Creating a Recovery Marketing Plan for a Relais & Chateaux Hotel Post COVID-19

The Marketing Mix

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to demonstrate the ability to:

• Define and assess the development of Hotel marketing.
• Identify the key elements of a customer-driven marketing strategy and discuss the marketing management orientations that guide marketing strategy.
• Discuss customer relationship management and identify strategies for creating value for customers and capturing value from customers in return.
• To assess, understand and create value for customers utilizing various elements of the marketing mix.
• Understand the process and stages of marketing planning, including the role of the marketing environment, marketing research and the marketing mix within the leisure industry.
• The methods used for segmenting, targeting, and positioning within markets.
• The role of social media, data base management and digital marketing for the leisure industry
• Niche marketing, sustainable marketing and preparing an integrated marketing communication plan

The exercise will require the student to undertake the role of a marketing professional and they will compile a marketing plan, for the purpose of a recovery marketing plan as the hotel comes out of lock down and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The presentation must be based on your written marketing plan, and act as an illustration of it, which allows you the student to share your ideas and what you have written about with your audience- in this case to lecturers via an online platform.

The presentation will be prepared using PowerPoint and must last for 5 minutes (this is a timed exercise, and you will not be permitted to go over the time, with marks potentially being deducted for a presentation that is very short also)

The hotel should be chosen from the Relais & Chateaux group of hotels; but could be situated anywhere globally. Remember the purpose of this plan is to attract customer to your chosen hotel after the pandemic lock down, be imaginative in your messaging but also think about the safety aspects how will you reassure your guests through your marketing?

You will be required to include specific essentials of the marketing process as follows: 

Introduce the geographical area.

The purpose of your marketing plan

Who it is being prepared for?

The Marketing Mix

Product - What is the destination currently offering?

Place (Distribution) – How will customers locate the area?  Which channels will be used?  Website? Intermediaries – stakeholders or investors for example, businesses/franchises (lobby outlets) etc? 

Price – What is the pricing strategy within the area?  Linked to market research and/or marketing environment analysis and/or customer value, are there a variety of price points for visitors- how will this be displayed/shared.

Promotion – How will the hotel be advertised?

Creating Customer Value and Engagement (Especially Post COVID-19)

How will/does the hotel create customer value?

What benefits will it offer current and potential visitors?

How will you develop visitor engagement?

Which marketing channels will be used?

Effective use of Digital Marketing

How can the hotel use digital marketing in its marketing activities – include who will contribute, how will it be managed.

What message will you be delivering to attract customer back to your hotel post COVID-19?

The Marketing Environment (Micro)

What are the major micro-environmental factors that impact on the chosen hotel? – SWOT Analysis

Creating Customer Value and Engagement (Especially Post COVID-19)

How can the hotel capitalise on its strengths in its marketing strategy?

How can the hotel address its weaknesses in its marketing strategy?

How can the hotel take advantage of opportunities?

How can the hotel address its threats?

The Marketing Environment (Macro)

• What are the major macro-environmental factors that impact on the chosen hotel? – PESTEL
• How can the hotel capitalise on its positive impacts in its marketing strategy?
• How can the hotel address its negative impacts in its marketing strategy?

The guidance offered below is linked to the five generic assessment criteria overleaf.

1.Engagement with Literature Skills

Your work must be informed and supported by scholarly material that is relevant to and focused on the task(s) set.    You should provide evidence that you have accessed an appropriate range of sources, which may be academic, governmental and industrial; these sources may include academic journal articles, textbooks, current news articles, organisational documents, and websites.  You should consider the credibility of your sources; academic journals are normally highly credible sources while websites require careful consideration/selection and should be used sparingly.   Any sources you use should be current and up-to-date, mostly published within the last five years or so, though seminal/important works in the field may be older.  You must provide evidence of your research/own reading throughout your work, using a suitable referencing system, including in-text citations in the main body of your work and a reference list at the end of your work.

Guidance specific to this assessment: At least 15 references showing evidence of a range of sources used to research the topic area.

2.Knowledge and Understanding Skills

At level 4, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the underlying concepts and principles associated with your area(s) of study.  Knowledge relates to the facts, information and skills you have acquired through your learning.  You demonstrate your understanding by interpreting the meaning of the facts and information (knowledge). This means that you need to select and include in your work the concepts, techniques, models, theories, etc. appropriate to the task(s) set.  You should be able to explain the theories, concepts, etc. to show your understanding.  Your mark/grade will also depend upon the extent to which you demonstrate your knowledge and understanding.

Guidance specific to this assessment: You need to show your understanding and application of how the Marketing Mix, SWOT, PESTEL and Stakeholder analysis tools can be used in the context of the task.

2.Cognitive and Intellectual Skills

You should be able to present, evaluate and interpret qualitative and quantitative data, in order to develop lines of argument and make sound judgements in accordance with basic theories and concepts of your subject(s) of study. You should be able to evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems related to your area(s) of study and/or work. Your work must contain evidence of logical, analytical thinking. For example, to examine and break information down into parts, make inferences, compile, compare and contrast information.  This means not just describing what! But also justifying: Why? How? When? Who? Where? At what cost? You should provide justification for your arguments and judgements using evidence that you have reflected upon the ideas of others within the subject area and that you are able to make sound judgements and arguments using data and concepts.  Where relevant, alternative solutions and recommendations may be proposed.

Guidance specific to this assessment: Glean and evaluate data assembled through research of the company in question and form judgements based on analysis of the company’s external and internal environment. Are there internal effects on the hotel’s operation and marketing strategy? Is there flexibility for them to change their individual approach or has this got to be company led?

3.Practical Skills

At level 4, you should be able to apply the basic underlying concepts and principles to evaluate and interpret these within the context of your area of study. You should be able to demonstrate how the subject-related concepts and ideas relate to real world situations and/or a particular context.  How do they work in practice?  You will deploy models, methods, techniques, and/or theories, in that context, to assess current situations, perhaps to formulate plans or solutions to solve problems, or to create artefacts.  This is likely to involve, for instance, the use of real-world artefacts, examples and cases, the application of a model within an organisation and/or benchmarking one theory or organisation against others based on stated criteria.

Guidance specific to this assessment: Demonstrate how the Marketing Mix, SWOT, PESTEL can be used with the hotel in question to reveal problems and how solutions can be sought, based on examples and cases from other sources. Compare and contrast with other global hotels.

4.Transferable Skills for Life and Professional Practice

Your work must provide evidence of the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility.  This includes demonstrating that you can communicate the results of your study/work accurately and reliably, and with structured and coherent arguments; that you can initiate and complete tasks and procedures, whether individually and/or collaboratively; fluency of expression; clarity and effectiveness in presentation and organisation. Work should be coherent and well-structured in presentation and organisation.