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KATALYST LABS

Who we serve

Different pressures. The same commercial gap.

Owners, asset managers, GMs, and commercial leaders usually arrive at Katalyst Labs through different symptoms. The underlying problem is almost always the same: commercial leakage that looks like something else until someone maps it properly.

The diagnostic is built for operators who need a clearer commercial picture across pricing, distribution, direct bookings, reporting, and execution before committing to more spend, more tools, or more activity.

Hotels & ResortsHospitality GroupsF&B ConceptsOwners & Asset Teams
HotelsHospitality GroupsF&B ConceptsOwners & Asset Teams

Not built for every situation

  • Brands looking for campaigns or creative activity without commercial diagnosis first
  • Teams unwilling to act on findings or change structure if the evidence justifies it
  • Properties without commercial ownership, clear targets, or leadership alignment

Every engagement begins with a diagnostic. Not a retainer.

Four situations

The pressure looks different depending on where you sit.

Find the situation that feels most familiar. The diagnostic is designed to be useful regardless of which angle the commercial problem is arriving from.

01Hotels & Resorts

The hotel is performing reasonably. That is exactly when leakage is hardest to see.

Demand is there. Occupancy is not collapsing. But direct share is weaker than it should be, commission is higher than the underlying demand justifies, and the logic connecting pricing, distribution, and conversion has gaps that nobody has named clearly. This is one of the most common commercial situations Katalyst Labs is called into.

What usually shows up

  • Direct share is well below 20% despite solid occupancy and market demand
  • OTA commission is rising faster than ADR growth
  • Pricing, parity, and offer logic are not working as one connected system
  • Revenue and marketing are both active but not operating from the same commercial priority

What makes this the right fit

Leadership already suspects direct share should be stronger, commission should be lower, or the commercial system is less connected than it looks from inside the operation.

02Hospitality Groups

Multiple properties. Multiple reporting formats. No single commercial picture.

Each property has its own channel mix, pricing rhythm, and reporting format. That independence creates fragmentation at group level: different numbers for the same KPIs, inconsistent distribution discipline, and leadership without one reliable commercial view across the portfolio. The pressure is usually felt before the cause is clear.

What usually shows up

  • Commercial reporting differs by property with no shared structure
  • Channel decisions vary across assets without a group-level rationale
  • Tool and vendor overlap is increasing cost and reducing accountability
  • Group leadership lacks one commercial view that holds across all assets

What makes this the right fit

Group leadership wants stronger oversight across pricing, direct performance, and channel economics without building a heavy central structure before knowing what actually needs to change.

03F&B Concepts

The outlet is busy. Contribution still does not reflect it.

The menu is credible. The team is capable. Covers are being done. But contribution per seat is unclear, the margin picture varies by daypart in ways that are not being tracked properly, and promotions are running on instinct rather than commercial logic. Busy periods are not automatically profitable periods. The gap between activity and commercial performance is often structural.

What usually shows up

  • Busy periods are not producing the margin the volume should justify
  • Menu pricing and contribution have not been reviewed commercially
  • Dead periods are being addressed with promotions rather than demand shaping
  • Marketing activity is not connected to contribution targets or margin logic

What makes this the right fit

Leadership wants better outlet performance through pricing discipline, menu contribution, and demand logic rather than discounting, guesswork, or volume alone.

04Owners & Asset Teams

The asset looks credible from outside. The commercial numbers tell a different story.

The operation is running. The team is working. But ownership suspects the commercial potential of the property is not being fully realized, and the information coming up through the organization is either incomplete, delayed, or too easy to reframe as acceptable. An independent commercial view changes that dynamic. It separates structural problems from cyclical ones and gives ownership a clearer case for what to challenge and what to change.

What usually shows up

  • Commission exposure feels high relative to the level of market demand
  • Marketing and technology spend keeps increasing without clear commercial attribution
  • The asset is occupied but net performance is weaker than it should be
  • Ownership needs an external commercial view before challenging the operator

What makes this the right fit

Ownership or asset management needs a structured, operator-side diagnostic that stands outside the operating team and clarifies what is structural, what is cyclical, and what deserves challenge first.

Shared pattern

What every situation has in common

None of these businesses are looking for more activity. They are looking for an honest commercial picture. The pressure may show up as weak direct bookings, rising commission, fragmented reporting, inconsistent pricing, poor outlet contribution, or commercial decisions that take too long. The pattern is different in each property. The need is the same: diagnose what is leaking before adding more spend, more tools, or more noise.

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