While visiting a small independent inn, TakeUp CEO Bobby Marhamat noticed that the owner was glued to his phone. He wasn’t scrolling social media or fielding guest inquiries. Instead, he was obsessively checking competitor rates, trying to decide whether he should raise or lower his own.
“That moment was a lightbulb. It revealed just how stressful and manual the pricing process was for independent hoteliers, often driven by gut instinct and constant second-guessing,” Marhamat said.
That moment became the spark for TakeUp, a San Francisco–based startup founded in 2022. The team realized what many hoteliers already knew: independent properties were being left behind in the technology race
TakeUp’s answer? A pricing platform powered by causal AI that learns from actual guest behavior. Instead of relying on static rules, the system runs tens of thousands of micro-analyses a day, constantly testing what works and adapting prices in real time, Marhamat explains. But the company didn’t stop there—every hotel also gets a dedicated revenue strategist. It’s AI plus human oversight, a combination designed to give independents the same edge as big brands, but without the complexity or cost.
From Housekeeping to Pricing
Interestingly, TakeUp didn’t start as a pricing company. Its founders originally explored solving housekeeping challenges. But the lightbulb moment with that innkeeper checking his phone shifted the vision. Pricing wasn’t just a problem—it was the problem, one that could make or break an independent property’s financial health.
Chris McPherson, a co-founder with a background in data science, shaped the platform’s technical backbone. Together with CEO Bobby Marhamat, the team set out to “tear down the walled gardens” of hotel tech and give independents the tools to compete on equal footing.
Results That Tell a Story
The results have been striking. TakeUp’s customers report 20% average revenue lifts, with some seeing gains of 30%. Just as importantly, owners reclaim on average 15 hours of their week—time once spent poring over spreadsheets—so they can focus on what matters most: the guest experience.
One innkeeper described it simply:
“We’re making smarter pricing decisions faster—and bringing in more revenue. The time we’re saving goes right back into creating a better experience for our guests.”
It’s a story that resonates across the independent hospitality sector: technology not as a replacement for human intuition, but as a partner that amplifies it.
Fuel for the Next Chapter
In July 2025, TakeUp closed an $11 million Series A round led by 1848 Ventures, giving it the resources to expand beyond pricing into demand generation and conversion. The vision is bold: a full-funnel revenue engine built specifically for independents.
Already, features like the “Why This Rate” tool are redefining transparency, giving hoteliers not just the “what” but also the “why” behind pricing decisions. For IT leaders, this signals a shift in how AI systems can be deployed—moving from black-box automation to explainable, collaborative tools.
Why This Matters for Hotel IT Leaders
The story of TakeUp isn’t just about one startup’s rise. It’s about the larger narrative of independent hospitality waking up after years of technological disadvantage. For IT executives, it’s a glimpse into how AI can be democratized—built lean, deployed transparently, and paired with human expertise.
Marhamat frames it best:
“There can’t be a monopoly on AI for a handful of brands if the industry is going to continue to grow and thrive.”
For independents, TakeUp offers hope. For IT leaders, it offers a model of what’s possible when technology listens to users, solves a real problem, and blends machine learning with human judgment.
The question now is not whether independents can keep up with big brands, but whether the rest of the industry can keep up with the independents who adopt tools like these.
