Five years ago, “revenue management” in short-term rentals was barely a phrase. Today, it’s one of the most dynamic, fast-moving functions in hospitality — and the road that got us here shows why we can never stop evolving.
Five years ago, there was no roadmap. The idea of “community” in the revenue management world did not exist for our industry in the same way it does today. Just curiosity, piecemealed systems and a lot of trial and error.
I remember sitting at my desk in the early days, staring at a color-coded Excel sheet that passed for a booking system, trying to explain to the leadership why we should stop charging a flat seasonal rate. Not even weekly rate, seasonal. At that time, we took every booking over the phone, had no OTA connections, and relied on instinct. I was alone in the role, a lone ranger running experiments that few people around me understood. However, one of the things that I have been most fortunate with in my career is working with companies willing to take a chance to try new things, even before it felt like anything was “broken”. Because if you are not seeking innovation, rest assured, your competitors will be.
That’s why I often think back with gratitude to my time at Casiola. Dennis Goedheid, the company’s CEO, believed in revenue management before most of the industry did. His willingness to invest in the concept opened the door for me to build something entirely new. We didn’t always have all the answers, and when COVID hit everything we thought we knew went out the window anyway. But we had ideas and the determination to test them. Dennis never was fearful of innovation- a quality I believe that has made Casiola the success it is today.
Looking back now, it’s almost surreal. In half a decade, the majority of the industry has moved from spreadsheets and static rates to sophisticated RMS platforms and distribution strategies that rival hotels. That didn’t happen by accident. It happened because a handful of people kept asking “what’s next?”
During COVID, that question got louder. Isolation forced connection in new ways, and one day I stumbled across someone who seemed to be speaking my language- spreadsheets, strategy, and all. Her name was Sarah Franzen. We talked for hours about the same problems, the same hopes for professional education, and the same frustration of feeling like an island inside the industry. That conversation was the spark for what would later become RevProf. What started as two people sharing ideas, turned into four people co-founding the industry’s first professional organization for the craft and evolved into an entire movement to connect hundreds of revenue professionals. People who wanted more- more collaboration, more education, and more respect for a discipline that was quietly driving company profits.
The industry matured alongside us. Suddenly, “revenue manager” wasn’t a novelty; it was a necessity. Tools evolved, strategies deepened, and operators started to realize that data-driven decision-making was the difference between growth and stagnation.
But with advancement comes complexity. We now swim in data from dozens of platforms. The challenge isn’t access; it’s alignment. Information means nothing if systems and people don’t speak the same language. The next stage of evolution won’t be defined by new technology alone, but by how we orchestrate what we already have, turning fragmented tools into unified strategies. Balancing personal touches as the heartbeat of hospitality with automation and AI adoption.
One of the most pivotal catalysts for that evolution has been the Data and Revenue Management (DARM) Conference. The first time I attended, it felt like finding my tribe. People were comparing pacing curves, arguing over comp-set accuracy, swapping tech hacks over coffee. It was the first time many of us realized we weren’t alone anymore. Each year since, DARM has grown, not just in attendance but in sophistication. It’s where ideas collide and innovation accelerates. The sessions are valuable, but the real gold is in the conversations between them. That’s where partnerships form, strategies get refined, and problems get solved in real time.
I recently had an issue with a PMS integration that affected our pricing. As a revenue leader these are the things that nightmares are made of – portfolio wide pricing pushing out incorrectly. After I discovered it was happening to me, I immediately texted all of my revenue management tribe to have them check their portfolios. Multiple other portfolios were affected but we were able to share what worked for us, the fix for it and even come up with a better solution than I had thought of on my own. This is the power of a tribe. So as we look ahead to this year’s event, ask yourself: What question are you bringing to the table? Someone there probably has the answer, or is looking for it too.
If the past five years have taught us anything, it’s that stability is temporary. One year it’s a pandemic. The next, AI reshapes how we optimize listings, forecast, and communicate with guests. Our success depends on how quickly we adapt. Attending conferences, joining peer networks, and engaging in shared learning isn’t extra credit; it’s survival strategy (and let’s be honest- a bit of a sanity check at times). The moment we stop pushing forward, someone else will. The mindset that got us here- curiosity, experimentation, and collaboration- is the same one that will keep us relevant in the years ahead.
To anyone who still feels like that lone ranger, know this: you’re not alone anymore. Your people are out there, in DARM sessions, in RevProf, in late-night Slack chats asking “are you seeing the same thing I am seeing?” Imagine if we’d clung to the old mentality of “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” We’d still be running manual reports, missing opportunities, and wondering why growth stalled. Instead, we chose to evolve.
The future of this industry belongs to those who stay curious enough to question it, bold enough to change it, and connected enough to build it together. See you at DARM, and bring your questions, your data, and your curiosity. The best way to predict what’s next is to help create it.
