Report: Analyzing Customer Experience at Marriott Hotels

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of customer experience management (CEM) within the context of Marriott International. It begins by emphasizing the value and importance of understanding customer needs, wants, and preferences in the hospitality sector, highlighting the significance of revenue management and pricing strategies tailored to different customer segments. The report then explores various factors driving customer engagement, including social, economic, and technological aspects. A customer experience map is created, detailing the stages of the customer journey, from awareness to advocacy, and identifying key touchpoints such as websites, emails, and social media. The report further examines how these touchpoints create business opportunities for Marriott, emphasizing the importance of effective communication and engagement strategies. Overall, the report provides insights into how Marriott can enhance its CEM practices to improve customer satisfaction, loyalty, and ultimately, business performance.

Managing customer
experience

Table of Contents
.........................................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LO1..................................................................................................................................................1
P1 Value and importance for understanding customers needs, wants and preferences...............1
P2. Different factors to drive the customers' engagement within Marriott..................................2
LO2..................................................................................................................................................3
P3 Create a customer experience map.........................................................................................3
P4 How customer touch points create business opportunities for service sector........................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Customers are an integral part in hospitality sector. They are the pillars of this industry
and has contributed to the revolutionary altercations to bring innovative and creative adaptations
to create ripples in the psychological aspects. However, CRM (customer experience
management) is defined as the working practises of the operational activities of an organisation
to enhance the interactive framework by incorporating new patterns, layouts or designing aspects
to gain the customers' attention. Additionally, the ulterior purpose is to optimise insights in terms
of financial profits by acquiring an understanding to fulfil the customers' expectations to
establish the pathway for maintaining the customers' base. This assignment will be based on the
value and importance of CRM with context to Hotel Marriott International. It will describe the
implications of the significance of seamless operations' management by determining the profiling
activities. Furthermore, it will involve the customers' experience map, along with description of
the stages of the entire journey of the customers.
LO1
P1 Value and importance for understanding customers needs, wants and preferences
For a success of hospitality industry revenue management success is important.
Management of revenue is important by managing room prices and service charges so that
revenue of an organization can be maximized (McColl-Kennedy and et.al., 2015). To attract
more customers services and products should be served at their best price as first and the
foremost need of a customer is to get the best quality service and product at an affordable and
best price possible. Prices of a product is set according to customers demand at off and on peak
time at best price.
There are different types of customers like leisure, business, SMERF group, corporate
travellers, packages and many more. Budget of each and every type of customers are different so
the prices of rooms and services should be set according to all these types of customers, and
season time as business customers are mostly ready to pay higher prices for rooms during week
days while leisure customers are mostly ready to pay more during weekends and less during
week days. This revenue management should be analysed in a better way as there are many
expenses to make customers stay more delightful like house keeping expenses etc.
Hotels should charge according to the amenities they are providing to customers
according to their wants, preferences and demand like Wi-Fi, pool, dine-in facility, extra bedding
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facility etc. so that customers willing pay the price they are asked for. Study of all these factors is
important for all the stakeholders as it will help the organization to determine room price
objectively (Nema and Joshi, 2016.). Facilities that a customer gets which satisfy their
preferences, need and wants are major factors which decide the prices of room for increase in
revenue and profit. Hotel organizations should also keep in mind that their pricing should be
according to their competitors so that customers willingly comes and pay for the amenities and
facilities they are being provided for their satisfaction.
Furthermore, this study is important for transparency and accountability between
organization and customers so that they know that they are not paying anything extra but a fair
price and willingly pay for it. For customers to remain loyal provision of these facilities and fair
price is important. Prices of hotel rooms should be decided in such a way that it satisfies the
customer as well as hotel management do not lose any revenue while providing all these
facilities. So this study is important to be done for the benefit of stakeholders for future planning
of pricing beneficial for both organization and customers.
P2. Different factors to drive the customers' engagement within Marriott
Customers' engagement is a phenomenal factor to be considered in a hospitality sector.
Along with, there is an outline that has been embarked upon its already established brand name
and with incorporation of various facets of this arrangement (Roos and Gustafsson, 2011). In
the same regard, there has an emphasis on different components that assist in the exponential
growth of this engagement of the customers'. This consists of social and economic factors and
technological issues.
Consequently, this firm has imperative part in establishing the cost effectiveness
strategies that support in maximum utility of the available resources and workforce to make their
customers' feel valuable and special. This move would aid in pushing them to use their services
again and again by re-visiting their hotel chains in any part of the world. In addition, it has
highlighted the need of proper auditing methods to implement their pricing policies in the same
lines of their customers' expectations by delivering the best services in correct order. This has
also added the importance of the affordability options that depends on the qualitative standards
provided by them in context of the products and services. Here, they need to employ necessary
pricing so that their viability along with feasibility aspects can be achieved in a more prominent
manner.
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Furthermore, the social factors involves the customers' prioritization on the basis of their
individualistic taste and preferences, that helps the entire framework of this enterprise. However,
this component is highly influenced on the demographical segregation and the geographical
segmentation as well (Sharma and Jasrotia, 2016). The demographics support the management to
use the latest trends or the ongoing techniques to be followed for increasing their value on both
the local and global levels.
Lastly, the inclusion of the automation and technological tools such as keyless entry,
driverless cars in their hotel's premises and such related components. have progressed the
customers' engagement in leaps and bounds. The management of Marriott has successfully
authorised the participation of such advancements in the best possible manner. It has supported
the preventive measures and has gained the confidence of their customers' base as all the tactics
for engaging the customers' have been proved beneficial and gave utmost commitment to the
staff in order to fulfil the customers' demands and expectations.
LO2
P3 Create a customer experience map
The customer interacts with company through a systematic process. There are various
sources available through which data and information can be gathered. A customer experience
map defines the process that how a customer has interacted with company. also, it describes in
detail what sources were involved in it and how services were delivered. The customer
experience map of Marriott is as follows :-
Phases Searching
hotel
Booking
room
Pre stay stay Post stay
Activity Website Email Pick and
drop
facility
Hotel app Review site
Touchpoint Social media
and e mails
Hotel app Hotel
reception
Staff,
receptionist
Uploading
photos
Experience A lot of time
consumed in
It was quick
and instant
customer
details
Positive
atmosphere
Positive
review
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booking room were
verified
and room
was
allotted
and high
quality food
Opportunity Better website The services
must be
delivered in
time
Quick and
multiple
entry and
exit points
must be
developed.
Quality of
service must
be improved
Instant
texting back
on customer
review
There are five stages of customer journey which is described below :- (Five stages of customer
journey. 2016)
Awareness – in this initial stage customer gets aware about products or services provided by
company. the awareness is created through various channels such as advertising, mouth
publicity, etc.
Consideration – here, customer evaluate whether his or her need will be satisfied by buying
product or not. They take decision regarding it.
Purchase – in this customer evaluates data and information of various products and compare
with other on basis of cost, features, etc.
Retention – here, after using product customer takes guidance from other. then, he or she is
engaged in promoting and advertising it to generate brand awareness (Sharma and Jasrotia,
2016). When customer become loyal towards brand and their needs are fulfilled, they are easily
retained.
Advocacy – here, loyal customer spread awareness about product or service whether their
opinion is negative or positive.
Thus, these all are essential staged which helps customer to purchase product. They are
able to analyse overall information about their needs and goods or service. every customer has to
go through these stages. Thus, every company must focus on its channel so that awareness is
created and large number of customers can be attracted.
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P4 How customer touch points create business opportunities for service sector
The customer comes in interaction with brand at some particular touch point. These
points help business to engage with customer so that strong relationship can be build. A customer
touch point can be termed as elements through which company engage with customers. there are
different phases and levels in touch point. It differs according to nature and sector in which
business is operating. In context to hospitality sector it is necessary for companies to determine
touch points so that customer can be retained. Besides this, it helps in creating business
opportunities to expand customer base (Roos and Gustafsson, 2011). This is done by
identifying loop wholes in touch points and improving it. with help of it, interaction can be done
in appropriate manner and engagement is improved.
there are basically four major customer touch point through which interaction is done.
They are appropriate, relevancy, meaningful and endearing. Here, each one is having there
importance in customer engagement. They also help in building strong relation for long term.
In context of Marriott, customer touch points are website, e mails, etc. they are useful in
generating awareness about services which are provided by Marriott. through this, opportunities
can be generated which are as follows:-
Website –this is the first point where customer gets interacted with Marriott. they are able to find
information about hotel and what types of services is provided. Also, with help of it hotel
communicate with customers (Homburg, Jozić and Kuehnl, 2017). they listen to their issues and
solve them. this, is easiest way to generate opportunities as website can be identified by people
easily.
E mails- here, through e mails company interact with customers. they are able to promote
services. so, by reverting reply of e mails Marriott is able to identify need of customer. With help
of it, E mails can be sent to many people. it also helps in creating opportunities as other people
mails are received.
Social media – it is another touch point by which Marriott engage with their customers.
generally, it is highly used by them to post photos, reviews, etc. of customers. when post or
photos are seen by others they like to interact with company. it is also useful in mouth publicity
as customer automatically engaged in creating brand awareness. Social media provides platform
for Marriott to improve their touch points. Thus, by writing blogs on other social sites such as
LinkedIn, Twitter, Rediff, etc. Marriott can attract more people.
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By using customer touch point it will be easy for Marriott to improve their customer
engagement. They will be able to attract people and find out through which touch point more
customer can be engaged. Thus, focus can be made on that point. besides this, by grabbing
opportunities Marriott will be able to build large customer base. It will be beneficial in
continuous communicating with them and making aware about different offers provided. Hence,
it will be easy to differentiate customer on basis of their interaction point. thus, strategies can be
developed to improve touch point.
CONCLUSION
It can be summarized that it is important to understand needs, wants of people so that
service can be offered accordingly. There are several factors which influence or drive customer
engagement with company. They are personal choices, social and economic factors, etc. the
customer experience map of Marriott consists several stages like information search, stay, post
stay, etc. there are different customer touch point such as website, e mail, social media, etc. by
which engagement is done and opportunities are generated to expand business and attract more
people.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
De Keyser, A. and et.al., 2015. A framework for understanding and managing the customer
experience. Marketing Science Institute working paper series, pp.15-121.
Homburg, C., Jozić, D. and Kuehnl, C., 2017. Customer experience management: toward
implementing an evolving marketing concept. Journal of the Academy of Marketing
Science. 45(3). pp.377-401.
Lemon, K.N. and Verhoef, P.C., 2016. Understanding customer experience throughout the
customer journey.Journal of Marketing. 80(6). pp.69-96.
Malthouse, E.C. and et.al., 2013. Managing customer relationships in the social media era:
Introducing the social CRM house. Journal of Interactive Marketing. 27(4). pp.270-280.
McColl-Kennedy, J.R. and et.al., 2015. Fresh perspectives on customer experience. Journal of
Services Marketing, 29(6/7), pp.430-435.
Nema, G. and Joshi, A., 2016. Managing Customer Relationships through Customer interaction
management.International Journal of Research in Finance and Marketing.6(4). pp.74-82.
Roos, I. and Gustafsson, A. 2011. The influence of active and passive customer behavior on
switching in customer relationships. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal. 21(5).
448-464.
Sharma, A. and Jasrotia, V. 2016. Managing Customers Brand Experience for Creating
Brand Resonance in Smartphones. International Journal On Customer Relations. 4(1).
Simon, D. 2013. Social media equals social customer. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse Inc.
Online
Five stages of customer journey. 2016. [online] Available Through : <
https://exchange.cim.co.uk/blog/five-stages-of-your-customers-buying-journey/ >
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