Monetizing Data in the Hospitality Industry: Strategies, Use Cases, and Opportunities

2. Methods of Monetizing Guest Data

Hotels collect data at multiple touchpoints, including reservations, check-ins, guest preferences, in-stay behaviour, and loyalty programs. This data can be monetized through a variety of direct and indirect strategies, including:

2.1. Personalized Marketing & Upselling

One of the most straightforward ways hotels monetize guest data is by using it to enhance personalized marketing. By analysing guest preferences, hotels can deliver targeted promotions and offers. For example, a guest who frequently uses spa services may be offered discounted packages or exclusive deals on future visits. Similarly, loyalty program members can be upsold additional services such as room upgrades, dining, or concierge services during their stay.

Hotels often leverage customer relationship management (CRM) systems to store and analyse guest data. These insights enable hotels to craft hyper-personalized email campaigns, in-app notifications, or promotional offers that appeal directly to individual customer profiles.

2.2. Affiliate Partnerships and Cross-Selling

Many hotel chains partner with external businesses, such as car rental companies, airlines, and local tour operators, to cross-sell services and share in the revenue generated. Guest data is used to promote these services, either during the booking process or in follow-up communications. For example, guests who frequently book leisure travel may be targeted with offers for car rentals, while those who book business stays might receive promotions for airport lounge access.

Hotels can earn revenue through commission-based agreements, where they receive a percentage of each transaction that is initiated through their platform. Alternatively, some hotels may opt for fixed-fee models, where third-party businesses pay a flat rate to access guest data for targeted marketing campaigns.

2.3. Data Sharing and Licensing

Anonymized and aggregated guest data can be sold or licensed to external parties interested in travel trends, consumer behaviour, and market demand insights. Companies that benefit from this data include:

• Car rental companies, which may use this data to better target potential customers.
• Tourism boards and real estate developers, which can analyse guest travel patterns to determine where to invest in new hotels, attractions, or infrastructure.
• Retailers and e-commerce companies, which may use the data for customer segmentation and personalized shopping offers.

By aggregating guest data across locations, hotels can generate valuable market insights that can be sold to third-party organizations or offered through a subscription-based model.

2.4. Loyalty Program Partnerships

Loyalty programs such as Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt represent a goldmine of guest data. By tracking how and when guests redeem loyalty points, hotels can identify high-value customers and target them with exclusive offers. In addition, many hotels partner with financial institutions to offer co-branded credit cards. When a guest signs up for these cards, the financial institution gains access to key customer insights, while the hotel benefits from increased loyalty and the sale of loyalty points to the bank.

2.5. Bundled Offers and Package Deals

By analysing guest behaviour and preferences, hotels can create bundled offers that combine lodging with additional services such as flights, car rentals, or local tours. These packages can be tailored based on data insights, ensuring that they are highly relevant to the guest. This is a common strategy for capturing more value from each booking and driving cross-industry partnerships.

2.6. Aggregated Analytics for Market Insights

Hospitality chains also monetize data by selling aggregated insights to other businesses. For example, real estate developers or urban planners may be interested in travel data to inform future investments. Similarly, tourism boards may seek insights on guest demographics and travel behaviours to optimize marketing efforts and improve tourism strategies.

3. Typical Use Cases and Target Customers

The data collected by hotel chains has a wide array of potential use cases across multiple industries. Below are some of the most common applications and their respective target customers.

3.1. Targeted Advertising & Marketing

• Target Customers: Car rental companies, airlines, retailers, entertainment companies, and travel agencies.
• Use Case: Guest data is used to send personalized offers based on travel behaviour and preferences. For instance, a business traveller might receive an exclusive discount from a car rental company or an offer for premium lounge access at the airport.

3.2. Market Research and Travel Insights

• Target Customers: Tourism boards, real estate developers, and insurers.
• Use Case: Aggregated data on guest travel patterns, booking habits, and seasonal preferences is valuable for understanding market demand and potential growth opportunities. For example, a real estate developer might use this data to decide where to build new hotels or retail spaces.

3.3. Loyalty Program Data Sharing

• Target Customers: Airlines, banks, and credit card companies.
• Use Case: Data from hotel loyalty programs can be shared with partners, such as airlines and financial institutions, to better target their offers. Banks offering co-branded credit cards often use this data to segment customers and promote spending incentives.

3.4. Corporate Travel and Event Planning

• Target Customers: Corporate clients, event planners, and conference organizers.
• Use Case: Hotels often use guest data to tailor services for corporate travel, providing customized experiences for frequent business travelers. Additionally, data-driven insights into corporate event needs allow hotels to offer more personalized event planning services.

4. Pricing Models for Data Monetization

There are several pricing models employed by hotels to monetize guest data, depending on the nature of the use case:

4.1. Affiliate Commissions

Hotels frequently earn commissions for each successful referral they make to a third-party service provider, such as a car rental company or airline. Commissions can range from 5% to 20% of the transaction value, depending on the service offered.

4.2. Subscription-Based Data Access

For businesses that require regular access to market insights or guest behaviour data, hotels may offer subscription-based access to anonymized and aggregated data sets. These subscriptions can range from thousands to millions of dollars per year, depending on the breadth and depth of the data provided.

4.3. Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA) Models

When hotels use guest data to help third parties acquire new customers, they may employ a CPA pricing model. In this case, third-party businesses pay a fixed rate for each successful customer conversion. CPA rates often range from $1 to $50 per acquisition.

4.4. Loyalty Program Data Sales

When selling loyalty program points to external partners such as airlines or credit card companies, hotels typically sell points in bulk for a fraction of a cent each. The value derived from this exchange depends on the number of points sold and how frequently customers redeem them.

5. Operational Requirements

Effectively monetizing guest data requires hotels to invest in several key capabilities, including:

5.1. Advanced Analytics and CRM Systems

Sophisticated CRM platforms and data analytics systems are essential for organizing, analysing, and deriving insights from guest data. These systems enable hotels to segment customers, predict future behaviour, and create personalized offers.

5.2. Data Privacy and Compliance

Given the sensitive nature of personal data, hotels must comply with international data privacy regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States. This requires hotels to anonymize data when necessary, obtain explicit guest consent for data usage, and implement security protocols to safeguard data from breaches.

5.3. Partnership Networks

Building and maintaining strong partnerships with third-party service providers is crucial for successful data monetization. Hotels must carefully select partners whose services align with guest preferences and negotiate mutually beneficial revenue-sharing agreements.

6. Ethical Considerations and Restrictions

While the potential for monetizing guest data is immense, hotels must also consider the ethical implications and restrictions associated with this practice:

6.1. Data Privacy and Guest Consent

Compliance with data privacy laws is not only a legal requirement but also an ethical imperative. Hotels must be transparent with guests about how their data is being used and ensure that consent is obtained when necessary. Overstepping these boundaries can result in reputational damage, legal penalties, and a loss of customer trust.

6.2. Maintaining Brand Integrity

Aggressive monetization efforts, such as excessive marketing or intrusive data-sharing practices, can erode guest trust and harm a hotel’s brand. Hotels must strike a balance between maximizing revenue and preserving the guest experience.

6.3. Competitor Boundaries

Hotels generally avoid sharing data with direct competitors, such as other hotel chains or online travel agencies (OTAs). However, they may share anonymized data with non-competing partners to provide valuable industry insights.

7. Conclusion

The monetization of guest data represents a significant opportunity for the hospitality industry. By leveraging data-driven insights, hotels can enhance personalized marketing efforts, form lucrative partnerships, and unlock new revenue streams. However, successful data monetization requires careful attention to operational requirements, legal compliance, and ethical considerations. As technology continues to evolve, hospitality players who can responsibly capitalize on guest data will gain a critical competitive edge in the market.

Ultimately, the hospitality industry must navigate the fine line between data-driven innovation and guest privacy, ensuring that the trust of their clientele is maintained while exploring new avenues for growth and profitability.