Hôtel Saint Maurice

How Hôtel Saint Maurice in Lille structured its Revenue Management with the Revbell RMS

Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your hotel?

My name is Jean-Paul Dolisi, I’m 57 years old, and I am the owner of Hôtel Saint Maurice, located in the heart of Lille. It is an independent 2-star hotel with 38 rooms and is part of the voluntary group Contact Hôtels, which includes 300 establishments across France, where I also serve as a board member.

I have been working in the hospitality industry for about 30 years, with around fifteen years in operational and commercial roles. For the past 10 years, I have been managing hotels on my own behalf or for investors in the Lille region.

Could you tell us more about Contact Hôtels?

Hospitality is a demanding profession that requires great rigor and skills in many areas. When you are independent, it is easy to feel overwhelmed.

Contact Hôtels is a group of independent and voluntary hoteliers whose mission is to support these professionals. The network’s goal is to assist hoteliers in areas such as sales, distribution, and marketing, to lighten their workload and allow them to focus on running their operations. Our ambition is to sustain independent hospitality by offering some of the advantages of large hotel chains while preserving their autonomy.

After 30 years in this sector, I continue to admire those who embark on this adventure, as it requires mastering or acquiring many skills.

What is your background with Revenue Management?

Having worked in commercial roles for several years, I have often collaborated with Revenue Managers. Yield Management is therefore not an unfamiliar concept to me. On the contrary, I have always had a genuine interest in this practice. However, after a few years managing my own operation, and despite my attraction to this discipline, I no longer had as much time to dedicate to Revenue Management – even though it is a crucial activity for a hotel.

What challenges and objectives led you to invest in the Revbell RMS?

Investing in an RMS was obvious to me because I wanted to manage my own Revenue Management. Before getting started, I took the time to clearly define what I was looking for and what I wanted to avoid: a crucial step before committing.

Connectivity with my ecosystem was essential, as I did not want to change my current tools. Additionally, support was also key: working with a small French company seemed obvious, both to ensure smooth communication and to share common entrepreneurial values. The financial aspect was also very important; as an independent 2-star hotel, I couldn’t afford an overpriced tool.

The Revbell RMS naturally came up. A user-friendly tool, scalable with pricing recommendations based on several criteria, including the establishment’s ramp-up, unlike some competitors.

What advice would you give to a company looking to adopt an RMS?

The RMS has integrated perfectly into my routine; I consider it like an alarm clock that reminds me to manage my Revenue Management rigorously and regularly. Before, I was lucky if I could spend an hour per week, and much less thoroughly than the Revbell RMS allows.

Now, thanks to Revbell, I miss far fewer opportunities, I can focus on this essential part of my revenue, and I have regained a certain discipline. The tool encourages me to think deeply thanks to the data it provides. Working on my Yield Management has become a real pleasure.