CEO Spotlight: Katerina Petropoulou – Founder and Managing Director at Hotelising

Katerina Petropoulou is an expert in the hotel industry in Greece. After many years of professional experience in major hotel chains in Greece and abroad, she decided to take the next step in her career by founding Hotelising. The company focuses on hotel revenue management. Today, Hotelising’s portfolio includes 25 hotels all over Greece and many partnerships abroad, while the company recently launched a new concept called «Neoclassical Hotels». It is an affiliation for all Neoclassical Hotels located in Greece and abroad.

Katerina Petropoulou analyzes in CEOWORLD magazine how the hotel revenue management strategy evolved following the Covid-19 pandemic, while she lists the new trends in the hotel industry for the coming years. It is worth continue reading Katerina Petropoulou’s interview in CEOWORLD magazine. 

Q: How many years of experience do you have in the hotel industry and how did you decide to found Hotelising?

Katerina Petropoulou: I studied Tourism Management in Greece and then I followed up a course in Hotel Revenue Management at Cornell University. After 10 years of professional experience in major hotel chains in Greece and abroad, I decided to take the next step in my career. 

So, in 2012 I conceptualized and launched Hotelising, a company focused on hotel revenue management. My skills and rich knowledge in the field of Sales Revenue Management in the hotel industry, helped me to provide high end services to hoteliers and personal care. Our hotel portfolio includes 25 hotels all over Greece.  

Q: Can you briefly describe the main objective of Hotelising? 

Katerina Petropoulou: Hotelising is a dynamic hotel sales management company, specializing in increasing their revenue. Creating hotel sales strategies from scratch, we achieve the best possible financial results, always considering the character, size and dynamics of each hotel. With the support of revenue management tools and the monitoring of historical statistics, we determine the right prices and achieve the maximum possible profitability. 

We constantly monitor the latest trends in hotel revenue management and manage to maximize hotel revenue, gradually reducing OTA’s commissions. We offer services designed for each hotel business individually, from city hotels to luxury boutique accommodation, creating a customized program of actions that fits the profile of each hotel. 

Q: How has the hotel revenue management strategy evolved following Covid-19? 

Katerina Petropoulou: It is an indisputable fact that the COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on revenue management processes and how revenue management systems are supporting these changes. 

At Hotelising we sourced new, future-focused data, new demand patterns, trends and influences on occupancy were recognized and analyzed, by our team members. We set ourselves up for future success, by evolving from the traditional rooms-revenue model towards a total revenue management approach. 

We examined the market as a whole, which gave us a more well-rounded image of demand shifts in our market and a better chance to dynamically adapt our rates and win business. We implemented an upselling and cross-selling program for each of our hotel. On top of driving revenue, this accommodated our guests’ desire to customize their stay with add-ons. Another trend worth mentioning is the convergence of revenue management and digital marketing in terms of generating demand. 

Q: How many partnerships does Hotelising count in its portfolio in Greece and abroad? Can you name some of them? 

Katerina Petropoulou: Hotelising has created a portfolio which includes 25 hotels in Greece. Mainly our hotels are located in the Greek islands. Although, this year we have added 3 new hotels in the Athens capital, which gives us the opportunity to expand new opportunities. Our hotels are boutique hotels, with supreme elegance and services. Our aim is to include in our portfolio medium size hotels, which have a character and a story behind their names or buildings- which can spark our guest’s imagination. 

I am pleased to announce to you a new concept called ‘’ Neoclassical Hotels’’ that Hotelising has created, which is an affiliation for all Neoclassical Hotels located in Greece and abroad. This is the project that we will work with passion in order to expand its awareness.  

Q: How do you see the future of the hotel industry in the next few years? What are Hotelising’s future plans? 

Katerina Petropoulou: My personal approach is that for the coming years the hotel industry will be focused on sustainability, environmentally-friendly designs and safety. The experience of travel will adjust as customer expectations have changed. 

Also, hotel owners will target more on new technologies, social media and digital practices. The after covid period created a culture of innovation, which played a large role in the ability of organizations to adapt to the changes of the past year. That way hotels will keep their focus on technology in order to analyze and report market’s trend as well as plan their business strategy. 

Hoteliers must also focus on employees and human capital which are the future of the hospitality industry. An experienced and stable team of employees can guarantee productive results in the hospitality business. So, hotel owners need to create the right conditions in order to keep their team members happy and engaged.

Have you read?
Best CEOs In The World, 2022.
Global Passport Ranking, 2022.
International Financial Centers Ranking, 2022.
World’s Richest People (Top Billionaires, 2022).
Economy Rankings: Largest countries by GDP, 2022.
Countries and territories with the largest population, 2022.
Top Citizenship and Residency by Investment Programs, 2022.