Marketing Assignment: Business Strategies Adopted by Marriott Hotel
Question
Task
The purpose of this marketing assignment is to produce a substantive piece of industry-based analysis and to integrate work experience flexibly into this Report.
- One option is for students to develop an independent project in negotiations with their employer and prepare a workplace-relevant Report.
- Alternatively, students may choose a research topic of strong personal and professional interest that can utilize the experience of working in an organization.
Answer
Executive summary
This marketing assignment is the case study evaluation of Marriott Hotel. The different prospect of the company has been judged to highlights its outstanding approaches to deal the pandemic situation. The excellent marketing measures with the use of influencers have been efficient in building a positive relationship with the customers. The company has been able to deal with financial fluctuations. The use of the proper decision making and shift from traditional to AI customer’s services has been efficient. The use of the application of the hotel has allowed the customers to build personal bonds. It has been evident that the management of the business has been effective in fetching better business stability. The use of the secondary data has been done to execute the authentic information about Marriott Hotels. It has been suggested that the business can invest more in market research so that better approaches towards risk can be taken. The use of marketing to keep the customers informed about hotel status and promoting comfortable self-isolation are helpful in building better customer engagement leading to competitive advantages.
Introduction
Overview of the study
Marriott Hotel is an international brand that was founded in the year 1957. Currently, the hotel is successfully serving in 665 locations. The pandemic situation has recently increased financial issues in the company (Marriott.com, 2021). The hotels are closed globally as per the pandemic situation and thus are creating challenges for the management of Marriott to keep their market position stable. At the same times, the needs for brand promotion and coherent problem solving is evident. The company is in needs of proper management measures so that sound decision making can be conducted for the better future of the company. The 2020 annual report of Marriott hotel reflects the loss that they suffered due to improper planning and lack of quick decision making (Marriott.gcs-web.com, 2021). The increasing competition and changing external business environment are making it difficult for a very well known brand like Marriott Hotels to compete in the markets (Marriott.com, 2021). The study lights the different business executing strategies the Marriott hotel has adopted. The demonstration is supported by facts that are productive in recommending better strategies to deal with the similar panic situation in the figure as well by the management of Marriott hotel.
Rationale
What is the issue?
The increasing competition is making it essential for the managers of Marriott hotel to keep their business and retain their market position (Madar, 2017). It has been evident that each stakeholder is essential, and thus the role of reach of them is equally essential for the company to grow. The external markets condition is impacting the decision making of the management of Marriott hotel so that they are unable to adopt measures for competitive advantage.
Why is this an issue?
It is an issued as the condition of the changing market is altering business executing strategies of Marriott hotel. The management needs to keep track of market trends, and thus the decision making is executed accordingly.
Why is it an issue now?
The outbreaks of a pandemic have increased financial crises for the hospitality sector (Hotelnewsnow.com, 2021). This has triggered the business executing strategies of Marriott hotels. It has led to huge changes in the services executing strategies as adopted by Marriott hotel.
How will this research solve the issue?
The research papers are investing the different strategies that Marriott hotel is recently using. This will increase the transparency of decision making and will also heighten the involved stakeholders. The recommendation will be productive in developing better services executing measures to execute smooth services by the company.
Research Questions
- What are the business promotional strategies that are adopted by the management of Marriott hotel?
- What is the problem-solving techniques that the management of Marriott Hotel has adopted?
- What is the role of stakeholders of Marriott in executing business strategies?
- What are the essential measures taken by Marriott Hotels to improve their business in the competitive market condition?
Literature review
As mentioned by Zhang et al. (2020), the increase in the markets competition is increasing the needs of marketing strategies by companies. The business in the hospitality business is shifting towards online marketing strategies so that they can build a better engagement with the customers and therefore ensured that the elevation of sales could be fetched. Brand promotion is essential measures that are needed to keep the customers attracted by the customers. In the views of Darvishmotevali, Altinay & Köseoglu (2020), the well-planned promotion methods are productive in keeping the customers informed. The customers are able to get the issues about the new services or discounts that the company is providing to its customers. In the pandemic situation, the promotion measures have been about so that the company can regain the trust of the customers. The promotion of the safety measures that are adopted by the hotels is dome so that the company can attack more customers. In the opinion of Suomela (2020), the changes in the room services as well a proper training of the staffs to deal with the safety and hygiene measures are done to solve the trust issues of the customers. Problem-solving with the proper decision making is needed. It has been productive in developing stability in the workplaces and encouraging the execution of better satisfaction among the customers.
As mentioned by Ali et al. (2020), decision making with the use of proper leadership skills are essential to keep the staffs motivated in the pandemic situation. This is increasing the belongings of the staffs. In the context of the hospitality industry, the staffs are the key stakeholders. Developing positive among the stags are essential so that the company can execute better business executing stratifies. The risk mitigation measures are essential. As mentioned by Kim et al. (2020), the management needs to keep a close check on the external market condition. The implication of flexible strategies that are productive in developing better business executing measures is needed. It has been helpful in taking a quick decision and thus ensures that the business is executed in a coherent manner and thus develops profit marketing measures of the company. In the opinion of Khanra et al. (2021), the hospitality business needs to adopt technological changes. The companies are shifting towards AI technologies to ensure that the human contract is reduced and the company can upgrade trust among the customers in an effective manner.
Research design
The research paper is a case study analysis. The use of the positivism research philosophy is used so that better ideas of the existing facts exist in reality. It has been evident that the investigation of the true facts can execute the idea better. The implication of the deductive research approach is done, and unwanted evidence is rejected. The study includes descriptive design as the current business strategies of Marriott hotels are heightened without any kind of confusion.
Data collection method
The study will be focusing on secondary data collection. Both qualitative and quantitative data have been collected from authentic sources to fetch light on the business executing strategies of Marriott Hotel. The use of the authentic facts from the company website and the annual reports are collected so that a better idea about the strategic measures can be conducted. The recently published articles on the hotel are also taken into account to demonstrate a better idea about the business strategies that Marriott Hotel. All the information incorporates in the evaluating of business strategies are true and reflects the actual services measures by the company in the competitive market condition.
Data evolution strategies
The use of the thematic analysis is done so that the service measures adopted by the company Marriott Hotels can be executed. The use of the critical implications is done, and the major facts are heightened to fetch a proper idea about the service executing strategies in a well-organized manner.
Analysis and findings
The use of the collected facts and information of the Marriott Hotel Australia has been taken into accounts. The different themes are executed so that the better idea about the attributes taken by the management of Marriott to deal with the changing external and internal business environment in a coherent manner.
- Business promotion strategies
Marriott Hotel has a huge brand image. The company is creating user-generated contexts so that they can capture the attention of millennial. The company has partnered with the Snap chat influencers and has asked them to make short videos that have been mimicking the TV travel documentary. The influencers ate showcasing Marriott’s news and are portraying the luxury priorities. The use of the 10-second teasers has a view used to show the images of the foods and the other facilities that the hotel is offering its customers (Socialtables.com, 2021). The other social sites like Facebook, YouTube as well as Instagram are done by the business so that the attention of the customers are gained in a well-organized manner. - Problem-solving techniques and key stakeholders involved.
The management team plays a vital role in solving the issues in the workplaces and take proper decision for the company’s benefits. The staff control is executed by the company so that they can keep their core staff satisfied. It has been evident that a company with satisfied staffs has the ability to develop a positive relationship with the customers and thus serve them accordingly (Madar, 2017). The company has been investing in the grass-roots staffs and has been providing them with capabilities and training so that they can handle foreign clients as well. The issues of client channelling are addressed by using proper training measures. In the views of Zuo et al. (2017), the management of the Marriott hotel places a vital role in upgrading the customer servicing strategies. It has been elevated that the company with the well planned and management team are effective in solving the issues that generated at the workplaces. The proper decision making is done by the boards of directors, which also includes the investors. The use of the proper decision of various topics is executed so that the business can reach a proper end. The decision regarding the CSR measures and sustainability implication is also adopted so that the business can take proper decision to solve the unwanted risk (?erko & Rudyk, 2020). The sudden outbreak of the pandemic has increased the market risk for the companies in the hospitality sector. - Measures improve the business for Marriott hotel.
It is high time when the management of Marriott Hotel has to take up proper attributes to handle the business is due to pandemic. The increase in telecommuting has evident the business of Marriott to adopt the cloud technologies. These strategies have been produced to even keep the customers attracted during the time of the pandemic. Around 90% of the millennials are value-branded the appreciation of high values is given more priority by the users (Marriott.gcs-web.com, 2021). The 24*7 services by the management staffs, along with the mobile-first guest experiences and personalized messaging, has been some of the best measures that the company has adopted so that they can deal with the fluctuations of the market and therefore build better working attributes in an effective manner.
The M live was created. This has been a promotional strategy which has been helpful in developing better brand images, the luxury that the guest gets when they stay in the hotel has been promoted (Marriott.com, 2021). The company is in the belief of maintaining two-way loyalty. Customers being the key stakeholder for the company, need to be informed about the new implications. The use of the excellent marketing policy has been done so that the company can ensure hustle free experiences to the customers.
The company has executed that application which is Marriott’s app that is providing its members with an easy stay in the hotel without any kind of check-in formalities. It is resident that around 75% of the mobile phone user and installed the new application of the hotel within 90 days (Marriott.com, 2021). The marketing technologies that the business is using to upgrade their strategies are upgraded and are as per the needs of the targeted customers. The technologies have been excellent in providing a stable business executing measures and thus take measures to build better business strategies. Quick action and smart measures are helpful in keeping the customers intact. The facilities are liked by the customers, and they are loyal to the brand. The marketing team of Marriott hotel has been productive in understanding the market needs and therefore ensures that the company can take up proper measures to keep a stable relationship with the customers (Socialtables.com, 2021). The application launches by Marriott Hotel has been an excellent promotional measure that has developed the proper marketing strategies even in times of pandemic. This, at the same time, has been excellent in developing better comparative advantages to deal with the rival businesses.
The measures like inspection of the performance management are the essential role of the manager. The leaders are motivating the employees in critical times so that they can serve the business in a well-organized manner without any kind of confusion (Setiawan et al., 2020). It has been helpful in building a positive mindset among the staffs. The implication of motivation among the staffs and helped them to retain their mental stability and thus has boosted the team to work efficiently. It has been evident the Marriott hotel has to reduce its staffs during the pandemic as the company was unable to retain its market position. It has been a huge constraint to the business. The hotel's staffs are in fear of getting unemployed during the poor financial condition of the company. The business was not well prepared to deal with the pandemic (Puspita et al., 2021). This has reflected the poor decision-making condition by the management. The management failed to handle the fluctuating condition has thus had to face the consequences.
The business underwent and structural change recently. In the process of following the pandemic protocol, measures of sanitizing the rooms on a regular basis and minimizing the human contract have been practices. These changes were implicated so that the company can ensure better working measures and therefore maintain workplaces safety (Marriott.com, 2021). The decision to chase less payment has been prompted by the company so that they can deal with the better workplaces measures and therefore follow the better standard of service execution. It has been seen that the managers took the training initiatives and thus provided briefly to the employees in the process of serving the customers even in the situation of panic (Marriott.gcs-web.com, 2021). The measures like proper thermal checking of staffs and customers are done to reduce the threat of business loss. The pandemic situation has increased the confusion of the management of Marriott Hotel. The company has been investing in market research, and the assumption of furthers strategies and its outcomes are conducted. It has been productive in developing better working measures with proper precaution for the business risk in the competitive markets (Marriott.gcs-web.com, 2021). The use of the technologies over the traditional service's methods is adopted. This has been done to attract customers. The use of the technologies that are productive in providing confidence to the customers and have been helpful in gaining better market share as compared to the rival companies are adopted. This has been the key to the business growth of Marriott Hotel at the global level. The business has been able to improve its serves and address the areas of drawbacks. The proper inspection of the staffs and measures taken to improve the working attributes are evident in recent times. The company has been able to grow post-pandemic. The management took a personal interest to encourage the staffs to develop staffs engagement (Marriott.com, 2021). In the same context, the use of attractive discounts has been done so that the business can deal with the financial roles and restore their lost position in the global market. The strict decision making of Marriott Hotel has been effective in developing outstanding examples to fight financially unstable markets.
Conclusion and recommendation
It can be concluded from the close inspection of the Marriot Hotel that the business that the management has been efficient in taking decision for prosperity. The company has to face financial loss due to their improper measures. At the same time, the strong management strategies have allowed the company to deal with the strategies and thus ensure that the company has adopted proper technique sin during workplaces ability to attract large customer bases. The development of better customer engagement has allowed the business to build loyalty among the customers and therefore has allowed the company to deal with external issues efficiently. The decision of regular employee training and motivation the staffs to deal with sudden issues are building better bonds among the customers. It has been thus helpful in building better working measures and therefore ensures that the company is using strategies measures to handle the pandemic situation. The no-contact policy has been adopted by the management, which has been helping in increasing the trust among the staffs. The company has been able to deal with the market rivals. The brand image plays a vital role in upgrading the business position. The management is the core shareholders playing a vital role in solving internal business issues and therefore takes proper decision to execute stable work measures and fetching elevation in the annual returns.
Recommendations
The following recommendation is proposed so that the company can deal with the markets unstably and thus deal with the uncertain condition in a well-organized manner without any kind of confusion.
- Increased investment in the market research
The management of Marriott Hotel needed to ensure that the company is investigating external happiness. It is keeping a check on the entities that can cause issues in the future that needs to be identified. The use of the tools like risk register and risk matrix are determined to be productive in developing a better idea about the business environment and therefore guiding the company to take proper decision. It has been effective in building a better understanding of the company's future prospects and therefore ensures that positive decisions are made for the company's growth. - Use of different marketing strategies like "self-isolation is comfortable
The fear among the customers of being infected is restricting them from going out. The innovative marketing with an interesting tagline is determined to be effective in building positive responses among the customers. This can boost the targeted customers to initiate outing with proper safety. - Share verified information on social media and kept the customers informed about the new strategies adopted.
Social media has become an integral part of building bonds with customers. The proper updates of information are needed so that the customers can get a proper idea about the room ability and the changes. The alteration made as per the COVID guidelines needs to be also updated from time to times. This will allow the company to maintain stability and thus upgrades the positives of the market. The brand's values will also improve, and the company can build positive services executing strategies in a well-organized manner.
Reference list
Marriott.com (2021), About US Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/melmc-melbourne-marriott-hotel/
Marriott.gcs-web.com (2021), Annual report Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://marriott.gcs-web.com/static-files/b82978a6-9d28-4e38-9855-fc4ae2cebe11
Madar, A. (2017). Quality-a competitive advantage on the hotel services market. Case study: Marriott Hotels & Resort versus Radisson Blu. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Economic Sciences. Series V, 10(2), 141-146. Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from http://webbut.unitbv.ro/bu2016/series%20v/2017/BULETIN%20I/16_MADAR%20final.pdf
Hotelnewsnow.com (2021), Threat to hotels Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://www.hotelnewsnow.com/articles/300779/Following-COVID-19-developments-industrys-response
Suomela, E. (2020). Development of Hotel Services for Family Travellers to Improve Customer Experience Case: Original Sokos Hotel Arina, Oulu. Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/343210
Darvishmotevali, M., Altinay, L., & Köseoglu, M. A. (2020). The link between environmental uncertainty, organizational agility, and organizational creativity in the hotel industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 87, 102499. Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278431920300517
Zhang, D., Tu, J., Zhou, L., & Yu, Z. (2020). Higher tourism specialization, better hotel industry efficiency?. International journal of hospitality management, 87, 102509. Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027843192030061X
Khanra, S., Dhir, A., Kaur, P., & Joseph, R. P. (2021). Factors influencing the adoption postponement of mobile payment services in the hospitality sector during a pandemic. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 46, 26-39. Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278431920301572
Kim, J., Franklin, D., Phillips, M., & Hwang, E. (2020). Online travel agency price presentation: Examining the influence of price dispersion on travelers’ hotel preference. Journal of Travel Research, 59(4), 704-721. Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0047287519857159
Ali, A. A. A. M., Kee, D. M. H., Singh, A., Pandey, R., Alhamlan, H., Ahmad, K. M., ... & Narayanan, Y. (2020). Does Motivation Improve Employees Job Performance? A Case of Absolute Hotel Services. International journal of Tourism and hospitality in Asia Pasific, 3(3), 9-21. Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517721000248
Socialtables.com (2021), Marriott’s marketing Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://www.socialtables.com/blog/hotel-sales/marriotts-marketing/
Marriott.com (2021), M live application Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/melwh-w-melbourne/
Setiawan, R., Eliyana, A., Suryani, T., & Osito, L. O. (2020). World-Class Hospitality Management in Tourism Strategy: The Implementation of Servant Leadership (Doctoral dissertation, Petra Christian University). Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from http://repository.petra.ac.id/18781/
Zuo, L., Xiong, S., & Iida, H. (2017, November). An analysis of hotel loyalty program with a focus on the tiers and points system. In 2017 4th International Conference on Systems and Informatics (ICSAI) (pp. 507-512). IEEE. Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8248345/
?erko, I., & Rudyk, A. (2020). ECOLOGICAL MARKETING AS A TOOL OF STRATEGY OF HOTEL BUSINESS AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT. Economic journal of Lesia Ukrainka Eastern European National University, 3(23), 77-83. Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://echas.vnu.edu.ua/index.php/echas/article/view/610
Madar, A. (2017). Quality-a competitive advantage on the hotel services market. Case study: Marriott Hotels & Resort versus Radisson Blu. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Economic Sciences. Series V, 10(2), 141-146. Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from http://webbut.unitbv.ro/bu2016/series%20v/2017/BULETIN%20I/16_MADAR%20final.pdf
Puspita, N. P. L. A., Astawa, I. P., & Mudana, I. G. (2021). Hotel Strategy in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic (The Westin Resort Nusa Dua Experience). International Journal of Glocal Tourism, 2(1), 28-39. Retrieved on 14.6.2021 retrieved from https://www.ejournal.catuspata.com/index.php/injogt/article/download/38/33