As consumers have moved to digital channels and digital interactions, competition for the hotel consumer has increased dramatically. Now, hotels not only compete with each other, but also with third-party online distributors, and even new disruptors from the sharing economy like AirBnB. However, hotels have one advantage that these other
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![How to future proof your data strategy](https://blogs.sas.com/content/sascom/files/2015/11/strategy-702x336.jpg)
In my previous post, I discussed some of the challenges and costs organizations face when they’re stuck in Excel hell with no real data strategy. Now that we’ve discussed the problem, let’s dive into the solution. Every organization needs a data strategy with these building blocks: Your top priority is
The holiday season is a festive time of the year. But it can also be a nail biter for retailers. Months of planning can be sidetracked by fickle consumers or aggressive pricing from competitors. Paying attention to even a little bit of data can work wonders. In October, SAS conducted
![Best practices for using data and analytics](https://blogs.sas.com/content/sascom/files/2017/01/DataVisualization-1-702x336.png)
Know your data. Do a needs analysis. Organize for success. Empower users. These are four best practices for data and analytics that you'll want to hear more about. In my first three posts in the Analytics in Real Life blog series, we learned how higher education customers are using SAS and why
![Sawdust and SAS Studio: Thoughts on a liberal arts education during an IoT workshop](https://blogs.sas.com/content/sascom/files/2015/11/arduinoworkshopstudents-702x336.jpg)
I brushed aside some sawdust on the workbench and set my laptop down. It wasn’t really mine. SAS Library Services had kindly lent me a new laptop for the “Making Sense of Sensor Data” workshop at UNC’s BEaM Makerspace. I had just set the laptop down…in sawdust. Like any normal
![The hell of Excel, or why you need to future proof your data strategy](https://blogs.sas.com/content/sascom/files/2015/11/245111077_v2-702x336.jpg)
This summer, I had several interesting sessions with customers and prospects. Much to my surprise, two of them, both multinational organizations, were doing most of their data related tasks in Excel. This happens every now and then -- I come across organizations (like yours?) where people are manipulating and ‘analysing’
![Text mining, the movie](https://blogs.sas.com/content/sascom/files/2015/11/42-15326326-702x336.jpg)
I hope by now you’ve seen the movie “The Imitation Game” with Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley. It’s the true story of Alan Turing, whom many consider to be the father of the modern-day computer and the discipline of computer science. Turing’s innovation (and the movie) takes place in early
![How steep is your learning curve? On Analytics and Mentors ...](https://blogs.sas.com/content/sascom/files/2015/11/learning-curve-702x336.jpg)
Having a mentor is the number one factor in increasing the steepness of your personal learning curve. So says my oldest, Garik, a Park Scholar at North Carolina State University (class of 2012), during a discussion he recently had with the incoming Park Scholar class of 2019. To accept the
![3D printing: yes or no? 3D printer printing a test print](https://blogs.sas.com/content/sascom/files/2015/11/testing_bridging-702x336.jpg)
By now, you’ve probably seen a video of a 3D printer discharging layers of plastic to create a model of a building or a plastic figurine. You may have heard stories about 3D printed guns, 3D printed airplane parts and even 3D printed body parts. While 3D printers are becoming more common, they are
![How to get buy-in for data and analytics projects](https://blogs.sas.com/content/sascom/files/2017/01/DataVisualization-1-702x336.png)
Do you have a great idea for an analytics project but need approval to get started? Or maybe you've had some initial successes with analytics and you're ready to expand the program. We talked to four analytics leaders in the higher education industry to get their advice on how to