Behind the Scenes of Hotel Analytics at STR with Isaac Collazo

Mining Your Own Business Podcast

On the show today, Evan sits down with Isaac Collazo, Vice President of Analytics at STR. Isaac shares how he got started in the travel and hotel industry, and how he’s seen data analytics in the hotel space take off and advance over time. He discusses what type of data STR works with and how they strategize delivering key insights to their clients. Isaac and Evan also discuss what it takes to be a successful data analyst on these types of projects, highlighting crucial characteristics such as creativity, play, and drive. Finally, Isaac speaks on opportunities he sees in the hospitality industry and in his current role at STR.

 
Key Takeaways: 
🛎️ How STR provides insights from data to inform hotel progress and strategy
🛎️ Opportunities for increased consumer understanding via hotel data
🛎️ The importance of creativity and perseverance as a data analyst
🛎️ How increased time and resources allow for long-term high-level analysis

 
Quotes: 
💬 People who are on the data side have to be creative and have to just love to play with data because if you don't, then it's a pretty boring job.
— Isaac Collazo
💬 I think there's a lot more space – not ability, but opportunity to do more with that data [in the hotel space].
— Isaac Collazo
💬 I'm looking for is someone who is very creative and who has more of a strategy mindset. Not only can they use data, but they understand that we've got to get to a decision or an outcome.
— Isaac Collazo

Featured in this episode: 
Evan Wimpey , Director of Analytics Strategy at Elder Research.
Company website: www.elderresearch.com 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-wimpey/ 
 

Isaac Collazo, VP of Analytics at STR

As a seasoned analytics professional, Isaac Collazo believes that data is not everything and understands the value of relationships when immersing himself in an industry to truly understand its people and experiences.
He is the VP of Analytics at STR where he solidifies the company's analytical methodology, assists with integration into CoStar's digital platform, and unifies products and services to provide a single, reliable source of knowledge for the Hotel Industry. He is an expert in delivering meticulously curated insights based on industry knowledge and encourages others to make a personal investment in the insights they uncover. His easy-to-digest knowledge ensures recipients can apply it to their own business performance for an informed and successful future.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaaccollazo/
Chapters: 
00:00 Introduction 
00:57 Isaac’s background in the travel & hotel industries
02:52 How Isaac got started in data collection for hotel decision-making
05:35 The type of data and benchmarking that STR provides
11:55 What it takes to be successful on an analytics team
16:54 Insights from consumer data: seeking to learn more
20:05 Working with data in the hotel industry: the importance of time & resources
21:18 A new mindset
Find more show notes, transcripts, & more episodes at:
https://www.elderresearch.com/resource/podcasts/