Hospitality Consumer Behaviour Insight

Hospitality Consumer
Behaviour Insight

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO1..................................................................................................................................................3
LO2..................................................................................................................................................3
P3 Mapping of consumers decision-making journey..................................................................3
P4 Significance of Customer Journey Map for the Hotel’s Marketers........................................5
LO3..................................................................................................................................................6
P5 Difference in Decision-making between B2B and B2C.........................................................6
P6 Approaches of market research and methods of the research................................................8
LO4..................................................................................................................................................9
P7 Marketers stimulus different stages of hospitality decision-making......................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Analysis of consumer behaviour is very important and necessary task to company or
business, no matters that company not comes from which industry or sector retail, hospitality,
service, food and beverage etc. Basically, top-level management within a hospitality industry has
highly required to consider consumer behaviour in market place, because after taking this step it
can simply analyse actual needs, wants and demands of customers (Ettinger, A., Grabner-Kräuter
and Terlutter, 2018). This report discusses consumer behaviour insight of Hilton Hotel. The
Hilton is one of the most reputed hospitality business in the across the world. Headquarter of this
business is situated in Virginia, United States. This report discusses different stages of consumer
decision-making journey. Importance for marketers for mapping decision-journey also has been
discussed in this report. Some other aspects like; B2C, B2B, approaches to market research etc.
also has been discussed in this report.
LO1
Covered in PPT.
LO2
P3 Mapping of consumers decision-making journey
Top-level management at Hilton hotel have to give order its marketing department for
properly mapping consumer decision-making journey, because mapping step will be enabled to
upper management for developing its hospitality services according to customers’ needs
(Breugelmans and Liu-Thompkins, 2017). Some major stages of consumer decision-making
journey have been discussed below;

Figure 1: 5 Stages of consumer decision-making journey
Source: Kaplan, 2017
Stage 1 – Awareness:
Awareness is the first stage in the consumer decision-making journey, in which a
customer has realised its actual demands, wants and requirements in this stage. Customers
releases their problems also in this stage, and then they try to buy that product which can solve
their problems.
Stage 2 – Information Search
In the information search stage, there are customers takes steps towards researching about
those products and services which are favourable by productivity and prices (Murphy, J.,
Hofacker and Gretzel, 2017). This is stage has conducted by customers for buying a durable
product or service in market place.
Stage 3 – Evaluation
After researching about products and services, the customers have evaluated wide range
of products and services of different companies and businesses. Basically, evaluation stage
contributes in choosing right service or product to buy in the market.

Step 4 – Commitment
In stage of commitment in customer decision-making journey, a customer takes final
decision for purchasing its decided service of product from the decided store, business or
company. This stage has enabled to customers for being ready to consume purchased product or
service.
Step 5 – Support
There is support stage is the final stage of consumer decision-making journey, in which
customer has taken steps towards reviewing the purchased product after its full consumption
(Filimonau and et.al., 2017). Customer give rating also to product or service on internet.
These all are major stages of consumer decision-making journey, in which upper
management at Hilton hotel has highly required to follow these all stages in its workplace for
developing its products and services according to customers’ actual needs and demands. After
considering these all stages, Hilton will be able to attract many new customers in global
hospitality industry.
P4 Significance of Customer Journey Map for the Hotel’s Marketers
It is important for the marketers of Hilton Hotel to understand and evaluate overall
journey map of all it’s guests. With the support of Journey Map, marketers achieve lots of
benefits as follows:
 Improved Marketing
To understand and analyse the journey map of the consumer can support marketers of the Hilton
company to increase existing marketing strategies like online marketing communication, content
marketing, traditional marketing as they would institutions into the decision-making process of
consumers over the whole journey procedure (Panwar, Anand, Ali and Singal, 2019). Such
insights into the consumer’s decision-making process can productively enhance the existing
marketing operations and strategies of Hilton’s marketers to be more desirable and specific for
the needs and preferences of it’s targeted audience.
 Customer services

It is very essential for the marketers to critically understand and analyse the customer’s journey
map because it allows them and management to achieve understand issues and problems of the
consumers which they faced during their map journey. These issues and problems can be easily
determined by marketers of the Hilton hotel and resolve them permanently with the support of
management so that company can offer better advanced customer’s service to it’s future guest, in
order to retain their loyalty in precise manner.
 Increased customer’s base
This Consumer Journey Map will support marketers of the Hilton Hotel to understand it’s
targeted audience needs, wants as well as demographics. These information are integrated by
marketers in it’s existing marketing strategy which helps to increase large number of customer’s
base for the Hilton Hotel.
Marketers responds over the customer’s decision-making process
It has analysed from the above discussion that marketers are enabled to response over the
customer’s decision-making process due to customer’s journey map. It denotes that it is one of
the best approach to understand requirements and expectations of customer through which
company can offer only those services which influence individuals to buying hospitality services
of the hotel. As same marketers of the Hilton Hotel use customer’s journey map and determine
customer’s needs and expectations like currently customer’s wants that they get proper safety in
the room and gets safe food with good quality etc (Lemon and Verhoef, 2016). With such
information, marketers and management of the Hilton hotel provides brief information to the
consumer about it’s hotel service, location and commitment of 100% security which influences
customer’s buying behaviour. Thus, marketers establish good brand image in the covid-19
pandemic as well.
LO3
P5 Difference in Decision-making between B2B and B2C
There are several key differences between the decision-making process of B2B and B2B.
these are mentioned below:

 Length of Decision-making process
The time duration of the decision-making process of hiring or purchasing is quite different from
each other. In business to consumer (B2C) organization customer’s takes decision of buying
hospitality services in minimum time on the basis of customer’s services. While business to
business (B2B) organization, it takes long time duration to hire or purchase services which
provided by other business company in the hospitality industry. there is a reason of the time
duration such as hospitality consumers never takes distinct factor as the part of decision-making
process as B2B company undertakes before taking buying decision. For example, customer’s
always give values to the price factor and customer’s services, based on this they decide to buy
hospitality services of Hilton Hotel (Abuhashesh and et.al., 2019). In contrary, B2B company
like Hilton Hotel choose number of candidates for it’s management or marketing operation
purpose based their efficiency, previous customer’s experience and level of customer’s services
that they have offered in other hospitality companies to the guests in the form of services. Hilton
Hotel always recruits only those applicants who have ability to stand over their commitment
based on this, they justify that the person can give high contribution in enhancing brand value
and reputation of the business by offering high level of customer’s services to the guest.
 Communication
It is another decision-making process that is properly different between B2B and B2C
organizations. I.e. companies run their business activities under the B2C model are not required
to communicate with customer about their changes which are going to add in their business
policies instead they are only needed to simplify the process through which customer’s can
directly communicate with the business company. On the other hand, B2B takes decision, it is
more grateful for the company to communicate the decision and offers values to the customer
business in respect of developing healthy and productive relation. So, communication is
considered one of the key impacts on the process of decision-making of the both companies such
as B2B and B2C. However, those companies operate it’s business under the B2C model have
more flexibility in the decision-making operations. There is an great example of Hilton Hotel to
understand the sated fact like upper management of Hilton hotel hires external agency to bring
change in it’s organizational policy for hiring the new talents. In this state management have
report upper management of the Hilton in the context of leading change. While Hilton analyses

that emerging change or leading change is comfortable or not. But they do not have to
communicate with it’s guests about the decision. Top level management only ensures that level
of service is managed accordingly customer’s perspective.
P6 Approaches of market research and methods of the research
Market approaches and research in the hospitality industry understands the guest’s
decision-making which can be summarized as follows:
 Customer’s feedback
It is one of the major key approach to understand the reason of the customer’s decision-making
process in the hospitality sector (Berman, 2020). Hilton Hotel can use this approach to examine
the consumer’s decision-making process in the hospitality sector. Feedback is considered one of
the best tool to understand customer’s insights through which company can influence the
consumer’s decision-making process. Hilton hotel uses this approach to understand consumer’s
perspectives.
 Primary research
It is another effective method of the research for the Hilton hotel which allows company to
conduct the market research through it’s own efforts. Meanwhile research, marketers of the
Hilton can collect feedbacks of the customer, can access them through different networking sites
like social media, internet and software application which evolves in the primary research.
Primary research method offers questionnaires and survey method. With the survey method
company can ask the questions to the customers about their decision-making process which can
be framed in further process.
 Secondary research
It is another effective approach that is considered time-saving approach because to conduct the
research over the decision-making process in the hospitality sector is too time-consuming and
costly approach. With the support of secondary research method, company do not have to hire
speciality for the conducting market research (Rėklaitis and Pilelienė, 2019). This method
allows company to utilize information from the available researches which already have
conducted over the hospitality market. This information can help to examine the fundamental of

customer’s decision-making process. It is considered one of the cheapest approaches as
compared others. Hilton Hotel do not require to put immense efforts and time to conduct market
research over the customer’s decision-making process. It can use internet to collect overall
information over the hospitality sector and all key areas of customer’s buying decision then
company will enable to evolve in the marketing strategy to attract it’s customer’s to buy it’s
hospitality services.
From the above discussion it can be analysed that Hilton Hotel have multiple options and
approaches to under the all aspects of consumer’s decision-making in respect of selecting
particular hospitality industry.
LO4
P7 Marketers stimulus different stages of hospitality decision-making
Marketers at the hospitality sector influences different stages in the tourism’s decision-
making journey which can be summarized in the following manner:
 The awareness stage: It is initial stage evolves in consumer’s decision-making journey in
the hospitality market. This awareness stage denotes the time when consumers wants a
holiday for releasing work pressure and life for the certain period of time. In this state,
marketers provide different options to the consumer through emails and text message in
order to attract them towards a related destination (Kara, 2020).
 Research stage: It is another stage evolves in the consumer’s decision-making journey. In
this context marketers runs different marketing campaigns to provide brief information to
the customer about hotel, it’s services and mainly location which plays vital role in
attracting them for buying services. For example Hilton Hotel conducts different
marketing campaigns on key marketing channels and social media.
 Booking and stay stage: In stage marketers offers different attractive discounts and other
staying benefits i.e. free meals for a single time in a day and other attractive offers like
booking vouchers to influence customer’s for buying the hospitality services. Hilton
Hotel also offers free amenities like breakfast and spa is another key benefit which
attracts customers at the time of booking room.

 Post-stay stage: It is another important stage in the customer journey in the hospitality
industry. Marketers of the hospitality’s companies try to resolve issues of customers,
offers free cab facilities and other key approaches for attracting customers (Kumar and
et.al., 2018). In this stage, marketers try to build strong brand image in the customer’s
mind by offering attractive facilities and ensures that they get good experience while
staying in the hospitality rooms. For example marketers at the Hilton Hotel takes
feedbacks from the customers and encourages them to give their suggestion over the
service which they have served through staff so that next time they can offer more better
services to them. Thus, this stage helps Hilton to maintain brand value in the hospitality
sector.
The major drawback of the customer’s decision-making stages is that these are quite
time-consuming and requires expertise of marketers to deal with customer’s issues then Hilton
hotel can retain high loyalty in its targeted audience.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that it is very necessary as well as mandatory to a business for
analysing its consumer behaviour in market place, because when any company fully knows
behaviour of its customers, then it can simply develop its products and services accordingly.
Upper management at Hilton should always take steps towards properly understanding the
journey of customers. Some major importance behind mapping customer decision-making
journey has been mentioned in this report, in which upper management of Hilton have to
consider this importance. It can be also concluded that marketers should influence various stages
of consumer decision-making journey for attracting lots of new customers towards own
hospitality business.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Abuhashesh, M and et.al., 2019. The impact of Facebook on Jordanian consumers’ decision
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Berman, B., 2020. Paths to Purchase: The Seven Steps of Customer Purchase Journey
Mapping. Rutgers Business Review, 5(1), pp.84-100.
Breugelmans, E. and Liu-Thompkins, Y., 2017. The effect of loyalty program expiration policy
on consumer behavior. Marketing Letters. 28(4). pp.537-550.
Ettinger, A., Grabner-Kräuter, S. and Terlutter, R., 2018. Online CSR communication in the
hotel industry: Evidence from small hotels. International Journal of Hospitality
Management. 68. pp.94-104.
Filimonau, V., and et.al., 2017. ‘Nudging’as an architect of more responsible consumer choice in
food service provision: The role of restaurant menu design. Journal of Cleaner
Production. 144. pp.161-170.
Kara, A., 2020. The effects of negotiation behaviours on the decision-making process of
suppliers while providing firms the preferred customer status in B2B settings (Master's
thesis, University of Twente).
Kumar, A and et.al., 2018. Predicting changing pattern: building model for consumer decision
making in digital market. Journal of Enterprise Information Management.
Lemon, K.N. and Verhoef, P.C., 2016. Understanding customer experience throughout the
customer journey. Journal of marketing. 80(6). pp.69-96.
Murphy, J., Hofacker, C. and Gretzel, U., 2017. Dawning of the age of robots in hospitality and
tourism: Challenges for teaching and research. European Journal of Tourism
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Panwar, D., Anand, S., Ali, F. and Singal, K., 2019. Consumer decision making process models
and their applications to market strategy. International Management Review, 15(1),
pp.36-44.
Rėklaitis, K. and Pilelienė, L., 2019. Principle differences between B2B and B2C marketing
communication processes. Management of Organizations: Systematic Research, 81(1),
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Online
Kaplan.K, 2017., The 5 Steps of Successful Customer Journey Mapping. [ONLINE] Available
through :< https://www.nngroup.com/articles/customer-journey-mapping-process/>.
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