hotel management

Chapter 23 Hotel Marketing Management (3)
Refers to the degree of correlation between various service items in various products in terms of use functions, production conditions, sales channels or other aspects.This is not a fixed concept. The product mix density is evaluated from different perspectives, and the conclusions are inconsistent.For example, from the perspective of production conditions, guest room products and catering products do not have much correlation, but from the perspective of sales channels, they are related.

The hotel can adjust the product portfolio by expanding or reducing the breadth, length and depth of the product portfolio, increasing or reducing the density of the product portfolio, etc., so that the hotel products are more competitive.For example, expanding the breadth of the product portfolio and adding product lines can expand the hotel’s sales area, increase the hotel’s economic benefits, and also help spread the hotel’s marketing risks, so that “the east is not bright and the west is bright”, and the hotel’s ability to adapt to competition can be improved. Ability; increasing the depth of hotel product portfolio means increasing the service content of the hotel, which is conducive to the hotel to tap potential, increase the variety of designs, and meet the needs of more market segments; increasing the depth of hotel product portfolio can reduce costs and contribute to the overall marketing or The overall development provides convenience, and reducing the density of product portfolios will help hotel companies adapt to the turbulent changes in the market, so as not to cause embarrassing situations that affect everything.

([-]) Overall product design

The overall product concept comes from the modern marketing concept, which reflects that the focus of hotel marketing is to provide guests with products with complete functions and bring them all-round consumption satisfaction.According to the modern marketing theory of the overall product concept, hotel products include three parts: core products, formal products and extended products.

1. Core products
The core product is the most important part of the hotel product, and it is the center for the hotel to meet the needs of the guests.In other words, it is the most fundamental benefit that guests hope to obtain from the product. This most fundamental benefit is manifested in the various services that guests hope to be provided by the hotel and the various basic needs met by the hotel.

When designing products, the hotel should be good at researching and discovering the different core needs of different guests for hotel products or services, and meet them in a timely manner through specific products and services.

2. Form products
Formal products are the external manifestations of hotel products, which can be expressed as physical products or intangible services.Hotel architecture, geographical location, surrounding environment, store atmosphere, price, etc. are all formal products.With the help of formal products, guests can more intuitively and clearly understand the core benefits of hotel products.Therefore, to a certain extent, it is the formal products that affect the purchase of guests.

Hotel marketing should use form products to highlight the characteristics of hotel products and create a unique atmosphere. ) The core benefits of hotel service products to attract customers' attention.

3. Extended products
Extended products refer to various added values ​​and benefits that hotels provide to guests.In the era of value-added competition, the consumption choices of guests depend to a large extent on the added value and benefits provided by hotel products.Therefore, the market competitiveness of hotel products depends on the design and provision of extended products. Hotels can add additional benefits and value to guests in a timely manner in terms of material, price, and psychology.

When developing and designing various products, the hotel should carry out comprehensive design according to the idea of ​​"first the core, then the form, and then the extension", so that the scientificity and applicability of the products will continue to increase.

([-]) Development of new products

Hotel products have to go through a life cycle of generation, development and final elimination.In this life cycle, hotel products generally go through four different periods: introduction period, growth period, maturity period and decline period.Hotels should adjust product mix in time according to changes in product life cycle, and constantly develop new products to meet people's ever-changing needs.

Only by developing new products can the hotel be full of vitality and competitiveness, which is a strategy for the hotel to adapt to changes in the marketing environment.

New products are not the same as brand new products.New products refer to products that are significantly different from old products in terms of technology, function, structure, specification, physical objects, and services, and are products that are related to new technologies, new concepts, new trends, new needs, and new designs.Such as a guest room, if the facilities and equipment in the room are improved, it will become a new product; if the facility is not improved, but the cultural atmosphere in the room is changed, it will become a new product.A product is a new product as long as it is something that guests have never touched or tried before, but they are willing to touch and like to try it.It includes the following three categories.

1. Brand new product
Brand-new products developed with new principles, new structures, new technologies, and new materials have the highest technical content and are products that people have never thought of in the past, such as VCD in guest rooms, mirror palaces in entertainment venues, etc.

2. Improve new products

Use various technologies to improve the performance and structure of existing products and improve their quality in order to obtain diversification of specifications and styles. It is developed on the basis of original products, such as various improved traditional dishes. , various themed rooms, etc.

3. Imitation of new products

Products that already exist in the market and are produced by hotel companies through imitation.

There is a long way to go to develop new products. The hotel should continue to develop various new products based on the principles of innovation, correctness, profitability, and ability to meet people's ever-changing needs for new and different needs.

[-]. Hotel price strategy

Price is an indispensable and important content in the marketing mix. Whether the price of hotel products is appropriate or not is directly related to the competitiveness of hotel products in the market.

Price strategy is the basic measure and technique for hotel companies to make price decisions.Hotel companies often use three pricing strategies.

1. New product pricing strategy

Whether a new product enters the market or not can effectively open up sales, the price plays a very critical role.The so-called "price is the introduction letter of the product" means that if the price is set reasonably, it can increase the attention and popularity of the product.There are three commonly used new product pricing strategies.

(1) Skimming pricing method.Products enter the market at high prices in order to quickly recover the investment. When competitors enter, the price reduction method is adopted to limit the entry of competitors.With this pricing method, the products offered by the hotel are required to have unparalleled quality or uniqueness.

(2) Penetration pricing.In order to "small profits but quick turnover", products enter the market at a price lower than expected. When hotels form a buyer's market, many newly opened hotels enter the market in this way.

(3) Satisfaction pricing method.Absorb the advantages of skimming pricing and penetration pricing, and choose a relatively moderate price, which can not only ensure a certain initial profit for the enterprise, but also be acceptable.

2. Psychological pricing strategy
Use the psychological factors of the guests to set a reasonable price, and skillfully stimulate the consumption desire of the guests.There are four commonly used psychological pricing strategies.

(1) Mantissa pricing strategy.Set a non-integer price ending in a fraction for hotel products, leaving a low price impression in the minds of guests.Pricing for low-end products.

(2) Integer pricing strategy.Price the product in round numbers that reflect the higher quality of the product.

(3) Hierarchical pricing strategy.According to the quality, composition, value and other factors of the products, the hotel products are set at different prices to reflect the value of different products.It would be inappropriate to upgrade after grading.

(4) Auspicious number pricing strategy.A pricing strategy adopted based on people's superstition and taboo psychology of numbers, such as choosing an auspicious number containing 6, 8 or 9 as the price of hotel products.This pricing method is more popular in Hong Kong and Guangdong.

3. Discount pricing strategy
In the process of implementing product transactions, through appropriate adjustments to the actual price, guests can get a part of the discount and encourage guests to buy.Discount pricing strategies include immediate discount strategies and deferred discount strategies.

(1) Spot discount strategy.That is, guests get immediate discounts when they purchase products from the hotel.Including: (1) Quantity discount: The hotel decides whether to give a discount and the extent of the discount based on the quantity or frequency of purchases by guests, with the aim of making more purchases or repeated purchases by guests; (2) Season (season) discount: According to the purchase behavior of guests The occurrence time is used to determine whether to give or how much discount to give. Hotel products are a kind of seasonal (seasonal) products, which are clearly divided into low and peak seasons. Seasonal (seasonal) changes can be used as a reason for hotel discounts; (3 ) Time discount: Different prices are formulated according to different time periods in the morning, middle and evening of each day or the change of passenger flow every day of the week; (4) Cash discount: refers to a discount for wholesalers and for guests who pay bills in advance A kind of discount given, if a guest pays the bill a few days before the designated payment date, the hotel will give him a discount to make him pay a part of the fee; (5) Functional discount: determine the discount according to the identity of the guest or the function of the product , intermediaries can generally get larger discounts from hotels, but the discounts given to individual guests are usually smaller; (6) Effective overall discounts: combine a series of hotel products into a whole for "package" sales, and give Larger overall discount, when guests purchase this packaged product, they can get much more discount than individual purchases.

(2) Delay discount strategy.Refers to the benefits that guests can only enjoy when they make a second purchase when they purchase hotel products.Including: (1) Value return: that is to provide guests with an added value, but they can only enjoy this added value in the future. For example, the hotel presents anniversary consumption coupons or children's full moon consumption coupons to guests who hold wedding banquets in the hotel. These consumption coupons cannot Instant consumption; (2) continuous purchase discount: after the guest purchases the hotel product, the hotel coupon can be obtained, so that the guest can get the discount when purchasing the hotel product next time; (3) agency commission: mainly for the price discount of the middleman, such as At the beginning of the year, the hotel and the intermediary agreed in written form that if the two parties achieve the goals agreed by both parties at the end of the year, the hotel will pay the commission to the intermediary, and if it is not realized, it will not be honored.

Discount pricing is a more effective price strategy often used by hotels. Many hotels make a big fuss about prices, making various claims such as "increase your pocketbook", "work hard to reduce your bill", "save money for your children's future" , "Send new currency" and other slogans to stimulate guests.

Of course, when the hotel implements the price strategy, it should strictly implement the relevant price policy, prevent the tendency of using false prices to carry out marketing activities, and at the same time avoid falling into the quagmire of price-cutting competition.

[-]. Hotel marketing channel strategy
Marketing channel, also known as distribution channel, refers to the process that guests experience from the generation of consumption motivation, entering the hotel to the final consumption of hotel service products and the sum of all corresponding activities.Under market economy conditions, there is a large and wide market capacity, and most hotel products must rely on certain sales channels in order to transfer products to guests.It is not only the only way to commercialize hotel products, but also an intermediary connecting products and guests.Different marketing channels determine the quality and effect of marketing activities.

([-]) Types of channels
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