Skift Tech Forum Preview: HotelTonight Executive Cuts Through the Hype of Big Data
Skift Take
A lot of brands talk a big game about data science, but few know how to use it to their advantage and to the benefit of their consumers. HotelTonight's chief data and strategy officer Amanda Richardson will cut through the hype on stage at Skift Tech Forum on June 12.
As the chief data and strategy officer for HotelTonight, Amanda Richardson leads the company's data analytics, corporate strategy, and data engineering. Her job is to inform and find solutions for the growing hotel distribution platform, not only making HotelTonight a better way to book hotels for consumers, but also making it easier for hoteliers to get those bookings, too. Prior to assuming her current role, she also served as HotelTonight's vice president of product.
At the inaugural Skift Tech Forum on June 12 in Silicon Valley, Richardson will go beyond the hype surrounding data science to discuss what really matters to brands and to travelers today.
What follows is an edited version of a recent Skift interview with Richardson.
Skift: Everyone in travel has known for a number of years about the importance of data science, but few companies have been able to really interpret the data that they have. What's the first step to interpreting and understanding the data that travel companies have on hand?
Amanda Richardson: It's such a great question because, with data, especially as a marketplace business, it can be an "embarrassment of riches." There are a few key steps to turn data into insights. First, you have to structure and organize the data. It sounds simple, but having data that is clean and organized is the only way to make sure you're going to get any insights from it.
From there, the next
