First-party data is guest information the hotel collects directly: email, phone, preferences, stay history, feedback. It is the asset the hotel owns regardless of which OTA originated the booking.
OTA-mediated data is owned by the OTA — the hotel sees the booking but not the underlying customer profile. Hotels with strong first-party data programs convert OTA-acquired guests to direct on the second stay; hotels without it pay commission forever.
See our first-party data piece for the playbook.