Statistics that every hotel should keep track of

Technology has changed not only what is possible, but also what is measurable. A new generation of hospitality statistics has emerged and hoteliers who adapt quickly are getting the biggest rewards.

Sometimes, in our view, far too much weight is given to a few traditional statistics in the hospitality industry. We don't want to name names, but we talk about occupancy, ADR and RevPAR. Nowadays, however, when our world consists of technology, mixed stays and experiential travel, these statistics are too limited. 

They can still be useful (especially to compare your performance with competitors), but they are only a small part of the vast amounts of data available to you. Here are some key components you should consider. 

Efficient operations are the foundation of any well-functioning hotel. Tracking statistics on operational efficiency, such as how long per room there is between a guest's departure and a new guest's arrival, guest acquisition costs and staff screen time, help you identify problem areas and solve them immediately. This not only improves the guest experience, but also contributes to cost savings and optimising your revenue. 

Keeping track of guest satisfaction makes sense, but many companies focus too much on turnover and occupancy rates, leaving guest satisfaction on the back burner. General managers should keep a close eye on guest satisfaction statistics. Consider online reviews, ratings and guest feedback. By keeping an eye on these indicators, you can discover areas for improvement, see what is going well and therefore improve the guest experience in general. 

It probably takes too much time to manually track your scores from different channels. Choosing a good reputation management tool will save you a lot of time and make it easy to track your performance. Here's everything you need to know about reviews on Google Hotels, plus the best reputation management strategies for hotels. 

Of course, we all want to make money. And that is exactly why ADR and RevPAR are no longer the best metrics for revenue. With RevPAM (revenue per available square metre), you can analyse just rooms (which rooms have the best usage-to-revenue ratio) or all rooms in your hotel. It's a holistic approach that captures more touch points like upselling and F&B and encourages your team to think of more ways to diversify and maximise your revenue. 

And instead of ADR, consider tracking guests' spending per day. When you look at ADR, you really only see what the average guest paid to sleep in your hotel last night. But if you know that the guest also bought food, drinks and the use of a parking space, there are many more interesting rate management ideas to explore. 

A motivated and engaged team is essential to providing exceptional guest experiences. Keeping statistics on employee satisfaction, staff turnover and the effectiveness of training sessions helps promote a positive working atmosphere. It is also good to calculate and track the cost of staff turnover. That's probably not a pleasant number to see, but it does help show how important it is that your employees are happy. 

Sustainability is not a trend. Whole generations of travellers expect it. Measuring sustainability is not only a way to show your guests how green you are, but also has a positive knock-on effect on your business, mostly in the form of cost savings and less waste in F&B, energy and gas, water and light.

So, what exactly are these new metrics? In our guide, The new era of metrics for general managers, we discuss 11 metrics to follow if you want to stay successful. Some of them are mentioned in this article, but the rest... Don't you want to know which ones they are? 

Download here 'The new era of hospitality stats for general managers'.