Business and Financial Operations

Hotel Revenue Manager Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Sets hotel room prices and inventory rules from demand data so a property earns the most it can from every night.

Median pay
$78,760
Growth to 2035
+7.0%
Openings a year
82,000
Typical entry
Bachelor's

Sets hotel room prices and inventory rules from demand data so a property earns the most it can from every night. BLS does not publish separate figures for market research analysts and marketing specialists; it counts them within market research analyst and marketing specialist (SOC 13-1161), whose median pay is $78,760 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.

  • SOC 13-1161
  • Business and Financial Operations
  • Last updated October 9, 2026

At a glance

Hotel Revenue Manager in four numbers

Median pay
$78,760a year, or $37.87/hr
Lowest 10% $43KTop 10% $155K

US median, all jobs: $50,980

BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected growth
+7.0%Much faster than average
This career
+7%
All jobs
+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
This career+7%
All jobs+3.5%
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Openings a year
82,000952,700 jobs today
  • Jobs in 2025952.7K
  • Projected 20351M
Employment, 2025–2035
ItemValue
Jobs in 2025952.7K
Projected 20351M
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Typical education
Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET

Also advertised as: Revenue Manager, Director of Revenue Management, Revenue Analyst (Hospitality), Revenue Strategy Manager, Pricing Manager (Hotel).

Pay

How much do Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists make?

Annual pay, lowest-paid to highest-paid

Every hotel revenue manager in the US, by percentile of annual wage

Median

$78,760

Middle half earn $58,350 to $108,310

10th
$43,390
25th
$58,350
75th
$108,310
90th
$155,480

All US occupations: $50,980

Hotel Revenue Manager annual wages
PercentileValue
10th$43,390
25th$58,350
Median$78,760
75th$108,310
90th$155,480
All US occupations$50,980

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Median annual wage
$78,760
Median hourly wage
$37.87/hr
Mean annual wage
$89,490
People employed
899,580

Versus all US occupations

At $78,760, Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists earn 54% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $27,780 a year.

Versus business and financial operations occupations

The median is typical for the Business and Financial Operations group, where the middle occupation pays $80,730.

Pay range

The top 10% earn $155,480 or more while the bottom 10% earn $43,390, a gap of 3.6×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.

Rank in the bank

This median pays more than 57% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.

Cost of living

Massachusetts posts the highest raw median ($101,810), but once local prices are taken into account Delaware leads at $101,465 in national-average dollars.

Pay by state

Which states pay Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists the most?

State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.

Top 10 states by median annual wage for Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
StateMedianCOL-adjustedEmployed
1Massachusetts$101,810$96,26839,710
2Delaware$101,270$101,4653,570
3New York$98,580$91,34580,500
4District of Columbia$98,090$89,2536,340
5Washington$95,120$88,88624,460
6California$94,700$85,531119,070
7Colorado$93,050$90,29427,880
8New Jersey$88,190$81,05322,990
9Minnesota$87,510$88,73421,280
10Rhode Island$86,240$84,3183,210
See all 54 states, sortable, with cost-of-living adjustments

Job outlook

Is Hotel Revenue Manager a growing career?

Projected change in jobs

Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
+7%
All US occupations
+3.5%

Much faster than average. +7.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.

Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists+7%
All US occupations+3.5%

Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035

Much faster than average

BLS projects employment of Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists to change 7.0% over 2025–2035, roughly 2.0× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 66,300 more jobs.

Annual openings

About 82,000 openings are projected each year, 8.6% of the 952,700 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.

Getting in

How to become a Hotel Revenue Manager

Most revenue managers have a bachelor's degree in hospitality management, business, economics, or a quantitative field. Many start in hotel front office or reservations and move into a revenue analyst role, while others join brand corporate offices straight from hospitality programs. Strong spreadsheet skills and comfort with data are essential.

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) offers the Certified Revenue Management Executive (CRME) credential, which requires an application showing experience and an exam on forecasting, pricing, and distribution. Brands and hotel management companies also run internal revenue training programs.

  1. 1

    Typical entry-level education

    Bachelor's degree

  2. 2

    Work experience in a related occupation

    None

  3. 3

    Typical on-the-job training

    None

  4. 4

    Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)

    Medium preparation

BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.

The work

What does a Hotel Revenue Manager do?

A hotel revenue manager decides what each room should cost and where it should be sold. Using booking pace, historical demand, competitor rates, and local events, they forecast occupancy and adjust prices daily. They decide how many rooms to hold for groups, which online channels get inventory, and when to open or close discounts.

Revenue managers work closely with sales, marketing, and the general manager. They run weekly strategy meetings, evaluate group contracts for profitability, and report on key measures such as average daily rate and revenue per available room. Many oversee several hotels from a cluster or corporate office, using revenue management software.

Day-to-day tasks

  1. Forecast occupancy and demand for each date
  2. Set and adjust room rates across booking channels
  3. Analyze competitor pricing and market events
  4. Evaluate group contracts and displacement of other business
  5. Manage inventory controls and restrictions in revenue software
  6. Lead revenue strategy meetings with sales and operations
  7. Report on average daily rate, occupancy, and revenue per room

Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.

Working conditions and hours

Revenue managers work in hotel offices or at regional and corporate offices, and many roles are hybrid or remote because the work is data-driven. Hours are mostly business hours, with extra attention around major events and peak seasons. Cluster roles may involve visits to several properties.

Where the work happens

  • Indoors, climate-controlled

    NeverEvery day
  • Outdoors in all weather

    NeverEvery day

    Almost never works outdoors.

Physical demands

  • Sitting

    NeverAlmost all the time

    Seated for more than half the working day.

  • Standing

    NeverAlmost all the time
  • Bending or twisting

    NeverAlmost all the time

Working with people

  • Contact with other people

    NoneConstant
  • Face-to-face discussions

    NeverEvery day
  • Dealing with the public

    Not importantExtremely important

Pressure and stakes

  • Strict deadlines

    NeverEvery day
  • Conflict situations

    NeverEvery day
  • Cost of a mistake

    Not seriousExtremely serious

Autonomy

  • Freedom to decide

    NoneA lot

    A lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.

Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.

Core skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Writing4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Speaking3.9
  • Active Learning3.8
  • Mathematics3.1
  • Monitoring3.1
Core skills for Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
ItemValue
Reading Comprehension4.0
Active Listening4.0
Writing4.0
Critical Thinking4.0
Speaking3.9
Active Learning3.8
Mathematics3.1
Monitoring3.1

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Transferable skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Complex Problem Solving3.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.8
  • Social Perceptiveness3.1
  • Persuasion3.1
  • Systems Evaluation3.1
  • Coordination3.0
  • Systems Analysis3.0
  • Time Management3.0
Transferable skills for Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
ItemValue
Complex Problem Solving3.8
Judgment and Decision Making3.8
Social Perceptiveness3.1
Persuasion3.1
Systems Evaluation3.1
Coordination3.0
Systems Analysis3.0
Time Management3.0

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Tools and software

  • Analytical or scientific software · in demand
  • Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
  • Cloud-based data access and sharing software · in demand
  • Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
  • Data base management system software · in demand
  • Data base user interface and query software · in demand
  • Data mining software · in demand
  • Desktop publishing software · in demand
  • Development environment software · in demand
  • Document management software · in demand
  • Electronic mail software · in demand
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand

“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.

Personality fit

What personality type suits a Hotel Revenue Manager?

Interest profile

NueCareer estimate (Holland code CIE) built on O*NET's Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist profile, scored 1 to 7

Hotel Revenue Manager · Realistic: 1Hotel Revenue Manager · Investigative: 5Hotel Revenue Manager · Artistic: 3Hotel Revenue Manager · Social: 2Hotel Revenue Manager · Enterprising: 6Hotel Revenue Manager · Conventional: 5
Hotel Revenue Manager interest profile
AxisHotel Revenue Manager
Realistic1
Investigative5
Artistic3
Social2
Enterprising6
Conventional5

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

What the work is built around

Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.

  • Enterprising5.5
  • Conventional5.0
  • Investigative4.8
  • Artistic2.6
  • Social2.5
  • Realistic1.1

Closest MBTI types

NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.

Questions

Hotel Revenue Manager: frequently asked questions

How much do Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists make?

BLS does not publish a separate wage for market research analysts and marketing specialists. It counts them within market research analyst and marketing specialist, whose median pay is $78,760 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $58,350 and $108,310, and the top 10% earn $155,480 or more.

Do you need a degree to become a Hotel Revenue Manager?

Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation.

Is Hotel Revenue Manager a growing career?

Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 7.0% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 82,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

What does a Hotel Revenue Manager do?

A hotel revenue manager decides what each room should cost and where it should be sold. A typical task: forecast occupancy and demand for each date. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Business intelligence and data analysis software, Cloud-based data access and sharing software.

Which states pay Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists the most?

The highest state medians for Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists are Massachusetts ($101,810), Delaware ($101,270), New York ($98,580) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Delaware moves to the top at $101,465.

What personality type suits a Hotel Revenue Manager?

O*NET scores Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ENTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Research sources for this career