Roles and Responsibilities of Marketing Function in Hospitality Industry

This article discusses the roles and responsibilities of the marketing function in the hospitality industry, including defining and managing the brand, managing marketing campaigns, product development, optimizing search engine content, managing social media, producing internal communications, conducting customer and market research, and overseeing outside vendors and agencies.

Unit 15: Hospitality
Marketing Essentials

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
Roles and responsibilities of marketing function........................................................................3
Interrelation of the marketing function with the other functional units of organisation.............5
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................6
Comparison of marketing mix of different organisations............................................................6
LO 3...............................................................................................................................................11
Basic marketing plan for Hotel Hyatt........................................................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Marketing deals with the branding of the organisation by participating in the publicly
activities, advertising and interacting with the customers through collecting the feedbacks. This
is done after the designing, producing of the product and service is done and it is ready for sales
and delivery. The major parts of marketing are advertising, sales techniques and the publicity so
that the companies can attract large number of customers and becomes able to increase the
customer base. This helps in sustaining value for customers, society, partners etc.
The report will focus on the Hyatt company which is one of the global top 1000 brands
which is rated by the customer and is the ninth largest international hotel chain in the whole
world having 320 wholly owned properties. Its headquarters is in England, UK (Hyatt Hotels
Marketing Mix Strategy, 2020). The report will be initiated by describing the roles and
responsibilities of the marketing function along with relating these to the wider organisational
context. It will be followed by comparing the marketing of hospitality organisations in order to
achieve the objectives. A marketing plan will be developed for meeting the marketing objectives
of the company.
LO 1
Roles and responsibilities of marketing function
The marketing function plays a very significant role in order to promote the business as
well as the mission of the organisation. It also aims as serving as the face of the company by
producing and coordinating all the materials which helps in representing the business. The
marketing department of Hyatt hotel helps in reaching out to prospects, customers, community
and the investors along with creating and overarching image that also helps in representing the
company in a positive right. Hyatt considers following roles and responsibilities of its marketing
department:
Defining and managing the brand: Under this, the marketing department of the company
defines the company, the actions taken by the company along with defining the experience the
company wants from the customers and the partners at the time of interaction. The Hyatt also
considers its marketing department as the most important part of the company as it helps in
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defining its brand and also helps to maintain its reputation among the dynamic and emerging
markets of hospitality industry in UK (Murphy, Gretzel and Pesonen, 2019).
Managing the campaigns for marketing initiatives: It helps in defining the products and
services so that they can focus on the course of the sales cycle and then producing the materials
and the communications that helps in getting the word out. The Hyatt hotel also organises
various campaigns to promote its products and services so that the company becomes able to
increase the return on marketing investment.
Product development: The marketing department of Hyatt must ensure that the products and
services offered to the customers are able to satisfy their needs. The marketers must conduct the
thorough analysis regarding the customers and the competition so that they can improve their
products and services by taking feedbacks from the customers which can include the information
regarding needs of customer services, room types etc.
Developing the content providing optimization of search engine for the website: The website
of the company is the first place where the people prefer to go for information about the hotel.
The marketing department of Hyatt is responsible to keep the web content updated and current
and also must ensure that that name and the details of the company comes whenever someone
searches for the companies in hospitality industry in UK.
Managing and monitoring the social media: The marketing department must contribute in
ensuring that the social media pages are well managed and maintained. It must be updated about
the content which is posted about the company on any online or social media platforms so that
the positive image of the company can be spread among the customers and clients (Patel and
Feng, 2020).
Producing the internal communications: The employees of the company must be aware of the
company, its goals, values and its priorities. The marketing department of Hyatt is responsible
for the communication among the employees and this can be managed though the newsletters or
intranet. It also helps in enhancing the public relations.
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Conducting the customer and market research: This is the major role played by the marketing
department of the companies to carry out which helps in defining the target market and the
opportunities and also helps in understanding the ways in which products and services are
perceived. Hyatt hotel also needs to conduct the market research in order to analyse the
fluctuations in the market and the customers so that the company can develop certain strategies
which can help in attracting the customers.
Overseeing the outside vendors and agencies: The selection and management of the vendors
and agencies is mandatory which is done by the marketing department as those gives support and
helps in producing the materials for marketing and stands as supporting pillars in all the
processes of marketing. These may involve the ad agencies, PR agencies or specialists, print
vendors, web providers etc. Hyatt must ensure that the selection if these agencies is done
effectively as the marketing activities are depended on it.
Interrelation of the marketing function with the other functional units of organisation
This is very clear that the marketing functions are the separate entities in the business
organisations but they must perform all the operations by making link and connection with the
other departments like production, finance etc. which can help in increasing the sales and the
profitability of the company. This is the main function of the marketing department in hospitality
industry which can be achieved through the effective implementation of all the departments of
the organisation simultaneously (Kasemsap, 2018). Hyatt also considers the following
interconnections among the various departments of the organisation with the marketing
department which are as follows:
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Marketing with Finance: The marketing functions require various economic resources in order
to implement, plan, research and evaluate the marketing strategies and the planning within the
organisation of business which can only be provided by the finance department of the hospitality
organisations. So, it is must for the marketing function of the Hyatt company to have effective
communication with the finance department so that they can be facilitated by the financial
resources. The investment in marketing activities for hospitality companies must not exceed the
budget; this is also ensured by the effective interaction and sorting among both these departments
of hospitality companies (Koc, 2020).
Marketing with production: The production department provides the marketing function with
the accurate and clear description of the products and services of the organisation so that
marketing plan can be developed using the 7 P’s of marketing or the marketing mix which
cannot be developed without the interconnection of these two departments of hospitality
companies. The marketing plan can result into a great loss or blunder if the marketing function is
unaware of the inventory of raw material or the hospitality company’s production capacity
(Salman and et.al., 2017). The production department in hotels communicates effectively with
the logistics department so that the demand and supply of the products and services can be
fulfilled. This is why the marketing department of Hyatt hotels must have effective
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Interrelationship
Marketing Marketing Marketing
Finance Production Human Resource

communication with the production department so that it can gain all the information regarding
the logistics.
Marketing with HR: The marketing department also requires the human resources from the HR
department for performing various operations regarding the marketing of the products and
services of the company. The policies of HR must be aligned with the marketing department
which can help in increasing the sales as well as the customer base. The human resources can
contribute in one way or the other by using their talents and skills for promoting the company’s
products and services. The policies of human resources are developed by keeping in mind the
market trends, the target customers and the sales. This is why, the marketing department of Hyatt
must be aware of the HR policies to achieve the organisational objectives.
This is how the interrelationship of the marketing function with the other functional units can be
described to achieve the organisational objectives.
LO 2
Comparison of marketing mix of different organisations
The marketing mix basically refers to the to the set of actions and the tactics which is
used by the company for promoting the brand or the product in the market. It involves 7 Ps of
marketing such as Price, Product, Place, Promotion, Positioning, Packaging and People along
with the politics which are considered as the vital mix elements. The marketing mix of the
companies of Hospitality industry which are Hyatt and Accor which are two well-known hotels
in UK offering luxurious services and authentic hospitality.
Marketing Mix elements Hyatt hotels Accor hotels
Products Hyatt provides to its customers
spacious rooms, gardens, bars,
banquet halls. Restaurants and
broad range of food along with
the delicious cuisines. Its main
resorts which attract the
Being a multinational company,
it provides best possible services
and high-quality products to its
customers. It focuses on
providing spacious rooms,
bathrooms with all the up-to-
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customers the most are Hyatt
Zika and Zilara. The main focus
of the company is satisfaction of
the customers by offering them
with high quality products
according to their demands and
needs.
date amenities such as calling
options through side tables, 24-
hour service, television, side
tables, mini bar and the laundry
service (Amofah and et.al.,
2017).
Place The company has its presence
across the world having its
headquarters at Chicago in
U.S.A. It took the initiative by
building the first Hyatt House at
Los Angeles International
Airport. Now, it has established
itself in 56 countries in almost
679 properties under the same
brand. It is also the operator and
owner of the franchise system
along with having a central
reservation system in many
countries including Germany,
Australia which provides 24*7
service to the customers and the
guests.
The company has spread its
network include five continents
and hundred countries. It has
four thousand and hundred
properties at two thousand
destinations. Also, it has
250,000 collaborations which
helps in operating system. It has
expanded itself on most of the
online platforms which made
the booking in the hotel so easy
and even the cancellations are
also hassle-free. Also, the
company is enhancing its focus
on the online sales which
motivated it to develop its
unique and personal online app
with many functions and
capabilities.
Price The Hyatt hotels follows the
premium price strategy in order
to facilitate the business class of
high profile and the society’s
upper class. The high-class
The company has varied pricing
strategy as it wishes to facilitate
the different sections of the
society with its services and
products. It has customers
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people are satisfied with its
services as the products and
services are of high quality. It
also gives discounts if bookings
are in group and the extended
stays (Wu and Li, 2018).
including businessman, leisure
travellers, groups, individuals
and families which looks for
comfortable stay and special
treatments. For the upscale and
the properties for the vacations,
the premium pricing is adopted,
for midscale properties the mid-
premium pricing strategy is
adopted and the economy
properties, affordable and
reasonable pricing policy is
adopted.
Promotions The company uses the man
media channels for ensuring that
the customers are aware of the
hospitality services of Hyatt.
The major method used by the
company is word of mouth.
Various discounts and festive
schemes along with rewarding
loyalty to the regular clients
using the signature membership
cards which are known as Hyatt
Gold passport are offered by its
clients. Its tagline “We are for
people” welcomes the people
with a huge heart.
Accor has launched the ad
campaigns through radio,
newspapers, television, bill
boards and travel magazines. It
also has its own website and a
unique app which can be used
for fast and easy transactions. It
also has its accounts on social
platforms like twitter,
Instagram, Facebook, YouTube
which helps in reaching larger
number of people and also
facilitates them through online
booking, providing incentives
and other benefits like fast
check-out, upgraded rooms etc.
(Bhasin, 2019).
Process The company is known for its The company follows integrated
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luxurious services which are
world-class which is carried out
by sophisticated process. The
website and the mobile
application can be used to book
the rooms and services or by
going physically to the hotel.
The reception service of the
company is proper where the
verification of customers is done
through giving identity proof
which gains the validity from the
government then everything can
be done automatically.
buying exposure. It used various
network and the websites for
distributing its goods and
services. Through its unique
app, it facilitates its millions of
clients and travellers. It also
accepts the booking on various
channels and the process of
check out is also very fast and
efficient. All the complaints and
the demands of its customers are
addressed timely which makes
its process transparent and
flexible. Its process does not
here but also consider the
feedbacks of the clients post
stay through online platforms
(Kwok, Tang and Yu, 2020).
Physical evidence The company evidenced itself
physically in the form of rooms,
gym, banquet halls, swimming
pool etc. Its classy and world
class ambience is making the
interiors of the hotel vintage.
The arrangements of sofas,
reception desks and the interior
decoration is making its area
look out of the world. The staff
and employees are groomed and
well-dressed for giving an
excellent satisfaction visually to
The physical evidence of Accor
hotels can be seen on various
online platforms as well as in
the hotels through clean, tidy,
decorated and well-maintained
rooms. This gives a memorable
experience to the customers and
the hotel is also expands its
presence on its official website
and applications along with
many other social networking
sites.
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the guests. The interiors
experience is also luxurious for
which many travellers from
different countries are attracted
towards it (Salman and et.al.,
2017).
People The staff of the Hyatt hotel is
well-trained which is responsible
for providing exclusive services
to its customers thereby
enhancing revenue generation.
The staff and the employees are
recruited on the basis of their
experience and knowledge
which helps in moulding them
according to the company
guidelines through the
workshops, training sessions and
the seminars.
Accor has skilled as well as
qualified staff and the
employees who take the
responsibility to satisfy the
needs and demands of its
maximum customers and guests.
Therefore, the top priority of the
company must be the training
which can enhance the skills and
experience of the hotel.
LO 3
Basic marketing plan for Hotel Hyatt
Executive Summary
This marketing plan helps in understanding the marketing objectives of the company
which gives a guideline related to the sales revenue, expansion, customer experience, marketing
strategies, situational analysis and marketing mix. Marketing budget is made which gives an
approximation to the company which helps in the marketing investment and to gain maximum
marketing Return on Investment (Bowie, Buttle and Ibrahim, 2020). According to all these,
marketing strategies are made which helps the company to achieve its marketing objectives.
Various activities are performed for monitoring and evaluation of the marketing plan.
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Objectives
 To increase the customer base by 25% till 2021.
 To expand the hospitality industry by increasing the number of hotels in UK.
 To improve the customer experience by improving its products and services.
 To attract the maximum customers which helps in increasing the overall revenue by 40%
(Gannon and Taheri, 2020).
 To increase its presence on all the online and offline platforms till 2021.
Situational Analysis
Political: All the political instabilities such as Brexit which lead to issues related to trade,
import, export, taxation and many more must be managed by the Hyatt hotel so that it can
perform its operations efficiently.
Economic: High rate of inflation, financial crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic impacts the
company greatly. High disposal income impacts the company positively.
Social: The change in the values, beliefs, trends etc. impacts the choice of hotels.
Technological: The company must be technologically sound by using all the social networking
sites and platforms.
Environment: Hyatt hotels must perform the sustainable operations in the hotel as well as online
platforms.
Legal: All the laws must be followed by the company so that it does not have to face any legal
complications and restrictions (Melchiorre and Johnson, 2017).
Marketing Mix strategies
Product: Hyatt must diversify itself in terms of products and must use advanced technology to
use all the products.
Price: The company must use all types of pricing to attract all types of customers.
Place: It must increase the number of hotels as well as must expand its services on the online
platforms.
Promotion: The company must use all the social networking sites to promote its products and
services.
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Process: Hyatt can use various platforms of distribution of goods and services.
People: The company must provide training to its employees and staff to make them talented and
skilled. Diversified staff must be preferred.
Physical Evidence: Websites and the application use must be enhanced along with making the
hotel rooms clean and tidy.
Marketing Budget
S. No. Particulars Amount (in £)
1 Marketing research and information 1000
2 Traditional advertisements 3000
Tv and broadcasting 900
Advertisements in magazine and
newspaper
800
Celebrity endorsements 1300
3 Online marketing 4200
Social media marketing 800
Influencer marketing 700
Database marketing 900
Affiliate marketing 800
Miscellaneous 1000
Total expenditure 8,200
Monitoring and Control
 Goal tracking must be done by cross-checking the strategies with the goals.
 Google analytics must be used to evaluate the leads.
 Benchmarking must be done under which strategies must be measured against the
industry standards.
 KPI under the marketing metrics can be used such as sales revenue can be generated on
the monthly basis, cost of lead per acquisition, customer lifetime value, Return on
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investment of marketing, site tracking and lead ratios.
Evaluation
Market reaction, customer response, sales performance must be used to evaluate the strategies of
marketing plan.
CONCLUSION
The above report focussed on the marketing of Hyatt Hotels in UK. The role of marketing
and its interrelation with the other functional units was highlighted. The comparison was done
regarding the marketing mix of two companies Hyatt and Accor in order to achieve the business
objectives. A basic marketing plan was made in order to achieve the marketing objectives of
Hyatt hotel in UK.
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REFERENCES
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Kasemsap, K., 2018. Hospitality and tourism management: Advanced issues and
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Murphy, J., Gretzel, U. and Pesonen, J., 2019. Marketing robot services in hospitality and
tourism: the role of anthropomorphism. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing. 36(7).
pp.784-795.
Patel, P.C. and Feng, C., 2020. LGBT Workplace Equality Policy and Customer Satisfaction:
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Salman, D. and et.al., 2017. A new marketing mix model to rescue the hospitality industry:
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Online
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Bhasin, H., 2019. Marketing Mix of Accor Hotels. [ONLINE]. Available through: <
https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-of-accor-hotels/>
Hyatt Hotels Marketing Mix Strategy, 2020. [ONLINE] Available through :<
https://www.mbaskool.com/marketing-mix/services/17574-hyatt-hotels.html>
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