Make the hotel stand out

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From the course by ESSEC Business School

Demand management: Breaking down today’s commercial silos

183 ratings

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ESSEC Business School

Demand management: Breaking down today’s commercial silos

183 ratings

Course 3 of 4 in the Specialization Hotel Management: Distribution, Revenue and Demand Management

The biggest challenge facing the hospitality industry over the next 5 years is the lack of integration between the key commercial disciplines of sales, revenue, distribution and finance and the negative impact this will continue to have on delivering asset value and maximum profitability. This course, spread over 4 key modules: Asset Management Demand Generation Digital Marketing Demand Optimisation aims to break down these commercial silos and reveal the journey from long-term asset development through to short-term profit tactics and how commercial teams can align themselves throughout the organisation. Created by SnapShot, this course is hosted by a group of experienced Industry guest lecturers in their fields of expertise and includes an ideal mix of accessible theory and practical exercises and simulations. SnapShot is a Hotel Demand Management company that specializes in helping hotels aggregate and use their data. We provide useful tools as well as innovative education and coaching services to empower hotels to take informed decisions in managing their demand to increase profits.

From the lesson

Online Marketing

Marketing is about making something known, desired and bought by the right public. While this hasn't changed, the means to achieve it has changed exponentially over the last two decades. As the customer searches for and finds your hotel, you will have to deal with the costs of distribution and how to sell through the most profitable channels to keep a healthy bottom line, while ensuring adequate visibility and top line.

The customer journey6:10

Make the hotel stand out5:16

Meet the Instructors

Peter O'Connor
Professor of information systems, Director of the MBA in Hospitality Management
Information systems
Alex Slors
Independent Hotel Asset Manager & Development Consultant
Asset Management
David Turnbull
Co-Founder and CCO
SnapShot
Brendan May
COO Livabout
Martin Soler
Independent Marketing Consultant
Lennert De Jong
Commercial Director
Citizen Hotels

[MUSIC]

Okay, so we just discussed the travel journey and where hotel marketing fits in.

Now, let's find out how to make the hotel stand out from the competition.

To do this, we need to figure out a clear USP, a unique selling proposition for

the hotel.

And that isn't as hard as you think.

This USP will determine the voice, image, and positioning of the hotel for

the marketing on all platforms.

A unified and accurate USP on all marketing channels will result in clients

that have the experience they had envisioned when they planned their stay.

And aren't thus likely to share.

But this step is rarely done properly for a simple reason,

that's a hotel's USP is almost never what the hotel leader thinks.

It is, however, always what the guests think.

To determine a USP, there are three factors that come into play.

These are location, price, and comfort.

If a hotel has graded all three of these,

they don't need any additional marketing as word of mouth will take care of it.

For example, a hotel with a great location that has a low price and

an excellent service, such a hotel wouldn't need any marketing.

Their main problem would be but such hotels rarely, if ever, exist.

A hotel with a great location often has a very high price and

if they don't the comfort and service isn't really there.

If the hotel has a really competitive price, they are often located in a second

tier location or have a very low comfort service etcetera.

So normally there is one of those points that is the hotel's strong point,

best value, great location, awesome design or comfort service, etcetera, you get it.

Then once you've determined which it is, you then need to qualify it.

For example, best designed hotel in London's West End.

But we said you need to figure out what the guests think.

The trick in doing that lies in positive guest reviews.

Go through all the most positive reviews of the hotel and see what guests say.

Look for common points that keep coming back such as incredible location,

or best value or amazing service, or others.

Don't look at all the reviews.

Filter out only the best reviews.

I once did some work with an amazing hotel in Paris.

Unfortunately, due to the hotel's address and

post code, the location wasn't in their favor.

It was over one mile from the nearest monument, so the USP

was determined based on all the great interior design work that had been done.

Great amenities, most expensive designer TVs.

Italian, leather furniture imported exclusively for the hotel.

Amazing bathroom amenities and world class perfume companies have

made amazing soaps and shampoos, it didn't work.

Perplexed, we began going through all the best reviews to understand

what was happening.

Exactly what we thought was not the USP,

the guest considered the USP, location so we tried to figure it out.

The hotel was more than 15 minute walk to the Eifel Tower, not very close at

Paris standards, but what we hadn't realized, is that after walking about

4 minutes the guest had an unobstructed direct view to the Eifel Tower.

Guests were raving about the location, close to the Eifel Tower.

Listening to the guests we changed the marketing, and positioned the motel as

close to the Eiffel Tower, and we've never looked back since.

So once you've determined the key words or phrases that keep coming up,

such as location, value,

etcetera, you now need to qualify it, meaning, best value compared to what?

Great location.

Near where?

Or incredible service, at what cost?

A hotel always has something unique.

It's the marketer's job to find out what it is.

In conclusion, a hotel USP is normally

based on one of the following three points, location, price or comfort.

B, a hotel USP isn't what you or the hotel thinks, it's what the guests think.

And C, the best way to find out what guests think is to look through the most

positive reviews.

D, the USP defines how a hotel is marketed and

spoken of on all channels, not just the website .

E and lastly, when writing a USP story or concept, it must be

a personal benefit to the consumer, not something that is great for the hotel.

Guests don't care if you have the most expensive TVs.

They aren't getting those TVs.

Make the USP about what they will get and keep.

In the next video, we'll talk about to properly

market a hotel through its website, and

how to put the USP to use in a hotel's marketing.

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