Interstate Hotels & Resorts uses its diverse revenue-management talent to optimize revenue, according to Denise Broussard, the company’s VP of revenue management.

　　LOS ANGELES—Denise Broussard has her hands full as VP of revenue management at Interstate Hotels & Resorts. Not only does she oversee 18 regional directors of revenue management, but she also has 23 area directors to keep in check.

　　It can be quite the juggling act, but Broussard said the way Interstate organizes its revenue-management staff—they are not aligned geographically by brand but by ownership group—helps set them apart.

　　“Every one of my team players is very geographically market and brand diverse,” she said during an interview with Hotel News Now at the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International’s Revenue Optimization Conference at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles. “It’s harder to find talent that is brand diverse, but it’s much more worth it in the long run for the strength of the company because it’s more flexible.”

　　Finding talent was a hot topic at the conference. For Interstate, this involves looking to smaller management companies, Broussard said.

　　“There are some (revenue-management employees) that are thriving at other smaller management companies that want further advancement in their careers and are looking for more opportunities and growth with an independent management company, so (Interstate’s) the logical next step,” she said.

　　Once joining Interstate’s revenue-management team, Broussard said each team member will then follow a development track within the company where each person will “buddy up” with someone in the same role or of the same brand. Task-force resources are sent to assist in any transition issues, but sometimes “if it’s not the right fit, it’s not the right fit,” Broussard said.

　　Interstate’s revenue-management team also is brought up to speed monthly on the happenings in the distribution channel space, Broussard said.

　　“We complete on a monthly basis what we call channel of contribution report, whether it be brand.com, (online travel agencies), and then we break it down into each OTA by production in roomnights revenue, percentage of total mix, and then percentage of cost,” she said. The reports are then sent to the entire company on a quarterly basis.

　　Adapting to distribution changes

　　Broussard said her team’s revenue-management strategies have changed significantly because of the rise of e-commerce, and keeping up with all the distribution channels will continue to be a focus for Interstate.

　　The company has even started focusing some of its efforts on “private sales revenues” through websites such as Travelzoo and Groupon because they are sites “where rate parity doesn’t become an issue, and you still have some offerings out there electronically that you can capture additional demand with,” Broussard said.

　　Broussard said the method of mobile booking is increasing “leaps and bounds.” Because of this growing trend, Interstate has made a concerted effort to ensure all of its brand websites are mobile capable.

　　About 95% of the company’s portfolio is branded, and most of those brands have made the switch to mobile. But Broussard said Interstate is working with a third-party e-commerce vendor to bring all of its independent properties into the fold.

　　She added the company is trying to stay away from the “last-minute distressed pop-ups,” such as Hotel Tonight.

　　The challenges

　　Big data can be challenging, and Broussard said it’s important to ensure the revenue-management team is looking at the right data.

　　“At the property level, I think it involves keeping them focused on revenue-generating tasks versus a guest-service task or reputation management, or assisting sales with whatever the case may be,” she said.

　　Adapting to new business that could include fewer groups also can prove challenging, she said.

　　“… This is our new normal and potentially moving forward with group probably lessening in our mix even more. And with total spend of group just minimizing, (food and beverage) will just become a nominal budgetary number,” she said.

　　Technology continues to be a challenge among the big brands, Broussard said.

　　“Technology varies very drastically brand to brand, even with the top five, not to mention the lesser budget-conscious brands,” she said. “… Even with the enhancements that have come down the pike in the last two years, and more coming with consolidating inventory systems with Marriott (International) and Starwood (Hotels & Resorts Worldwide) and the like, they’re still behind the curve.”