Revenue Management

🍎 Food and drink prices in hospitality increased by 0.2% month-on-month in July, according to the Foodservice Price Index from NIQ and Prestige Purchasing. The rate of increase slowed from June's 1.8%. Inflation pressures persist in supply chains, with heatwaves causing uncertainty for buyers, particularly in vegetable categories. Hot and dry weather has impacted UK crops like broccoli.

🍷 Price architecture in wine lists is crucial and consists of four tiers: Accessible, Core, Premium, and Prestige. Examples include Domaine Gayda Chardonnay ($15, $70, 21.4%) for entry-level and Domaine Chevrot Maranges Premier Cru ($55, $180, 30.6%) for premium. The structure supports commercial substitutes over isolated references, such as Raffaitin-Planchon Sancerre ($28, $110, 25.5%). Success depends on sales distribution, premium conversion, and gross profit, not just markup percentages or inventory beauty.

🍷 A well-structured wine list increases sales and guest satisfaction by presenting a clear pricing hierarchy. Price laddering offers a progression of value, encouraging guests to "trade up" to higher-priced options. Examples include a New Zealand Sauvignon at $75 and a Touraine at $85. A Bordeaux list might offer a $85 Châteauneuf entry point, progressing to a $2,900 Château Lafite Rothschild, with markups ranging from 18.3% to 41.4%, creating an intelligible upgrade path and enhancing perceived value.

📅 Aug 14, 2026: Marriott's corporate room nights fell slightly, but a mid-single-digit rate increase offset this decline, boosting revenue. Host Hotels saw a 4% corporate revenue rise due to rate hikes, but room-night growth was noted in New York, Washington, and Chicago. Hilton experienced growth in both occupancy and rates. Many companies forecasted higher room nights than delivered, maintaining discounts based on outdated estimates. The value now lies in the rate and guest experience, rather than sheer volume.

🏨 U.S. hotel industry, 2-8 August 2026: Philadelphia led with a 14.2% occupancy increase to 74.6% and a 27.4% RevPAR rise to $116.29. Chicago's ADR climbed 15.2% to $206.21, boosting RevPAR by 23.8% to $176.93. Miami's occupancy fell 7.2% to 65.8%, and RevPAR dropped 8.5% to $107.60. Nashville faced a 4.1% ADR decrease to $158.12. CoStar, a global real estate data leader with 12.2 million rooms, reported these insights.

🏆 Philadelphia anticipated 450,000-500,000 visitors with an economic impact up to $770 million, seeing hotel revenues rise over 50%. Atlanta's hotel revenue increased 15%, despite lower bookings. In Kansas City, hotel occupancy rose 8%, with spending growth driven by matches involving Algeria, the Netherlands, and Argentina. Miami benefitted from team base camps. Marriott's RevPAR rose 5% in Q2 of 2026, while Mexico City saw booking growth above 150% compared to the seasonal norm. Toronto and Vancouver gained international visibility.

🏨 Philadelphia and St. Louis hotels saw notable performance gains from July 26 to August 1, 2026. Philadelphia's ADR rose 19.6% to $175.02 and RevPAR increased 32.1% to $137.55, aided by Morgan Wallen concerts. St. Louis experienced a 15.1% occupancy lift, ADR grew 13.5% to $140.98, and RevPAR rose 30.6% to $106.27. Las Vegas faced declines with occupancy at 66.2% (-11.7%), ADR at $145.87 (-6.2%), and RevPAR at $96.63 (-17.1%). CoStar's data encompasses 95,000 properties globally.

📈 Across ten hotels, 80% spend up to two days weekly on manual reporting, with an extra day added by head office. This affects general managers' time, impacting growth. Effective forecasting involves four conditions: one definition, cadence, meeting, and escalation line. General manager turnover averages one every 2.5 years, mainly due to owner conflicts. To improve, align definitions, reduce redundant reports, and focus on forward-looking profit views to ensure reliable forecasting and enhanced group performance.

💸 Choice Hotels International, Inc. reported second-quarter 2026 results in North Bethesda, Maryland: net income reached $64 million, yet declined 21% from 2025. U.S. room openings rose 27%, with 6,400 new rooms. Adjusted EBITDA hit $175 million, while adjusted EPS was $2.02. Global net rooms grew 2.6%, with U.S. RevPAR rising 1.3%. Choice returned $139 million to shareholders and reported $475 million in liquidity. Global franchise agreements increased by 20%, reaching 11,200 new rooms.

📈 Cloudbeds and Lighthouse expanded their partnership in January 2023. Their integration now allows Cloudbeds PMS data to flow directly into Lighthouse Performance and Distribution, automating reporting for single and multi-property hotels. This enhances decision-making by analyzing pickup trends, booking pace, and occupancy rates without manual input. Lighthouse services 80,000 hotels across 185 countries. Cloudbeds, founded in 2012, operates in over 150 countries, serving tens of thousands of properties.