How The Bobcat Inn Uses Data, Intuition, and AI to Maximize Revenue Without Losing Its Soul
When Ryan Miller first noticed a weathered “For Sale” sign leaning awkwardly on a hillside in Santa Fe, New Mexico, he did not set out to become an innkeeper.
At the time, Ryan and his wife were already business owners, running an IT consulting company while settling into life in Santa Fe. The sign belonged to a small bed and breakfast they had driven past countless times. On a whim, Ryan called his wife and suggested they take a look.
What they found was not a polished operation, but a diamond in the rough.
Nearly a decade later, Ryan and his wife are the owners and innkeepers of The Bobcat Inn, an eight-room boutique bed and breakfast set on ten acres just outside Santa Fe. The property features winding walking trails, expansive desert views, and a koi pond that Ryan still describes as his personal zen place.
The Bobcat Inn is a reflection of its owners. Thoughtful, detail-oriented, welcoming, and deeply personal.
And like many independent innkeepers, Ryan learned quickly that creating an exceptional guest experience was only part of the equation. Pricing the rooms correctly was an entirely different challenge.
When Ryan and his wife took over the property, pricing had no real structure. Rates were low for the level of service being delivered, and decisions were made largely by feel.
Over time, Ryan tried to introduce more logic into the process. He tracked festivals and holidays, studied past demand, and tested rate increases year after year. Santa Fe’s event-driven travel patterns made pricing even more complex, with Indian Market, Spanish Market, wine festivals, and seasonal tourism swings all influencing demand.
Even with his analytical background, pricing remained time-consuming and uncertain.
Ryan estimates he spent anywhere from three to ten hours a month adjusting rates, reviewing data, and second-guessing decisions. He even began building his own algorithms to try to improve outcomes, but they required constant attention and still lacked the bigger picture.
“We were looking at what was happening in Santa Fe,” Ryan explained. “But we weren’t accounting for what was happening in the broader travel economy.”
The result was a familiar tension for many innkeepers. The fear of empty rooms often outweighed confidence in higher rates.
Ryan first encountered TakeUp through a joint webinar with ThinkReservations. As someone who already used AI in his IT business, the idea immediately resonated.
Still, adopting AI-driven pricing required a mindset shift.
Like many owners, Ryan initially focused on occupancy. Filling rooms felt safe. Raising rates felt risky.
That changed after working with TakeUp long enough to see patterns emerge.
“It took me almost a year to wrap my head around it,” Ryan said. “I realized it’s not about heads in beds. It’s about margin.”
With TakeUp, Ryan could see that a lower occupancy rate paired with stronger pricing often produced more revenue than a fully booked calendar at discounted rates. The system continuously tested price sensitivity, monitored booking behavior, and adjusted rates based on both local and macroeconomic demand.
Over time, confidence replaced fear.
Ryan no longer felt like he was guessing. He felt like he was making informed decisions backed by real data.
What stood out most to Ryan was not just the technology, but the people behind it.
As an early TakeUp customer, Ryan worked closely with a dedicated revenue strategist who helped interpret trends, explain pricing behavior, and adapt strategies around local events and future demand drivers like the upcoming Route 66 centennial.
Ryan appreciated that TakeUp’s platform allowed him to set guardrails and rate bounds while still letting the AI do its job. He could raise prices during key festivals, ease off during slower periods, and test changes with confidence.
Equally important was the accessibility of the TakeUp team.
Ryan has shared feedback directly with TakeUp leadership and even the company’s founder, seeing product enhancements appear months later as a result.
“That was something I didn’t expect,” Ryan said. “You don’t usually talk to founders. But here, the feedback actually turns into improvements that help us run a better business.”
“It lets us stop guessing. We’re using real data instead of educated guesses.”
Ryan Miller, Owner & Operator of The Bobcat Inn
Today, Ryan spends about half an hour a month actively managing pricing.
Instead of hours spent in spreadsheets, he checks in briefly to understand trends, review testing activity, and confirm that rates align with upcoming demand.
That time savings has had a tangible impact on the guest experience.
Ryan and his wife focus on the details guests notice, from thoughtfully designed interiors to practical touches like wireless chargers on every nightstand. These improvements come directly from listening to guests and having the time to act on their feedback.
The results speak for themselves.
Between 40 – 50% of The Bobcat Inn’s guests return year after year, an unusually high number for the industry.
After a full year on TakeUp, the system had learned the rhythm of the property and its market. As tourism in Santa Fe strengthened, the impact became clear.
Ryan reports that the inn is now seeing approximately 20 – 25% higher revenue compared to the previous year, with a steadily increasing average daily rate. Just as important, pricing now feels aligned with the quality of the experience being delivered.
“We’re more confident pushing rates when it makes sense,” Ryan said. “And when it doesn’t, we know that too.”
For Ryan, TakeUp is not about removing human judgment. It is about augmenting it.
“It lets us stop guessing,” he explained. “We’re using real data instead of educated guesses.”
The Bobcat Inn continues to evolve. Improvements to the property are ongoing, guest experience remains the priority, and future demand signals are already being tested well in advance.
With TakeUp handling the complexity of pricing, Ryan and his wife can focus on what they do best.
Welcoming guests from around the world. Sweating the details. And creating a place people want to return to again and again.
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