ShareSofya Williams (formerly Sofya McIntosh), SVP Sales & Customer Success, ComOps, Sales Advisory Board Member
Chris Hardy, Vice President of Commercial Strategy, Parks Hospitality Group, Sales Advisory Board Chair
A recent discussion of HSMAI’s Sales Advisory Board centered on a truth everyone felt but hadn’t said plainly: moving from rooms-only goals to a total revenue strategy is no longer optional for Sales. Guests make decisions based on the whole experience. Profit comes from far more than the room. And revenue leakage happens early, long before a contract or check-in.
As one participant mentioned, everyone has a stake in total guest value.
Who Owns Total Revenue?
Ownership varies by hotel type and data capability, but the commercial leader often ends up as the controller. They are the ones who ensure every piece of business is evaluated on its full contribution and who coach sellers to think like owners. The problem is data. Most hotels can’t track spend at the guest level, and when the technology does exist, cost and brand restrictions limit adoption.
Incentives That Actually Match Reality
The group discussed incentives and highlighted a mismatch. Some companies reward leaders for total contribution, while others skip Sales entirely and tie ancillary metrics only to operational roles. The consensus: incentives shape behavior, and room-only compensation structures push sellers toward room-only decisions.
Where Ancillary Revenue Lives in the Journey
The board agreed ancillaries are inconsistently integrated. In full-service hotels, they may appear during contracting. In select-service, they land mostly in operations, handled by staff with little sales training. The opportunities span the whole journey: pre-arrival touches, reservation quotes, internal pre-con alignment, understanding group demographics, and building simple offers like paid early checkout or grab-and-go bundles.
The biggest unlock is confidence and training. Without that, even guests who want to spend more won’t be asked.
A More Intentional Revenue Architecture
Shifting to a total-revenue mindset requires:
- Clear KPIs that reflect total contribution
- Shared ownership across commercial functions
- Incentives that reinforce total value
- Training for operational teams
- Simple, consistent ancillary offers
- Better visibility into guest behavior
The architecture already exists in frameworks and playbooks. The challenge is making it part of everyday sales behavior, not an afterthought once business is already booked.
For more on total revenue, check out the session The Next Frontier of Hotel Revenue: Activating TRevPAR on June 17th at the HSMAI Commercial Strategy Conference.
Recommended Reading
- Ancillary Revenue Playbook
- Total Revenue Management Framework
- Overcoming Barriers to Total Revenue Management
Team Discussion Questions
- Who owns total revenue per guest today, and who should?
- Are we optimizing ADR at the expense of total spend?
- Where in the buying journey are we losing the most revenue?
- Are ancillaries intentionally part of the sales process or only surfaced after contracting?
- Do our incentives support total contribution or only rooms?