With revenue management one of the most critical roles in a hotel organization, there is the fear notable skills, knowledge and experience have been lost due to furloughs, redundancies and reorganizations, and industry experts worry not all employees will want to return to the industry or be asked to.

During a June 8 webinar titled “The Battle for Talents in Hotel Revenue Optimization” organized by the European chapter of Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, Daniella Boeken, group vice president, commercial, Ruby Hotels, said she was not looking to hire from this pool.

“Most skilled revenue managers by now have gone back to work or have found another job in another industry. For me, someone who has not been working for a year and a half might not be the right fit,” she said.

Scott Dahl, director, master’s program, at academic institution Les Roches Global Hospitality, said hotel firms inevitably are looking at the current landscape to fine-tune operations.

“I had to furlough three-quarters of my staff. There were two or three [employees] I had to have back, but then there becomes a line. Every hotel firm has had time to shake it all up. If your fire burned down your house and you now have the insurance check, would you build the same house? I think now perhaps we’ll start seeing a little more specialization at entry-level positions,” he said.

Boeken said she expected to see the debuts of more franchise hotel firms, small ones that will have numerous owner relationships and more clusters and corporate offices.

“The development or strategic management teams would do the revenue management role. Owners in these challenging times will need finance and revenue management in the same room to get the details they need, the what and the why of the things happening,” she said.

The scarcity of revenue or capital and the challenge of regaining market share require a sound revenue-management hiring strategy, Boeken said.

“Employers have not tried to hire people on the cheap because they understand revenue managers will leave for a different job once the market returns,” she added.

Stan Josephi, senior lecturer, hotel revenue management, Breda University of Applied Sciences, said revenue managers have had to adopt additional tasks during the pandemic, but the commonsense approach now is to have them be more focused.

“A lot of things have been thrown over the fence, and now we have reached the stage where it is time to clean up those tasks and get back to the essence of revenue management. … If all goes well, the role should free up more time to make more strategic decisions,” he said.

Boeken said independent hotels are at a disadvantage and were already paying a premium for revenue managers before the pandemic.

“Those going to those hotels do not have the time to teach teams and must focus on themselves and their role. If you are outsourcing, you are definitely paying a premium,” she said, adding many firms might be considering using revenue-management consulting.

“That can be attractive as it is flexible, three months, six, to see what happens, but consultancy always is different from having your own staff, but as you learn from coaches, there is no point hiring a trainee if there is no one for that person to learn from,” she said.

Dahl said it is a great time to look to the talent already in your company.

“Many are looking at opportunity in other industries. Those passionate about the industry will come back in due time, but not right now, as it is still too unstable, and not everyone who has left will come back,” said Ruby’s Boeken, who added Ruby just opened its 11th property.

“Digital marketing has applications across all industries, but revenue management is still very specific, and the people we are looking for have to be specific, with communication skills, not just externally but also internally. Not everyone has this on their shelf, so [hiring] has become more challenging,” she said

Frederic Toitot, vice president, global learning and development, Accor, said someone with revenue-management skills might be able to make more money outside the hotel and hospitality industry, although hopefully the excitement of the hotel world and travel might make up for some of that gap.

“Maybe now the requirement is not to be so far from home so often. And I agree, with more seniority and profile, yes, [revenue managers] have to communicate, to make the data talk,” he added.

Josephi said a good revenue manager needs to think ahead like a chess player.

“And then they have to sell the story,” he added.

Boeken said the hotel industry is far from a lost cause.

“There are intangible things more important than just having a salary," she said. "Reputation during the pandemic has become more and more important, the reputation of the industry and every company. How do they interact with their employees, what decisions are they making, short term or long term ones, how are they spending capital? Everyone has become cautious, so brand image is more important. Make sure the working culture is there, not just the compensation package.”

Attracting the next generation might be tougher, panelists said.

“Students are concerned. It is an insecure industry that has been hit hard, and they have delayed their entrance into the industry, perhaps taking on another masters in another subject,” Josephi said.

Dahl added it is the responsibility of those who have been around a long time to point out that the hotel industry is cyclical.

“There will be unprecedented tailwinds when the industry comes back, so it is about telling the right story, not the 20-year-old one that says you have to pay your dues, there is no social life for the next seven years," he said. “Fifty percent of jobs are in commercial. That never used to be the case, so there is far more than just the path to being general manager. Other industries have figured that out and are good at stealing employees from us."

“It used to be that if revenue management was mentioned, a scientist would be rolled out. Now the revenue manager leads the meeting,” Dahl added.

Toitot said another problem is that there have been no internships possible in this last 16 months or so. As a result, students have gained no practical experience.

“My advice for them is to focus on their networks, those from whom they can learn and grow,” he said.