In 2024 I let go of one of the projects that gave me the most experience in my professional life — mostly because of the trust the owners placed in me to work on and improve many areas, from writing operational manuals to the freedom to explore the property's e-commerce.
That gave me the confidence to start my next project: becoming a revenue consultant for independent hotels, mostly in Mexico. I knew many hotels couldn't afford a full-time person on-site with the experience I had built — not only through the opportunity at Amaca, but also through my own curiosity to keep learning. I didn't stop at what I could pick up empirically; I also invested in learning it professionally. Thousands of dollars and a lot of hours into new tech tools, into how hotel data is evolving, into courses, workshops, daily articles, subscriptions to every serious voice in the field.
All of it so I could offer my clients better work at a more accessible price. And the data tells a positive story:
- An enviable direct booking mix — 58% direct, with the rest spread across OTAs (some clients are at 78% direct).
- An average daily rate increase of 12% (in some cases much more).
- More stable occupancy, with smaller drops — never below 5%, and in most properties occupancy grew 20-something percent.
- And overall revenue growth above 10% across the board.
But over these two years, I noticed something: no matter how positive the data was, no matter how much we improved sales, reputation, and service, for many hotel leaders the feeling of "loss" was always there. It was never enough, never optimal. And I kept asking myself: didn't you do your market study before opening? Didn't you analyze whether your rate made sense for the existing market? Don't you have a cushion for emergencies? After Covid we should all have learned that everything can change overnight and you need to plan for it.
A lot of people assume that being an independent hotel — or a "boutique" hotel, as many like to call themselves — is the same as being an improvised one. A company that can be run day to day, that doesn't need to professionalize its standards, train its team, motivate them, or keep every department current. And — this is a conversation for another day — many owners think that paying a salary is all they need to do to have people working for their hotel.
They don't talk to their team about the story of the property, the dreams behind it, what they want to build. There's no emotional support. No applause, no recognition. And honestly, they don't realize the difference that makes — both for retaining good people and for curating a real guest experience.
A lot of owners still want to run their hotel the way they did 30 years ago: on a piece of paper, day by day, like back when there wasn't this much competition, this many destinations, this much ease of movement, when there were only three rate types and one kind of guest who just wanted a comfortable bed.
After two years and a few months I had the professional experience I was looking for — because I started noticing that this pattern repeated with most of my clients. Finances in chaos. Desperate calls about everything. And in several cases, no payment. That's when I started feeling the lack of respect for my time, my dedication, my investment. My advice and strategy thrown into a leaky bucket. My tools being stripped away.
But it took a couple of difficult cases to realize the mistake wasn't theirs — it was mine. I started seeing the pattern between the good clients and the ones who weren't a fit.
Obviously, I'm in charge of my business, my strategy, my own revenue — and I had forgotten the most basic thing: properly segmenting my own client base.
Market segmentation is the most basic rule of business, and the one I always tell my clients about. And there it was: I needed to change direction, change my strategy. Not change businesses — well, also that, because I'm building another one — but I had to re-segment my own market.
The good news is I already have ideal clients in my portfolio, so all I have to do is find more of them. After two years I know they exist. They're the ones who actually value their metrics, who have their finances clearly defined, who are professional — and so they're the ones who pay me well and on time, who offer me bonuses for results they never imagined (78% direct, really?!), who send gifts, who recommend me to others.
I love hospitality. I love revenue. I love giving my clients the lens of a whole world of better experiences for their guests. I know there are dreams behind the person who builds a hotel — but also behind every person working in the service, and above all, behind every guest who decides to travel and pick you. Not as their hotel, not as their "accommodation provider" — that's the past. They're picking you as their host.