When Doug Bagnasco and his partner Jim DeBlasi purchased the Devonfield Inn in 2018, they were embarking on an entirely new chapter. After nearly three decades together and successful careers in finance and marketing respectively, the couple was ready for a change. Jim had received an attractive severance package from his 18-year career in the entertainment industry, and as Doug recalls, "About six months into a twelve month severance package, he came up to me one day and said, 'We need a plan B.'"
That plan B would transform their lives and lead them to the picturesque Devonfield Inn, which they've now operated for nearly seven years. But like many independent innkeepers, their journey to optimized revenue wasn't straightforward.
Finding the Perfect Balance
The couple's approach to finding their inn was methodical, reflecting their complementary strengths. After identifying 80 potential properties nationwide, they narrowed the list to 20 and independently rated each.
"All of his A's were the most beautiful, and all of my A's were the most financially viable," Doug explains with a laugh. "We overlaid them and there were only two matches." The Devonfield Inn became their home and business in April 2018.
Their division of responsibilities followed a natural pattern—Jim's passion for baking and cooking made him perfect for back-of-house operations, while Doug's financial background and people skills positioned him at the front of the house, managing inventory, pricing, and guest interactions.
The Pricing Puzzle
Like many experienced innkeepers, Doug initially believed his approach to pricing was sophisticated. "At the time, I thought I was really clever and smart and knew what I was doing," he recalls. "But in hindsight, it was more intuitive pricing—this is what I think people are willing to pay, this is what I think they're going to feel price-value is."
The COVID-19 pandemic delivered Doug's first major pricing revelation. While competitors slashed rates in response to the crisis, Doug took a different approach. "I felt that it wasn't a pricing issue—I felt it was a safety issue," he explains. "So we focused on getting the message out on how safe it would be and what our safety protocols were going to be, keeping our pricing where it was, if not a little higher."
The results were eye-opening: no loss in market share and no decline in bookings despite maintaining—or even increasing—their rates.
"That was my first wake-up call that maybe I don't know as much about pricing as I thought I did," Doug reflects. "The biggest detractor from pricing wasn't the guest, it was me. I was more worried about their perception of price-value than they were."
Discovering TakeUp
Doug's journey to TakeUp began with a call from a colleague who had recently sold his inn and shared his positive experience with AI-powered pricing. What caught Doug's attention wasn't just the technology, but the approach.
"It wasn't about TakeUp looking at whether we need to lower rates more to bring in more business," Doug explains. "It was about TakeUp saying, 'Okay, there's times where it might make sense to do that, but more often it was focused on what we can do to maximize your rates.'”
After meeting with the TakeUp team at an industry conference, Doug made the decision to implement the system through his PMS, ThinkReservations, in April the following year.
Overcoming Hesitations
The transition wasn't without concerns. Doug questioned whether he could truly step back and let the system do its work. "Can I trust them enough to let them do what they need to do?" he remembers asking himself. "If I say, 'Okay, I'm going to let you run with it,' and then I put restrictions on you and I don't let you do what you're recommending, then I shouldn't have signed up with you to begin with."
His other initial concern reflected his commitment to guest satisfaction: "Even if I can get someone to pay $800 a night, I don't want to because I don't want anyone to ever feel, 'He just charged that because he could get away with it.' I don't mind it being higher than what it would normally be, but I never want someone to feel they got screwed."
Understanding that TakeUp's system allowed for setting reasonable rate boundaries on both the high and low ends provided the reassurance Doug needed.
Measurable Results
The impact wasn't immediate—as Doug had implemented the system when many summer bookings were already in place—but the results soon became clear. "By the time we got into the fall, what I saw was that my average rates were going up. My occupancies were either staying the same or going up as well."
The improvements continued through their quieter seasons of November through February. "Now I'm seeing average rates that are $50 higher," Doug reports, "and that's all just going straight to the bottom line." That $50 increase represents approximately 15% growth in their average daily rate—with no negative impact on occupancy or guest satisfaction.
Perhaps most telling was the system's ability to identify pricing opportunities Doug would never have attempted. "When you see one of your smallest rooms booking about $120 higher than what you would have ever priced it at, again, there's this realization that I'm not as smart as I think I am when it comes to pricing."
The Human Touch Remains
Doug appreciates that while the AI system handles the pricing algorithms, he maintains control where it matters most—with his repeat guests. "Where it gets a little more challenging is when I've got a regular guest that calls and the rate's maybe $60 higher than it would normally be. I've got the ability through TakeUp to adjust the rate back down to what I would normally charge."
This flexibility to maintain relationships while maximizing revenue from new bookings has made the transition to automated pricing much more comfortable.
The Partnership That Makes It Work
Doug credits his weekly calls with his TakeUp revenue specialist, Ryan, as a crucial component of their success. These conversations focus on upcoming events, market conditions, and strategic decisions about whether to be conservative or aggressive with pricing approaches.
"I want you to be as transparent and as upfront," Doug told Ryan early in their relationship. "I don't want someone to just agree with me because I'm the client." This honest dialogue ensures that Doug understands the pricing recommendations without feeling the need to micromanage the process.
Breaking Through a Revenue Plateau
Perhaps the most compelling evidence of TakeUp's impact came when Doug analyzed their financial performance. "I looked at our last three years of revenue, and we were blessed in as much as we were up much higher post-COVID. Many properties weren't able to stay at that higher level, but we were able to maintain that same level of revenue for three years—but it was staying flat. When TakeUp got involved, we saw an increase that we hadn't seen for three years."
For the Devonfield Inn, that revenue breakthrough has confirmed what Doug suspected when he first considered AI-powered pricing: there was significant untapped potential in their rate strategy that only sophisticated data analysis could reveal.
