How Does Automation Help You If Your August Is Empty? It’s Time to Talk Heads in Beds, Revenue, and Product Innovation!

Everyone is talking automation, but who is talking about revenue growth through better customer experiences?  

Somewhere along the way, the hospitality industry seems to have forgotten that automation was also meant to enhance the guest journey, not just slash operational costs. And by the way, increased automation is a necessity—not a differentiator. 

If you’re starting to see your occupancy drop, don’t waste time, you need to act now. But where should you start? 

You may not control market demand, but you're still accountable for outperforming competitors. So, which areas should you review to maximize your share? 

While a proper marketing strategy should always start with diagnosis and then strategy, let’s return to the fundamentals and take a hard look at your current marketing mix, commonly structured around the 4Ps of Marketing. 

While I acknowledge that there are other frameworks, like the 7Ps or 4Cs, the fundamentals are still best captured by the 4Ps—and all other activities can be mapped back to them. 

Every seasoned marketer knows the foundational 4Ps of the marketing mix, so let’s take a closer look at them: 

• Product 

• Price 

• Place (better labeled: Distribution) 

• Promotion (better labeled: Communication) 

You may believe you have them all covered. But do you, really? 

Price

You’ve implemented a revenue management system based on accurate demand forecasting, enabling dynamic pricing. Example: Adjusting rates in real time during high-demand periods like city-wide conferences. 

Distribution (Place)

Your channel manager and booking engine distribute inventory across major OTAs and direct channels. Example: Listings are optimized on Booking.com, Expedia etc. and most importantly your direct channels. 

Communication (Promotion)

A robust CRM supports segmented outreach and automation, complemented by flashy campaigns and visibility-boosting metasearch ads. Example: Personalized email campaigns based on guest history and targeted Meta and Google Hotel Ads. 

But what about your Product? 

No, not your physical property, you’ve likely ensured that it’s in excellent shape or even automated many of the back-end processes and aspects of the guest journey. The real issue is your virtual product: how you categorize, price, and sell your rooms online, and how you manage guest expectations. 

Here’s the harsh reality: you’re offering simplified, generic room categories—just like every other hotel. 'Standard Room,' 'Deluxe Room,' 'Suite'—sound familiar? That means your product isn’t the actual experience you might provide for your guests. At the point of sale, your product is clustered in simplified room categories. 

No wonder you’re drowning in a sea of sameness, competing solely on price and brand scale (i.e. deep pockets), and leaving yourself vulnerable to the power of large booking platforms.  

OTAs love this setup: it turns your hotel into a mere commodity. Meanwhile, your guests are forced to accept your rigid room classifications, even though there may be meaningful differences in views, location, or even interior design. 

Imagine this: 

What if you actually innovated your product offering? Instead of generic rooms, you offer dynamic, personalized room & experience products tailored to different guest profiles. Think about labeling your rooms differently in a dynamic way, relevant to the target audience. 

Functional Benefits: Highlighting features like "Top-Floor Quiet Room" or "Convenient Family Suite." 

Emotional Benefits: Offering something memorable like "Sally's Favorite Room" or "Romantic Sunset View." 

When you change your virtual product, - surprise, surprise - your pricing, distribution, and promotional strategies change dramatically too! 

And This Isn’t Just Theory—It’s Reality. 

Hotels worldwide are already leveraging GauVendi's Dynamic Inventory concept, reshaping their product offering and breaking free from commoditization. And all of this without changing a thing in their Property Management System.  

Selling like this isn’t just about upselling or optimizing price, it’s about driving revenue by truly differentiating yourself in a crowded market. Sales, Marketing, and Revenue teams love it.

So, ask yourself this:  

Is your virtual product being indistinguishable from your competition? Or are you ready to redefine your product, delight your guests, and significantly boost your bottom line? 

The choice and the opportunity is yours. What are you waiting for? 

Contact us for more information at info@gauvendi.com.