Hospitality Consumer Behaviour and Insight

This report discusses the different factors which influence the behaviour and attitude of customers in the hospitality sector. It evaluates the trends which have been followed by the consumers in the changing technological environment. In addition to this, it studies the stages of consumer decision making and importance of mapping of decision making process for the marketers. The report also compares the key differences of hospitality decision-making process in B2C and B2B with examples. It evaluates different approaches to market research and methods used for understanding decision making process.

HOSPITALITY
CONSUMER
BEAHVIOUR AND
INSIGHT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
P1- Different cultural, social, personal and psychological factors which influence consumer
behaviours and attitudes..............................................................................................................3
P2- Changes in consumer trends due to the impact of digital technology..................................4
P3- Stages of consumer decision- making journey and map path for Premier Inn.....................5
P4- Importance of mapping a path and understanding consumer decision-making for
marketers. ...................................................................................................................................6
P5- Compare the key differences of hospitality decision-making process in B2C and B2B with
examples. ....................................................................................................................................7
P6- Evaluation of different approaches to market research and methods used for
understanding decision making process. ....................................................................................8
P7- Evaluation of stages of hospitality decision-making process which helps marketers to
influence customers. ...................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Consumer behaviour is the study of the buying pattern of the customers. It is the study of
consumers which are connected with a procedure of buying goods and services. Consumer
behaviour deals with the questions like how and when individuals buy the products which helps
in satisfying there needs and wants. It is important for marketers to analyse the needs and wants
of customers and then design products to satisfy those needs. Consumer behaviour analysis is
important for every company as it helps in finding new customer base and allows new product
launches. This report is about Premier Inn which is a British hotel chain. It is the largest hotel
brand in UK and is operating in variety of countries (Ali and et. al., 2019). The brand was
established as Whitbread in 1987 and now has around 800 hotels with 72,000 rooms. This report
discusses about the different factors which influence the behaviour and attitude of customers in
hospitality sector. This report also evaluates the trends which have been followed by the
consumers in the changing technological environment. In addition to this, this report also studies
the stages of consumer decision making and importance of mapping of decision making process
for the marketers.
MAIN BODY
P1- Different cultural, social, personal and psychological factors which influence consumer
behaviours and attitudes.
Consumer behaviour- consumer behaviour is the study of the nature and attitude of
consumers which affects there buying pattern. It is important for marketers to know the buying
patterns and preferences of customers to make the desired strategy. Factors which influence
consumer behaviours are-
 Cultural factors- These factors have a greater influence on the preferences of
consumers, as the brands or retailers which do not serve according to the cultural
preferences of consumers will find it difficult to sustain themselves. Cultural factors
include the needs, wants and preferences which have to be observed by the marketers.
There are many subcultures which exists within the cultures which have same set of
beliefs and values. It is important for Premier Inn to analyse the cultural factors to
influence more customers to buy the services.

 Social factors- Social factors include the family background, occupation, education and
there power. These factors can shape the perceptions of an individual by making them
similar to those which have been living around them. For marketers it is easy to target the
social classes according to there living standards with the help of segmentation marketing
(Bavik, 2019). Marketers at Premier Inn can get benefited from social factors by aiming
on the individuals with better education and social class.
 Personal factors- Personal factors include occupation, age, lifestyle and income of
customers. These factors have a great impact on the behaviours of consumers as personal
factors differ from person to person. Age is the most important factor as youngsters have
different buying needs whereas elders have different buying needs. For marketers at
Premier Inn it is hard to fulfil the needs of both the youngsters and elders. So the brand
have to keep a focus on the audiences with high purchasing power and there lifestyle.
 Psychological factors- Psychological factors are hard to measure but have a great
influencing power on individuals. Psychological factors include motivation, attitudes and
perceptions which can influence the needs and wants. If the audiences are highly
motivated then the basic needs and self- actualization needs are the motivator factors
which can influence the customers to buy the products and services. If marketers of
Premier Inn offer discounts and offers to the customers they can attract more customers
and retain old customers.
P2- Changes in consumer trends due to the impact of digital technology.
Technologies are changing speedily which have a great impact on consumer behaviours.
Consumers demand product and services which are trending in the surroundings and
environment. Marketers need to analyse the market carefully to drive consumers to buy their
products. The effects of digital technology on consumer trends are-
 Social media- Social media applications helps the individuals to stay in touch with each
other and have latest information about the current trends. Many of the consumers are
using various social media sites like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Pinterest (Cabral
and Jabbour, 2020). With the help of social media Premier Inn can reach out to global
customers and provide them with the information about their products and services.
 Use of mobile applications- With the increase of mobile phones the audiences are
getting involved in the changes of trends and preferences. Customers get the

opportunities to stay connected with the brands through mobile applications. Through
mobile application the Premier Inn can give access to loyalty programs to its customers
and can provide extra discounts to the users of the mobile application.
 Voice recognition and virtual reality- This technology is effective and allows
customers to search for products and services through their voice. This process is natural
and frictionless and is more faster for the audiences. Premier Inn is also using this facility
which helps the brand to gain competitive advantage over other hotels. Through this
facility the check inns and check out have become smooth and customers are also
getting a realistic view.
P3- Stages of consumer decision- making journey and map path for Premier Inn.
Stages of consumer decision-making and changing power of the customers in context to
the Premier Inn are-
 Need recognition- The first step is to recognize the needs and wants of audiences.
Consumers cannot buy products and services until they recognize there wants , these
wants can be triggered by the Premier Inn by providing the customers with attractive
services and clean rooms (Carter and Yeo, A. 2018). Once the consumer recognizes their
wants the marketers can pay attention to provide them with the solutions.
 Information gathering- Once the consumer has recognised the needs and wants they
have to collect information about the solution to there needs. There are many techniques
to gather information which can be used by the consumers to find a solution for there
problems. The customers can pay a visit to the Premier Inn to have a look at the premises
and the services provided. Thus they can decide whether the brand is offering them best
possible services they require.
 Evaluation of alternatives- Customers have a chance to evaluate other options, this step
involves research skills. This step is basically about comparing options with each other to
choose the best possible alternative. Best possible way for the consumers is to evaluate
official websites of different hotels and have a comparison between them.
 Assess the evidence- Once the buyers have analysed the alternatives, they can consider
the information about the services provided and the services they want from the hotels.
This step usually analyse the prices, where the customers will choose the services which
have lower costs and will satisfies the needs for them.

 Selecting an option- By this stage the customers have analysed many alternatives and
this is the stage where the customers have to choose a desired option. In this step the
customers will choose a option which will fulfil there needs and is the best fit for there
problem.
 Implement the decision- This is the stage where the customers will finally purchase the
products and services (Guzzo, Abbott and Madera, 2020). The customers will visit the
hotel and after completing the payment they can have their product or services. This step
can also be done through online mode by visiting the official website of Premier Inn and
selecting the room which they want and complete the payment.
 Decision review and evaluation- The purchase is completed but there is a final stage
where the customers have to review there decision and provide a feedback. At this stage
the customers review whether there decision is good or bad. Customers will either
provide negative reviews or positive reviews according to there experience.
P4- Importance of mapping a path and understanding consumer decision-making for marketers.
The customer journey mapping is a effective strategy which helps the marketers to
identify the preferences and wants of the consumers. This will also help the marketers to render
more appropriate services according to individual tastes and preferences. It is important for the
marketers to know what there customers want from them, this will help them to increase brand
image and customer satisfaction. By analysing the customer journey the marketers can also
detect problems in there services and can try to enhance them so that they can retain customers.
By enhancing customer experience the marketers can build more customer base and can prove
that their brand is loyal. Mapping customer journey also improves the communication between
the customers and the hotels.
 Better experiences- Mapping consumer journey allows marketers to provide customers
with better experiences after a proper analysis. When marketers analyse the customer
preferences they can also make appropriate changes in there services which can enhance
the customer satisfaction (Jaykumar, 2018). If customers will get better experiences they
will buy more of there services and provide a positive feedback which will ensure faster
sales.

 Give the hotel much needed context- If the marketers are unable to understand the
customer journey, then they cannot understand the preferences of the customers. By
effectively analysing the customer journey map the marketers can get a essential view of
potential customers. This will also help to get better return investments and engage with
the customers.
P5- Compare the key differences of hospitality decision-making process in B2C and B2B with
examples.
B2C- It is the activity of merchandising the products and services which is executed between
business and the consumers. There are most companies which sell directly there products and
services to the end consumers. B2C business mainly refers to the supermarket stores, restaurants,
shopping malls, as they are selling directly to the customers.
B2B- It is the activity which involves transaction between a manufacturer and a wholesaler. B2B
transactions happen in the supply chain management, where a company purchases raw materials
from other company. In this type of business the employees can connect with other employees of
other companies.
Basis B2C B2B
Pricing models Premier Inn is using
differentiated pricing strategy
in which the marketers set
different prices for the same
products for customers (Lee
and et. al., 2021) For example
the marketers at Premier Inn
focus on different customer
bases which are either high
profile or celebrities.
In B2B business model the
hotel offers there suppliers
discounts according to the
quantities offered . Also the
amount can also be paid in
instalments if the order is of
big quantity. Premier Inn
provide discounting strategies
to other businesses like event
management companies.

Customer service Customer service managers are
hired by the Premier Inn so
that they can handle the after
sale issues of the customers.
Customers need a
representative which helps
them in resolving there issues.
In B2B businesses the
managers at company only
engages with the wholesalers
or other businesses for
receiving orders.
Buying process In B2C business model the
consumers buy individually
from their outlets or online
websites. Buying process is
fast as consumers know what
they have to buy and involves
one-on-one interaction
between the consumer and the
business.
In B2B businesses buying
process can take more time
than usual because of the huge
quantity of orders and huge
demands.
Advertisement strategy In B2C business the marketers
use various strategies to attract
customers (Nguyen and
Johnson, 2020). Marketers use
social media sites, advertising
strategies to influence
customers to buy there
services.
In B2B models the wholesalers
are attracted by the businesses
if they met there conditions
considering prices of the
services.
P6- Evaluation of different approaches to market research and methods used for understanding
decision making process.
 Surveys- Surveys are the best technique to do market research for businesses. In surveys
the marketers have the rights to prepare questionnaire and ask the customers. Through
this technique the marketers can ask close- ended solutions, and can easily discover their

answers. Surveys are the best way where the marketers directly ask the customers about
their opinion to increase profitability for the hotel in the long run.
 Interview- The process of interview is an opportunity for managers to get to a
interviewer before moving forward with process of hiring. Because hospitality industry is
such a attractive one, so there are a lot of details for consider when interviewing a
potential candidate and selecting him. The process of interview can take place on
telephone or in person. This process is open minded research done through interviewer
with the candidate. The answers given by interviewee results more clear as they are in
form of perceptions, insights and opinions of them (Rondoni, Asioli and Millan, 2020).
The candidate have ability to take review face-to-face after checkout of a guest from
hotel, about facilities offered by them was satisfactory for the guests.
 Observation– In this there is no interaction within a researcher and respondent, the
answers were noticed by cameras or a trained observer for reaction and behaviour of
subject. The observation of guest is for direct to aspects such as his behaviour, actions
and reactions, body language, habits, likes, dislikes, belongings, preferences, belonging,
which is everything in relation for guest's behavioural and emotional patterns. The
Premier Inn hotel observes with behaviour and expressions of the guest after staying in
there in a way for extracting genuine thoughts for their services.
The secondary research is made with the assistance of an existing research which have been
previously done through any other researcher. The result and summary in this research are in
form of journal, books, etc. In relation to Premier Inn hotel provides their own official website,
location on google map where visitors know for the facilities.
P7- Evaluation of stages of hospitality decision-making process which helps marketers to
influence customers.
Marketers are required to make evaluation of the factors which helps in influencing customers to
buy the products and services. Decision making process is very important for marketers as the
customers have different needs and wants. If the marketers are unable recognise the correct
needs and wants of customers then they can never serve the right product to the customers. So
the decision- making process used by the marketers to influence customers are-
 Problem recognition- The very first step of the decision making process is problem
recognition. In this step the marketers basically finds the problems and needs of the

customers. The marketers need to analyse the preferences of the customers so as to give
them with the desired solutions. Once the marketers recognize the problems they can
gather some information by which they can fulfil the needs of the customers. In this step
the marketers at Premier Inn can build a campaign or can have rallies so that they can
create brand awareness among the audiences (Smith, 2019). In this way the customers
can feel that they have a problem or a need which the brand can satisfy with there
resources.
 Information search- In this step the marketers tend to gather the information by which
they can provide appropriate services to the customers. This is the stage where the
marketers research the past trends of the customers to gather the required information. At
this stage the marketers can make use of surveys, interviews and observation to decide
which customer bases they have to target and how they can provide them with the best
possible services. At this stage the marketers search for an answer which can help them to
analyse the customers. For example Premier Inn have analysed the need for digital check-
inns and check- outs through different surveys conducted by the marketers. So now the
next step for the marketers is to search for the alternatives.
 Evaluation of alternatives- Now the marketers have done the research and gather
information about the problems and how to solve them, it is the time to search for the
alternatives. At this stage the marketers search for different alternatives which can be
used to fulfil the needs of the customers. Marketers can search for different available
options and have to choose the best possible option which can serve the customers better.
The goal of the marketers is to influence the customers by providing them with the
services they want and earn there trust. At this stage the marketers can use there official
websites to provide the information to the audiences about the technologies Premier Inn
is using (Swarbrooke, 2022). Also the reviews need to be displayed on the website which
will influence the customers to book rooms.
 Purchasing decision- After the evaluation of different alternatives the marketers have to
choose a appropriate solution which can best fit to the solution of the problems. At this
stage the marketers usually compare the prices of the different alternatives. At this stage
the main focus of the marketers is to build trust among the customers so that the
customers will not get distracted by other products and services.

 Post- purchase evaluation- This stage mainly focuses on the after sales services, where
the marketers at Premier Inn take feedbacks from the customers and also ask them about
their experiences. This is the stage where the marketers have to make a post- purchase
strategy which will increase the customer retention and will engage the customers with
the brand again and again in the future (Ulker-Demirel and Ciftci, 2020). At this stage the
marketers have to ensure that the customers will buy services of Premier Inn again and
leave a positive review.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it is concluded that the concept of consumer behaviour is
important for the marketers of the Premier Inn. Analysis of the consumer behaviour helps the
marketers to evaluate the needs of the customers in a particular market. The factors like social
factors, personal factors and psychological factors effects the decision of the customer and
influence the buying patterns of the customers. In this report the changes in the trends have been
discussed due to the changes in the digital technology which highly changes the behaviour. The
customer have to go through a decision making process while choosing a product or service
which will fulfil there needs and wants. This path helps the consumers as well as the marketers to
analyse the problems and needs of the customers. Through the decision making process the
marketers can provide better solutions to the customers and can fulfil there needs. In this way the
marketers at Premier Inn can influence there customers to buy there services again and again.

REFERENCES
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