There’s a moment. Every single Revenue Manager knows it. You’re looking at the numbers. Something feels… off. Pickup looks weird. ADR is drifting. Occupancy is doing its own thing. The forecast you defended last week suddenly looks like fan fiction.
And then it hits you: Oh shit. Not the dramatic kind. The quiet, internal one. The kind where you don’t move for 10 seconds and just stare at the screen.
The classic “Oh Shit” Scenarios
Let’s be honest, you’ve lived at least one of these:
- You pushed rates confidently… and demand vanished.
- You held rates “strategically”… and competitors filled up around you.
- You trusted the system… and forgot to sanity-check it.
- You discounted “just a little”… and now that price is everywhere.
- You realised the group you rejected would’ve saved your month.
- You noticed the spike… one day after it mattered.
- You did everything right… but the market thought different.
That’s not incompetence. That’s revenue management.
Why this Moment exists (and always will)
Revenue management lives in the future. But data lives mostly in the past (this funny thing with patterns you know). Here is the kicker:
You’re paid to make decisions without certainty, explain them with confidence, and adjust them without ego. That gap? That’s where the “oh shit” moment is born.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth: If you never have that moment, you’re probably not pushing hard enough.
What Average Revenue Managers Do Next
They panic. They:
Slash rates – overcorrect – start justifying instead of thinking – hide behind data dumps – blame the market, the system, the OTAs, the moon cycle.
Basically: they react emotionally to a strategic problem.
What Great Revenue Managers Do Instead
They pause. They ask three simple questions:
- Is this noise or a signal?
- What decision do I regret more: acting too fast or too slow?
- What’s the least irreversible move I can make right now?
They don’t try to fix everything. They stabilise first. Then they adjust. That’s the difference between firefighting and leadership.
The Real Skill Nobody Trains You For
It’s not forecasting. It’s not pricing. It’s not dashboards.
It’s emotional control under uncertainty.
Revenue management is less chess, more poker. You never see all the cards. You just learn when to bet, fold, or bluff.
If you’re in an “Oh Shit” Moment right now…
Good. It means you’re actually managing revenue, you’re making real decisions, you’re learning where the edges are. The worst place to be is not wrong. It’s comfortable and clueless.
And remember: Every legendary Revenue Manager you admire? They’ve had more “oh shit” moments than you. They just recovered faster.
Love,
Fabi
Bit about me: I’m Fabian Bartnick aka. Fabi – The Commercial Growth Leader. I’ve built and exited hospitality tech companies, trained thousands of leaders worldwide in sales, marketing and revenue management, and helped businesses in multiple industries align their commercial teams for measurable growth. TL;DR: I make people better and companies more money.
