Impact of Social Media Marketing on Savoy Hotel

This research project focuses on studying the impact of social media marketing on Savoy Hotel in the hospitality industry. It explores the importance of social media, positive and negative impacts of online marketing, strategies to overcome challenges, and ways to efficiently use online marketing. The research aims to provide insights into how social media can be strategically used to increase sales and improve brand image.

Research Project

Abstract
Social media marketing is an important tool which is used by company to market the
products and services and reach to a large number of customers. It is a medium which is used by
most of the people so it can be used by companies in order to improve their brand image and
influence more number of customers so that its sales can increase. In this report the impact of
social media marketing on Savoy hotel will be researched so that it can be strategically used in
increasing sales of company.

Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
Research Topic.................................................................................................................................4
Chapter 1-Introduction.....................................................................................................................4
Aims and objectives...............................................................................................................4
Research rationale..................................................................................................................5
Chapter 2-Literature Review............................................................................................................5
Chapter 3-Research Methodology...................................................................................................7
Chapter 4-Analysis and Findings...................................................................................................13
Chapter 5-Critical appraisal, Recommendations & Suggestions...................................................19
Chapter 6- Conclusion...................................................................................................................20
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................21

Research Topic
“To study the impact of social media on marketing management of a business in
hospitality industry”: A study on Savoy Hotel.
Chapter 1-Introduction
With the increase in use of internet both personally and in businesses, the importance of
social media has also increased as it is a platform which help in reaching to a large number of
people all across the world and also is time and cost effective. Social media work as a platform
for businesses so that they can market about their product and services through them and reach to
their target customers so that they can be attracted and the sales of company can increase.
Engaging with customers and leads on social media can also help the businesses in building a
strong customer base thereby enhancing customer relationships and creating a strong brand
image which also help the businesses in being competitive (Collings, Mellahi and Cascio, 2017).
Businesses in hospitality industry can also use social media to market their products and build
good relations with customers so that they can be attracted and sales of business can increase. In
this report Savoy Hotel is taken which is a luxury hotel located in Westmister, London, UK and
was established in 1889. This hotel was the first to introduce high standard quality of hotel
service, entertainment and elegant dining which attracted royalties and rich and powerful guests.
In this report a research is conducted so that the importance of social media in marketing
hospitality industry can be understood. With the use of various research tools, methodology,
Gantt Chart etc. the research will be conducted so that effective results can be drawn.
Aims and objectives
“To investigate the influence of digital marketing on the promotional activities of a
business operating in hospitality industry”: A case study on Savoy hotel.
Research objectives
 To analyse the importance of social media in hospitality industry
 To assess positive and negative impacts of online marketing on hospitality sector
business.
 To develop strategies for overcoming the challenges faced by the firm operating through
online channels

 To recommend appropriate ways in which online marketing channels can be used for
marketing in hospitality industry.
Research questions
 How is social media important in hospitality industry?
 What are the positive and negative impacts of online marketing in hospitality industry?
 What are the strategies that can be used to overcome challenges while using online
marketing?
 What are the ways in which online marketing can be used efficiently?
Research rationale
The rationale of conducting this research is that the topic is very interesting and is related
with the contemporary issue of the use of social media as a marketing tool by businesses. This
research topic will also help the researcher in broadening their knowledge on the importance of
social media marketing for hospitality industry so that it can be effectively used. Also the ways
in which the challenges of using social media can be dealt can be formed by the researcher which
will help in their personal and professional development. This will improve their research skills
so that more projects can be taken in future (Böhmer and Schinnenburg, 2016).
Chapter 2-Literature Review
Importance of social media in hospitality industry
As per the views of Roxii, 2018, the use of social media is vital for any business as it help
in creating strong and healthy relations with their customers, create a string brand image and also
in getting a SEO content which help them in making their marketing efforts more effective. For
hotel industry social media plays an important role in marketing about their products and
services by being visual on various social media platforms so that its customers can get a feel of
the experience they can get while they stay at the hotel. In 2017, Travolution reported that more
than 40% of millennial books their hotels based on visual experience they get from social media
sites about the hotels (Tafti, Mahmoudsalehi and Amiri, 2017). Thus, it can be said that social
media plays an important role in marketing about the hotels and increasing the sales by attracting
more number of target customers through improvement in SEO updates.

Positive and negative impacts of online marketing in hospitality industry
According to the views of Jayne, 2019, there are various negative and positive impacts of
social media on hospitality industry which affects its reputation in market and also help it in
dealing with competition. The positive impacts are that social media is a vast platform which
help in reaching to a large number of customers at a single point of time and attracting them
through the visuals of products and facilities that will be available at the hotels. Social media
also help in creating SEOs through which target customers can be known so that the marketing
strategies can be focused on them which can help in attracting more number of customers
(Saboo, Kumar and Ramani, 2016). However, there can be various negative impacts like
negative reviews from customers on their sites can affect the overall image of the hotel and can
also de-motivate customers in purchasing their services. Also as marketing done online do not
have the physical staff involved this lacks the authenticity and reliability of the hotel and can
affect the position of hotel in industry.
Strategies that can be used to overcome challenges while using online marketing
As per the views of Dan, 2020, there are various challenges that are faced by businesses
while marketing through online platform like finding the appropriate content that can help in
attracting its target customers so that they can rely on the online ads that are posted by the
company. This challenge can be overcome by using famous personalities as brand ambassadors
based on whose reference the trust of customers can be gained. The increasing number of
competitors are using online platform to market their products which affects the ability of
company in reaching to its target customers (Djafarova and Trofimenko, 2019). By using
customer-centric approach the company can efficiently market the products to customers and
attract them to their products. Securing enough budgets for marketing online is another challenge
which is faced by companies which can be overcome by managing the finances of company so
that appropriate amount of money can be spared for online marketing.
Ways in which online marketing can be used efficiently
According to the views of Vikas, 2018, it is important that marketing is made efficient
and effective so that targets can be achieved on time while increasing the company’s customer
base so that a strong brand reputation can be built. The companies can use various ways so that
the online marketing can be made effective like by using social media influencers to reach to the
target audience and to attract them to buy company goods. It is also important that the customers

are systematically targeted by keeping a track on their number of searches to the company’s site
so that the target customers can be found. It is also important that the companies build an
effective customer feedback system and respond to their feedbacks promptly so that the trust of
customers can be enhanced and they can be encouraged to buy company products (Huang, 2016).
Chapter 3-Research Methodology
Research methodology relates to the methods that can be used a researcher while
conducting the research so that the research can be completed on time and within the stipulated
budget. Also the right methodology chosen can also help in increasing the quality of results so
achieved which s important in making the findings more authentic and reliable so that they can
be used in solving issues related to the researched topic.
Research philosophy:
It is the belief related to the sources of information that can be used by researcher in order
to complete their research in a desired manner so that the collection, interpretation and analysis
of data can be effectively done to form effective results. As the sources of information can affect
the quality of results it is important that the research philosophy is chosen rationally by the
researcher. There are four types of research philosophies that can be used like positivism,
realism, interpretivism and pragmatism (Bresler and Stake, 2017). In positivism it is believed
that the sources of information that help in collection of scientific and factual information which
can be proved is reliable. This philosophy thus believes that the phenomena that can be proved
through science is true. Realism approach is the one which the human mind thinks is true and the
sources of information are selected based on their mind set. Pragmatism philosophy considers
that only the concepts that can be practically proved should be accepted. Interpretivism
philosophy that in order to prove concept information should be collected from appropriate
sources so that based on them interpretations can be made which can help in proving the concept.
In this research interpretivism philosophy will be used so that the topic of research can be
analysed.
Research approach
Various approaches can be taken by a researcher so as to conduct the research in order to
draw conclusions which can help in proving certain concept. There are two types of approaches
that can be taken by researcher which are inductive and deductive. In inductive approach initially
the data is collected and based on the pattern of the data interpretations are made so that a theory

can be made. While in deductive approach vice versa is done i.e. initially a hypothesis is taken
and in order to prove the correctness of the hypothesis data is collected from various sources so
that the hypothesis can be finally accepted or rejected. In this research deductive approach is
used wherein the research topic will be proved by drawing interpretation from data collected
from various sources (Tatar and Eren-Erdoğmuş, 2016).
Research strategy
A strategy is a plan of action which is formulated so that the results can be achieved
within the planned time and budget. Research strategy is thus a plan which is formulated by a
researcher so that the actions that are to be taken by them while conducing the research can be
clearly defined which can help in efficiently completing the research on time. Defining a strategy
can help in giving a direction to researcher so that they can use their skills and talents in a
strategic manner and complete the research systematically (Denizci Guillet, Kucukusta and Liu,
2016). The research strategy also helps in competing research on time and using the available
resources in an efficient manner so that the effective results can be drawn. The strategy also
gives enough time for completing all the activities related to research in an efficient manner so
that authenticity and accuracy of the information which is collected from various sources can be
increased.
Time horizon
Efficient distribution of time among all the activities associated with research is
important so that they can be completed within a specific time horizon so that sufficient time can
be allotted to them and the research can complete on time. Use of Gantt chart can be done by
researcher so that all the activities can be distributed on the basis of time which can help in
generating appropriate results. It also help ion giving a clear idea to the researcher about the total
time which will be involved in completion of each activity along with the dependence of each
activity so that they can be strategically completed.

Research methods
There are two methods involved in carrying out a research project which also affects the
type of results which are drawn on using each of the activity. These methods are qualitative and
quantitative methods that help in gaining information from various sources. Qualitative method
helps in gaining deeper information about the topic from sources so that the views and beliefs of
people on the topic can be known. Interviews, observations etc. can be used to gather qualitative
information so that the thoughts of the people can be known on the researched topic which can
help in developing a deep knowledge (Kim, Kim and Heo, 2016). This type of information is
difficult to depict by using tables, graphs etc. and so the interpretation also become difficult.
Quantitative method help in gathering mathematical information from various sources like
questionnaires, surveys etc. and such information can be depicted on graphs and tables so that
the interpretation become easier. In this research both qualitative and qualitative methods will be
used so that better data interpretation can be done and efficient results can be drawn.
Sources of data collection
These are the sources that are available from where information related to the topic can
be gathered by the researcher. It is important that the source that is chosen is authentic and help
in providing highly accurate and reliable information which can help in authenticating the
complete research project. The sources of information can be primary and secondary from where
appropriate information can be drawn. The primary sources are the ones from where information
is collected freshly for the first time by the researcher himself. This help in collecting unbiased
and non-manipulative information so that correct interpretations can be drawn that can be
applied to the research results (Garrigos-Simon, 2017). Questionnaires, interviews etc. are the
primary sources through which this information can be drawn directly from the source by the
researcher. Secondary sources are on the other hand are the ones that consist of information
about the topic based on the interpretations and research conducted by other researchers and
authors and contain their ideas like newspapers, internet articles, magazines etc. As these sources
are based on the idea of others they do not help in giving authentic and reliable information and
also the information contained in them can be outdated. Thus in this research primary source of

information will be used so as to collect information through the way of questionnaire so that
highly authentic information can be drawn.
Research ethics
It is related with applying ethical practices while conducting the research so that the
research can be done in a manner which don not harm any of the stakeholders and also help in
enhancing the value of results for them. Ethical code of conduct needs to be followed while
conducting the research project so that the support and trust of stakeholders can be achieved and
the researcher can complete the research in an effective and efficient manner (Kim and Chae,
2018). The researcher needs to conduct the research in a strategic manner so that no harm is
caused to anyone during the project and highly efficient result can be drawn.
Instrument used
These are the instruments that can be used by a researcher so that information can be
collected from the source. It is important that an appropriate instrument is used so that the data
which is collected is highly authentic and accurate which can help in drawing effective
interpretations. Questionnaire is used by the researcher as an instrument so that data can be
collected based on strategic questions that will be contained in the questionnaire so that highly
effective responses can be generated that can help in improving the quality of research.
Sample method
It is a method which is used by researcher so that a complete population having similar
characteristics is divided into small segment which can be chosen for conducting research.
Sampling helps in collecting information from a small base of population which makes the
research easy and effective (Tight, 2017). Random and non-random methods can be used in this
process where random method means that anyone from the population can be randomly selected
so that data can be collected from them. Non-random on the other hand help in collecting
information from some specific people who have been chosen in the population to give the
answers of questionnaire. In this report random sampling method will be used where 20
employees of Savoy hotel will be randomly selected so that the research questions can be
answered by them which can help in completing the research in an efficient manner.
Questionnaire
It is an instrument that can be used by a researcher so that the sample population can be
asked certain structured questions that are to be researched based on a topic which can help in

gaining authentic information. In this research the questionnaire will be given to 20 employees of
Savoy Hotel so that information can be collected:
Questionnaire
Quantitative questions
Q1) Do you think social media can be used for marketing in hospitality industry?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) Is online marketing better than offline marketing?
a) Yes
b) No
Q3) What is the importance of using social media in marketing?
a) Reaching large number of customers
b) Better customer knowledge
Q4) What are the positive impacts of using online marketing?
a) Easy reach to customers
b) SEOs can help in tracing target customers
c) Brand reputation
Q5) What are the negative impacts of using online marketing?
a) Negative customer feedback
b) Increased competition
Qualitative questions
Q6) What are the challenges that are faced in online marketing?
a) Virtual user base
b) Generating customer experience
c) Meeting customer expectation
Q7) How can Savoy Hotel overcome the challenges of online marketing?
a) Social media influencers
b) Quick response to customer feedback
Q8) What are the ways in which social media can help Savoy hotel?
a) Increase customer base
b) Improve brand image

Q9) What are the ways in which online marketing can be more efficiently used by Savoy hotel?
a) Technical staff
b) Effective monitoring
c) Posting true content
Q10) What can be the problems that can be faced by Savoy hotel while using social media for
marketing?
a) Generating traffic
b) Influencing customers
c) Adapting changing technology
Chapter 4-Analysis and Findings
Q1) Do you think social media can be used for
marketing in hospitality industry?
Frequency
Yes 15
No 5
From this pie chart it can be said that of the 20 employees of Savoy Hotel, 15 agree that
social media can be used in marketing the services of company while the other 5 do not agree on
the same. This means that all the employees are not aware about the importance of social media
in marketing of company products and services and need to be trained on the same so that they

can efficiently use their skills and improve the marketing of company on the social media
platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn etc. This will help in involving all the employees
of company and improving the marketing of company so that sales can be increased.
Q2) Is online marketing better than offline
marketing?
Frequency
Yes 10
No 10
From this chart it can be interpreted that 10 people of the 20 selected agree that online
marketing is better than offline marketing while the other10 disagree on this. It mean that some
people still believe that traditional methods of marketing are better in reaching to customers and
building string brand image of company. Also the offline methods help in interacting directly
with customers on face so that their trust can be easily gained while on the online platform
customers are approached virtually which creates an uncertainty in achieving their trust in
company (Chardón-Maldonado, Pintado-Patiño and Puleo, 2016).
Q3) What is the importance of using social media
in marketing?
Frequency
Reaching large number of customers 15
Better customer knowledge 5

From this chart it can be said that of the 20 employees, 15 say that social media
marketing help in gaining a better knowledge of customer demands while the other 5 say that it
help in reaching to a large number of customers. Thus the use of online marketing has many
benefits and can be applied by Savoy hotel for increasing its sales. It help in getting a better idea
about the tastes and preferences of customers by tracking their search engines. Also as social
media is used widely by customers it can help in reaching to a large number of customers at a
single point of time.
Q4) What are the positive impacts of using online
marketing?
Frequency
Easy reach to customers 5
SEOs can help in tracing target customers 5
Brand reputation 10

From this chart it can be said that from the 20 employees, 10 said that online marketing
help in improving the brand position of the hotel, 5 say that it help in easily reaching to target
customers while the rest 5 say that the SEOs generated by the online searches of customers help
in finding target customers. Thus the use of online marketing has various benefits for Savoy
hotel and can use social media in effectively marketing its services so that its sales can be
increased.
Q5) What are the negative impacts of using online
marketing?
Frequency
Negative customer feedback 12
Increased competition 8

From this chart it can be interpreted that from the 20 employees of company, 12 say that
the negative feedback from customers can affect the reputation of company while the other 8 say
that online marketing increase competition in market. Thus it can be said that there are various
negative impacts of using online marketing as bad reviews from customers can negatively affect
the company image. Also as most of the companies are using online marketing it has increased
competition among them which also affects the ability of company in attracting customers.
Q6) What are the challenges that are
faced in online marketing?
Explanation
Virtual user base As the user base is virtual and actual contact cannot
be made with customers it is difficult in gaining their
trust and influencing them to buy their products and
services.
Generating customer experience It is difficult to present an actual image of the hotel
services through online marketing so that a virtual
hotel experience can be generated for customers. This
can lead to certain hotels using fraud methods to
generate fake image.
Meeting customer expectation The customer build expectations from hotels based on
their perceptions from online marketing which can
lead to different expectations which can be difficult

for companies to met effectively.
Q7) How can Savoy Hotel overcome the
challenges of online marketing?
Explanation
Social media influencers Savoy hotel can use social media influencers to
influence customers about the high quality of services
offered by company so that the trust and confidence
of customers can be achieved.
Quick response to customer feedback Giving quick response to customers can heklp in
improving company reputation as they feel valued
and heard which is important in the competitive
marketplace so that high customer satisfaction can be
achieved.
Q8) What are the ways in which social
media can help Savoy hotel?
Explanation
Increase customer base Using social media can help in reaching to a large
number of customers at once so that its customer base
can increase and the sales of company can increase.
Improve brand image The brand reputation of company can increase by the
number of likes, shares and comments on the social
media sites which can help in attracting further target
customers to the company.
Q9) What are the ways in which online
marketing can be more efficiently used
by Savoy hotel?
Explanation
Technical staff The hotel need to have a technical staff that can
manage the social media platform of company and
monitor the traffic of customers and track their
activities related to the hotel page so that target and

lead customer can be efficiently focused.
Effective monitoring Monitoring the content that is posted online can help
in creating a trustworthy and true image of hotel so
that the trust of customers can be won.
Posting true content The contents that are posted must be true about the
services provided by company.
Q10) What can be the problems that can
be faced by Savoy hotel while using
social media for marketing?
Explanation
Generating traffic Generating enough amount of customer traffic can be
difficult for the company.
Influencing customers Influencing new customers towards the services of
company can be a challenge as all the customers have
different expectations and can affect the company’s
ability in generating profits.
Adapting changing technology As the technology keep on it becomes difficult for the
company to keep on changing its way of approaching
to their target customers and monitoring their
demand.
Chapter 5-Critical appraisal, Recommendations & Suggestions
From the above research and findings it can be concluded that social media plays an
important role in companies now-a-days to market their products and services and reach their
target customers. Companies need to improve their ways of using the social media platforms so
that they can achieve their goals and objectives on time and influence customers in buying the
products offered by company.
Stakeholders: They are the people who are directly or indirectly affected by the activities and
decisions that are taken in company and so it is important that their trust and support is gained so
that they can continue to work towards achieving company goals. These stakeholders need to be

told about the research findings so that they can know about the company’s decisions of using
social media as a method of marketing and reaching to its customers (Wan, 2017).
Communication: It is important that effective communication channels are established in
company so that the stakeholders can be communicated efficiently and effectively on time about
the functions and decisions of company. Various methods such as e-mils, messages, video
conferencing etc. can be used so that the stakeholders can be updated about the findings of
research and the change in decisions that might take place because of this.
Recommendations: In order to effectively use social media in Savoy hotel so that it can
effectively deal with competition and attract more customers, following recommendations can be
used:
 The company need to improve the ways in which social media is used for marketing
which can be done by having a more technical savvy staff who can effectively monitor
and control online content.
 The company can make use of brand ambassadors or social media influencers and invite
them to stay at the hotels so that they can share their experience online that can help in
influencing many customers.
 The company can also use advanced technology so that the customer activity can be
traced while also maintaining the privacy policy so that the information of customers
cannot be misused.
 The content which is posted by company must be true to what the hotel can actually offer
so that fake expectations are not generated among customers that can be difficult to
achieve.
Chapter 6- Conclusion
From this report it can be concluded that research when conducted in an efficient manner
by using all the tools and techniques ion an efficient manner can help in generating useful results
that can be practically used. This report help in understanding that social media can work as an
effective platform for companies to market about their products and also it needs to be
strategically used so that customer expectations can be met.

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