Module 4: Marketing the Hospitality Experience

4.1: Brand Promise and Target Markets > Watch: Target Markets for the Hospitality Enterprise
4.2: Price, Value, and Position > Watch: Viewpoints on Competitive Positioning
4.3: Distribution Channels > Watch: Ask the Expert About eCommerce in Hospitality
4.4: Online Opportunities and Threats > Watch: New Media Challenges
4.5: Marketing Performance Measures > Watch: What Is Marketing's Job?

Typically, a hospitality enterprise must have enough customers willing to pay for the services that they provide at the prices that cover the costs.
Be sufficiently differentiated from competition so that the enterprise can attract and keep those customers for the long term.
Target markets include:
- Business customers, leisure customers, and customers who tend to come in a clump or a group.
- Customers can come from different geographies.
- Mercenary and loyal customers.
- Unmanaged travel.
We may want to look at travel and the travel experience a bit differently.
Perhaps we ought to think about the customer based upon their purpose of travel and the type of experience that they’re looking for.
Segment target markets by demographic versus psychographic characteristics.

Relationship between the strategist vision and marketing.
All strategists typically begin by thinking about direction setting.
The job of the marketer is to take that vision and direction and find the target audience with whom that vision resonates.
It’s the marketer’s job to monitor the marketplace.

Expert Kathy Misunas on eCommerce in hospitality.
Major changes which have impacted hospitality distribution.
Major possibilities or likelihoods that can impact distribution in the next five years.

The internet has completely changed the way marketers approach and manage the marketplace.
Discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing the marketer including:
- Developing and managing an effective website.
- Executing an effective online marketing effort.
- Executing a social media campaign.

What is marketing’s job?
Understand how consumers dream, plan, shop, buy, execute and savor their travel experience;
Use that understanding to produce marketing strategies that effectively identify and engage the enterprise’s target markets, and then promote that brand promise to them;
Adjust that strategy promise and service provision based on factors that can impact the enterprise.