How Can Connected Hotel Systems Enable Data-Driven Revenue?

“In today’s fast-paced hospitality landscape, a hotel’s technological backbone is paramount to its success. Manual processes, such as downloading CSV files from one system to upload into another, are relics of the past. Data integration isn’t just a luxury; it’s a fundamental requirement for any modern technology stack. No hotel should operate with disparate systems that don’t communicate seamlessly.

When a hotel embarks on a technology review, it’s wise to engage with professionals. Industry experts, like the team at RevenYou, work with tech suppliers daily and can provide invaluable guidance. They can assess if current systems are fit for purpose, determine if ambitious technological dreams are achievable, or even ascertain if an underperforming system simply needs a “spring clean” to unlock its full potential.

The first step for any hotelier considering a tech change should be a conversation with their existing suppliers. Many hotels have systems so entrenched that they’ve fallen behind on the latest versions, upgrades, or training opportunities. Frequently, what’s perceived as a system limitation can be resolved without the significant upheaval of a complete system change.

Once these initial checks are complete, it’s time to map out the future. This involves a comprehensive analysis of pros, cons, “must-haves,” and “wish lists,” creating a mind-map of desired operational flows. Crucially, hotels should identify which core systems they intend to keep and then investigate those systems’ integration partners. Before engaging with potential new vendors, it’s vital to confirm if their solution is genuinely fit for purpose and can connect to existing suppliers. Beware of the “coming soon” promise from sales teams; without a concrete date, “soon” can mean anything from this year to a decade from now.

Once a hotel has meticulously sourced and implemented its ideal tech stack, the next critical phase begins: ensuring the collection of clean, usable data. This isn’t merely a technical task; it requires a significant investment in team training. Staff members, often busy and under pressure at the front desk, need to understand why data is collected and how it will be utilised. To instigate behavioural change, training must build comfort and confidence.

To maintain data integrity, a data champion should be appointed. This individual would audit collected data weekly. It’s a common challenge to encounter “dirty data” – from travel agent emails appearing in guest profiles to duplicate entries and incorrect market segment classifications. A data champion ensures teams aren’t cutting corners and that the data remains reliable.

Furthermore, when utilising data, hotels must be scrupulous about adhering to local regulations and privacy rules. Everyone who handles data needs thorough training to ensure it’s treated with the utmost care and respect.

Finally, the individuals working with data must possess a growth mindset. They should constantly ask: “What can I do with this data? What can I achieve? How can I look at it differently? What am I learning, and how can I implement those learnings in our business?” Hotels often collect vast amounts of data that goes unused. Investing in new technology to collect usable data only makes sense if that data is then actively leveraged to drive business improvements.
Ultimately, investing in recruiting and training team members who are eager to challenge the status quo and innovate with data will be infinitely more profitable than simply maintaining the traditional way of doing things.”

“First you need proper training on data integration. Technically, you need to know that if you do one thing in “System A”, you’re aware of what happens as a consequence in “System B”.

Draw up proper guidelines so that everyone uses the system in the same way, and ensure evaluations are done, i.e., check to see if data quality is intact. You need to do this once you start using the system, once you are already working on it, and then you need to improve quality and employee behaviour, which can be much more difficult.

Also, make sure that despite what the system experts might say, you think of the best way of working for your locations. Depending on the type of hotel, this might be different for you compared to the standard way of working.”

“Firstly we need to conduct a system audit to see our current capabilities and limitations to ensure that legacy systems actually “talk” to each other (or whether we have to do a lot of data manipulation).

We need to understand the API compatibility and whether the potential integration will be flexible and accurate enough. It’s also necessary to ensure that we have evaluated our data, making sure that it is consistent and clean.

Once the system audit has been completed, it’s about assessing whether the current systems can talk effectively, or if there is a need to replace then with different systems which can work in a more flexible manner.

If the tech stack is connected, from a revenue management perspective, it’s about being proactive with the data to enable better forecasting, real time pricing and inventory control, enhancing guest experiences and enabling personalisation and bespoke offers.”