Hotel Reputation Analytics Glossary

A practical reference for the terms used by hospitality analysts and reputation managers — from financial KPIs (RevPAR, ADR) to satisfaction signals (NPS, GuestScore) to analytical methodologies (Root Cause, Sentiment Analysis).

ADR — Average Daily Rate

Average revenue per occupied room per day

The average revenue a hotel earns from each occupied room in a single day, net of discounts and promotions. Calculated as total room revenue divided by rooms sold.

When to use it? Compare pricing power across seasons or against competitors in the same city and category.

RevPAR — Revenue Per Available Room

The industry's headline KPI

The most important performance indicator in hospitality. Blends occupancy and ADR into one number. Calculated as ADR × occupancy rate, or total room revenue ÷ rooms available.

When to use it? To assess overall efficiency. A hotel with high ADR and low occupancy can have a worse RevPAR than one with lower ADR but higher occupancy.

GOP — Gross Operating Profit

Operating profit before rent, tax, interest, depreciation

Profit from operations, stripped of financing and ownership structure effects. Measures operational management efficiency fairly, independent of the owner's financing decisions.

When to use it? To evaluate the performance of a GM or operations team on a level playing field.

NPS — Net Promoter Score

Guest advocacy score from -100 to +100

Based on a single question: "How likely are you to recommend this hotel to a friend?" (0–10). Detractors (0–6) are subtracted from Promoters (9–10). Result ranges from -100 to +100.

When to use it? A strong predictive signal for repeat bookings and word-of-mouth referrals. +50 is excellent in hospitality, +70 is exceptional.

GuestScore / Review Score

Weighted average across review platforms

The average guest rating across review platforms (Booking.com, Google, TripAdvisor, Agoda). The most commonly benchmarked number because it's public and verified.

When to use it? Every 0.1 point gain on Booking.com can meaningfully lift your page's conversion rate. Highly sensitive.

OTA — Online Travel Agency

Commission-based booking platforms

A platform that sells hotel bookings electronically on commission. Major ones: Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, Almosafer. Typically take 15–25% of the booking value.

When to use it? When planning a Direct Booking strategy aimed at reducing OTA dependence and building a higher-margin channel.

Review Velocity

Rate of new reviews over time

A measure of reputation "liveliness". A hotel with a 4.5 average and ten fresh reviews per month ranks higher in search algorithms than one with 4.7 but no reviews in a year.

When to use it? Booking.com and Google both boost hotels with higher review velocity — it signals ongoing activity.

Sentiment Analysis

Classifying review tone

A linguistic analysis technique that classifies each review (or each sentence inside it) as positive, neutral, or negative. Advanced tools also tag by topic (cleanliness, staff, breakfast…).

When to use it? When the volume of reviews makes manual reading impractical, and to detect recurring patterns across hundreds of reviews.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

Engineering methodology to reach the underlying cause

Rather than treating symptoms, RCA searches for the real cause. Example: repeated "room was dirty" complaints may be rooted in an unrealistic housekeeping schedule, not a careless employee.

When to use it? When the same complaint keeps recurring despite surface-level interventions. Our methodology at SIA Hub is built on this principle.

Review Response Rate

Share of reviews management has replied to

Measures how seriously a hotel engages with its guests. TripAdvisor displays this publicly, and Booking.com factors it into listing rank.

When to use it? Realistic target: 80%+ for negative reviews, 30%+ for positive. Fast response (<48h) multiplies the impact.

Reputation Management

Structured process of monitoring, analyzing, influencing image

Wider than "responding to reviews". Covers: multi-platform monitoring, trend analysis, operational coordination to fix root causes, and encouraging positive reviews through well-timed post-stay outreach.

When to use it? As a standing responsibility of the hospitality manager, not a reactive task. 70% of bookings are influenced by reviews read before booking.

Brand Standards Audit

Periodic compliance check against chain standards

For hotels tied to a global brand (Marriott, IHG, Accor…), a periodic audit compares actual performance to the brand's standards manual. Results may affect the franchise license.

When to use it? Typically twice a year. Can be combined with review analysis to expose gaps between written standards and real guest experience.

Index