Telling Stories with Data
Recently, my daughter’s school was learning about different careers and the teachers invited parents to send in photos of themselves at work. I sent in a picture of me on stage, presenting hotel data.
When my daughter saw it, she was confused. She had never seen me in a suit jacket and high heels before and asked, “What are you doing in that picture?”
I paused. How do you explain revenue per available room, forecasting models, and profitability metrics to a three-year-old? I kept it simple: “I tell stories.”
That seemed to make sense to her. Of course, she probably imagined stories filled with unicorns, cupcakes, or a hungry moose eating muffins. She would be bored by the types of stories I tell at work, about occupancy trends, group versus transient mix, or new hotel openings.
There’s a real craft to working with data. Every chart, every metric, every forecast is part of a bigger narrative. Storytelling with data means finding patterns, asking good questions, and translating numbers into meaningful insights. When I’m on stage or working on a client project, I’m not just listing off numbers. I’m guiding them through a story about what’s happening, what’s to come, and why it matters.
What I love about working with data is helping people make sense of it, finding clarity in the numbers and turning it into something useful. And maybe one day, I’ll tell my daughter a story about RevPAR and a unicorn.
I'm headed to Nashville next month to moderate a panel at the Hotel Data Conference. Our topic: hotel profitability.
Too often, the industry places more emphasis on RevPAR, while overlooking the bottom line. With revenue growth beginning to plateau, operators and asset managers are being pushed to find smarter, more sustainable ways to drive profitability.
In this video, Amanda Hite discusses the cost pressures hotels are facing today, with profit margins remaining flat, or even declining, compared to the same time last year.
If you’re attending HDC, I hope you'll join us for our conversation. If not, here’s some recommended reading:
Each month we feature a quick, practical communication tip designed to help you become a more confident, compelling speaker—whether you're presenting to a room of executives, leading a team meeting, or just trying to make your point clearly over email. These insights come straight from our coaching sessions and live workshops, and are meant to be immediately useful—no jargon, no fluff, just tools to help you communicate with impact.
Click on the video to watch this month’s tip.
Whether you’re looking for data-driven insights to guide your hospitality strategy, want to explore our communication coaching programs, or have a question about one of our forecast products, we’re here for it. Reach out to see how Larkspur can support your work in hospitality through sharper storytelling and smarter data.