Located in the heart of New York's Theatre District, The Washington Jefferson Hotel has successfully carved its position as a weekday accommodation provider for business customers and a sanctuary for those visiting the city recreationally on weekends.

Kate Martin, General Manager, first joined the group nearly 10 years ago. She says, 'We mainly focused on 2 distribution channels back then, although these were not updated very regularly as everything had to be done manually, but that was 10 years ago. Within the last 5 years, things have changed dramatically and it is now essential to distribute via the internet in order to remain competitive. We currently have about 50% business from the internet".

Understanding this trend, Kate felt an investment in revenue management software was vital if the hotel was to remain competitive online. Several suppliers were considered but in September 2006 she decided to go with RateTiger Allocator. This tool allows complete visibility into the hotel's current rate and availability situation within third party distribution channels before making informed decisions on any complex updates. In October 2007 the hotel was updated to RateTiger Allocator Pro, a newer version of RateTiger Allocator.

"Our hotel works with 9 distribution channels, which include Expedia and Travelocity. We chose RTAllocator Pro because, as well as being a very detailed and specialised product, it is still very quick and easy to use," enthuses Kate. "It was also important for us to have access to reliable customer support so that problems could be quickly resolved to save us losing out on potential revenue."

"On average we make about 20 changes a day which now takes just 5 minutes. In the weekly yield meeting, the new strategy for the coming months is decided. This means that since the introduction of Allocator Pro, we are able to change the rates very quickly after the meeting without any further delay because of workload. The amount of time and manpower needed to make these changes has decreased immensely."

When asked if there is a particular time of year when RateTiger Allocator is most useful, Kate's answer is simple. "Everyday! I can't imagine not using the software anymore. The tools are of daily importance!"