MCLEAN, VA | Revenue management and internet marketing professionals from across the hospitality industry convened at the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Revenue Management & Internet Marketing Strategy Conference in Anaheim, Calif., for a day of in-depth discussions about how the two disciplines can work together to generate demand.

“Revenue management and internet marketing professionals are the new rock stars of the hospitality industry,” said Eric Pearson, Senior Vice President of Brand Performance, Americas, InterContinental Hotels Group, in his keynote presentation titled Real-Time Revenue Management. He added that, by working closely together, these teams can deliver tactical promotions, backed by concrete analytics that quantify success, to provide consumers with relevant offers in real-time and drive incremental revenue to hotels when they need it most.

Top discussions at the conference, co-located with HITEC 2009, focused on the heightened interdependence of revenue management and marketing. The day consisted of 12 breakout sessions that focused on the latest trends in both disciplines and explored revenue optimization, pricing, e-commerce and Internet marketing topics in the context of today’s challenging economic environment.

“Revenue management holds demand forecasts and marketing knows the customers, including their buying behavior and product preferences,” remarked Dr. Radhika Kulkarni, Vice President Advanced Analytics, SAS Institute Inc. in the breakout session Analyze That! The Heightened Interdependence of Revenue Management and Marketing.

A breakout session titled Social Media Strategies discussed the strategic side of managing social media and explored issues such as best practices for measuring ROI, engaging and disengaging in different online forums, determining time and resource allocations, and policies for employees at the corporate and property level. Panelist Darren Kelly, Vice President of Social Media, The Search Agency, advised attendees to “take advantage of all the sales, marketing and customer information that is flowing through social media channels.”

At the conference, Mark Robertson, Central Director of Revenue Management, Wyndham Hotel Group, was awarded the second annual HSMAI Revenue Management Professional of the Year Award, developed to honor individuals who have advanced the revenue management profession. Beverly Fidel, CHA, Director of Revenue Management, Ohana Hotels & Resorts, and Christine Shaub-Falls, Revenue Manager, Lake Powell Aramark Resorts & Marinas, were named finalists.

Conference partners included American Express, Cendyn, Digital Alchemy, EasyRMS, EZYield.com, HFTP, IDeaS, Maxim Revenue Management Solutions, Milestone Internet Marketing, Open Hospitality, Rainmaker, TIG Global, TravelCLICK and Vizergy. The conference was organized and presented by HSMAI’s Revenue Management and Travel Internet Marketing Special Interest Groups. For more information on HSMAI’s revenue management & Internet marketing resources, visit www.revmanagement.org and .

About HSMAI

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners and is the industry's leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals and their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as the Commercial Strategy Conference, Sales Leader Forum, and Adrian Awards. Founded in 1927, HSMAI is a membership organization comprising more than 5,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region. Connect with HSMAI at hsmai.org.

Rachel Rosenberg
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HSMAI