ADOPTION OF YIELD MANAGEMENT IN HOTELS: PRE-COVID-19 STAGE AND EXPECTATIONS IN THE CURRENT PANDEMIC CONTEXT

Abstract:

The uncertainty surrounding the recovery of demand, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the new expenditures that hotels need to bear in order to comply with health protocols and acquire technological solutions to mitigate the risk of contagion, are factors that have led to a reevaluation of the adoption of the Yield Management (YM) philosophy. Based on the need to deepen empirical knowledge on the implementation of YM in less developed countries, this study aims: 1) to analyse the characteristics of hotels and how these relate to the knowledge and adoption of YM for setting rates in Argentina and 2) to identify changes in the adoption and/or use of YM in the context of the pandemic. The methodology used is a case study of 3- and 4-star hotels in the city of Bahía Blanca, Argentina. The information was collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with the managers of six hotels, conducted between January and March 2019, and surveys which were sent to the managers via email between October and November 2020. According to the analysis, there are certain characteristics of the hotels that are related to the knowledge and effective adoption of YM. The study shows that the COVID-19 crisis has not led to the increased adoption of YM.

Keywords:
hotels; Yield Management; Revenue Management; COVID-19; Argentina