What Really is Hotel Marketing?

Marisa Sullivan

Hotel Marketing seems like the job of your dreams. Who wouldn’t love to travel and do marketing at the same time? Though there may be some travel involved, most hotel marketers do many different tasks at one hotel.

It can be a lot harder than you would think. These advertisers determine the revenue and events happening at the hotel. They play many different roles across the building or company. Though this industry took a hit from the pandemic, this job remains important to the hotel industry as it begins to recover from the pandemic.

The Many Roles of a Hotel Marketer

• Research Marketing
  Hotel Marketers are responsible for conducting research that will help increase the hotel’s revenue. The marketer should know why their customers chose to stay there and how to encourage more people to stay at the hotel. They should also be monitoring the hotel’s reviews and creating adjustments based on trends within the comments. 80% of travelers will not book a hotel without reading the reviews. Therefore, it is very important that they are aware of customers feedback.

• Digital Advertising
  Hotel Marketers are also responsible for the advertising of the hotel. They will create and keep the hotel’s website update with upcoming events. They can choose to create incentives for visitors during low booking seasons. The hotel marketer should try listing the hotel on different travel sites as well as ensure that the hotel is visible to travel agents. They can also create blog articles within the website that highlight interesting destination spots near the hotel as well as the local tips and tricks. And, of course, social media is also very important to hotel advertising.

• Customer Service and Public Relations
  The marketer should be very involved in customers’ stay. They should work to form these customer relationships in order to ensure repeat business and promote recommendations. These relationships can be made through a customer loyalty service in which customers can accumulate points during their stays. They can also be seen walking around the hotel asking current customers how they are enjoying their stay. Hotel Marketers will also answer the questions that the recieve on the hotel’s social media accounts.

• Events Marketing
  In my opinion, the most interesting part of hotel marketing, is the events marketing that can be done in this realm. Hotels are perfect locations for events. Multiple events can be held at the same time. These events can take place in different conference rooms and serve different purposes. Customers are able to rent out rooms for any number of reasons: corporate events, weddings, receptions, parties, or fundraisers. Most hotels offer event catering as well.

Hotel Marketing Examples

• The Marriott Bonvoy Traveler: Behind the Design
  The Marriott Bonvoy Traveler is a Podcast created by Marriott in 2018. Between January 2018 and May 2019, Marriott used a podcast to build relationships with their customers. This podcast released episodes covering the creative decision behind the hotels’ layouts as well as an in-depth look into the hotel industry. The podcast also widely covers style and gives tips and tricks to travel.

• Best Western Virtual Reality
  Virtual reality can be cool when executed within the travel industry. There is so much to discover and this can be made possible through the immersive properties of virtual reality. Best Western chose to make this feature available for those looking through hotel options. Though you would need to own your own VR helmet, possible customers will be allowed to virtually walk around the hotel space. With this virtual walk-through customers can get a sense of the scale of furniture and the room’s layout.

Pittsburgh Hotels and COVID

The hotel industry is one of the industry that has been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a study done in November 2020 by The American Hotel & Lodging Association, 71% of hotels in the US will need federal assistance in order to remain open for the next six months. More than 1/3 of hotels will be forced to close if they do not receive this assistance. Most hotels (around 2/3) have not been able to additional relief.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette weighed in on this situation. Nate Cunningham, a partner in Y Hotel Group, says “I think the hotel industry is in really bad shape. I don’t know anyone in the market for hotels at this point,” Previous to the pandemic, (spring 2019), Allegheny County hotels averaged at a 66.8% occupancy. Spring 2020 saw very different numbers, mainly around 34.6%. Hotels have been forced to reduce staff by 70%. Three hotels in Oakland have been renovated into student-housing rather than taking these loses.

Despite these struggles, hotel owners are hopeful for the future. John Delozier, the managing partner of Best Western Plus Cranberry-Pittsburgh North says, “I’m optimistic now that someday we’ll get through this and someday we’ll have a new normal that will enable us to be a successful hotel here in Cranberry.” Though this future largely rests on the status of the pandemic, hotels can implement new ways to regain their business whether that be through the digital marketing tactics listed above, or reassuring their guests that their rooms are sanitized and safe.

Once this pandemic is over, hotel marketing will be an amazing industry to get into! I predict that hotels will experience a large boom once the majority of the population has been vaccinated.

References

Best Western Plus Inn Of Williams 360 VR. (2016, September 02). Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://youtu.be/2M-oB3q8n-w

Belko, M. (2021, March 26). 'A long way to go': Hotels devastated BY COVID-19 struggle to regain their footing. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2020/11/03/hotels-Allegheny-Butler-Rivers-Casino-Westin-Omni-William-Penn-Ace-Best-Western-Cranberry/stories/202010300167

COVID-19'S impact on the hotel industry. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.ahla.com/covid-19s-impact-hotel-industry

Espada, J. (2020, October 07). Top 18 hotel marketing strategies (with examples by Successful Hotels). Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://pirsonal.com/2019/01/11/top-10-hotel-marketing-strategies-followed-by-successful-hotels/#12_Increased_use_of_Social_Media

Gilliland, N. (2019, November 12). Seven examples of hotel content marketing campaigns. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://econsultancy.com/seven-examples-of-hotel-content-marketing-campaigns/

How to boost hotel revenue with meetings and events. (2020, December 29). Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.siteminder.com/r/marketing/hotel-marketing-ideas-tips/boost-revenue-hotels-meetings-events/

Linton, I. (2019, February 05). Roles & responsibilities of a marketing manager in the hotel industry. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/roles-responsibilities-marketing-manager-hotel-industry-34694.html

Williams 360 VR. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com. /watch?v=2M-oB3q8n-w&list=PLkP9d1Z2ibqTGlvjIzuPOHlau6C1OW0dL&index=1