9. Manage your inventory
All no-shows and cancellations within policy need to be
charged as they happen. Designate one employee to run those
reports every day for the previous day and charge anything
outstanding. Additionally, assign someone the task of daily re-
blocking your house availability, to make sure the stay-through
is available per each category.
10. Encourage all employees to sell your hotel
Encourage all employees to sell your hotel by creating a ‘one-
for-all’ business card with a blank line for any employee to
add their name. One side of the business card should invite
guests to leave a review on Trip Advisor and the other side can
offer a 10% discount booking code for direct bookings (you
are avoiding commissions by sending the business to your own
company’s web site). Instruct your employees to give this card
out to a guest only after they have had a positive interaction.
Offering some monetary value to good suggestions from your
employees, might add even more positive revenue streams.
You may not know what kind of gems are hiding amongst your
employees. Even if you don’t meet your expected numbers
that month, because your market didn’t perform, you will make
extra revenue throughout all areas and will compensate for the
losses.
62 ILHA
About the author
With over 16 years in the Hospitality industry, Vlatka
Barčan has moved quickly through the management
ranks, eventually stepping into her current role as
the founder of Fifth Revenue Consulting Company.
Her real hotel passion became revenue management
and her most recent position was Area Revenue
Director at Millennium Hotels, overseeing the New
York and Boston markets. Ms. Barčan graduated
from Croatia’s University of Rijeka with a Master’s
degree in Economics and Hotel Management and
went on to work with high-end hotel groups across
the United States and Croatia. Ms. Barčan started
her management career as Front Office Manager at
The Norwich Inn, Vermont and advanced to the role
of Assistant General Manager before moving to New
York City. At The Pierre, a Taj Hotel, she manifested
her career growth in a series of roles from Assistant
Restaurant Manger to Guest Relations Manager,
Director of Reservations, Revenue Manager and
Sales Manager. Her passion is to assist independent
hotels meet their goals through her customized
guidance.