Revenue management is a game of action, right? Adjust rates, tweak forecasts, push promotions, shift distribution…
But what if I told you that sometimes, the smartest move is to do absolutely nothing?
The Urge to “Fix” Everything
We’ve all been there. Bookings slow down, and panic sets in:
🔹 “Should we drop rates?”
🔹 “Maybe launch a last-minute promo?”
🔹 “What if we adjust restrictions?”
The problem? Knee-jerk reactions often do more harm than good. You see a dip, you panic, you slash prices—and suddenly, you’ve trained the market to expect discounts.
Congratulations, you’ve just made your own problem worse.
Why Doing Nothing is Sometimes the Best Move
Think of revenue management like investing.
The worst investors check their stocks 10 times a day and react to every tiny dip.The best ones? They zoom out, trust the strategy, and let the market do its thing.
Here’s when doing nothing is actually a power move:
✔Short-Term Dips: A slow Monday in August? It’s not broken, it’s just seasonality. Stay calm.
✔Compression Events: Demand spikes ahead? Lowering rates today could cost you big time later.
✔Competitor Panic: Just because the hotel next door slashes rates doesn’t mean you should follow them off a cliff.
Control Isn’t About Constant Action
Great revenue managers know when to tweak and when to hold firm. It’s the difference between driving the strategy and being driven by fear.
Next time the urge to “fix” something hits, ask yourself:
Is this a real problem, or just normal fluctuation? Will this action create long-term value, or just short-term relief? Am I reacting because of data, or because of anxiety?
Because sometimes, the best decision… is no decision at all.
Stay strategic,
Love, Fabi
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