Marketing Strategies used in the Hotel Industry

The promotions strategy of the hotels includes the planned promotion tools and techniques, which are very important for the hotel industry and play a major role in achieving the competitive advantage. For the promotion of hotels the main tool used is the mass communication approach, which promotes the hotels using the print ads over the online (internet) network and different trade publications.

While designing the promotional strategy hotels are much more focused to attract the regular customers and also to attract expected customers from different regions. This kind of promotional campaigning proves to be a cost effective mode to target the market successfully. Different approaches of promotional campaign are described below. The following approaches helps in designing the promotional plan more effectively. A good brand name is important for the successful operation of hotels and these campaigning approaches facilitate the image of the brand and helps in creating a big name in the market (seaton and Bennett, 1996).

Personal selling: this is a significant approach practiced by the hotels to target the domestic customers in the market. Personal selling helps in developing the relations with the domestic market. This approach provides a helping hand in establishing the increased level of activities from corporate world form the domestic locations. These activities provide the hotel with more attention from the domestic tourist and customers towards the lodging facilities of hotel. Personal selling approach is helpful for the hotels in improving their brand image in the market (Payne).

Public Relation (PR): This approach involves endorsement of facilities and services by the demonstration of hotels as an effective member within the local community. Hotels make strong customer bases and public relations by involving themselves in functions and events at respective domestic levels (city, and country etc.). “It also facilitates the spreading of positive word of mouth regarding the lodging facilities and services at the hotels”, (Pizam & Ellis 1999).

Direct Marketing (DM): Hotels adopt approach of direct marketing through the channel of travel agencies and public relation agencies. These agencies establish contacts with corporate houses and organize their meet in order to form lodging contract with them. These agencies handle matter regarding direct marketing. The packages of tours planned by travel agencies are part of this approach, which promotes customer relation and corporate relation of hotels (Holland and Baker, 2001; Ingold et al. 2000).

Advertising: this promotional approach involves online advertisement and print media base advertisement. The proper integration of facilities like rooms and other services accompanied by positive customer attributes is beneficial in establishing a positive market image. In order to gain benefits and attract more number of customers it is important for hotels to represent their attributes more specifically and uniquely (Altsteil & grow 2006).

Website based marketing

This approach is used by hotels to establish interactive relations with the potential customers. Complete information should be accessible on the website of the hotel regarding the quality of service being provided. Along with this website should also serve the facility of online reservation and cancellation accompanied by facility of printable broacher (Forrester, 2008).mainly this approach is used to deliver a meaningful message regarding the services of hotel to its customers. The web address of the hotel should be present on websites of various travel agencies. It helps the customers to find hotels according to their requirements (El-Ansary, 2006).

It can be concluded that with the help of various strategies and approaches used in marketing mix, a good image and well renowned brand name of hotels can be established in the market. It can also be said that a proper integrated framework of different components of marketing mix is essential for hotel management to measure and forecast its growth. Depending upon the current market situation, the marketing approach using online base marketing is effective due to its accessibility to the potential customers from international and domestic market.

Human Resource (HR)

This strategy plays an important role in the development and progress of hotels in the competitive market. In order to maintain a better performance level in the market and financial image of the company, it is important that the employees of the company should perform their best for the company (D’ Annunzio-Green et al, 2004).it is important that the hotels should include different human resource policies which are appropriate in human resource strategy. It is because hotel industry provides employment to many numbers of people in different division, such as administration, marketing, IT department, food and restaurant etc. (Kusluvan, 2003). The human resource strategy of hotels consist of

Recruitment and selection policy

Hotels conduct the recruitment activities directly from expert hotel management and catering institutions, recruitment agencies, personal recommendations by existing employees and also by giving vacancy advertisements in the newspapers, magazines and websites etc. The selection process of the employees is usually based on interview in order to check the communication skills and interpersonal skills of the candidate. “Recruitment and selection policy forms the basis of the HR strategy in concern to the hiring of skilled work force and meeting the job requirement of the hotels for managing the human resource” (Kearns, 2003) .