team works their magic through meticulous analysis and forecasting each day to maximize profits and ensure M&R hotels are a top choice for travelers. They gather data and analyze market trends, booking patterns and competitor pricing, among other metrics. Using this information, they craft a dynamic pricing strategy and adjust rates as needed based on demand fluctuations, events and market conditions.
According to Brian, it’s a delicate balancing act designed to strategically optimize revenue and manage average daily rates without compromising occupancy.
Working hand in hand with general managers, sales teams and other departments, members of the revenue management team serve as trusted partners to achieve growth and success. The department sends out a daily morning report and conducts weekly hour-long “Rev Max” revenue calls with the property teams to discuss strategies. “We can look ahead 90 days, 180 days and sometimes even the full year to offer actionable recommendations such as promotions or raising rates,” he said.
Brian does so much forecasting, he likens himself to a weatherman. “I have to create forecasts, predict business levels and what's going to take place in the future so that the operations teams can plan accordingly,” he said. “If we see a soft month or a strong month coming or booking trends are looking positive or negative, we're letting property teams know in advance so they can make informed decisions.”
While the process comes with a margin of error, Brian and his team are continually fine-tuning their revenue strategies. Just like weather forecasters, the revenue management team has a lot of systems that help predict the future. “While they have radar, we have data and intelligence to gauge the future including information on our competitive set so we can compare ourselves and make changes based on what is going on in the market, allowing us to steer the ship in one direction or another,” he said.
While the Revenue Management team is often thought of as the “number crunchers,” Brian prefers to characterize them “data specialists and strategists at their core.”
“There's a lot of excitement in what can seemingly appear a little dull when I'm talking about using data and analytics,” he said, “But it’s live action, and it's fast-paced. We usually have three or four monitors in front of us all day long — two of them are constantly updating property rates to see if we need to make changes. It’s a bit like Wall Street, where you have inside insights. It’s all about using data and predictive systems to our advantage.”
Sometimes the best money-making strategy isn't the winning strategy, however. For example, there may be a sales client that may not seem like the best fit at first glance, but they may have more business down the road. The revenue management team will work with the property team to strike a balance between immediate revenue or fostering longer-term relationships. “There's a lot of healthy conversation between teams so we are cohesive and speak with one voice” in the best interest of the portfolio, he said
A seasoned revenue management expert, Brian will celebrate six years with M&R in September. “This is all I've ever done in hospitality,” he said. I went for my degree in hotel management, and I found my calling here, and it's because no two days are the same.” Brian, who always loved word problems and coming up with strategy, thrives on coming up with a plan, executing it and seeing the fruits of his labor.
“We're a small team but we're open door and we love to teach and educate,” said Brian. It’s a complicated kind of science and system but we all love to talk about — it's our passion really. M&R’s general managers return that passion because they are really engaged and invested in the success of their properties — which is my dream come true!”
