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As hotels and travel management companies (TMCs) grapple with the complexities of a digital-first marketplace, data quality and accuracy are pivotal. Errors such as invalid room counts, missing hotel IDs, erroneous ZIP codes, invalid room rates and revenues, and miscalculated commission percentages can ripple across an enterprise, even if these discrepancies are seemingly small on their own.
This edition of the Data Snap highlights variations in data quality from hotel commission transactions across global geographic regions, expanding on the article series’ deep exploration of the role data plays in business efficiency and financial health for hospitality companies.
Regional Rifts in Data Quality
The latest insights from Onyx expose a stark disparity in data quality across the globe. In the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, for instance, 57% of all transactions from both hotels and TMCs suffer from data quality issues. This figure is more than 20 percentage points above the global average, and nearly triples the discrepancies observed in hotel transactions across North America (NORAM), where the rate stands at a more modest 20%.
This revelation not only highlights the need for tailored solutions but also sets the stage for a deeper understanding of how data impacts operational success for both hospitality providers and booking entities.
Data Quality Chaos: Culprits and Consequences
Certain errors occur more frequently than others. The chart below indicates several of the most common data quality issues. In each of these areas, transaction data issues in APAC outpace the global average by significant margins.
These issues extend beyond mere accounting hiccups. They represent significant operational hurdles that may result in misleading booking details, delayed payments, and confused guests. Poor data quality can have a negative influence on multiple facets of hospitality management:
Operational Inefficiency: A high error rate slows transaction processing, leading to delayed payments and prolonged cash flow cycles.
Customer Dissatisfaction: Data inaccuracies can result in service failures and billing disputes, negatively impacting guest relations and brand reputation.
Financial Discrepancies: Erroneous data complicates financial reporting and strategic decision-making, affecting everything from revenue forecasts to budgeting.
Increased Operational Costs: Addressing data errors requires significant resources, increasing costs and diverting focus from strategic initiatives.
Regulatory Risks: Inaccurate data can cause compliance issues, exposing businesses to potential fines and legal complications.
The visual below highlights how APAC’s data quality issues directly impact key operational metrics such as average days to pay commissions and payment pending transaction ratios. These metrics illustrate the operational challenges heightened by poor data quality, showcasing longer payment cycles and increased financial discrepancies in the region.
APAC Hotels’ Data Quality Is Critical at a Pivotal Moment for the Industry
According to the Skift Research 2025 Global Travel Outlook, Asia-Pacific was the standout performer across all travel sectors in 2024, trending more than 15 percentage points above 2023 as measured by the 84 travel indicators included in the Skift Travel Health Index. China, Thailand, and Japan performed the strongest due to pent-up international travel demand and a strong domestic travel market, fueling 2024 increases.
Amid this growth, there’s still more to come: Hotel recovery is still on its way up. In Asia-Pacific, revenue per available room (RevPAR) reached only 89% of 2019 levels in 2024, compared to 113% globally. As a result, attention to growth and capturing demand in this region is paramount, and therefore the margin for error is even smaller than in other parts of the world.
Navigating Through Data Fog
Hotels and TMCs should regularly review their data feeds sent to commission suppliers to ensure accuracy and identify areas needing attention. By scoring data quality (as shown in the example below), they can pinpoint problem areas and offer actionable insights to elevate data integrity. For hotels and travel agencies, this means a chance to streamline operations, enhance financial performance, and eliminate the errors that cloud their service excellence.
In an era where data is as valuable as currency, businesses need to harness the power of data quality to thrive. By turning information into insights, they can transform challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation.
“The Data Snap” is a recurring article series that paints a clearer picture of the dynamic hotel booking landscape, empowering hotels and agencies to make data-driven decisions that help them build productive partner relationships and drive more revenue.
OnyxInsights offers a comprehensive view of the industry landscape, enabling hotels and TMCs to make well-informed decisions and better serve their clients and partners. Onyx CenterSource processes over 100 million transactions annually on behalf of 200,000 agencies and 150,000 hotels globally, representing nearly $2.1 billion in hotel commission payments. Visit onyxcentersource.com to learn more.
This content was created collaboratively by Onyx CenterSource and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.
