How Hotels Use Location Data

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A bustling and lively hotel is a general indicator of good health. But there’s so much more than simply counting the number of people walking through the door. 

Foot traffic and location data can help to leverage deeper insights and improve guest response times. Voice communication and location tracking systems allow a hotel to act on the fly when an incident occurs and meet consumer needs in seconds, rather than minutes.

Key Takeaways

  • Location data helps a hotel measure visitation impact across various business verticals
  • It will refine where a guest spends the most time for more targeted offerings
  • Location data helps to further segment your guest base and meet specific needs
  • Analyzing mobility data boosts occupancy rates and customer retention
  • Better forecast price and demand based on visitation and location data

Competitive Intelligence

Location data helps hotels measure visitation impact across various business functions and make better decisions about the competition. Does price competition fuel an advantage in the current post-pandemic landscape? 

A brief analysis of hotel foot traffic for top brands can surface a number of recommendations. Studying mobility data helps a hotel answer questions like:

  • How am I performing compared to other hotels in the area?
  • How many people are visiting the hotel and what does future traffic look like?
  • Who is my customer and where do they come from?
  • How is the local trade area changing?

Studying this data also helps with site selection. A brand can evaluate and prioritize new and additional locations by studying what other companies are already doing. 

Targeted Offerings

Location data can help refine where on-site a guest spends the most time. This data can then be used for hyper-targeted offerings. It can also be used to assess site performance and areas of the hotel that are engaging or might need work. 

Integrating location services into loyalty apps is another way to identify consumer needs and deliver accordingly. A hotel can reach out with promotional campaigns like “frequent travelers” or “business travelers.” The more personalized the campaign, the more likely people will take notice. 

Increase Bookings

The more technology a hotel uses, the greater the chances are for success. That’s because they have access to more and more data with every tool. This type of analytics is particularly useful to hotel owners and managers that want to increase bookings. 

Once you know how to organize and evaluate the right location data, a hotel can:

  • Get ahead of the competition
  • Establish a better guest experience
  • Have more events and booked rooms
  • Grow the bottom line substantially

Analyzing mobility data can also help to boost occupancy rates and better forecast price and demand. For example, if there’s going to be a big event near the hotel, you can raise the rates a little to get the most ROI.

Reaching the Right Audience

Location data can help hotel marketers advertise to the right visitors, wherever they are, and precisely where they need to stay. 

For example, if your hotel is close to an airport, you can create a mobile campaign aimed at travelers looking for a place to stay after a canceled flight. 

In this case, you would only need access to data on canceled flights, weather conditions, and the areas most influenced by weather and/or flight cancellations. Pair that with localized mobility data, and it’s a win-win for hyperfocused segmentation. 

This type of demand forecasting solves consumer problems before they even realize they have one. 

Location Data is Booking a Room

And it’s not going anywhere in the hotel industry. In fact, adoption rates are increasing every year as the pandemic has driven a stiff market with strong competition.  

The number of companies who want to use location data is growing significantly faster than companies who can use location data. Here’s why: data without interpretation is like paint in a jar — it’s not until you apply it to a canvas that it begins to mean something.

Want to know more about how hotels are leveraging location data right now? Check out our retail location data buyer’s guide and if you have any questions, schedule a meeting today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Discover how analyzing real-world movement patterns can reveal valuable trends in customer behavior, optimize business operations, and enhance strategic decision-making.

What is site selection and why is it important?

Site selection is the strategic process by which businesses identify, evaluate, and choose optimal locations for their operations. This process is paramount as the location of a business directly influences factors such as accessibility, visibility, profitability, and market longevity. For retailers, the right site can mean higher customer footfall and increased sales. In real estate, a well-selected site can promise lucrative returns on investment and tenant stability. Financial service firms leverage site selection to position their branches or ATMs in high-demand areas. Essentially, site selection plays a pivotal role in ensuring the success and growth of a business by aligning its physical presence with market opportunities and demands.

How does location intelligence enhance site selection?

Location intelligence refers to the harnessing of geospatial data to derive actionable insights, which can significantly enhance the site selection process. By analyzing data like consumer demographics, foot traffic patterns, competitor locations, trade area data, and more, businesses can make more informed decisions about where to establish or expand their operations. Location intelligence allows for a deeper understanding of market dynamics, revealing hidden opportunities or potential pitfalls. For instance, retailers can identify gaps in the market, real estate professionals can forecast property value trends, and financial service providers can assess areas with high customer demand. Advanced tools, like those offered by Unacast, further refine these insights by leveraging AI and machine learning, enabling more precise and timely decision-making.

What challenges do businesses face in the site selection process?

Unacast provides invaluable support to businesses during the site selection process through its advanced location data and analytics software, all powered and refined by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies. The company offers a suite of products designed to deliver accurate, actionable, and comprehensive location intelligence. This data proves crucial for businesses looking to understand consumer behavior, analyze traffic patterns, evaluate competitor locations, and much more. With Unacast’s robust tools, businesses in retail, real estate, and financial services can derive insightful information necessary for making strategic, informed site selection decisions. The platform not only provides reliable data but also ensures it is readily actionable for businesses, whether they are looking to open a new store, invest in property, or expand their financial services to new locations.

What types of location data are crucial for informed site selection?

Demographic data offers insights into the age, income, and lifestyle of people in a particular area, helping businesses understand their potential customer base. Foot traffic data provides information on the number of people visiting a location, which is crucial for retailers to estimate the store's potential popularity and for real estate professionals to assess an area's vibrancy and demand. Geographic Information System (GIS) data helps in visualizing and analyzing geographical details, supporting companies in identifying accessible and strategically located sites. Understanding the proximity to competitors, accessibility, and the socio-economic profile of the surrounding areas is also vital. Unacast’s platform aggregates and analyzes these various data types, providing a holistic view that significantly empowers businesses in their site selection endeavors.

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