CURRENT MARKETING AND MARKETING MIX OF HOTELS

“Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for Customers, clients, partners and society at large.” (Middleton et al. 2009: 21)

Kotler and Armstrong (2004:5) marketing has set importance on fulfilling the customer needs. The customer tends to make decisions on buying a product or a service based on their perception of the value and satisfaction that the product or service delivers. From the company’s point of view the goal of marketing is to first build and then manage profitable customer relationships.

Market mix According to Kotler (2004:58) the marketing mix is one of the main concepts in current marketing and is regularly brought up in broad consultation of marketing. Marketing mix is a collection of marketing tools that a hotel uses to practise its marketing objectives in the target market. When a hotel is making decisions on marketing they usually fall into four controllable categories identified as the 4 P’s: product, price, place and promotion.

Bowie & Buttle (2004:28) Promotion is usually the function of most marketing and sales departments and it includes all the tools that a company can use to communicate with customers.

A hotel can for example use different websites to advertise their products and services and also use brand identification to their advantage. Brands help consumers to identify what the product or the company is, for example people relate the cresta Hotel chain with luxury and good quality. That helps the hotel chain when they are planning their marketing strategy. (Bowie & Buttle 2004: 208)

Technology and social

 Brymer and Johanson (2011)Social marketing allows companies the freedom to do creative things online that cannot be done on a Web site at a relatively inexpensive cost. Companies now improve their online presence by:

• Ensuring Web site content and media is up-to date and optimized

• Developing and implementing a social media plan

• Tracking consumer behaviour on the Web

• Responding quickly to the evolving needs of guests who are travelling less frequently

• Using YouTube for virtual tours of facilities, services, and amenities at casinos, resorts, and hotels

• Featuring hotel special events and promotions on Facebook networking

REFERENCE

Middleton, V.& Fyall, A. & Morgan, M. & Rachhod A. (2009) Marketing in travel and tourism 4th: Great Britain. Elsevier Ltd.

Bowie, D & Buttle, F. (2004) Hospitality marketing an introduction: China Elsevier Ltd

Johnson, J. (2007). Social networking for the Hospitality Industry [Online]: http://www.thetalentjunglecom/hospitality_blog/tiem/385(accessed 12 april 2014)

 

 

CURRENT TRENDS IN FOOD AND BEVERAGE SECTOR

CURRENT TRENDS IN FOOD AND BEVERAGE SECTOR

“The world is changing fast, but the food and beverage industry is changing even faster," said (Pavone, 2011).

Davis at el (2012,Pg 368) illustrate  today in kitchens you can find ovens that interface with property management systems, allowing for reports on temperatures, humidity gas or electricity bills allowing for a better allocation of fixed cost per product and ensuring that the operator remains true to the current health and safety regulations. A chef can easily program the oven to cook what he wants as he wants it. It also reduces labour cost and achieving consistency of product thus meeting consumer expectations.

Quality food: tourists are now more concerned with the food on the table, rather than focusing on celebrity chefs. They will be more demanding in terms of quality ingredients and will prefer healthy food with organic ingredients. (Hotel cluster, 2014)

Indeed this day’s customer do pay for what they think is worth for their money when they order a dish they expect it to be balancing considering taste, colour, texture, nutrition wise.

Sustainability: food and beverage sectors want to have a positive impact on society and the environment. In addition, they want to turn sustainability challenges into business advantages.  At the heart of a well-planned sustainability program is the belief that corporate investment in environmental and social responsibility must strengthen business performance to be successful it must reduce environmental impact, achieve genuine economy in the use of resources deliver a return on investment, and enhance the equity of your company.

 Just like what Steers restaurant here in Botswana is doing by volunteering to feed less fortunate kids below 10 years with breakfast each and every Wednesday. (Bradley, 2008)

The trend of flexibility: appears to be on the rise according to The Hotel and Restaurant times (2010) with customers becoming ultra sensitive eaters, requesting a broader range of choices to customise and control diets, and menus, dishes and specials catering to individual needs.

Indeed flexibility is of paramount importance to customers the need to be given a wide variety of food and beverages to choose from at any time.

Reference

Hotel and Restaurant Times (2010).Value add Your Business. H&RT. Jan Kildare: Ireland.

Hotel cluster (2014)[Online]: http//www.hotelcluster.com (Accessed 28 March 2014)

Bradly,A. (2008), Food and beverage industry: Rock Automation USA

Pavone (2014), five food and beverage trends: Virgo.[Online]:http://www.foodproductdesign.com/news/2011 (Accessed 30 march 2014)

 

 

 

Hospitable City

Addis Ababa: The 'Dubai' Of Africa

With a boom in construction, Addis Ababa is slated to emerge as one of the most modern cities in Africa

Addis Ababa loosely translated means a ‘new flower’ and the capital city of Ethiopia is in many ways blooming like a flower. Known as the home to the African Union, formerly the Organization of African Union (OAU), Addis Ababa is the largest city in Ethiopia with a population of over 2.5 million and is often referred to as the capital of Africa because of its historical diplomatic and political significance to the African continent.

Founded in 1887, this sprawling, hospitable city is situated at the foothills of the Entoto Mountains has lots to see if one is visiting for pleasure and or business – lots of souvenirs from the signature white Ethiopian dresses with intricate trimmings to fashionable outfits mostly from Italy.

The city has is in the middle of a construction boom with lots of construction from skyscrapers to condors and roads. The city is growing rapidly in modernity compared to other African cities. The city is undergoing a major construction boom, where the skyline suddenly has more halfway-done high-rise buildings than ever before, and new hotels are being built at a breakneck speed. Hotels, shopping centers and office complexes rise from where small shacks once stood. Infrastructure is improving to support them. Tall, incomplete buildings are visible as far as the eye can see. In addition to the construction boom, many of its roads are being expanded and redone.

www.africa-business.com/features/addis-ababa-business.html