The hotel business in unstable conditions: how B2B sales are saving profitability

According to the latest data from Ribas Hotels Group, more than 70% of Ukrainian hotels currently do not have a corporate sales process in place. Sales are carried out chaotically, managers act ‘on intuition’, there are no funnels in CRM, and company loyalty is not scalable. As a result, losses that could have been avoided occur. That is why Ribas Hotel Academy is launching an educational project, transforming its own B2B sales practice into a structured training programme available to all hoteliers in Ukraine. After all, the hotel business in Ukraine not only has a chance but also real tools for growth, even in crisis conditions. Among them is the B2B direction, which provides stable occupancy, controlled profits and independence from OTA platforms.

Why B2B is necessary

It is widely known that every hotel seeking to move beyond the ‘waiting for guests from Booking’ model needs to transition to B2B. This is especially critical for urban properties, business hotels, and suburban complexes with conference rooms. If hoteliers want to stop depending on seasonality, this is the best way to achieve financial predictability and stability. For example, B2B fills the hotel on weekdays (Tuesday–Thursday) when the B2C segment is relaxing at home. After all, corporate groups and long-term contracts provide predictability: you know your occupancy months in advance, which allows you to effectively manage procurement and personnel.

Today, it is not the lowest price that wins, but the fastest response and the best operational procedures. Speed of response to requests, flawless internal interaction between the sales and operations departments, and coordinated and clear cooperation with the customer are the main competitive advantages in 2026. However, the B2B segment, while having its advantages, including large volumes (group bookings), repeat sales, low cost of attracting a single guest under a contract, and predictable weekday revenue, also has its disadvantages. These include a longer decision-making cycle (negotiations can last for months), demanding documentation requirements (legal aspects), and the need to provide substantial discounts. Also, considering that the B2C segment usually has a higher margin per room (higher ADR), B2B has predictable stable occupancy. This is what allows a hotel to survive and develop in times of crisis. In other words, the best results are achieved with a ‘mix’ strategy, where B2B creates a secure occupancy base and B2C adds profitability during peak periods.

Training course – the path to sales

That is why the training course ‘B2B sales in hotels: a strategy for stable occupancy’, which starts on 4 March 2026 in an online format with live broadcasts and access to recordings, is the best chance for hoteliers to increase the profitability of their properties. The course website and registration link can be found here. This is the first comprehensive training programme in Ukraine that will be entirely devoted to building a B2B sales system specifically for the hotel business. It is designed for those who want to obtain a clear, structured and practical model that can be implemented during the training.

And to better understand the importance and relevance of the course, everyone can try out the approach to the topic live — at a free webinar hosted by the author of the programme, Victoria Tokalskaya, an expert with over 10 years of experience in building profitable B2B divisions in hotels. Follow the link and register for the free webinar on 17 February.