The Hilton Hotel And Resorts | Marketing Mix

According to Philip Kotler marketing strategies are the combinations of all important marketing goals into a comprehensive plans, it should be from marketing research and its centre of attention should be right marketing mix to achieve maximum profit and sustainability for the organisation.

Hilton Hotel and resorts is a Hospitality industry founded by Conard Hilton in 1919 in Cisco, Texas (U.S) and has 540 hotels worldwide. Its first brand was opened in Business travel and leisure travel are the two marketing emphasis the company is focusing on. Hilton Hotel and Resorts are mostly located in city centres, near airports etc for the easy access for the customers. This assignment is on Hilton Hotel (HHonours) near Heathrow Airport; with in Heathrow area it has three branches. Easy access from all terminals Heathrow central and terminal 5. It has partnership with different airlines and car rental companies. It just 6 minutes walk away from T4 and 10 minutes away by courtesy shuttle bus from T5.

Hilton London Heathrow Airport hotel – Exterior

(http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/hilton-london-heathrow-airport-LHRAPTW/index.html)

Marketing: – Marketing in Hospitality industry is one of the main elements to increase profits and success of the business and it is playing very important role in hospitality. It helps the organisation to get success through understand their customers, what they want, their needs; priorities and demand from the organisation and what are their expectation level from customer service point of view, leisure and infrastructure etc. It is really easy these days through internet. The organisation can also put surveys on internet, blogs, websites, social media, etc. For example Hilton hotel is available on face book where anyone can like, comment and post their views and also customers can check their updates, offers etc.

http://xzamcorp.com/quality-blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Facebook-Hilton-Hotels-Resorts.jpg

(https://www.facebook.com/hilton)

Marketing Mix

Marketing mix is a mixture of four fundamentals product, price, place and promotion. That actions used to satisfy the wants of an organisation’s target market and at the same time achieve its marketing objectives. (Stanton) 1994.

http://www.marketingteacher.com/image/content/mmix.gif

Product- this feature of marketing mix is including planning, developing and producing the right category of products and services in the market by an organisation. In short words what is the quality of the product, size of the product? How is it looks like, design of the product, value of the product, about packaging, testing and range etc?

Product of Hilton

Price- To fix a right price of product is a most difficult task. Price of the product should be reasonable and affordable so organisation can sell their product easily and successfully in the market. There are lots of steps between set the right price for example: determination of unit price of the product, pricing policies and strategies, discounts, credits, cost, terms of delivery, payment, competitive price credit policy etc.

Price of Hilton hotel

Place- It is called distribution channels, storage and warehousing, coverage channel, inventory management, selection channel, distribution logistics etc. Management of organisation is responsible to choose and deal with distribution channels so customers can get the product at right place at right time. They should develop physical distribution. Wholesalers and retailers are most important channels which are used for physical distribution of goods.

Place for Hilton hotel

Promotion- the fourth p is promotion it does include determination about direct marketing, sales promotion, advertisements, publicity, exhibitions, public relations activity etc. Most important tools are advertisements and sales promotion which are used to promote the sale of products of organisations. Promotional activities are free distribution of sample of product, contests etc. These types of tools are expressive which does help to beat the competition in the market to organisation. Advertisements are used to communicate and pass the information to customers and consumers about the features of product through television, internet, newspapers and magazines, radio, billboards, banners and posters etc.

Limitations Doing advertisements or promotion is expensive tool but there is lots of advertisements on the television and internet so people can get fed up that’s why mostly people ignore the advertisements on television they just skip the channels when the advertisements comes in front of them. Some people do not read the advertisements on newspapers and magazines.

Promotion about Hilton

Branding- branding is a unique name and identity of the company. It is a procedure of mark and stamp to the product with identify look, design and logo etc. So customers and consumers can get idea about the features of product from the name, look, logo, mark and design. Brand name or design should be attractive, which can attract to the customers. From brand name customers can recognise the product. When they give a symbol or name to the product organisation should always keep in mind there is lots of competitor in the market. Brand should be like that which is no one can copy it easily.

Customer loyalty- it is about to encourage the customer, attract towards brand, buy the product often and in extra amount. It is about satisfaction level of customers, confidence, and their needs and wants. Organisation should build relationship with customers using e-market via email, messaging on mobile phones, so customers can stay keep in touch with them. Organisation should give points to the customers on loyalty cards. They should show to customers to care for them what are their choices and what they do not want.

Network and customer relationships marketing strategies- Marketing take place in public relationship. For an organisation should have good and strong relation with society to fight the competition in the market. They should build strong network into the market with stakeholders. Now a day’s every organisation have customer care department to sort out the problems of customers and they have call centres as well as they have online customer care facility via internet so customers can call them or email them regarding their problems. In an organisation network and customer relationship is how does effective staff deals with customers and employers with employees.

Hilton Hotel company appreciates the value of its staff and uses internal marketing to retain them and make them feel valued. At the Hilton organisation management realises that the company’s team member added value and quality to the business. In fact it is the people working for the organisation that makes the Hilton hotels corporation such an international success. A hotel is an actual physical product, but a lot of the experience of visiting a hotel relates to the service offered by its staff to the customers. At Hilton hotel organisation management realises that staff treat customers with about same degree of respect as they themselves are treated by their employers. If staff are not treated and valued well they in turn will not respect or treat customers very well. Obviously this is very bad for an organisation..The Hilton hotel corporation invests a lot of time and money in its staff. It takes training and staff development very seriously. It involves staff in all aspects of its marketing plans and strategy so that everyone knows what is going on and how they make contribution. Organisation gives rewards to its staff for effort with awards and promotion. It includes its staff by allowing them access to extranet which is also share with its business partners. Management offers a comprehensive befits packages to its staff, including: medical, dental and vision care coverage, life accident and disability insurance, the Hilton stock purchase plan, the flexible work arrangement. Other benefits including vacation and holiday pay plus and special privileges when staff stays at Hilton hotels. At the Hilton group management really try to retain good staff and do everything possible to make working for the Hilton hotel organisation rewarding and satisfying experience.

Marketing communication activities and strategies-marketing communication is a way which is used by an organisation to change the behaviour of stakeholders towards product. They present to product into the market in such way, people can get information about the product from designing, promotion, exhibitions, advertisements, newspapers, magazines, mobile phone marketing etc. Marketing communication can be develop by direct marketing and indirect marketing. Personal selling, sales promotion, advertising, public relations these are all marketing communication. Those all tools are used for communication about product, which tells to public about the features of product. Organisation use marketing communication to achieve the market objectives and target sales. Communication is messages between one person to other person and in marketing it is between seller and buyer.

E-marketing- e-marketing is an internet marketing, which is also called as an online marketing, web-marketing. Now a day’s every organisation use electronic technology for advertisements to gain the objectives. Technology plays a vital role for an organisation such computer based technology. Organisation create their websites, they send information about products online. Internet offers unique opportunities for organisation and customers to communicate with each others. It is a good way to build relationship with each other. Companies do promotion by direct email, advertisements on internet, by text messaging on mobile phones as well. People can know about the organisations and their manufactured goods to visit on their websites through internet. Organisation can do advertisements through social media for example: face book, twitter etc.

On other hand some people do not trust on online information. These types of people prefer to go to the organisation personally so they can get information about the product from someone face to face.

Guerrilla marketing activities and strategies- this type of strategy is a weapon for marketers and it is not very expensive it is low cost strategy. Guerrilla marketing is a unusual methods of promotion. This type of marketing does not focus on sales just focus profits, on primary success. It does expect highest results from minimum resources.

But sometimes these methods of marketing represent the false image of brand, which is not good to get success for an organisation and survive for long time in the future.

Viral marketing- it is blog marketing, forum marketing, email marketing and article marketing. This type of marketing is passed from one person to another person for example messengers are used for viral marketing. Social media is the best way for viral marketing.

Public relationship strategies:-Public relation strategies are one of the promotional Mix (advertisement, personal selling, sales promotion, corporate image and Exhibition). According to Bill bernbach:- “People can’t believe you if they don’t know what you are saying and they can’t know what you are saying if they don’t listen to you, and they won’t listen to you if you’re not interesting”. Any news, planning, presentation, job advertisement etc organisation wants to give to public and any feedback organisation want from public different media such as speaker opportunities (conferences, seminars, public forums), trade show support (press appointments, private demos), public launch, magazines, newspaper, (articles, report), TV, internet, PR blogs (such as face book, twitter, online Pr) etc.

Public relationship is a relationship of sharing information relation to organisation not only between organisation and customers; it is also with employees, staff, consumers, general public, competitors etc. Public relation plays a vital role and its essential to make public aware and up-to-date about new policies, procedures, jobs, vacancies etc.

Marketing and marketing communication theory

Conceptual frameworks

Recommend marketing and customer loyalty strategies that would secure and/or enhance the organisation competitive advantage.