Hotel database health – Global

EMEA leads database growth across all regions, with APAC gaining strong momentum right behind. North America holds the largest database globally and has plenty of room to accelerate growth from that strong foundation. The upward trajectory across every region signals that hotels are making meaningful progress in capturing guest data, and the opportunity to convert growing databases into stronger engagement and revenue is significant for every market.

Smaller properties (1-100 rooms) are growing their databases at the fastest rate, showing how effectively hands-on teams capture guest information. Properties with more than 250 rooms have built the largest databases in the industry and have a significant opportunity to convert that volume into stronger engagement and revenue. Every size segment is trending upward, reinforcing the industry-wide momentum in guest data collection and direct relationship building.

Value-focused properties (Economy through Upper Midscale) are growing databases at nearly two times the rate of luxury properties, proving a growth mindset pays off regardless of class. Upper Midscale is the standout segment, combining ambition with strong execution. Luxury properties have built substantial databases and are well positioned to unlock even more value from each guest record through targeted engagement, personalization, and direct booking strategies.

North America’s 84% email capture continues to set the global benchmark, while APAC and EMEA both reached 64%, closing the gap with steady one to two point gains. Phone capture rates across all regions sit in the 53-58% range, representing a significant untapped channel. Hotels that find ways to close the gap between email and phone capture will unlock stronger omnichannel engagement and more direct guest relationships.

Email capture shows clear differentiation by property size, ranging from 71% to 81%, while phone capture holds steady across all segments at 56-57%. Properties with one to 50 rooms lead on email at 81%, demonstrating the power of hands-on guest engagement. The consistent phone capture across every property size signals a universal opportunity to strengthen omnichannel outreach through SMS, voice, and digital channels for stronger guest connection.

Economy guests are the most accessible via phone (61%), while Luxury leads on email capture (82%). The 30-point gap between email and phone in the Luxury segment represents a significant opportunity to expand communication channels with high-value travelers through SMS and voice outreach. Properties that close this gap unlock richer guest engagement across every touchpoint, turning a single data point into a full omnichannel relationship.

APAC’s monetization growth, with 64% email, 53% phone, proves that smart engagement execution drives results regardless of database size. This is an encouraging signal for every region: the biggest gains come from activating the data you already have. Hotels that focus on strategic, personalized outreach over sheer volume are best positioned to grow revenue per contact and strengthen lifetime guest value.

The Salamander Collection improved their outbound revenue growth by 270% improvement from March to April 2024.

EMEA’s 34% OTA-masked email rate highlights a significant opportunity to reclaim direct guest relationships through identity resolution tools. North America (12%) and APAC (15%) demonstrate that strong direct booking strategies keep more guest data in-house. As OTA masking trends upward across all regions, investing in tools that unmask and unify guest profiles becomes increasingly valuable for protecting guest relationships, improving personalization, and driving repeat direct bookings.

North America leads with 11% merged profiles, reflecting strong data capture rates (84% email, 56% phone). APAC’s steady performance YoY is notable given the region’s rapid database expansion. As databases grow across all regions, investing in profile merging and data unification ensures every new record contributes to a richer, more actionable guest profile. Unified profiles drive stronger engagement, better personalization, and higher revenue per contact across all channels.

Merged profiles hold steady at 10% across every property size, regardless of whether a hotel has 20 rooms or 500. While smaller properties excel at initial data capture, profile unification is a universal opportunity. Hotels of every size can benefit from investing in identity resolution to create richer guest profiles from the data they’re already collecting, turning fragmented records into complete guest views that drive stronger engagement.

Luxury guests are 50% more likely to have merged profiles (12%) compared to Economy guests (8%), reflecting how premium travelers share more consistent, identifiable data across touchpoints. As databases grow across all segments, there’s a meaningful opportunity to strengthen profile merging and ensure new records enhance data quality rather than dilute it. Hotels that prioritize data unification alongside growth will get the most out of every guest interaction.