How Smart Hotels Thrive Without a Full-Time Revenue Manager in 2025
When Everything Is Changing, Your Revenue Strategy Can’t Stay the Same
In a year where unpredictability feels like the only constant — from shifting source markets to changing guest behaviors and rising operational costs — one thing is becoming clear in hospitality: you can’t afford to keep working in silos.
And yet, many hotels are still doing exactly that.
Revenue is handled by whoever has the time. Marketing campaigns run without alignment to forecasts. Sales teams are chasing leads while the front desk guesses at upsells. Sound familiar?
In our Best Stay Insights session, we pulled back the curtain on this growing issue — and offered something rare: real, practical answers.
The session featured three seasoned experts: Vlatka Barcan, a revenue and profitability consultant with leadership experience at citizenM and Sircle Collection; Dinka Krčelić, a certified executive coach and trainer specialized in leadership, communication, and organizational transformation; and Vladislav Valiček, a strategic advisor for digital integration and system design in the hospitality industry, with a deep focus on aligning IT with commercial strategy.
But this wasn’t another tech pitch or buzzword-filled roundtable. It was a human conversation about what actually works — across departments, teams, and systems — when you don’t have a full-time revenue manager, and you still need to deliver results.
"Revenue management touches every part of the hotel," said expert consultant Vlatka Barcan.
"If it lives in isolation, you’ve already lost."
Vlatka, who worked at citizenM and Sircle Collection, walked participants through clear, low-barrier actions that any hotel can take — from building a unified commercial calendar to aligning teams around the same KPIs and reviewing performance together.
But the real takeaway wasn’t about dashboards. It was about behavior.
Change Requires Human Effort First, Tech Second
Executive coach Dinka Krčelić reminded us that real collaboration only happens in cultures that are built on trust and psychological safety — not rushed deadlines and budget panic.
“We need to stop treating transformation as something we ‘install’ and start treating it as something we guide people through,” Dinka said.
“Leadership isn’t just about driving change. It’s about making people feel safe enough to embrace it.”
Her advice? Start with culture. Clarify roles. And stop confusing meeting frequency with communication quality.
Which brings us to the tech.
You’re Not Using AI? You’re Already Behind
Strategic tech advisor Vladislav Valiček didn’t mince words. While many still think of digital tools as IT’s responsibility, Vladislav challenged that mindset entirely.
“Technology reflects how we think,” he said.
“If we don’t bring IT, marketing, and revenue into one conversation, we’re not solving anything — we’re just maintaining broken structures.”
One of his most powerful suggestions? Use AI not just to forecast rates or personalize offers — but to analyze your internal conversations.
“If you’re not recording and learning from how you work — you’re guessing. That’s not strategy.”
He also questioned outdated job descriptions and encouraged leaders to hire for maturity and skills, not just roles.
So… What Now?
If you’re leading a hotel right now, you’re likely facing all of the following at once:
Rising revenue
Rising costs
Staff stretched across multiple functions
Guests with changing expectations
Tech systems that don’t fully talk to each other
That’s the new normal.
And this is the year to question everything — your org charts, your processes, your KPIs, your tools… and yes, your meetings.
The takeaway from this session wasn’t “do more.”
It was do smarter — together.
And if you missed the live session, you can still catch the full recording. You’ll walk away with actionable steps and real frameworks, not just theory.
Looking Ahead: Best Stay 2026
This conversation was just the beginning.
If you found value in this session, we’ll be continuing the dialogue live and in person at Best Stay 2026, happening in February in Zagreb. Expect deeper dives into AI, strategy, collaboration, and the mindset shifts needed to future-proof your hospitality business.
Early Bird tickets are available now — and yes, they come with access to a private masterclass with this same group of experts.
Because in a world where everything is changing, the real risk is staying the same.