Revenue Management is often sold as an individual sport: you + PMS/RMS + dashboards + endless pickup checks.
But as part of the hospitality industry, one of the core values must be interacting with colleagues and partners. That's why networking can't be a mere "nice thing" for revenue managers. It has to be a competitive advantage.
That's why it's great to see how communities are making networking feel natural again; like RevChill (the concept of "revenue, beers and real connections" that I will be collaborating with very soon as a Host).
Why networking directly impacts RM performance (and revenue)
1) You reduce the risk of decision-making (faster).
Most RM errors are not technical, they are contextual:
"Is this compset behavior a one-off or a market shift?" "Is this OTA movement happening everywhere?" "Is this demand pattern real, or is it just noise from my segmentation?"
A solid network gives you early warnings and sound judgment checks before you incorporate incorrect assumptions into pricing, constraints, and budgets.
2) You get market intelligence that can't be bought.
The tools are great, but the best ideas often emerge as:
"Notice: That corporate account is renegotiating citywide." "This event is underperforming on off-peak nights." "This channel is suddenly pushing condition X on contracts."
These are the small pieces that improve: forecasting accuracy, price positioning, displacement decisions, and ultimately, RevPAR (and total revenue).
It's not bad in exchange for going to that event, having coffee with that group of people, or dropping by that one-off workshop.
3) Your career is strengthened; and that is also a revenue result.
Let's be pragmatic: better positions, better teams, better mentors = better impact. Networking increases access to:
Opportunities. Talent (when you're hiring). And partnerships (technology, distribution, BI, alignment with marketing).
How to network like a Revenue Manager (without wasting time)
Here's a practical, ROI-oriented approach:
Step 1: Go in with 3 "good questions" (not with a sales pitch).
Examples: "What change did you make this quarter that moved the needle?" "What KPI do you trust most right now... and why?" "Where are you seeing the biggest forecasting failures lately?" "Which segment is surprising you (on the upside or downside)?"
Step 2: Collect playbooks, not business cards.
The value isn't "nice to meet you." It's: how they conduct their weekly RM meeting, what alerts they've built, what they've automated, how they structure their pricing fences, and how they coordinate with marketing and e-commerce.
Step 3: Follow up with something useful (within 48 hours).
Send: a 3-point summary with the best idea you took away, a resource (template, article, tool) relevant to their problem, or a presentation to someone they should know about.
This is how you become memorable without "selling out".
Step 4: Measure it as a revenue initiative.
Yes. It measures networking. A simple way: connections made (count), follow-ups performed (count), ideas captured (count), ideas implemented (count), impact notes (qualitative + any measurable improvements).
Over time, your network becomes a knowledge asset.
A small challenge for this week
If you are a revenue manager (or aspire to be one), do one of these two things in the next 7 days:
Attend a community gathering (RevChill style if you can). The next one will be in Benidorm on March 11th at 6:30 PM at the Rooftop Bar of the Hotel Brasil.
Send a direct message to a network manager you respect and ask them one intelligent question.
Because here's the truth: your next great pricing idea might not come from your dashboard. It might come from a conversation.
