Data Helps Owners and Asset Managers Protect Long-Term Value

Labor costs are up 20–30% since 2019. Insurance premiums have doubled in some markets. Energy and procurement costs remain volatile. Revenue growth no longer guarantees profitability.

With mounting pressure on profit margins, hotel owners and asset managers are being forced today to make critical decisions that will affect long-term asset value. “This business is all about NOI. Nothing else matters,” writes Vikram Singh in a recent Hotel-Online article outlining the benefits of working with an asset manager.

Fortunately, there is more data available today than ever before to ensure owners and asset managers are making smarter, profit-focused decisions. The real challenge isn’t a lack of data – it’s that most organizations are drowning in it.

This blog series was built to help each department identify the data that matters most to them. Earlier in this series, we explored aligning data and strategies in the Operations, Finance Department, and Commercial Strategy departments:

• Building a Culture of Data-Driven Hospitality: Operations Department
• Building a Culture of Data-Driven Hospitality: Accounting & Finance Departments
• Building a Culture of Data-Driven Hospitality: Commercial Strategy Teams

Today, we turn our attention to owners and asset managers; what data is most important to them and how they can use it to protect profitability in a volatile market.

Asset Management: Seeing the Full Picture

Owners and asset managers are responsible for maximizing long-term value. Their lens is broader than daily operations. They focus on:

• Return expectations
• Risk exposure
• Capital allocation
• Operator performance
• Portfolio optimization

They need clarity at the portfolio level – with the ability to drill down quickly when performance deviates from expectations.

When data is centralized and standardized among operators, brands, owners and asset managers, teams spend less time assembling reports and more time analyzing trends. Strategic conversations improve. Accountability strengthens. Decisions move faster.

What Data Matters Most to Owners & Asset Managers?

Portfolio-Level Financial Performance. Owners must see consistent financial metrics across properties, regardless of brand or operator:

• Revenue, GOP, NOI, EBITDA by property
• GOPPAR and NOI PAR trends
• Variance vs. budget and forecast
• Flow-through analysis
• Departmental margin performance

Market & Benchmarking Intelligence. Distinguish between internal performance problems and external market headwinds.

• RevPAR and ADR index performance
• Market share trends
• Cost ratios compared to peers
• Competitive positioning insights

Operational Summary Metrics. Owners don’t need to micromanage – but they do need visibility into operational health indicators.

• Labor cost ratios and productivity
• Time-to-serve and service efficiency trends
• Channel mix and net revenue contribution
• Acquisition cost vs. guest lifetime value
• Ancillary revenue contribution to profit

Capital & Asset Health Data. Ownership decisions extend beyond monthly P&Ls.

• Capex spend and project timelines
• ROI projections on renovations
• Technology stack efficiency
• Maintenance indicators and asset lifecycle data
• Renovation impact on performance

How Ownership Uses Data to Drive Better Outcomes

Having the data is one thing. Using it well is what separates high-performing portfolios from stagnant ones.

Automate Reporting & Standardize Views. Centralized data eliminates time wasted reconciling reports across brands and management companies. Monthly owner decks shift from data validation exercises to strategic discussions. Less reporting effort. More insight.

Align Expectations with Operators. Shared, transparent KPIs reduce friction between ownership and operators. Conversations shift from, “Why don’t your numbers match ours?” to “What’s driving this variance – and how do we fix it?” When expectations are grounded in trusted data, accountability improves without micromanagement.

Identify Outliers & Replicate Success. Portfolio-level views make it easier to spot underperforming assets early, surface best practices from top performers, and diagnose margin compression trends. This is where asset management moves from oversight to optimization.

Guide Strategic & Capital Decisions. Reliable data supports smarter decisions around renovations and brand repositioning, technology investments, operator changes, and acquisitions and divestitures.

Oversight vs. Value Creation

Great owners and asset managers use data to empower their operators. Data should illuminate the path forward – not serve as a weapon in variance meetings. When asset managers focus on outcomes instead of optics, they create cultures that innovate, retain talent, and protect long-term value.

Ownership today is less about reviewing spreadsheets and more about engineering systems that consistently generate profitable execution. In an era of rising costs and compressed margins, asset management is consequential.

The goal isn’t more dashboards, it’s clearer visibility into what truly drives asset performance. Because in the end – as the best asset managers already know – top-line growth is great but NOI is king.

Subscribe here to receive each installment of this series as we go around the hotel and identify the right data for Operations, Accounting & Finance, Commercial Strategy, F&B, Spa, Golf, and Ownership & Asset Management.