By Elizabeth Cambra

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International [HSMAI] sponsors an annual Revenue Management Professional of the Year award. I’m pleased to say that Outrigger had four nominees, Connie Apuna-Diego, Condo Division Revenue; Beverly Fidel, OHANA Division Revenue; Luke Hamada, Beachfront Division Revenue; and Grace Nakamura, Airport Properties. I’d like to congratulate Beverly Fidel who was one of the top three finalists and joined me at the HSMAI Revenue Management and Internet Marketing Conference in Anaheim, California, for this prestigious recognition.

Nominees were evaluated based upon their pursuance of education, innovative leadership, enabling and strengthening of relationships with other disciplines, enhancing development and growing the talent of the Revenue Management teams, and adding value to the total business.

At the HSMAI conference, Eric Pearson, Senior Vice President, Brand Performance, Americas with InterContinental Hotels Group was our keynote speaker. He referred to Revenue Managers as “Rock Stars!” I have to agree with Eric. Rock Stars must possess a talent, be passionate about what they do, and must work with a team to be successful. Revenue Managers are the same – we work closely with Sales, Marketing, and Interactive Commerce, to name just a few, but the concert’s success is dependent upon our Housekeeping, Front Desk, and Engineering teams, who meet our guests’ expectations at every turn.

As a member of the HSMAI selection committee, I want to express how proud I am of our Revenue Management Teams. We stand out in the crowd against national, branded, and unbranded Revenue Management professionals. It is an ongoing process, and I’m proud of where we have been, where we are now, and most importantly, where we are going tomorrow.

The next time you see one of our “Rock Stars,” please join me in congratulating them!