Market share and conquest strategy: Optimizing revenue from practical data

Within the framework of the "Revenue Management in Hotels" module held on the evening of April 23, 2026, Master’s students in Hotel Management at Faculty of Tourism Van Lang University had the opportunity to access a sharp executive mindset. Guest speaker Nguyen Thien Hoang delivered a crucial lesson: In the hospitality business, numbers are not just for reporting; they are strategic weapons for victory.

Deciphering the "Language" of the Market Through Core Metrics

At the beginning of the session, Mr. Nguyen Thien Hoang - Market Director of Revenue Management in HCMC at Marriott International - posed a pivotal question: How do you know if a hotel is truly "winning" or "losing" against its competitors?

According to Mr. Hoang, focusing solely on Occupancy or Average Daily Rate (ADR) in isolation often leads to inaccurate assessments. Drawing from his executive experience at the world's leading hotel group, he guided students deep into the "power trio" of comparative indexes: Market Penetration Index (MPI), Average Rate Index (ARI), and Revenue Generation Index (RGI). These serve as the "lens" that helps managers accurately position their property in direct correlation with their target competitive set.

The Art of Executive Decision-Making: Balancing Price and Capacity

One of the core topics that sparked lively discussion among the graduate students was the challenge of executive decision-making. When facing market pressure, should we drop prices to gain occupancy, or hold prices to protect brand value?

Mr. Hoang affirmed that revenue management is the art of coordination. Based on the fundamental principles of supply and demand, a manager must achieve the ultimate goal: selling the right product to the right customer at the right time for the right price through the right channel. These decisions are not based on intuition but must be backed by empirical data and keen forecasting. Understanding market share not only helps hotels optimize short-term profits but also builds a solid foundation for sustainable competitive advantage.

From Systems Theory to Global Management Mindset

In the field of revenue management, sensitivity to fluctuations in numbers is the key to survival. Mr. Hoang shared practical lessons from Marriott International’s operational systems, helping students realize that every small change in comparative indexes reflects a specific underlying operational strategy.

The most valuable lesson for future executives is the importance of benchmarking. Without knowing what competitors are doing or how the market is moving, all internal management efforts become fragmented. The session helped students develop a multi-dimensional analytical mindset, moving from interpreting complex charts to transforming dry data into concrete actions to capture market share.

Connecting Corporate Excellence with Graduate Education

The Faculty of Tourism at Van Lang University would like to express its sincere gratitude to Mr. Nguyen Thien Hoang for his dedicated insights. The partnership of experts from international corporations serves as a bridge, helping students become not only proficient in their specialization but also sharp in their practical mindset, ready for leadership positions in the global hotel industry.

News & Photos: Faculty of Tourism

The sharing session on the evening of April 23 was not merely a technical lecture on calculation; it was a high-level dialogue on business strategy. The specialized insights from Mr. Nguyen Thien Hoang helped Van Lang Master’s students understand the responsibility of a revenue manager: it is not just about maximizing figures on a report, but about ensuring healthy growth and a leading position for the enterprise on the hospitality industry map.