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Our data doesn't belong to us

Twenty years of guest history sit in a system nobody can get them out of.

Typical for: properties with a long-standing PMS and repeat guests · operations that want to switch vendors and fail at the export · hotels whose contracts never mention “data”

Documented by Hospis

Updated: 8 November 2026

How you recognize it

  • The last export attempt produced a file only the vendor can read
  • Guest history, revenue and notes are only reachable through the system's interface
  • The contract says nothing about data format, export deadline or deletion after termination
  • The vendor quotes a price for “data export as a service”
  • Reports arrive only as PDF, never as a table
  • An interface to CRM or newsletter was refused because “the data is protected”

Matching Hospi

Josef Walch

Josef Walch

Digitalisation · AI in operations · Systems · Lech am Arlberg
Works with protel · Mews · Mews POS · Smart Host
AdviseImplement

Knows data migration and export questions from the PMS switch at Rote Wand.

Mapped to root cause
Contract & exportTrial exportMaster system
View profilePersonally vetted · independent match

Matching software

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Which path fits your situation?

01

Diagnosis

390 € fixed price

A vetted Hospi analyses your situation in a structured way, in conversation and with a written result. Every statement clearly labelled: FACT, BENCHMARK, HYPOTHESIS or CONCLUSION. You get a concrete path, not a sales meeting.

  • A legitimate outcome is also: no engagement needed.
  • If an engagement follows, the diagnosis fee is fully credited.
02

Urgent support

Acute situation? Your case is reviewed with priority, with a response within 48 hours.

Cause fields and how to tell them apart

Data ownership is never discussed at purchase, because at purchase it is not a problem. It becomes one when the house wants to switch, analyse or connect.

These fields are complete, and many properties get there on their own. That is what this page is for. The cost simply does not appear on an invoice: internal hours, a few attempts, and a season that keeps running in the meantime.

01

The contract is silent on data

How you spot it

Licence, term, support, price: all settled. Who owns the data, in which format it is handed over, until when after termination and at what price: written nowhere. The vendor holds every card.

The way out

Renegotiate, even mid-contract: data export in an open format (CSV or a documented standard), free or at a fixed price, within 30 days of request, including guest history and revenue. In writing, as a contract addendum. A vendor who refuses has already given the answer.

02

Exported is not the same as usable

How you spot it

The export arrives, but as a database dump, a PDF or a table with cryptic column names. Without documentation the file is worthless. The new system cannot read it, nor can the accountant.

The way out

Request a trial export while no switch is pending: guests, bookings, revenue of the last year. Have someone check whether fields are documented and complete. Whatever is missing gets sorted now, not six weeks before cut-over.

03

The data is scattered across systems

How you spot it

Guest history in the PMS, email consents in the newsletter tool, spa bookings in a third system, reviews on platforms. None of the systems has the full picture, and each has its own export rules.

The way out

Decide which system is the master (usually the PMS) and which data has to end up there. Ask every other system the same contract question. Data ownership is not a one-off decision but a rule for every new contract.

Frequently asked

Don't I legally own the data anyway?
The hotel is the data controller under GDPR, yes. That does not oblige the vendor to deliver a usable export in a usable format at a fair price. Exactly that has to be in the contract.
What is a fair export format?
A documented table per data type (guests, bookings, invoices, revenue), as CSV or Excel, with readable column names and a data dictionary. Anything else is a negotiation point.
What if the vendor refuses the export?
Then the case for switching is stronger than any feature. First: request in writing, set a deadline, point to the GDPR responsibility. Most vendors give in because their reputation is worth more than one export.

Describe your situation

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Problem
Our data doesn't belong to us

We use your details only to answer your request. Details are in our privacy policy.

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