2011 saw the light of the first European HSMAI Revenue Management Conference, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The hands-on workshops were particularly cherished, so for 2012 we have included more workshops and hot topics, all to make sure that you get the best possible learning outcome – at the HSMAI Revenue Management Conference – Revenue Management 2.0, taking place at the Mint Hotel Tower of London (above) on Thursday 9 February 2012.

Through hands-on workshops as well as key note speakers and exciting panel discussions, you will be able to strengthen your skills in the four main topics of the conference:

• Basic Revenue Management Concepts and Skills
• Profit Management
• Channel and Distribution Management
• Social Media and Online Reputation Management

For further details on topics and registration, please visit this page

Next year’s HSMAI Revenue Management Conference takes place at the Mint Hotel Tower of London on Thursday 9 February 2012. 2011 saw the light of the first European HSMAI Revenue Management Conference, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The hands-on workshops were particularly cherished, so for 2012 we have included more workshops and hot topics, all to make sure that you get the best possible learning outcome.

Through hands-on workshops as well as key note speakers and exciting panel discussions, you will be able to strengthen your skills in the four main topics of the conference:

• Basic Revenue Management Concepts and Skills
• Profit Management
• Channel and Distribution Management
• Social Media and Online Reputation Management

Early bird rate until Friday 30 December 2011

HSMAI members: EUR 195
Non-members: EUR 295

(After 30 December an additional EUR 50 will apply to the delegate rate.)

For more information on topics and how to register, please visit visit this page.

Accommodation at the Mint Hotel Tower of London

We have reserved a limited number of rooms at GBP 150 + VAT per night, continental breakfast and Wi-Fi included.

Photo: The Mint Hotel Tower of London lobby.

IDeaS Revenue Solutions recently announced the second and final round of 2011 IDeaS Cornell Revenue Management Scholarship winners, according to a press release issued by the company.

Winners include Matthew Wilson, Director of Revenue Management, DoubleTree by Hilton Boston Downtown; Nicola McDougall, Revenue Coordinator, Apex Hotels, Edinburgh, Scotland; and Jeff Tang, Director of Revenue Management, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. The recipients were selected by the Scholarship Panel at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration for their exceptional skill sets and career aspirations within the field of revenue management.

“We are thrilled to award this scholarship to another round of hospitality professionals eager to advance their understanding of revenue management and advance the revenue management discipline within their teams,” said Vivek Bhogaraju, Senior Manager, Corporate Business Development, IDeaS. “Revenue management is a necessary function today, and Cornell’s curriculum offers an in-depth look at emerging ideas and current practices that benefit hospitality professionals in a variety of positions.”

The scholarship programme, funded by IDeaS, gives hospitality professionals access to five eCornell courses covering topics such as pricing strategy, overbooking practices and forecasting in relation to revenue management and allows both beginners and seasoned revenue management professionals from around the world the opportunity to evolve their knowledge of the industry.

“This scholarship provides a fantastic opportunity to learn from the best and brightest and further develop my skill set,” said Wilson. “Revenue management is a rather recent and constantly evolving role, and I look forward to discovering new management techniques to help me improve revenue initiatives within my organisation.”

“The continued teaching of revenue management is imperative to keep one step ahead of your competition and grow your business in tough economic times,” added McDougall. “I hope to take away an enriched knowledge of best working practices and utilise the information to educate my colleagues and create a more effective revenue department.”

“This programme has the potential to bring my hotel’s operating efficiency to the next level, and I trust that I will gain an understanding of new approaches and tools for optimising revenue across all levels of operations,” said Tang.

HSMAI partner d2o recently hired Bernard Ellis, whereby strengthening the force in pursuing the mission of making PMI as industrial standard in the hotel industry.

“Bernard is one of the preeminent figures in hotel technology sales and marketing in the world. He built his base in the hotel industry by holding a variety of operations and F&B positions while in school. His undergraduate degree, from the College of William and Mary, was in the heart of the hotel and tourism center of Colonial Williamsburg. He went on to get his master’s degree from Cornell’s renowned Hotel School”, d2o’s CEO Young N. Nguyen explains in an email today.

Having both industry experience and a top-notch education, Bernard began an 8-year tenure at Micros, first in product management for its fledgling 8500 PMS, then in sales for its new acquisition, Fidelio, where he was responsible for selling the total solution of PMS, POS, Sales & Catering, F&B Inventory and Cost Control, and Back Office.

Bernard’s next role was in sales and product management at SynXis (now a part of Sabre Hospitality Solutions), where he found himself in the middle of a highly volatile and changing CRS and electronic distribution environment, and acted as one of the earliest proponents of Software as a Service to the hospitality industry. At both Micros and SynXis, Bernard had a working relationship with IDeaS Revenue Optimization (a SAS Company), where he then worked for six years as Managing Director-Americas. He doubled sales year on year for multiple years running, and hopes are high for a similar achievement at d2o.

Bernard served on the advisory board of the HSMAI Revenue Management Special Interest Group, and currently serves as president of the local Metropolitan Washington, DC chapter. He also holds both Certified Revenue Management Executive (CRME) and Certified Hotel Technology Professional (CHTP) designations.

He divides his time between Washington, DC and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where, on weekends, he is able to indulge his love for the ocean, cycling, kayaking, and great restaurants, and wherever he is, he enjoys books, movies, and Scrabble. Though single, he is swamped by extended family—four older siblings and forty-two first cousins. Bernard is also quite accustomed to being in a multi-cultural environment: with an American father and French-Canadian mother, he holds both US and Canadian citizenship.

On Thursday 1 September 2011 leading European chains gathered in Oslo for the first meeting of the HSMAI European Revenue Management Advisory Board. With diversity in culture, language and level of experience, the European hotel industry is still struggling to find common ground that defines revenue management across nations and chains.

As a non-profit organisation, neutral towards competing providers and schools, HSMAI Europe founded the HSMAI European Academy, which will provide training in the disciplines of leadership, sales and revenue management. The HSMAI European Academy cooperates with training providers and industry leaders to create a European standard and certification in the discipline of revenue management.

The HSMAI European Revenue Management Advisory Board is an important body of leaders from various European hotel chains. Their role is to provide input on industry needs, define European standards, and to assess the quality and relevance of the training curriculum. The following leaders were present at the first HSMAI European Advisory Board meeting:

• Carl Oldsberg, Vice President Revenue and Distribution, Nordic Choice Hotels
• Christopher Cooper, Head of Commercial, Mint Hotel Group
• Heiko Siebert, VP Distribution, Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts Management AG
• Henning Möhn, Manager Revenue and E-Commerce, Queens Moat Houses Hotels
• Jorunn Svidal, Director of Revenue Management, Thon Hotels
• Thibaut Seillier, Corporate Revenue Manager, Kempinski Hotels

HSMAI Europe representatives in the meeting were:

• Wilhelm K. Weber, Partner, Swiss Hospitality Solutions and leader of the HSMAI European Academy
• Tarjei Gylseth, Project Manager, HSMAI Europe and coordinator of the HSMAI European Academy

With the curriculum approved, the first conference for Revenue Management Trainers will take place in Oslo already 7–9 October 2011. During this Train-the-Trainer conference, trainers will be introduced to the curriculum for the revenue management certification and be licensed to provide training leading up to the HSMAI Certified Revenue Management certification.

On February 9 2012 the second Pan-European HSMAI Revenue Management Conference will take place in London. The conference will discuss and provide input on trends in revenue management, social media, internal processes, how to become a RevPAR leader, and other relevant topics Revenue Managers face on a daily basis.

Photo: (back from left): Jorunn Svidal, Carl Oldsberg, Heiko Siebert, Tarjei Gylseth, Henning Möhn, Thibaut Seillier, (front): Wihelm K. Weber, Christopher Cooper

DUBLIN, Ireland—The Irish hotel market has been one of the most challenged in Europe, with heavy discounting being the order of the day. To help recalibrate the industry to be more focussed on delivering a revenue maximised approach, top US expert Jeffrey Osborne CRME led a one day seminar in Bewley’s Hotel, Dublin 4 last Monday.

The seminar was part of a four-city-tour by Jeffrey, who also presented in Belfast, Oslo and London (of which the latter takes place today), and the delegates in attendance were treated to numerous practical examples and tips from a speaker with a wealth of inside knowledge in Revenue Management tips. Text continued below photograph.

Osborne stressed to the attendance the need to adopt a more strategic perspective on price setting and one that was rooted in a better insight into the buying patterns of different hospitality segments. There was a very positive feedback from delegates to the presentation and also keen interest in the roll-out of the Certified Revenue Management Executive programme to Europe. In fact it is anticipated that the first Irish CRMEs will be graduating very shortly!

A globally renowned resource

Mr. Osborne CRME, founder and CEO of Intelligent Hotels, Inc., has been recognised worldwide for his cutting edge, results driven, approach to the design and implementation of systems that enable hotels to maximise profits through savvy revenue management. Using the expertise developed during a 25-year hospitality career, involving corporate, operational and revenue management positions, Jeffrey Osborne has successfully put his results-driven strategies to work for independent and branded hotels and resorts throughout North America and overseas.

Top photo: Mr. Jeffrey Osborne CRME giving a lecture on Revenue Management in Dublin.

Middle photo: This article’s author, Mr. Alex Gibson, Director of the Board, HSMAI Ireland, and Mr. Jeffrey Osborne CRME, CEO of Intelligent Hotels, Inc. at the Revenue Management Workshop in Dublin 29 November 2010.

Bottom photo: The attendants at the Dublin Revenue Management Workshop took a keen interest in the roll-out of the Certified Revenue Management Executive programme to Europe.

HSMAI Europe will be co-hosting seminars on Revenue Management with HSMAI Ireland in Dublin and Belfast, as well as with BAHA in London between 29 November and 2 December, in what is dubbed an extraordinary opportunity now rolling out across Europe, the “introduction to the CRME (Certified Revenue Management Executive) programme, granting you the right to add CRME to your name and title, which carries with it the recognition and authority, as well as job opportunities, entailed”.

The programme is based on HSMAI Amaricas’ recently upgraded certification in Revenue Management, where “individuals working in revenue management in the travel and hospitality industry, upon meeting the minimum qualifications for participants, can take a 60-minute online examination offering a chance to confirm their knowledge, experience, and capabilities”.

The workshops will take place in Dublin (29 November), Belfast (30 November) and London (2 December) 2010.

Mr Jeffrey Osborne CRME, CEO of Intelligent Hotels

Accomplished international resource

“We are extremely pleased to introduce our Irish and British colleagues to the workshops, led by Jeffrey Osborne CRME, who is an accomplished international resource and trainer with broad experience throughout European and North American markets,” says Ms Ingunn Hofseth, president and CEO of HSMAI Europe in a statement.

Jeffrey Osborne CRME, CEO of Intelligent Hotels, has been recognised worldwide for his cutting edge, results-driven approach to the design and implementation of systems that enable hotels to maximise profits through savvy revenue management. Using the expertise developed during a 25-year hospitality career, involving corporate, operational and revenue management positions, Osborne has successfully put his results-driven strategies to work for independent and branded hotels and resorts throughout Europe and the North American markets.

Two tailored seminars

There will be two separate seminars in all three venues. The first session, from 9 am to midday, is designed to help current revenue managers prepare for the examination required to become certified in Revenue Management under the current guidelines of HSMAI.

Session 2, from 1 pm to 4 pm, is directed towards experienced revenue managers and their leaders, to help them better understand what the process is all about, and what it implies for their business units.

Potential participants are welcome to join one seminar or the other – or both, taking place in these hotels:

Bewley’s Hotel, Ballsbridge in Dublin:

The Fitzwilliam Hotel in Belfast:

Hilton London Metropole in London:

Ambitious expansion plans

Ingunn Hofseth, president and CEO of HSMAI Europe.

“We all share the expectation that the seminars may signify the onset of a productive HSMAI era in Ireland and the UK, but I would like to emphasise that it would have been hard to pull this off without the fabulous people in BAHA and HSMAI Chapter Ireland’s board of directors,” Ms Hofseth continues, adding:

“But let’s not forget the busy schedules in The Netherlands and Norway,” with reference to this agenda, including the HSMAI Europe conference in Lisbon 15 December, the HSMAI European Revenue Management conference in London 7 February 2011 and the HSMAI Europe Marketing conference in London 5 May, followed by the HSMAI European Travel Awards on the same evening – among numerous other events.

“There can be no doubt that we have an extremely interesting year ahead of us,” she says.

HSMAI’s European members have called for an international Revenue Management Executive certification –also in Europe. We are, of course, only too happy to comply!

You and/or your colleagues may now be the first in Europe to qualify for this certification. In order to make the certification as easy and swift as possible, we have set up a one-hour webinar Tuesday 1 June, costing USD 99 for HSMAI Europe members (members of national European chapters are automatically members of HSMAI Europe) and USD 159 for non-members.

Join us for a one-hour Webinar at 15:00 (UK, Ireland and Portugal time) Tuesday 1 June, presented by Jeff Osborne (CRME), founder and CEO of Intelligent Hotels, Inc (15:00  in the UK is at 14:00 UTC, equal to 16:00  in the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Poland, France, Italy, Germany and so forth, and 17:00 in Finland and the Baltic countries).

To sign up:

For further details, please see this page.

In addition, we have several other offers in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, we wish you a fabulous weekend.

Sincerely,
Ingunn Hofseth
President & CEO, HSMAI Europe

Jeffrey Osborne, CEO of Intelligent Hotels, Inc (formerly OZone Strategic Marketing, LLC) today announced that the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) European office has selected Intelligent Hotels and their extensive Revenue Management Training Group in a multi-year partnership to the lead role in preparing the next generation of Certified European Revenue Management Executives (CRME).

Ingunn Hofseth, President of HSMAI Europe chaired the selection committee. “We had a desire to partner with a firm that not only had relevant and successful European Industry experience, but one who possessed unique and effective training skills that will bring about the best and drive our membership’s #1 Priority – Professional Development,” Ms Hofseth declared, continuing:

“In choosing Intelligent Hotels we not only get dynamic training programmes in front of our members over the coming years, but we will also launch electronic media that will be self-paced and accessible 24/7 through links on our European website. Our membership is quite regionally diverse, and spans several time zones and the programmes that Intelligent Hotels will develop for our membership will prepare them for the Internationally recognised CRME certification exam.”

Mr Jeffrey Osborne, CEO of Intelligent Hotels

For over a decade, Osborne’s global team has been working in tandem with hotels enhancing each property’s position within their competitive market.  They have successfully developed strong sales, distribution, and channel management strategies and tactics for all sales categories in many key markets world-wide.  “We did not just hang out our shingle last week, like many entrepreneurs of the day. We have had a laser sharp focus on developing revenue management programmes specifically designed to grow revenues in any market in any economy for hotels around the globe for over ten years,” Mr Osborne says, adding:

“Whether we are providing our unique Interim Revenue Management Solutions programme, or utilising our full-time team of experts, we customise and create key revenue growth methodologies and comprehensive training programmes to allow our partners to generate superior financial performance.”

About Jeffrey Osborne: Jeffrey Osborne brings an in-depth, practical knowledge in revenue management, marketing, and operations gained over the past 20 years to his current role as CEO of Intelligent Hotels. Having held leadership positions in corporate offices as well as on property throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, Osborne has been recognised world-wide for his cutting edge approach to developing systems that work effectively in the operating environment of any hotel.

His extensive background includes executive positions within TravelCLICK as VP of Information Product Sales, where he introduced and took to market, the Data Products that have revolutionised competitive intelligence for revenue management professionals. Osborne has also held senior corporate positions developing and implementing Yield Management programmes for all hotels within the Disneyland Paris Resort Group, Loews Hotels, and many others.

About Intelligent Hotels, Inc. (formerly OZone Strategic Marketing, LLC): Headquartered in Stamford, CT, USA, Intelligent Hotels, has been developing and implementing cutting-edge revenue growth strategies for the hospitality industry since 1999.  Intelligent Hotels has driven above market RevPAR growth and RoI for its client base of more than 35 hotels representing approximately 12,000 rooms in just the past four years alone. Past clients include luxury properties around the Globe in the portfolios of Leading Hotels and Resorts, Preferred H&R, Small Luxury H&R, Relais & Chateaux, Desires H&R, Viceroy H&R, Marriott, Hilton, Capella and Solis H&R, Loews, Le Meridien, and Millennium/Copthorne.  Intelligent Hotels also has extensive experience with limited and select service hotels within Choice, Holiday Inns, Ramada, Interstate and the Marriott Brands, as well as Mexico’s Leading Luxury Brands within the Grupo Posadas portfolio. In addition owner/investor groups, such as The Blackstone Group, Sceptre Hospitality, HotelAVE (Asset Value Enhancement) and The West Paces Hotel Group, have counted Intelligent Hotels as a partner in the past.

This week’s conferences in Oslo and Stockholm featured an introduction to Revenue management confirmed the need for an international certification within that field – regardless your chain affiliation or nationality. The programme, originally developed in the U.S., is currently adapted and tailored for European needs, to be launched on this website in a couple of weeks.

The global financial recession has brought about challenges we need to address, as tourism and business travels alike have taken a downturn, calling for increased focus on maximising business opportunities and revenue management.

We also need to take a closer look at marketing, and to establish how to get the most out of each penny spent, thereby improving margins. Interestingly, we see how the two Special Interest Groups Revenue management and Travel Internet marketing overlap in that respect, which is why we’ve decided to launch the two first. But we acknowledge national differences, introducing both national and pan European SIG’s.

However, we go even farther:

With seminars and the Certified Revenue Management Executive programme we wish to enable our members to optimise income for just their businesses, and it really doesn’t matter where you are, as webinars will be used extensively, both in this particular area of interest and others. What better way to maximise income, than to save both time and money?

All webinars will be held in English and in a number of European languages.

Thanks a lot to all those who have contributed to a memorable and instructive week – and to HSMAI Global’s president and CEO Bob Gilbert, who toured the Norwegian and Swedish capitals with us this week.

A peaceful and enjoyable weekend to one and all!

Ingunn Hofseth
President and CEO
HSMAI Europe