Marriott hotels: overview, target audience, brand positioning, marketing mix and recommendations

This report provides an overview of Marriott hotels, its target audience, brand positioning, marketing mix, and recommendations for improvement. Marriott is the biggest and fast-growing hotel chain across the world, known for its exceptional customer service and consistent hospitality. The report discusses how Marriott meets the needs and wants of its customers through the marketing mix, including product, pricing, promotional mix, and place. The report recommends changes in the marketing mix of Marriott to add benefits to its product strategy, introduce new products, and lower prices to gain more market share.

Running Head: MARRIOTT 0
Consumer Report

MARRIOTT 1
Contents
Marriott hotels: overview, target audience, brand positioning, marketing mix and
recommendations.......................................................................................................................2
Introduction............................................................................................................................2
Overview of the Hotel............................................................................................................2
Target audience of Marriott....................................................................................................2
Brand positioning of Marriott.................................................................................................3
How Marriott hotel meets the needs and wants of its customers through the marketing mix4
Conclusion: Recommended changes in the marketing mix of Marriott.................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6

MARRIOTT 2
Marriott hotels: overview, target audience, brand positioning, marketing mix and
recommendations
Introduction
In the recent time, competition has increased to the greater phase. Due to this, it is essential
for the hospitality industry to bring the innovative services. In the report, discussion is carried
on the Marriot hotels. It has also discussed the target customers, brand positioning of hotel as
well as marketing mix. In addition to this, recommendations are also provided where it can
make improvement.
Overview of the Hotel
Marriott is the biggest and fast growing hotel chain across the World. The best hospitality
industry is known for always putting the people first. It is founded that Marriott has around
6500 properties in 127 countries across the globe. It is also recognized as the superior and
best service provider as compare to its competitors. It is best known for the effective and
consistent hospitality provider. It is also recently known as the five star by ensuring the award
winning properties across the world. each hotel as well as resort of the Marriott tends to
exceed the expectation by offering the innovative services. Each property of the Marriott
provides the unique way to connect experience and expand the World. In addition to this, it is
also rewarded as the most effective business hotel by providing the innovative and elegant
service to the business travellers. It was also the first hotel to come up with the innovative
services such as heavenly bed, check in with the help of mobile and keyless entry. It helped it
in maintaining the premium quality (Dhir, 2019).
Target audience of Marriott
Due to its quiet and undistracted accommodation, it has firstly targeted all those customers
who are seeing the high catering and standard cuisine for the hotel. Marriott has founded the
perfect way to target the customers in terms of the geographical and personal characters. By
targeting the travellers, it tends to encourage the visitors for sharing their ideas for improving
the modern and unique travelling experience across the design, wellness, culinary and

MARRIOTT 3
technology. Due to this, it target those people who earn the average high income. Due to this,
it customers are mostly sophisticated, individualist as well as traveller who wish to spend the
money on their accommodation. The main purpose of Marriott is to provide the elegant
atmosphere to the customers so that they feel comfortable and leisured (Nyangwe and
Buhalis, 2018).
Besides the services and rooms, JW Marriott also targeted the customers who want the high
standard and luxury environment. As per its services, there is no doubt that its prices are high.
The two group of customers are bring targeted by the Marriott named current and potential
customers. Current customers are those who are pursuing the services of Marriott hotel. As
compare to this, potential customers are those who might or might not be take the services of
its hotel. The other target segment of the Marriott is extremely rich who want the private
portions, beautiful views or exotic food (Gershon, 2003).
Brand positioning of Marriott
Marriott has positioned itself in terms of the integrity, service excellence and innovation. Due
to its exceptional customer service, it has positioned itself in the market. Marriott has also
taken the competitive edge in the market by ensuring the joint venture or acquiring the rival
firm. It is found that Starwood was the biggest competitor but by acquiring it, Marriott has
become the biggest player. At the time of brand positioning of the brand, it is significant to
add some features to each of the segment. For example- Marriott has targeted the business
people. For the tourist and travellers, it has positioned the locations and sites. On the social
media platforms too, it has positioned itself well in the market (Hormby, Morrison, Dave,
Meyers and Tenca, 2010). It uses Twitter in order to solve the customers queries. It also uses
the innovative technology. It helps it in updating the whole marketing strategies related to its
target audience. it helps it in earning the more revenue and profit as compare to the other
present competitors. In the year 2018, Marriott’s hotel owners began to see even greater
benefits by growing several loyalty program membership, which now stands at 120 million
members around the world, higher luxury redemptions reduced charge out rates, and a
growing proportion of bookings from our direct channels. By targeting high income group
people, it provides the facilitating services that are needed by the customers in order to
effectively consume the main services. By ensuring the connectivity, , it is easy for the
company to build the direct and long term relationship with the customers Participation,

MARRIOTT 4
accessibility, as well as interaction are included with the services of Marriott hotels. Using
this, it helps in determining the better experience of the customers regarding marketing value
and information. It also helps in creating the awareness for all those services offered by the
Marriott hotels.
How Marriott hotel meets the needs and wants of its customers through the marketing mix
Product: Marriott Hotels all over the world provides several kinds of services. It can be spas,
resorts, salons, hotels, facilitating services, check in services, check out services, boutique
hotels, hospitality services, marriage halls, as well as banquet halls (Nagle, and Müller,
2017). These all are the core services that are provided by almost every hotel. The extra
services that Marriott provides are extended service lodging, full service lodging, time shares
as well as grate Americas park. Different services in tangible and intangible form are also
provided by the Marriott hotel. The core services of the Marriott hotel include the valet,
rooms, reception, restaurants, play rooms, gardens, and gym (Reillier and Reillier, 2017).
Pricing: the pricing strategies of Hotel are to sale the product as well as services that are
produced in the company. Some of the principles and guidelines as per the prices of services
are related to the hotel management of Marriott. In order to fulfil the needs of the customers,
Marriott uses its full potential in order to determine the final price. This strategy helps the
company in determining the purchases and sales done by the Marriott hotel. Moreover, it is
also founded that the pricing management of the Marriott hotel tries hard to prevent the errors
related to pricing. Marriott hotel pricing strategy is therefore changeable and flexible as per
the duration (Madar, 2017).
Promotional mix of Marriott: in order to bring competitive advantage, Marriott hotel use the
innovative technology as well as advertisement of its hotel. Websites also helps the customers
in guiding for making the booking online using internet. Marriott found the direct mail
campaigns as the most effective way to ensure the communication related to promotional
campaigns. It also helps the Marriott hotel to bring the growth in the organisation (Morosan
and DeFranco, 2019). Promotional mix of Marriott hotels comprises of the direct marketing,
public relation, and advertising activities. Using this, it targets the customers through
advertisement, internet, and branding. (Mauri, 2016).
Place: It is true that Marriott hotel is developing and growing because of the inventory system
enhancement. Several other abilities and activities also helps the hotel in increasing its speed

MARRIOTT 5
of sales across the globe. Besides this, it also lower downs the cost of company. Marriott
hotel make use of the channel mix because it is essential for the hospitality industry. Marriott
hotel has effectively analysed the most effective distribution channel that apply to the whole
Marriott Company across the world. After observation, it is also found that the Marriott
hotels sue both direct as well as indirect method for distribution. The indirect channel runs
with the help of wholesalers, online parties, travel agencies that are available through
internet.
Conclusion: Recommended changes in the marketing mix of Marriott
In its product strategy of Marriott, it should add some of the benefits for purchasing its
product including delivery, warranties, helpline services as well as after sales service. It
should also introduce the several new products as per the new trends in the market. By
identifying the different opportunities, it can test the market effectively. In its pricing
strategy, it provides the services in higher prices as compare to its competitors. Therefore, it
can also start delivering the services at lower prices so that people of middle income group
can also afford its services. The lowering down of the prices will help it in gaining the more
market share. It can also start its several hotels by properly researching. In the emerging
economies, several opportunities are present for Marriott. In addition to this, it can also enter
into any new market due to its strong brand image (Robson, Plangger, Kietzmann, McCarthy
and Pitt, 2016). Therefore, it is recommended to the Marriott to choose the best market
segment in order to achieve more revenue. In this way, the Marriott can bring several
changes.

MARRIOTT 6
References
Dhir, S., 2019. Marriott Hotels. In Cases in Strategic Management (pp. 147-162). Springer,
Singapore.
Gershon, H.J., 2003. Strategic positioning: Where does your organization stand?. Journal of
Healthcare Management, 48(1), p.12.
Hormby, S., Morrison, J., Dave, P., Meyers, M. and Tenca, T., 2010. Marriott International
increases revenue by implementing a group pricing optimizer. Interfaces, 40(1), pp.47-57.
Madar, A., 2017. Quality-a competitive advantage on the hotel services market. Case study:
Marriott Hotels & Resort versus Radisson Blu. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of
Brasov. Series V: Economic Sciences, 10(2).
Mauri, A.G., 2016. Pricing and revenue management in hotel chains. The Routledge
Handbook of Hotel Chain Management, pp.262-273.
Montoya, R. and Flores, C., 2019. Buying free rewards: the impact of a points-plus-cash
promotion on purchase and reward redemption. Marketing Letters, 30(1), pp.107-118.
Morosan, C. and DeFranco, A., 2019. Mapping the impact of hotel promotional factors on
consumers’ actual use of interactive systems in hotels. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism
Technology.
Nagle, T.T. and Müller, G., 2017. The strategy and tactics of pricing: A guide to growing
more profitably. Routledge.
Nyangwe, S. and Buhalis, D., 2018. Branding transformation through social media and co-
creation: lessons from Marriott international. In Information and Communication
Technologies in Tourism 2018 (pp. 257-269). Springer, Cham.
Reillier, L.C. and Reillier, B., 2017. Platform strategy: How to unlock the power of
communities and networks to grow your business. Routledge.

MARRIOTT 7
Robson, K., Plangger, K., Kietzmann, J.H., McCarthy, I. and Pitt, L., 2016. Game on:
Engaging customers and employees through gamification. Business horizons, 59(1), pp.29-
36.