Somebody always makes money is a recession don't they? As we stand on the brink of uncertainty- with the prospect of roomnights & rates heading south for the winter with the swallows - there has never been a better time to be in the Revenue Management business. Whether it's selling systems, seminars, books or just good advice, there's suddenly an abundance of folk out there desperate to show hotels how to squeeze every last cent from a diminishing number of impoverished clients. And good luck to them I say. Anyone that contributes to making our industry a little more savvy in matters of business should be encouraged. The trouble with revenue management in many hotels is that it's left to the Revenue Managers (or, Reservations Managers... or Reservations Managers masquerading as Revenue Managers...). To twist the old maxim that 'everyone's in sales', we should recognise that every sales person is 'in revenue'...and if they're not, the best revenue management strategy in the industry will collapse at point of sale. So before splashing out on the latest RM webinar, or creating complex stay-pattern algorythms in excel, hotels companies could do worse than getting the property sales teams to focus on a few basics...

* Find new business. Yes I know it's obvious, but the best way to manage revenue is to make more revenue. Draw a big circle on the map around every hotel and find every single business within a mile radius. Call on all of them, however unlikely. Set up a 'war room' and manage the whole exercise with military ruthlessness. It's amazing what you can unearth...

* Treat online channels as if they represent real clients (tip: they do). Directors of Sales seem to have a blind spot when it comes to GDS and internet channels. Like men in a big shopping mall, they get intimidated and overwhelmed by the alien environment. If you can't shake its hand and sign a contract, it's not real sales is it? Best leave it to the res department, or better still, point the finger at the international & regional sales teams when the roomnights don't roll in. If this is your DoS, sit them down in front of a computer and make them view the hotel as a travel agent or guest. How is the hotel presented in each system? Are the major USPs clear? Visuals good? Availability open? At the right rate? Are there any other channels that could be driving business? Has anyone looked at the latest Hotelligence report (that's the one that's currently propping the door open)?

* Don't substitute bad business for worse. What happens when a corporate client wants a rate 5% below the one you've offered? Do you sign or decline? What if it's 10%? Or 15%?? At some point the Corporate Sales Manager decides the business is 'too cheap' and walks away. Next year rolls around, and on DD/MM the room that would have been occupied at $150 (room only) by Chris Corporate is now accommodating Tommy Tourist at $80 BB...or worse still, lying empty. Too many sales decisions are based more on segment than sense.

* Treat Opportunity Cost like a genuine Cost of Sale. 'We're paying too much commission!' comes the cry from the FC. Panic sets in and the spotlight falls on the (usually high-rated) transient business and MICE groups. PCO plus DMC or Travel Agent equals 20-25% commission, and as those segments grow the cost per reservation line looks distinctly unhealthy, prompting calls for clampdowns and renegs. Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of the reservations department, a steady stream of online net rates flows into the property. Rates that have been marked up by 50 or 60%, the difference pocketed by the online provider. No commission. No cost of reservation. No problem?

Just returned from the HITEC show in Austin, Texas. First time for me in Austin. Seems like a decent enough place and the locals I met only had good things to say about living there. Mind you, any city with a campus of 90,000 or so students should have plenty going on. My usually quiet jog before breakfast was anything but...I've never seen so many other people out running at 7am before. To continue the sporting theme, Tuesday night was armadillo racing night. The biggest challenge with armadillo racing is getting the creatures to stay put at the start line. The trick is to grab them by the tail with one hand and then push down on the back of the neck with the other so their feet can't move. We employed similar tactics next day at the show with hoteliers passing by the booth. Worked a treat. It's only when you survey the massed ranks of supplier exhibits at HITEC that you really appreciate the overwhelming number of technology products & services available to hotels today. It's a pity that so many hotel groups only choose to send their IT and Finance directors to the show because smart, creative technology solutions are frankly wasted on techies and bean counters. Operations, Revenue, Sales, Marketing and Distribution folks would walk away with their heads buzzing with innovative new ideas for improving performance and guest experience. And besides that, who wants to watch an accountant wrestling with an armadillo? Then again....