Hotel Marketing: Past & Present

How have hotel's marketing tactics changed over the years?

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Marketing is extremely important to a business’ success. According to the Business Dictionary, marketing is defined as “ The management process through which goods and services move from concept to the customer. It includes the coordination of four elements called the 4 P's of marketing: (1) identification, selection and development of a product, (2) determination of its price, (3) selection of a distribution channel to reach the customer's place, and (4) development and implementation of a promotional strategy” (Business Dictionary, 2018, para. 1) . The 4P’s of marketing have stayed consistent throughout the years; however, it’s important to note that the fourth P has not. Due to the internet, social media, and travel influencers, the way a promotional strategy is developed and implemented, also know as how the hotel markets, has indeed changed.

The article “Hotel marketing: The past, present and future” suggests that hotels used to market via commercials and billboards. The article states that hotels used “billboards to attract roadside travelers”(Dinubhai, para. 3) and created “catchy jingles and emotionally targeted commercials that showcased laughing families in hotel rooms ‘ (Dinubhai, para.3)”. In the past, hotels’ marketing strategies were rather simple and clear cut; putting up some billboards and replaying some catchy commercials is rather straightforward. Now, hotels’ marketing tactics are far more complex.

Today’s hotels’ marketing strategy is next level; this is due to the internet, social media and travel influencers. The article “25 Hotel Trends of the Past 25 Years” argues that “where once blanket ads and big marketing budgets stood as the only way to reach potential customers, we now have a free website that reaches more than 260 million of our target market per month” (Kostuch, 2014, para. 25). Hotels now have this whole other tool which provides them with new creative and innovative ways to market, making marketing a more complicated process.

In addition, hotels also have social media. Specifically, the article “The importance of using social media to engage with travellers” suggests that “social media has become a tool that's a vital part of the marketing mix for all businesses. For hotels, it offers a great chance to build up a connection and get their name noticed by potential customers and stay in the minds of those that have visited you before” (Smith, 2017, para. 3).

So, social media makes hotels’ marketing strategies much more complex because social media forces hotels to come up with engaging and interactive campaigns. These campaigns must form some type of relationship with the hotels' following in order truly make an impact on them. In addition, the article "Luxury Hotels Market the Memories They Can Make" suggest that these marketing techniques must also "provide customers with moments to remember" (Elliot, 2011, para. 1). Presenting a consumer with moments they can remember forever is much more difficult then taking a nice photo and putting up a billboard.

Social media also implies that hotels must be marketing 24/7. Social media requires constant connectivity, meaning hotels need to be continuously streaming new content to provide their audience with. In a world where you could once 'turn off', hotels are now forced to be 'turned on' at all times. Thus, hotels must face the complexities of marketing every second of every day.

If hotels are looking for tips how how they should handle their social media, they should check out the article “Simplifying Digital Marketing for Hotels”. This article suggests that hotels should “Embrace Facebook and Instagram, increase their follower count, assign dedicated resources to social media, and to create a social media- friendly environment"(Maxwell, 2017) .

The article suggests that hotels should embrace Facebook and Instagram because “new guests look at these pages to see if they are active. If they are not, they might wonder what else is being neglected at the hotel. (Maxwell, 2017, para. 11). In addition, hotels’ should increase their follower count because “if you only have a few hundred followers, then your efforts are moot” (Maxwell, 2017, para. 11), and hotels should assign dedicated resources to social media because it is considered one of the “highest form of branding”(Maxwell, 2017, para. 11), making it extremely valuable and important. Lastly, the articles suggests that hotel’s must create a social media-friendly environment because it will “excite people to take a photo and post, saying “Hey everyone, look where I am.” If you can accomplish this, then you have an army of guests promoting your hotel for free (Maxwell, 2017, para. 11).

In addition, in recent years, hotels have had to face the new, but necessary challenges of working with travel influencers. Hotels once had totally control over their marketing message; however, now travel influencers have partial control. Although travel influencers who work with hotels are supposed to follow a certain 'script', there is a possibility that they won't stick to it. Thus, hotels are now tasked with utilizing travel influencers while also controlling them so the hotel's brand remains in tact.

Despite their complexities, hotels must utilize the internet, social media, and travel influencers in their promotional tactics in order to be successful.

For example, the article “Why influencer marketing is a game changer for the hotel industry”, suggests that“through the use of pictures and imagery, influencers tap into the aspirational drive within travelers. In the travel purchasing journey, they engage with potential customers in the "dreaming and planning phase." This effect creates a desire for the consumer to get that same experience, generating instant consumer interest (Cox, 2017, para 9). The article even goes onto state that working with travel influencers will help hotels “Cut down lost revenue to online travel agencies by an astonishing 20 percent”, “Maximize the opportunity to cross-sell or upsell, increasing profitability by a whopping 18 percent” and “Increase loyalty and retention” (Cox, 2017, para 10). Thus, it's important for hotels to face the new complexities of marketing in order for their hotel to continue to increase their profits.

An example of how some hotels have successfully navigated the new complexities of marketing can be seen below. These are some great examples of hotels who have been able to embrace social media and travel influencers in order to promote their hotel!

There are thousand of other posts like this; there are many posts which hotels have orchestrated in order to have social media promote their brand and their hotel!

Bonus if you're on the other side of the spectrum:

I've talked a lot about hotels utilizing travel influencers, but what if you are a travel influencer looking to utilize a hotel? Instead of a hotel reaching out to you, what if you're trying to reach out to a hotel?

If that's the case and you are a travel influencer who's looking for the perfect hotel to pair up with in order to get some Insta worthy pics to increase your following, check our the article "Top 10 #Hotels for Social Meida Influencers".

Sources

Cox, Steve. (2017, November 30). Why influencer marketing is a game changer for the hotel industry. Retrieved from https://www.hotelmanagement.net/sales-marketing/why-influencer-marketing-a-game-changer-for-hotel-industry

Dinubhai, N. Hotel marketing: The past, present and future. Retrieved from

https://www.todayshotelier.com/2016/12/01/hotel-marketing-the-past-present-and-future/

Elliot, S. (2011, September 13). Luxury Hotels Market the Memories They Can Make. Retrieved form https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/business/media/luxury-hotels-market-the-memories-advertising.html

Kostuch. (2014, March 10). 25 Hotel Trends of the Past 25 Year. Retrieved from

http://www.hoteliermagazine.com/25-hotel-trends-of-the-past-25-years/

Maxwell, T. (2017, June 1). Simplifying Digital Marketing For Hotels. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/06/01/simplifying-digital-marketing-for-hotels/#291ddcb37b42

Smith, A. (2017, September 22). The importance of using social media to engage with travellers. Retrieved from https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4084265.html

(2018). Marketing. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/marketing.html