hoteltech.news August 6, 2026
Revenue & DistributionPublished August 6, 20261 min read

Excel is quietly becoming a risk to your hotel portfolio revenue

JSBy Joan SanzCurated by Joan Sanz. · August 6, 2026 · Follow on LinkedIn
Voice reading · ~1 min

If your revenue strategy still runs on spreadsheets, you're not just slow. According to Hospitality Net, you're carrying a portfolio performance risk.

Excel-based workflows create costly decision delays across hotel portfolios. The argument is simple: when every rate decision needs to be manually assembled from scattered tabs, the team ends up reacting to the market instead of leading it. That lag is not a productivity quibble. It's a money problem.

An effective RMSRMSA revenue management system uses demand, competitor and booking data to recommend the optimal price for each room and date. It automates decisions the revenue manager used to make by hand. IDeaS and Duetto are among t..., the article argues, should bring explainability, consolidation and a total cost of ownership that actually makes sense. My take: many hoteliers have been burned by RMS promises in the past, so they default to "the devil we know." But the devil now has a compounding interest problem. The fix isn't just better software, it's a mindset shift, one that treats pricing speed as a portfolio-level advantage.

For hoteliers, the opportunity is real: teams stop crunching, start deciding, and portfolios get the kind of real-time responsiveness that OTAsOTAAn online travel agency is a channel that sells accommodation and travel online in exchange for a commission. Booking.com and Expedia are the biggest. They bring volume and visibility, but charge commissions that eat... and direct channels reward.

Quick questions

Why is Excel a risk for hotel revenue management?
Because spreadsheet workflows create slow decisions across a portfolio. When rates are assembled manually, teams react late to market shifts and leave revenue on the table.
What should a hotel look for in a modern RMS?
Look for explainability, consolidation and a clear total cost of ownership. You want the tool to show why it suggests a rate, not just give you a number.
Is an RMS only for big hotel groups?
No. Portfolio-level pricing speed matters more as hotels scale, but even small groups feel the lag of manual processes. The point is faster decisions, not headcount.
Will an RMS replace the revenue manager?
It replaces the tedious work, not the person. The revenue manager's job shifts to strategy and final judgement.
What is the financial impact of outdated revenue tools?
According to Hospitality Net, the link is costly decision delays. Slower responses to demand changes directly affect rates, occupancy and RevPAR.

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