Money Never Looks After Itself
A practical three-step framework for hotel financial discipline, placing P&L ownership with department heads rather than the Director of Finance.
By David Lund, The Hotel Financial Coach, David Lund
News
Reclassifying hotel/restaurant contracts as commercial leases in France: a risky but rewarding move
French courts examine whether hotel/restaurant contracts are true commercial leases, with reclassification offering tenants renewal rights and business asset ownership but subject to a strict two-year limitation period.
By Christopher Boinet and Anne Epinat
Most Hotel Budgets Are Agreed. Few Are Owned.
The author argues that most hotel revenue budgets are agreed but not owned, introducing a "Revenue Provenance Ladder" to classify budget by certainty and expose how growth targets are often speculative wishes.
By Muhammad Tanveer, Author & Founder, The Sales Leadership Brief
Hotel leases: the impact of France's 2026 Simplification Act - a mixed outcome
France's 2026 Simplification Act changes commercial lease rules, capping tenant guarantees at three months' rent, which threatens the viability of built-to-suit hotel lease structures.
By Christopher Boinet and Anne Epinat
Budgeting Is Becoming a Test of Discipline
The article argues hotel budgets must move beyond RevPAR to incorporate Flow Through and Flex metrics, which reveal whether revenue growth converts to profit and how well costs can be managed in downturns.
By Chan Wai Sun, Regional Marketing Manager, Shiji
Decision paradox: Are we screwed if everything costs the same!?!?!
Using a flat-price F&B menu as a thought experiment, the author argues that uniform pricing removes a key tool for influencing customer choice and capturing willingness to pay.
By Fabian Bartnick, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, PerfectCheck
Tokenomics in Hospitality
Pertlink's explainer introduces Token Cost Per Booking (TCPB) and Token Cost Per Guest (TCPG) as budget metrics, warning that AI costs accrue from the first search query, not just active guest interactions.
By Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director, Pertlink Limited
How growing hotel groups share finance across properties
The article outlines how hotel groups can cluster finance functions across properties using shared teams and digital workflows, reducing headcount needs and improving group-level visibility.
By Aaron Belton, Global Head of Hospitality, DocMX
How to use flight search data to forecast hotel demand
Lighthouse research across 40 destinations confirms flight searches predict occupancy 9-10 weeks out and hotel searches 4-5 weeks out, with strongest signals at leisure and event destinations.
By Jonathan Gough, Content Team Lead, Lighthouse
Stop reactive pricing: How independent hotels catch high-demand dates early
A practical weekly routine for independent hoteliers to spot high-demand dates early using booking pace, local events, and competitor rates, avoiding the reactive pricing trap.
By Femke Nollet, Content Specialist, Lighthouse
Budget the Meter, Not the Machine: Planning for 2027 When AI Runs on Usage
Terence Ronson outlines a 2027 AI budgeting framework for hoteliers, covering usage-based cost tracking, workforce investment, rolling forecasts, and governance tools like Decision Envelopes and AI Override Rates.
Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director, Pertlink Limited
Hotels pace their rooms every week. Why not their function space?
The author argues hotels should apply the same weekly pace-reporting discipline used for rooms to function space, combining event and room revenue into a shared view for better group decisions.
By Toby Marosszeky, Chief Growth Officer, iVvy
"don't compare me to your ex." revenue management has the same problem.
A revenue management opinion piece arguing that over-reliance on historical patterns and reactive competitor-following are as damaging as ignoring the past entirely, especially as AI takes a larger role.
By Fabian Bartnick, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, PerfectCheck
Beyond RevPAR: What Really Drives Hotel Performance?
A four-layer performance framework moves hotels beyond RevPAR to connect commercial results with operating profit, EBITDA, CapEx, and return on invested capital.
Expert Witness Case Study: Hotel Business Interruption & Financial Damages
A hotel expert witness case study explaining why lost revenue rarely equals economic damages, and how proper BI claims require operational context, avoided expenses, and market benchmarking.
By Gary Isenberg, Founder of Iron Mountain Hospitality Advisors, Cayuga Hospitality Consultants
How Independent Hotels Can Compete with Chain Revenue Teams
Exely outlines the revenue management gaps most common in independent hotels and compares three solutions: in-house hire, RMS implementation, and outsourced support.
By Anna Belash, Chief Marketing Officer, Exely
The Incentive Management Fee: Why the Line It’s Calculated From Matters More Than the Percentage
A 40-year hotel valuation veteran explains why the profit line used to calculate incentive management fees matters more than the percentage, and how an owner's priority provision resolves the GOP vs. net income standoff.
By Stephen Rushmore, Hotel Valuation Expert and Founder of HVS, Hotel Valuation Software
A Full House Isn’t Always a Full Win: Rethinking Fall Group Revenue
Newport Hospitality Group's VP argues that fall hotel revenue strategy should shift from room-count targets to total guest value, using group events, ancillary services, and cross-departmental collaboration.
By Whitney Altizer, Chief Commercial Officer, Newport Hospitality Group
Stop Chasing the Market: Build a Revenue Strategy That Stays Ahead
Opinion piece arguing that reactive pricing is not a strategy, with practical guidance on segment-level forecasting, yield management, and reading demand signals before the market shifts.
By Stefano Sciamanna, Senior Revenue Manager, Lybra Tech
What RevPAR misses about hotel revenue
TRevPAR declined 8.8% vs RevPAR's 6.3% in HotelData's 2025 U.S. sample, illustrating how room-only metrics obscure F&B, spa, parking, and other in-stay revenue trends.
By Erik Tengen, President Hospitality Upsell, Plusgrade Inc.