The Strategic Question Every Hotel Should Ask Each Year
Albert BarraFebruary 28, 2026 · 1 min read
Ideas, knowledge and community for a better future in Hospitality.
BYAlbert BarraHospitality · Strategy · Leadership · Marketing
A strategic reflection for hotel leaders: identify the guest segments you do not currently attract but want to win. Explore how guest segmentation, profitability, positioning, distribution and operational alignment can help hotels attract the right guests and build a more sustainable business model.
In the early years of my career, I had a boss whom I still deeply admire. He was not the most high-profile, nor the one delivering the most speeches at conventions, but he had a phrase that stayed with me forever: “The only secret is knowing which guests I do not have and would like to have.”
For years, I thought it was a clever remark. In time, I understood it was a strategic statement. He was not talking about occupancy. He was not talking about ADR. He was not even talking about hotel marketing. He was talking about vision.
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