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IHTF 2014

The eleventh edition of the International Hotel Technology Forum (IHTF), took place in Barcelona, Spain in early April this year. The two-day event saw over 600 business meetings with 50 speakers delivering cutting-edge insights into latest trends in the hospitality industry.
John Seaton, VP Sales APAC & EMEA, and Cristina Blaj, Sales Director UK, Ireland & Scandinavia at eRevMax attended the event to network with industry veterans. Cristina participated in a panel discussion on “Engaging with the Digital Traveller – The Move to Mobile”. The panel consisted of Monika Nerger from Mandarin Hotels; Jeremy Ward from Kempinski Hotels and Nancy from Jumeirah Hotels. The discussion focused on evaluating the advent of mobile bookings and its trends to capitalise on modern buying patterns. They also emphasised on implementing guest-led trends in hospitality industry as more happy customers equal to more revenue.

 
John Seaton was invited to participate in a panel on “Over-coming the Challenges in Diverse Distribution Channels”. He had  Jon Siberry from Sarova Hotels and Lennert de Jong from CitizenM; among others as co-panelists. The speakers examined the current challenges faced by hoteliers in the diverse distribution space and the strategies for better channel performance. They also focused on how to analyze channel performance and how to capture guest data to determine best communication channel for each guests.

Overall the event concluded on a positive note and there was constructive exchange of ideas and experiences.
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What is Revenue Management?

Revenue management is a term that’s often thrown around the hotel industry, but what is it, exactly? Some believe that revenue management is all about ensuring a capacity of 80 percent or more at any given time, regardless of what it takes, but does this really equal good revenue management? Perhaps not. Instead, revenue management is about understanding past trends, having a good overview of the current market, sensibly forecasting the future, and addressing rates based upon these aspects combined. It’s about knowing what people are willing to pay, rather than what they want to pay, and not succumbing to cheaper rates for fear of not meeting targets. Overall, revenue management could be described as ‘the art of turning business away’.

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