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)