Travel & Hospitality Data

Travel and hospitality sources publish information about properties, rooms, rates, amenities and destinations. Hotel websites, accommodation platforms and destination sites each present this information in their own way.

A defining characteristic of this data is that displayed accommodation rates are rarely fixed. They can depend on the stay dates, length of stay, occupancy, room type, currency or region, and the source where the rate is shown.

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Travel and hospitality data is relevant to organizations that need a structured view of accommodation and destinations, including:

• Hotels and accommodation providers
• Travel companies and agencies
• Destination and tourism organizations
• Hospitality analysts and researchers
• Teams building travel datasets

Unlike a static product record, a property has several layers: the property itself, its room types and rate plans, and rates that change with the dates and occupancy of each search. A useful travel dataset has to reflect that structure.

The core of this data is accommodation and destinations. Depending on the project, other publicly available travel information can also be collected, such as flights and airline schedules, car rental listings, vacation rentals, tours and activities, and restaurant listings. Each is structured differently from a hotel rate, so the record structure is defined for each project.

Travel and hospitality data connects properties, rooms, rates and destinations. Understanding how these layers relate makes it easier to define what a dataset should contain.

The property record describes the hotel or accommodation itself: its name, property URL, property type, location and address, and, where displayed, a property ID, brand and star rating.

The same property often appears on its own website and on several public travel and booking sources, sometimes with different details. When data comes from more than one source, properties may need to be matched so that each one is represented consistently.

Each property offers one or more room types, each with its own attributes and room features. Where displayed, a room type can have several rate plans, for example with different meal or cancellation terms.

Amenities and property services, such as parking, dining or fitness facilities, usually apply at the property level, while room features belong to individual room types.

A displayed rate is tied to a specific search. It can change with the selected stay dates, the length of stay, the occupancy, the room type and the source. Some sources show a nightly rate, others a total stay price, and taxes, fees, currency and promotional offers may be shown where displayed.

For this reason, a single static price does not represent a property. Rates are best recorded together with the search details they belong to. Actual inventory quantities are not assumed unless the source publicly provides them.

Properties sit within a destination hierarchy: country, region, city or destination, and local area. Linking properties to destinations allows accommodation to be grouped and compared by place.

Where publicly displayed, destination sources can also describe attractions and activities associated with a destination.

The data types below reflect what travel and hospitality sources commonly display. Availability depends on each source and on the scope of the project.

Property data covers the property name, accommodation type, location, description and other property attributes. It can also include check-in and check-out information where publicly displayed.

This covers room types, room attributes and rate plans, together with displayed rates for the selected stay dates and occupancy. Where publicly displayed, it can include availability, cancellation conditions and minimum stay requirements.

Actual inventory quantities are not assumed unless the source publicly displays them.

Amenity data can include parking, dining, pool, fitness and spa facilities, accessibility information and other property services. Policy data can include pet policies, cancellation policies and other publicly displayed property policies.

Ratings are limited to aggregate figures where publicly displayed, such as an overall rating, review count and category rating summaries.

Destination data covers destinations and destination categories, along with attractions, activities and operating information where publicly displayed. It also records how destinations, locations and properties relate to each other.

Travel and hospitality data can come from a range of publicly accessible source types, including:

• Hotel websites
• Accommodation websites
• Travel websites
• Booking and listing platforms
• Hospitality directories
• Destination and tourism websites
• Attraction and activity websites
• Regional travel pages
• Review websites, for aggregate ratings where publicly displayed
• Other publicly accessible travel and hospitality sources

Each source type structures properties, rooms and rates differently, and not every source applies to every project.

Travel and hospitality projects usually focus on properties, rates or destinations, or on a combination of these.

Researching and comparing selected properties, including their accommodation type, location, room types and amenities.

Recording the rates that selected sources publicly display for defined stay dates and room types at a given point in time. Because displayed rates vary with stay dates, room type, occupancy, source, currency or region, and pricing basis, each rate is recorded with the search details behind it.

Studying destinations and regions, including the accommodation landscape within a destination and how properties, attractions and locations relate to each other.

Building structured datasets of properties, rooms, amenities, destinations and other publicly displayed fields, with properties matched across sources where possible.

Travel and hospitality projects are defined by where, when and for which search the data applies. The main points to settle are:

• Sources in scope
• Destinations and properties in scope
• Stay-date range
• Length of stay
• Occupancy
• Room types
• Currency and region
• Record grain: property, room type, or rate for a given search
• Price basis: nightly rate or total stay price
• Treatment of taxes and fees where displayed
• Property matching keys across sources
• One-time or recurring collection

Property matching keys are not always available on every source, so the matching approach depends on the fields the selected sources display.

A one-time collection captures selected sources at a single point and can support:

• Property research
• Accommodation comparison
• Destination studies
• Hospitality database creation
• Rate research for selected dates

Recurring collection records timestamped snapshots of publicly displayed information over time, such as:

• Rates
• Availability
• Promotions
• Property details
• Amenities
• Other observable changes

Displayed rates and availability reflect what a source shows at the time of collection, not a live booking status. How often data is collected depends on the project.

Travel and hospitality data is shaped by the sources, destinations and search details involved. Before scoping a project, it helps to define:

• Source websites and platforms
• Destinations and properties
• Stay dates
• Occupancy
• Room types
• Required fields
• Price basis
• Currency and region
• Record level
• One-time or recurring collection

Traveler and booking information is outside the scope of this data. Once these requirements are defined, we can review the project scope and confirm an approach.

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