Evaluating STDP
Current Customer Value Proposition
SunCoast Hotel’s (SCH) current Customer Value Proposition is lacking and does not effectively provide a clear image of value in the minds of its customers. SunCoast’s management would like the hotel to be a hotspot for business conventions and world travelers, yet most of its current selling points paint SunCoast as a luxurious vacation spot. SCH needs to better differentiate itself in the resort industry in order to create a defined value proposition. Management appears to have a clear idea for what they would like the SunCoast brand to represent, but the current state of SCH does not offer a clear value to customers. The new project would greatly help to differentiate the resort, and align the wishes of management with the advantages the hotel could provide.
For example, Joan Mack’s desire for full-service concierge employees would do well to maximize the value of SCH’s proximity to Orlando. The potentially expanded convention hall would also be a strong signal to potential customers that SunCoast’s differentiable advantage lies in its ability to combine the ability to host conventions with beach front luxury. With its current amenities, however, SunCoast is struggling to differentiate itself from standard luxury beach resorts. As management tries to stay away from the simple vacation spot label, SCH would do well to consider the new project as a way to clearly define the value the resort brings to customers.
A brand is a powerful tool, especially in the hotel industry where services are intangible. Many hotels of the 21st century have made branding one of their top most priority with the realisation that hotel branding helps to set them apart from their competitors and create a firm customer base. Branding creates brand recognition, brand preference, increase customer satisfaction and most importantly, customer loyalty.
Marriott decided to enhance travelers’ value by segmenting the market and then targeting selected segments, each with a different brand. Then as now, Marriott was the flagship brand. Each new brand would support Marriott’s overall brand identity — a commitment to superior customer service — and train employees to have a passion for service.
For instance, in the hospitality industry, the Hilton brand symbolises high-end properties, elevated quality of service and a unique guest experience. Brand name and brand image are essentially two factors that differentiate companies which operate in the same industry and market. Therefore, the brand name must be unique. Hotel companies like the Hilton have established strong national brands and seek to use them globally with an intention of increasing profits. Once its established as a global brand, the company has successfully created an international image that can lead to increased efficiency through branded marketing efforts and cost savings on a much larger scale. Nowadays with an increase in international travel, the competition among international hotel corporations is becoming a lot more competetive. Those tourists that travel to foreign countries tend to stay in one of the known hotel brands and their standardised quality of service. Hotel chains are motivated to maintain a high rate of global expansion as a key marketing strategy of creating brand loyalty (King,
In today’s market whether it is shopping for a vacation spot or purchasing tangible goods the consumer is one thing that never changes. Research tends to support brand equity and brand loyalty. In choosing a vacation, spot customer not only wants the facility to meet their needs they want it to exceed their expectations, none the less for the best price. Branding within the hotel industry is no different. Consumers look for key risks, perceived benefits and costs when making their purchases. Through all the ways, that tourist can book hotels and read prior reviews on where they are, going to stay the decision is, usually, made before the trip. With the case of Peaceful Rest Motor Lodge, there are
Marriott is renowned for its elegant and comfortable hotels and resorts. The company caters to a targeted customer base, ranging from the frequent corporate business traveler to the family enjoying their occasional weekend get-away. Marriott has continued its rise in the lodging, contract services, and restaurant industries. The company continuously strives to meet the needs and wants of its customers while strategically maneuvering the rigors of today’s competitive and ever-evolving market of glamorous destinations and convenient services. In order to remain relevant in a highly-competitive environment, Marriott must strike that successful balance of minimizing costs, and gaining and effectively
The Club Med (A) case examines the companies core values, innovative goals in providing a complete all-inclusive resort getaway experience for their customers, and competitive advantages and disadvantages the resort company had against others. They pride themselves on being innovators and on customer satisfaction, though they did begin to fall behind in some areas due to new competitors entering their category. Some of the Club Med issues were that they didn’t seem to actively take new threats very seriously, they were heavily catered towards the French/European culture, and how they didn’t have much flexibility in terms of adjusting their services to fit consumer needs better.
For my luxury brand marketing analysis I choosed the Four Season Hotels chain, as on my mind it is one of the most successful and well-known hotel chain, providing 5 star service all around the world.
Delicate consideration of factors pertaining to the internal and external environment, are a necessity in executing Hyatt’s ultimate goal of “being the preferred brand”. Internal and external environments are factors that may be within or beyond the control of the firm. Theses factors influence the direction, action, structure, and internal process of an organization. The operating, industry, and remote environments are sub-environments that are associated to a firm’s environment (Pearce and Robinson, 2013). Its associates, guests, and owners through its presence in each community it is located in impact Hyatt’s environments.
The corporate branding strategy will create a sort of umbrella under which all the properties of the company will fall, thus sharing the same quality level in the customer’s perception. Moreover a strong corporate brand will ease the company identification and potentially increase the number of new guests through word of mouth, thus enabling the company to gain a bigger market share. Nevertheless the implementation of such a strategy will necessarily involve big costs and a structural change in the organization. Its culture, the way in which advertising is done, the facilities and supplies in each resorts, the way in which management operates will have to be adapted to the new branding strategy. Furthermore undertaking this action may let down some valuable customers who are particularly affectionate to a resort and may be afraid that it will lose its unique and individual features. Plus it might also disappoint some skilled hotel managers which may feel threatened in their autonomy and potentially leave the company. Retraining the whole body of employees to adapt to the new strategy may be expensive and time consuming as well.
• Evaluating all current and future purchasing policies and practices across the brands to ensure that the range of products placed in hotels not only enhance the guest experience but drive value for owners while supporting the company's overall
One of the main tasks of the enterprises of various forms of ownership and spheres of activity - the search for effective ways to manage labor to ensure the activation of the human factor and achieve the best production results. The company «Hyatt Hotels Corporation» is today one of the leading companies offering hotel services. The company, headed more than 500 hotels all over the world, is of great interest as an object of study of the corporate culture, because it includes a huge number of employees (more than 30 thousand people). Hyatt Hotels and Resorts are distinguished unsurpassed quality of services precisely because of its staff. At the heart of the corporate principles of the company have the task to give our employees
Marriott International envisions itself to be the world’s lodging leader. Its mission is to provide the best possible lodging services experience to customers who vary in backgrounds, language, tradition, religion and cultures all around the world. Marriot is committed to environmental preservation through using environment-friendly technology and engages in social responsibility and community engagement. We value our shareholder’s so we will only take steps that will ensure our growth. Most importantly, through our “spirit to serve”, we emphasize the importance of Marriott’s people and recognize the value they bring to the organization’s growth and success. It aims to increase revenues by 9% every year, to increase
Despite Cabo San Viejo’s (CSV) start in the late 1970s as a “fat farm,” catering primarily to women, the resort is now operating in a more niche and exclusive market, providing for guests who are largely affluent with high expectations for the service. In terms of pure demographics, the business welcomes 3,500 new guests each year. Between new and repeat customers, 70% to 80% are female. In the high seasons of winter, spring and fall, the average household income (AHI) exceeds $150,000 for 82% of guests; in the summer an AHI greater than $150,000 applies to 59% of guests. Most customers live in California and the West coast region and are in their 40s or 50s. It is interesting and should be pointed out that between 1992 and 2004, CSV’s average customer age has increased by 10 years of age, from 47 to 57. Behaviorally, up to 70% of new guests became aware of CSV via word of mouth, while 30% visited as a result of travel agent referrals. The most common reasons for patronizing CSV (regardless of frequency) are rest, a healthy vacation option, fitness vacation option and spa activities and offerings. The average guest takes 3 to 4 vacations per year and first time guests returned to the resort within six years at a rate of 32% and 62% of initial return visitors returned again within 6 years. The two most common reasons for customers returning are health benefits (35%) and a great overall vacation (30%). CSV
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company operates within the upscale & luxury hotel industry. While it could be argued that Ritz-Carlton operates in the more broad and inclusive lodging industry, they offer a highly differentiated product and service and therefore find themselves operating in an exclusive industry alongside very few direct competitors, such as Four Seasons Hotels, HongKong and Shanghai Hotels, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Therefore when analyzing this industry I will not be including cheap hotels, motels, lodges, or inns, unless to offer potential substitutes to luxury hotels. In order to assess the attractiveness of the upscale & luxury hotel industry, an analysis of the general environment surrounding the industry must be
The organization has explicitly kept this advantageous environment over other organizations by improving its service capacity. Additionally, the organization ensures that it stays ahead of its rivals by engaging in research and development that focuses on luxury products and markets analysis. The Ritz-Carlton hotel uses data from its research to predict the future of the industry; therefore able to dictate what and how the market will trend in the foreseeable future. Another factor that keeps the organization’s advantage over its rivals is that while rivals tend to become a hotel brand in the industry, Ritz-Carlton has rather position itself to be a leader and lifestyle brand that constantly develop new properties and ensure that customers live the culture of the hotel. The final factor that has kept the advantage of the organization intact is the culture of trust that exists between the management and employees. The leadership of the hotel lives and communicates the organization’s value to its employees who in turn satisfy customers in a way that they often anticipate a return visit. These are some of the reasons that the Ritz-Carlton hotel continued advantageous environment over its rivals has persisted in the hotel and resort industry (Reiss,