How do hotels collect guest purchase data?
Hotels collect purchase data using POS systems, property management software, and loyalty programs while ensuring data quality and privacy compliance.
Market Research Analysis Steps for Hotels
Understanding Guest Spending
Running a hotel today means more than just filling rooms. To grow your business, it's important to understand how your guests are spending their money - not just on rooms, but on food, drinks, spa services, and other extras. Even more helpful is knowing how that spending compares to what guests are spending at other hotels like yours.
This is where market research analysis comes in. It's a way to look at your guest purchase data and compare it to the larger hotel market. For example, if guests at similar hotels spend 20% more at the bar or restaurant, that might be a sign you're missing out on extra income.
When you can track what your guests are buying - and which groups are spending more - it becomes easier to improve your offers and pricing. You might find that younger travelers spend more on local experiences, or that business guests are more likely to use room service.
Define Your Goals
Before diving into data, it's important to know what you're trying to figure out. Guest purchase data can tell you a lot - but only if you start with clear goals. Otherwise, you'll end up with numbers that are hard to understand or don't really help you make better decisions.
Start by asking yourself some simple questions
- Are you trying to find out which age groups spend the most at your hotel?
- Do you want to know if guests from certain locations are more likely to book add-ons like spa or tours?
- Are you looking to compare food and beverage sales with industry averages?
When your goals are clear, it becomes much easier to focus on the right data. For example, if your goal is to increase restaurant revenue, you'll want to track how many guests eat on-site, how much they spend, and whether that varies by guest type (business vs. leisure, younger vs. older).
Also, think about how often you want to look at this information. Some hotel owners check monthly to spot trends quickly. Others look quarterly to get a bigger picture. Either way, consistency helps you track progress over time.
Another helpful tip is to write your goals down and keep them short and simple. For example -
- Understand what guests aged 25-35 are buying during their stay.
- Compare average guest spend on spa services with local hotel averages.
- Find out if loyalty program members spend more than non-members.
Setting goals like these gives you a clear direction. It also helps you avoid wasting time collecting data you won't use. In short, clear goals are the foundation of any useful market research analysis - and they make the rest of the process much easier and more meaningful.
Collecting Accurate Guest Purchase Data
Once your goals are clear, the next step is collecting the right data - and making sure it's accurate. Without good data, your analysis won't be reliable, and any decisions you make based on it could steer you in the wrong direction.
Start with what you already have. Most hotels collect a lot of useful information through their property management system (PMS) and point-of-sale (POS) systems. These tools can show what each guest purchased, when they bought it, and how much they spent. The key is making sure this data is properly recorded and tied back to the guest's profile.
To get a complete picture, it helps to -
- Link all purchases (restaurant, bar, spa, room service, etc.) to the guest's folio
- Encourage staff to input purchases under the correct guest room or ID
- Use loyalty programs to track repeat guest behavior more easily
Make sure your data includes important guest details like age group, travel purpose (business or leisure), booking channel (direct or OTA), and country or region of origin. This makes it easier to group guests into useful segments later.
Accuracy matters. If your data is missing items or wrongly entered, your analysis could be way off. To avoid this -
- Train your team to enter purchases consistently
- Do regular spot checks to catch errors early
- Make sure systems are synced and working together properly
Finally, respect guest privacy. Avoid collecting unnecessary personal information, and follow U.S. data privacy regulations like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Most good systems can anonymize or encrypt guest data while still giving you the insights you need.
Segmenting Guest Data by Demographics
Once your data is collected and organized, the next step is to break it down in a way that gives you real insight. One of the most effective ways to do this is by segmenting your guest data by demographics. This simply means grouping guests by shared characteristics, like age, location, or travel purpose.
Why does this matter? Because not all guests behave the same way. For example, younger guests might spend more at the bar, while older guests may prefer spa services. Business travelers might use room service more often, while vacationing families could be more likely to book extra nights or upgrade rooms. When you group your data by demographic categories, these patterns become easier to see - and act on.
Here are some common ways to segment guest data
1. Age group - 18-24, 25-34, 35-49, 50+
2. Geographic location - Local, regional, national, or international
3. Trip purpose - Business, leisure, group events, family travel
4. Booking source - Direct booking, OTA (Online Travel Agency), travel agent
5. Loyalty status - Member vs. non-member
You don't need to go overboard with dozens of categories. Start with two or three that align with your original goals. For instance, if your goal is to grow food and beverage sales, segment by age and trip purpose to see who spends the most in your restaurant or bar.
Most property management or guest experience systems already collect some of this demographic data during booking or check-in. If not, you can gather more through post-stay surveys or voluntary profile updates during check-in.
Segmenting makes your data much more useful. Instead of seeing just one big number for average guest spend, you'll see differences between groups - helping you target your marketing, pricing, and offers more effectively.
Selecting Industry Benchmarks
After organizing your guest spending data, the next important step is to compare it with industry benchmarks. These benchmarks are average numbers from other hotels that help you see how your property is performing in areas like food and beverage sales, room upgrades, spa bookings, and more.
Why compare? Because numbers on their own don't tell the full story. For example, if the average guest at your hotel spends $25 at the bar, that might seem fine - until you learn that guests at similar hotels spend $40. That $15 gap could be lost revenue you didn't even know existed.
To get started, you'll want to find benchmarks that are
- Relevant to your hotel type (e.g., boutique, resort, midscale)
- Based on similar location or market (urban, coastal, rural, etc.)
- Current (ideally from within the past 12 months)
Here are a few trusted sources for industry benchmark data
STR (Smith Travel Research) - Known for hotel performance metrics
Kalibri Labs - Offers guest spend data and market segmentation
Local hotel associations or tourism boards - Often provide free or low-cost reports
Hospitality software providers - Many include benchmarking tools as part of their analytics dashboards
If paid reports are out of reach, start with free public sources like national tourism data, government hospitality stats, or surveys shared by travel industry groups. While not always specific, they give useful context.
When comparing, focus on key metrics like
- Average spend per guest
- Spend by demographic group
- Purchase rates for amenities (spa, restaurant, room upgrades)
Having benchmarks in place helps you spot where you're doing well and where you might be falling behind. It turns your data into something you can act on - giving you the confidence to adjust your pricing, improve your services, or create offers that better match your guests' spending habits.
Tools and Techniques
Once you've collected your guest spending data and found relevant industry benchmarks, the next step is analysis. This is where the real insights start to appear. By using the right tools and methods, you can compare your hotel's performance to the broader market and find areas to improve.
You don't need to be a data expert to get started. Many hotel owners begin with simple tools like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. With basic sorting, filtering, and charting features, you can quickly see patterns - such as which guest segments spend the most or which amenities are underperforming. For example, you might discover that international guests spend more at the bar than domestic guests, or that guests aged 35 - 49 are more likely to use spa services.
If you want deeper insights, business intelligence (BI) tools or analytics dashboards built into your PMS or POS systems can help. These platforms often offer built-in reports, data visualizations, and even benchmarking comparisons. Some allow you to filter data by time period, guest type, or department, making it easier to analyze trends over time.
Key metrics to focus on include
- Average spend per guest
- Spend by category (e.g., food, spa, activities)
- Purchase frequency per stay
- Upsell conversion rates
- Spend by demographic group
To compare your data to benchmarks, create side-by-side charts. For example, if the industry average for restaurant spend per guest is $35 and your hotel averages $22, you now have a clear gap to explore and address.
The goal isn't just to spot weaknesses - it's also to find strengths you can build on. Maybe your guests spend less at the bar, but more on room upgrades. These insights help you fine-tune your offerings and focus your marketing where it matters most.
Interpreting the Data
Once you've analyzed your guest spending and compared it to industry benchmarks, it's time to make sense of the numbers. This step - interpreting the data - is where you turn facts into action. The goal is to understand where you're doing well, where you're falling short, and what opportunities exist to grow revenue.
Start by looking for spending gaps. For example, if your benchmark shows that similar hotels generate $40 per guest in food and beverage sales but your hotel averages $28, you've identified a clear gap. The next step is to ask - Why? Are your menus too limited? Is your dining space underused? Are your guests unaware of the restaurant offerings?
Then, look for opportunities based on guest segments. Maybe younger guests spend more on on-site experiences but less on spa services. That could be an opportunity to design new packages, events, or promotions for that group. Similarly, if business travelers use room service more often, you might extend service hours or offer bundled meal deals to increase revenue per stay.
Don't ignore high-performing areas, either. If one segment is spending more than the benchmark - say, older guests spending more on spa treatments - look for ways to expand or better promote that offering. You could introduce tiered spa packages or targeted email promotions to increase repeat bookings.
Also, take note of seasonal patterns. Are guests spending more during certain months or events? Is there a dip during off-peak times that you could address with limited-time offers or discounts?
The key is to stay curious. Numbers alone won't give you all the answers - but they will point you in the right direction. Use what you find to test small changes, track the results, and build on what works. That's how you make your market research truly pay off.
Maintaining Continuous Market Research Analysis
Market research analysis isn't a one-time task - it's an ongoing process. Guest preferences, market trends, and competition change over time, so keeping your data up to date is crucial. Regularly reviewing and comparing your guest spending helps you stay ahead and adapt your hotel's offerings effectively.
Set up a routine to collect and analyze data consistently - whether monthly or quarterly. This helps you spot new trends early, identify shifts in guest behavior, and measure the impact of changes you make. Automating data collection and reporting wherever possible saves time and reduces errors.
Investing in the right technology can make this much easier. Platforms that integrate your property management system, point-of-sale data, and market benchmarks give you a comprehensive view in one place. This lets you focus on making smart decisions instead of wrestling with spreadsheets.
If you're looking for a powerful yet user-friendly solution to track guest spending and compare it to market benchmarks, Altametrics offers advanced analytics built specifically for hospitality businesses. Their platform helps hotel owners understand purchasing patterns by demographic, benchmark performance against competitors, and uncover revenue opportunities quickly. With intuitive dashboards and automated reports, you get the data you need to drive growth without the headache of complex data management.
Staying informed with continuous market research analysis ensures your hotel remains competitive, profitable, and responsive to your guests' changing needs. Take the guesswork out of running your restaurant. Learn how better data leads to better results by clicking "Schedule a Demo" below.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I track guest spending across different hotel departments?
Integrate data from POS systems across restaurants, bars, spa, and other services to get a full picture.
How can I collect accurate guest purchase data?
Use your property management system (PMS), point-of-sale (POS) systems, and loyalty programs while ensuring data is entered correctly and linked to guest profiles.
What types of guest demographics are useful for segmentation?
Common categories include age, location, trip purpose, booking channel, and loyalty membership status.
What should I do if my guest spending is below industry benchmarks?
Identify the gap's cause - like limited offerings or lack of awareness - and adjust pricing, marketing, or services to improve revenue.
