Unlike the airlines, hotels have no global standard. "This is not about giving away free data, but rather collaborating, sharing and agreeing a common standard that can be used across companies. "

　　Being more focused and strategic with data and analytics can deliver significant benefits to the bottom line, writes Pamela Whitby, editor, EyeforTravel. Everybody is talking about how data, if used correctly, can deliver greater efficiency and a better customer experience. But achieving this in a rapidly changing environment is anything but easy.

　　From keeping on top of big trends (think the rise of metasearch, holiday rentals and homestays) to skilling up and spending in the right place, analytics teams must be statistically minded and strategically focused. Ahead of EyeforTravel's upcoming Smart Travel Analytics North America 2014 show which will take place in New York next year, we hear some tips, as well as some of the trends and challenges that are shaping this important travel niche.

　　1. Metasearch: threat or opportunity?

　　Priceline's acquisition of Kayak, Expedia's of Trivago and then its later investment into Room 77, all point to a growing trend towards metasearch, says Bill Beckler, former head of innovation at Travelocity and lastminute.com and now the founder of a new website alltherooms.com. For the ‘super-optimiser' group of customers - those that spend multiple days looking at dozens of different options, this presents a huge opportunity, says Beckler.

　　For example, suppliers and online travel agents can now look to measure how users are ‘comparison shopping' and reading reviews on metasearch sites before coming to the brand's own site to book directly.

　　For Google's Travel Industry Manager Michael Librizzi, an analytics team may, for example, find that metasearch is very powerful in assisting consumer research and booking. However, just because ‘meta' is becoming an increasingly global and meaningful source of traffic for partners in the industry, an analytics team probably doesn't need to adjust their overall strategy. "Rather they can incorporate ‘meta' into their model like any other traffic source," he says. "Ultimately, teams need to ask: how is ‘meta' driving last-click bookings and how is ‘meta' assisting in bookings?"

　　In terms of direct impact, today metasearch mostly affects B2C companies. However, as B2B companies like Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) look to become more consumer-oriented, it is something this company increasingly expects to come across. "I think it represents a great opportunity, as it allows analytics teams access to more content," explains Catalin Ciobanu, Director, Global Product İnnovation at CWT. "However, this does come with challenges, as the increased amount of content requires more analysis, which can have an impact on the real-time response that is desired in today's world."

　　2. Technology spend: in house or outsourced?

　　One of the biggest challenges facing analytics' teams is how to maximise their budgets so that any investment delivers greater profitability. For OTAs like booking.com, Expedia and Travelocity, Google is the biggest drain on a budget. "Most of these guys spend more on Google than on their own travel technology," says Beckler. And in many cases this technology piece is outsourced to agencies. As head of innovation at lastminute.com, Beckler quickly learnt that "agencies don't live or die based on travel trends or for tweaking data and integrating a Google strategy with other technologies or information from elsewhere".

　　Recognising this, he helped to bring the paid search team in house. As a result, Beckler says the firm was "able to squeeze out a lot more value from the money we spent on Google".

　　If you are in any doubt about whether to invest in analytics, take note. While atlastminute.com, Beckler helped to grow the in house analytics team from five people to 30. As a result, the company was able to make substantial savings on the back of a multi-million dollar investment.