What quantum physics and revenue management have in common
At first glance, quantum physics and revenue management should never meet.
One deals with subatomic particles, wave functions, and Nobel Prizes. The other deals with rates, forecasts, pick-up curves, and meetings that should’ve been emails. And yet… they’re weirdly similar.
Because both are fundamentally about perspective.
The observer effect (aka “why everyone sees a different truth”)
In quantum physics, there’s the observer effect: The act of observing something changes its behaviour. Revenue management does the same thing.
The moment you show a forecast:
- Sales reacts
- Marketing launches something “to help”
- The GM questions assumptions
- Ownership suddenly remembers that last year felt different
Same data. Different observers. Different outcomes. The forecast didn’t change. The interpretation did.
Schrödinger’s occupancy
In quantum mechanics, Schrödinger’s cat is both alive and dead until observed. Crazy I know...and totally off the rocker. Don't believe me, check it out here.
In revenue management, your hotel is:
- too expensive and too cheap
- oversold and empty
- winning and losing
…depending on who’s looking.
Sales sees empty rooms. Finance sees ADR risk. Marketing sees conversion issues. The RM sees probability and timing. Nobody is wrong. They’re just standing in different places.
Wave vs particle = strategy vs tactics
Light behaves as a wave or a particle depending on how you measure it.
Revenue behaves the same way.
Zoom out:
- strategy
- positioning
- demand shaping
- brand power
Zoom in:
- today’s pick-up
- tonight’s cancellations
- that one competitor doing something stupid
The mistake? Treating tactical noise as strategic truth. Great revenue managers know when to zoom in and when to zoom out and don’t confuse the two.
Uncertainty is not a bug, it’s the system
Quantum physics doesn’t promise certainty. It promises probability.
Revenue management is no different.
Anyone who says:
“the forecast is wrong”
is missing the point. Forecasts aren’t predictions. They’re probability ranges. Your job isn’t to be right. Your job is to make better decisions under uncertainty.
That’s not a math problem. That’s a mindset.
Perspective is the real competitive advantage
Two hotels can have:
- the same market
- the same tools
- the same data
…and perform completely differently.
Why?
Because perspective decides:
- which signals you trust
- which noise you ignore
- when you act
- when you wait
Revenue management isn’t about finding the truth. It’s about navigating multiple truths at the same time.
Just like quantum physics.
final thought
What do quantum physicists and great revenue managers have in common?
They’re comfortable with:
- ambiguity
- probability
- being questioned
- not having a single right answer
They don’t panic because things aren’t certain. They operate because things aren’t certain.
And that my friends is more than any system, model, or dashboard can do. It is what separates button-pushers from real commercial leaders.
Love,
Fabi
Bit about me: I’m Fabian Bartnick aka. Fabi – The Commercial Growth Leader. I’ve built and exited hospitality tech companies, trained thousands of leaders worldwide in sales, marketing and revenue management, and helped businesses in multiple industries align their commercial teams for measurable growth. TL;DR: I make people better and companies more money.
