A great place to start : collecting clean , quality data and processing it into a single-source system to generate useful insights . Think carefully about all of the data points on the hotel server and how the information creates an overall picture of customers and OTAs .

What exactly does “ clean data ” mean ? Natalie Osborn , senior industry consultant for SAS Institute ’ s Hospitality and Travel Practice , says when integrating the data from sources , hoteliers

should match and clean the data to make sure there are not five versions of the same customer . “ Every time you use a piece of data , you must be using the same definition of the data ,” she says .

Osborn also recommends hotels address the issue of storage when starting an analytics program . “ Data storage has become more reasonably priced ,” she says . “ It also increases the possibilities for what they can do with data .”

the right tool Channel management tools focus on pricing strategies ; data analytics tools analyze information from a variety of sources to provide insights . The right data tool takes the complexity out of analytics

and allows staff with basic training to better use the data , often in real time .

While some revenue management systems offer data capabilities , a separate analytics tool offers more flexibility and features . Since the data tool must “ talk ” to other hotel systems , look for a tool that integrates with current vendors .

Starwood Hotels & Resorts provides each property with data analytics tools for

“ EvEry timE you usE a piEcE of data , you must bE using thE samE dEfinition of thE data .”

– natalie osborn

channel management , according to Vice President of Global Revenue Management David Flueck , delivering recommendations and forecasting so that hotels can make the best pricing decision for their markets based on their on-site staff ’ s hyper-local knowledge .

Finding solutions Once a hotel has the correct data tool running , it ’ s time to begin using it for channel management . Karen Xie at the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management at the University of Denver says data analytics can help hotels mine booking channel data for customer insights , optimize the purchase funnel through improved attribution models , forecast future

booking performance and evaluate the return on channel investment . By using data in this manner , Xie says hotels can personalize offers to encourage repeat bookings , allocate resources correctly based on predicted booking patterns and concentrate on the channels driving the most bookings .

Kaul adds that analytics can tell which channels are more likely to bring in guests who will stay regularly . With this information , the decisions regarding which OTA to use become clearer . “ By using analytics , not only can you see the cost of the single booking , but you can also balance cost with the lifetime value you will see with each guest ,” Kaul says .

52 hotelsmag . com May 2016