Revising a Marketing plan for Hotels.

A marketing plan is a written document that details the necessary actions to achieve one or more marketing objectives. It can be for a product or service, a brand, or a product line.
The Marketing Plan is generally undertaken for one of the following reasons:

•    Needed as part of the yearly planning process within the marketing functional area.

•    Needed for a specialized strategy to introduce something new, such as new product planning, entering new markets, or trying a new strategy to fix an existing problem.

•    Is a component within an overall business plan, such as a new business proposal to the financial community?

On researching the marketing management of luxury hotels in Mumbai the authors found out that every organization takes into consideration several points in revising a marketing plan. Ultimately, a marketing plan is about results, about making your business better. after interviewing the Head of sales and Marketing of various five start hotels in Mumbai the authors came to a conclusion that a marketing plan is revised if any of the following 

1.Forecast of the new financial year: according to Ms. Radhika, Assistant Sales Manager of ITC Maratha a marketing plan will be revised if the organisation is setting a higher target for the next financial and the current plan will not be enough to achieve the target. She added that before revising the marketing plan the organisation will also consider the last year performance and the environmental changes or changes in the market or market situation.

According to Mr Siddesh Phadnis, Asst Sales Manager, Trident Bandra Kurla Complex,a marketing plan has to be revised or reviewed if there is a new inventory or competition in the market. he added that if an organisation is planning to expand or increase its room inventory they should consider the current market plan that is carried out by the hotel and improve it further according to the current potential.

 Mr Nabeel Pabolo, Sales Manager at Four Seasons Hotel pointed out that the marketing plan is revised and has to be reviewed depending on the economic stability, budgets for the current financial year, Property expansion plan, global dynamics, inflation, government stability and so on.

The authors found out there are several many factors which have to be considered before revising a marketing plan. A marketing plan is a written document that details the necessary actions to achieve one or more marketing objectives. It can be for a product or service, a brand, or a product line.

Setting Targets For Hotel Sales Executives.

Specified amount of sales that a management sets for achieving or exceeding within a specified timeframe, and allocates required resources is called Sales Targets. Targets should be set to give a clear indication of what kind of performance is expected, and incentives should be provided to encourage sales staff to meet and exceed those expectations.

 The Authors found out that the targets are divided into mainly three categories namely:

Targets for New clients – This is the main role of sales people, to bring in new clients who have never previously experienced the brand or service of the hotel.

Targets for Existing Clients – It’s likely that there are product or service enhancements that you can sell to existing Clients, known as up-selling. Up-selling is the key to success for any industry and it is the most profitable tool.

 Targets for Past clients – Previous customers should not be considered lost forever. Set targets to encourage sales people to pursue past customers.

 Most of the luxury hotels in Mumbai set targets for the clients according to the territory that they look after. It also gives the proximity of the executives to the hotel. The targets will be higher for those executives who are closer to the hotel and vice versa. Certain other hotels set their target according to the experience and potential of the executives. Target set also depend on the city where the hotels is located. One of the most important points to be noted before setting the targets for a sales executive is to identify the sales or business of the last year. The authors found out that certain hotel also look into the upcoming events and celebrations in the region before fixing the sales target. The sales and marketing heads do also consider the past trends and future competition.

The authors found it very surprising to have found out that even logistic opportunities end up being one of the major parameter in setting the target for the sales executives. For example, if a new flight service is started from an international destination to India, it can increase the potential customers which can also help in increasing the sales of our organization and hence it is also considered while setting the targets for the sales executives.

 Some luxury properties set their targets for the sales executive according to the portfolios. Their prime look out is into the presence of competition and corporate.

The authors found out that several ways or methods are used in setting the target for the sales of the sales executives. Each of these methods is equally relevant and helps in understand the market from a wider perspective so as to set an apt target for the sales executives.

How do hotels decide on their clients and guest??

A hotel’s most important aspect is its clientele and the clientele of any hotel varies on a number of factors. Location of the hotel, is one of the major factors that contributes to the type of guests a hotel will attract.

Hotel clients can be broadly classified into into broad categories namely

·        Tourist

·         Corporate house

·         Transient

In addition to the above the hotel may also cater to airlines staff, government officials and beaurocrats.

Our research took us to hotels where a wide range of clientele was being catered to. On one hand there were some hotels that were strictly business hotels catering to corporate houses, while some were a mix of different client groups.

Corporate houses prefer to give their business to those hotels that are situated close by to their office and also offer a fair deal and cheap rates.

These hotels tend to get a lot of corporate guests of companies that are arranged to be accommodated at these hotels. Some examples of hotels that cater to a major proportion of business guests are Trident, Bandra Kurla Complex, Courtyard by Marriott etc.

Hotels like ITC grand Maratha, Leela, Hilton and Hyatt regency are situated very close to the airport and are a hub for transient guests. They also attract clientele from airline crews.

When we talk of tourists, hotels that are located in prime tourist destinations like Goa, Delhi, Shimla etc prove to do maximum business.

Advertising tools for Hotels

Advertising has gone a long way of converging business processes and management styles to attract a multitude of customers and create a link of patronizing clients. As for end users, quality comes first on-hand and how it will compensate in spending their hard-earned money. To recompense that, hoteliers, restaurant owners and other hospitality inclined business institutions create a multitude amount of advertisement in a form of huge billboards, catchy banners and posters or even resort in using well-known personalities to endorse their products and services. Foremost, the idea of maintaining an excellent customer service to new guests as well as to its regular customers or clients of a particular restaurant or hotel has been given a big importance.

With the hospitality industry growing and hotels competing with each other, more and more hotels look for ways and means to market their hotel in the best way possible to attract guests.

Marketing of hotels has to be innovative and the methods used should be less complicating and easily accessible.

Websites

Internet is the most economical value packed, marketing tool, and the most effective tool ever devised. The internet has been able to market hotels that are relatively new to the global market. A web-site that is designed or created for the hotel, allows the customer or the client to read and view all information needed about the hotel. By providing a range of home-pages, the customer could be directed to different aspects of the hotel, such as rates and current promotions, sales packages and on-line booking facilities. The information on the web-site should be clear, and accurate, so that the prospective client will not be misled. With this virtual marketing tool, sales could be closed effectively and efficiently, thus saving the company thousands of dollars each month.

Customized packages, paying attention to the needs and wants of the customer, thus making the customer satisfied is another way to market your hotel. The personal attention given makes the customer feel important. It will not take much time to attend to such matters, but the result will be rewarding.

Guidance and expertise should be sought from expert and veteran hoteliers, as their input and knowledge regarding the industry is immeasurable, and this could be put to good use.

Print media

Brochures and travel magazines and papers are a sure way to market your hotel. As potential customers browse these magazines and papers on a daily and weekly basis, advertising your hotel with a package that is affordable will attract the attention of the customer.

Other tools

Inviting tour operators to stay in the hotel as guests is another idea that should be thought of. With the tour operators being solely in charge of groups that visit, the money spent in showing them what the hotel has to offer pays its dividends. Unless they experience what the hotel could offer the guest, they will not be able to promote such hotel to their guests.

As we use technology to attract business, we should not forget the fact that hospitality is a relationship business. Studies have shown that the old school method of providing personal attention to the client face to face, responding to their queries and providing adequate information, pays off better.

Once you have found the message to be conveyed, it is important to choose which medium is going to give you the most for your money. The following are the major media, with some more expensive than others. The one that's right for you depends entirely on your business.

• Outdoor advertising/billboards: These reach more people for a dollar than any other media, but are limited to a picture and no more than eight words.
• Radio: Reaches the second most people for a dollar, but cannot be targeted geographically and can only be loosely demographically targeted. But if people will drive significant distances to buy your product, or if you're selling a "we come to you" service, this is likely your best bet.
• Cable television: Offers the impact of moving images as well as spoken words. Can easily be geographically targeted. But your ad will likely look homemade.
• Broadcast television: Big prestige. Big bucks. But able to target psychographic profiles. Buy specific shows; never buy a rotator.
• Newspapers: Reach customers who are in the market to buy today. Unfortunately, people not currently in the market for your product or service are less likely to notice your ad than if it had appeared in another media.
• Magazines: Expensive, but high-impact with tight targeting. Little waste. Weakness is infrequency of repetition.
• Direct mail: Highly targeted, all the way down to the level of the individual. But shockingly expensive to do right.
• Yellow Pages: Essentially a service directory for the customer who has not yet made up his or her mind. Very foolish for retail businesses.

Through our questionnaires we found out that most of the executives believe that the company website is by far the most beneficial advertising tool. They justified their choice by saying that the company has reached a level at which there is no need to market the basic products such as rooms using any other advertising tool than the company website which provides the potential viewer all the required information at a click of a button.

What is the preferred client approach?

Clients, no matter old or new are the source of the revenue that any organization generates. A company gives a lot of importance to the existing clients. This is beneficial in the sense that if one client is happy, then he would recommend an organization to another individual, so on and so forth, thus resulting in a snowball effect. Each organization has its own marketing strategy. Some believe in focusing on the existing clients, while some believe in finding new clients continuously.
However it cannot be said that either one of the above strategies would be completely beneficial. An organization usually divides it’s marketing effort into marketing and obtaining new clients and developing a strategy and get back in touch with former clients and to renew the business obtained from them and also maintaining the business with the existing clients. Not keeping in touch with former and existing clients is very short term thinking and is not strategic thinking.  However this does not imply that new clients should not be given importance. The new clients can prove to be the best source of business.

The goal is choosing the most effective way to introduce your consulting capabilities.
Considering the technological advancement, telephone, e-mail seem to be the most common.
The most common way to approach a prospective client is to simply pick up the phone and call. The goals of cold calling are to make a connection with a decision-maker, briefly introduce  the capabilities, and generate enough interest to schedule a personal meeting.
The goal of a direct mail campaign is to introduce the services to a client when one may or may not have a direct company contact. It is a more formal approach that involves sending several pieces of marketing collateral as part of the overall introductory mail campaign. Typically, it begins by sending a postcard to briefly highlight an organization’s service areas. The next mailing might be a more comprehensive brochure or folder that elaborates on the business and what you can do for customers. The final piece of collateral would then be a more personal letter of introduction to explain an organization’s capabilities in detail and ask for the opportunity to speak to the prospective client in person, or by phone. Sending e-mail is a less formal approach to targeting a client, but it can yield promising results. Usually, this method is used when one has either met the prospective client previously, but does not know them well, or when using a referral from another client or business associate. The objective is to keep the introduction brief and ask for a meeting or phone call.
Organization’s feel that when it comes to contacting new clients, it helps in being personalized. This gives an edge over the other methods. It evolves a sense of interest in  the prospective clients mind. Also this method is one which the client might prioritize over the others’. Most of the executives also prefer this method.

Whats your deepest fear???

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Marianne Williamson