Case Study: Social Media Strategy for MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments. This case study analyzes MEININGER Hotel's social media strategy.

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A case study On Hospitality management

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Table of contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................3
Literature review........................................................................................................................7
Case study evaluation...............................................................................................................10
Discussion:...............................................................................................................................11
New social media strategy:......................................................................................................13
Conclusion:..............................................................................................................................14
Reference List:.........................................................................................................................15

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Introduction:
The key aim of this assignment is to evaluate the development of social media as well as
mobile technology on the Hospitality business. With a view to accomplishing the study, a
paradigm of MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park is taken. The utilisation of the case
study about MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park is aimed at finding the effects of
contemporary marketing policy. The existing social media portfolio is evaluated along with
the establishment of complete new social media strategy which is beneficial for the chosen
organisation MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park in achieving their business goal and
profitability.
It is also important here to state that the modern marketing world is hugely changed just over
the past few decades. The total marketing strategy is also changed accordingly. Adhering
with the traditional marketing policy will do no good for the contextual organisation
MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park. It is also seen the telecom, as well as information
technology, has evolved significantly. The modern generation has no time to read the
newspaper. They hardly pay any attention to the printing advertisement. Unlike the previous
generation where it is seen most of the men who are travelling carrying a newspaper, the
modern generation people love to carry their smartphone with them. They love to watch
YouTube video rather than traditional television. Hence, in order to make most out of the
marketing plan, it is important to use the effective channel for advertisement.
Overview of the chosen organisation:
The current case study is about MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park which is aimed to
satisfy their guest in every possible way. Starting from late checkout to free Wi-Fi service,
they a something special for everyone checked in their hotel. It is also important to be
mentioned here that the management has carefully drafted the service so they can easily catch
the heart of their guest. They have unique off bet service that woos their customer and
compelled them to choose the hotel again for their next visit in London, The United
Kingdom. It is also interesting to be mentioned here that the visitors have no option other
than missing the service while they check out. Hence, in no time they fall in love with the
contextual organisation, MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park (Bahadori-Jahromi et al.
2017).

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The most unique service that they offer is a guest kitchen, which is no doubt a wonderful idea
who loved to cook. Think about what can be more wonderful that surprising a loved one with
the handmade recipe in honeymoon. This guest kitchen is packed with modern amenity which
ensures good cooking experience in less time. It is a boon for those who hate eating outside
food while travelling. It is also a boon for the health-conscious people who need not give up
their diet plan while on an office trip.
Packed lunch is a wonderful opportunity who do not like to adhere in a routine while
travelling. Many times, it is seen while travellers go for sight seeing they missed the
opportunity to have lunch in the hotel. In this case, they need to spend more on their food by
ordering it from other road side restaurants. It is also an interesting offer for night owl who
eventually missed lunch time. Hence, while they woke up, they need not rush and find a
portion of good food outside the hotel.
For the leisure traveller to the corporates guest, a bar is a refreshment point where they can
drop their worries rejuvenate and prepare themselves for the upcoming battle that they have
to face in their life ahead. Name anything and the bartender will serve u with it. Let it be beer,
vodka, wine, rum, cocktails or alcohol-free drinks, everything is available here in reasonable
costs. They also prove snacks so one can enjoy their drinks more (Barreda et al. 2016).
Contemporary people are dependent on the internet for every trivial activity of their life.
Many people have a habit to check the social media account once they open their eyes in the
morning. The very first thing the=ay they do after waking up reaches for their smart phone
and scroll down the newsfeed of their respective social media account. Hence, no doubt they
need inter with good speed. Here, nothing could be better than a free Wi-fi service. This
service enables the visitor to stay connected with the rest of the world by means of the
internet.
Last but not least, this is totally pet friendly hotel, hence, pet lovers now need not search a
shelter for their furry friends when they plan their holidays. Now they can enjoy their
vacation with them. It is a very hard decision for every pet lover to plan a vacation. A
vacation means they have to leave their furry children behind. Though they are at their
holiday, they left their heart at an animal shelter and keep worries throughout their stay. Now
with MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park, they can enjoy their holiday at full of their
furry friends. Let it be a single accommodation, a double room or family suits fur buddies are

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allowed to sleep with their humans. In final notes, it can be said that all these amenities are
available at very pocket friendly cost and late check out facility (Berné et al. 2015).
Background of the study:
The hospitality business in a modern global perspective has been emerging as the leading
business model that has been generating a huge percentage of national revenue in UK's
economic scenario. In the last few decades, the UK's has been gaining popularity in the
hospitality industry due to the high percentage of visitors per year and a high revenue
generating scope among other trending business ventures. The current topic focuses on the
usage of social media and mobile technology in case of the hospitality industry and the
impact on the business and future perspective. In the last few years, social media and mobile
technology got linked intricately with each other and has a huge impact on the social-
economic facet of human lives from a global perspective. regional businesses have been
getting global platform due to the adaptation of social media and mobile technology and the
business scope also has been extended from the local market to the global market. in the
contextual case study, a small and medium hotel has been taken for the convenience of the
outcome of the current discussion. Modern businesses especially small and medium
structured businesses largely accepted the social media and mobile technology platform for
promotion and business expansion due to the low investments and higher returns. Each
business wants global exposure now a days where social media and mobile technology has
been playing a great role. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram have
been used as a primary platform for promotion and businesses and there are numerous mobile
applications are in the market which could contribute immensely in the business development
(Chen, 2014).
For the sake of the contextual discussion, MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park has been
adopted as the small and medium hospitably business at the heart of London which is the
current focus of the discussion. London is one of the cities which got the highest percentage
of visitors each year and there are numerous ranges of hotels and lodges are available in this
region. Therefore, there are various factors which need to be taken care of to sustain in the
London market such as marketing and corresponding impact, service, and quality to develop
a sustainable business in the highly competitive business environment. The MEININGER
Hotel London Hyde Park need to adopt suitable social media and mobile technology platform
to develop cutting edge promotional and marketing strategies to sustain in the business and to

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develop a competitive edge in the business environment. The current study focuses on the
impact of social media on the business objectives of MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park
and the corresponding impact on the business and future development (Bowen et al. 2017).

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Literature review
Till the end of the '90s, development of promotional and marketing strategy is quite a tricky
one to sustain in the business environment and to get a competitive edge in the highly
competitive business scenario. The evolution of social media and mobile technology changes
the scenario with high impact and there are various peripherals of the social media and
mobile technology that need to be discussed in the current section. At the beginning current
era, social media has been taking centre stage in case interpersonal relationship, marketing
and promotional strategies. With the emergences of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, global
communication and networking have been reformed which has been implemented in
marketing and promotional activities. In a modern edge, social media is one of the essential
platforms for promotion and customer relationship (dos Santos et al. 2017).
The MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park is one of the major hospitality entities in the
small and medium hotel ranges in the UK. The small and medium hotels industry is highly
saturated and therefore, a high degree of competitiveness is associated with sustainable
business development in the UK market. Incorporating strategic implementation in case
social media platform and mobile technology platform enables the MEININGER Hotel
London Hyde Park to get a competitive edge in the market. Each business has to develop a
360 degree marketing and promotional strategy in case of uplifting the current business
scenario in case of MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park. There are various social media
and mobile application which enables the users to book and visit remotely which helps the
hotels to reach out to the potential customers which their offering and services. Social media
and mobile technology proved to be beneficial for both the customers and hotels due to
interactive nature and global reach. Mobile application platforms help to reach hotels and
their services to the palm of the service users who could evaluate the services through ratings
and feedbacks published online (Giaoutzi, 2017).
Now days, customers can view rooms and facilities remotely with the help of mobile
applications which could ensure the quality of the stay and quality of the food served during
the visit. Social media has reached 90% of the global people and therefore with the click of a
button, any businesses could reach any part of the globe with ease. Modern social-economic
facet immensely intrigued with the social media and mobile technology which is the great
advantage for the businesses and end users as well. Application based adverts and social

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media banners provide a window to the business to reach directly to the customer who could
choose in accordance with their convenience and buying capacity. Reviews and feedbacks
help to understand the positive and negative side of the offerings in the businesses which
have a great impact on the brand reputation and business development (Hofherr et al. 2015).

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Case study:
The contextual case study focuses on the impact of social media on the hospitality business
which has a great influence on the business development and future business perspective.
MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park has been developing an effective social media
portfolio which could impact the business and helps the business to get a competitive
advantage over other business such as small and medium hotels in the Central London (Lee,
2015).
There are various facilities which need to be promoted to attract potential customers such as
high end restaurant facility, free Wi-Fi, late check out facility and rapid service on call. The
laundry facility and Bar are the major focus on the business in case of MEININGER Hotel
London Hyde Park which needs to be focused on a highly competitive business environment.
The role of social media in the current context is huge as emphasising the facilities in social
media and mobile technology platforms enable the business to attract a high percentage of
potential customers and help to get an edge over other businesses. The marketing team of the
MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park has to develop a 360 degree social media
promotional strategy which could reach out the maximum percentage of potential customers
in global perspective. Feedback has been playing a great role in the development of the social
media portfolio and brand presence in the current context (Lind, 2015).
The current objective of the case study is to develop a comprehensive study in case of the
benefits of social media in business development and building social media portfolio. Modern
marketers are more concerned about the development of the social media portfolio to cope
with the current trend and reach out the maximum percentage of customers to get business in
a global perspective. According to a study, two out of three people in a global scenario uses
the smart phone which directly lined with internet and global network which helps to reach
marketers with ease to the customers. Booking hotels, checking out facilities and getting
feedback is one of the essential tools to reach out to potential customers in case of modern
mobile technology scenario. The MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park has to adopt
suitable social media and application based promotional strategy to promote the positive side
of the business which is an essential tool to get a competitive edge in the small and medium
hotel segment in UK region. There is a constant flow of visitors in the UK in the form of the
business visit and tourism which need to be taken care of while developing the social media

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portfolio of MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park. Marketers need to develop the social
media marketing strategy to accommodate the facilities for tourism and business visitors'
perspective as well. Therefore, there needs to be a specific target in case of choosing potential
customers in the UK tourism industry perspective (Neirotti et al. 2016).
Case study evaluation
Analysis of the case study needs to focus on the impact of social media and mobile
technology on the business development and competitiveness of MEININGER Hotel London
Hyde Park. There is a significant social media promotional strategy which includes various
perspectives of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and mobile
applications such as Expedia, Travelocity and LateRooms. Premium hotels nowadays lunch
their own mobile applications which enable the users to visit the facilities and rooms in
accordance with their requirement. Mid-range hotels such as MEININGER Hotel London
Hyde Park need the support of their party applications which enables the hotel to get
exposure in the market and helps to reach potential customers with ease and efficiently.
These third party applications use various tools to reach at top of the user search to achieve
maximum visibility to the customers which enable them to generate business for the mid-
range hotels like MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park. These applications redirect the
customers to the official website of the hotel which enables the user to compare the facilities
of the hotel with other mid-range hotels in the market and choose accordingly. Therefore,
marketers need to develop the social media portfolio which great care to hit the target
customer with each and generate business to achieve maximum profitability. Modern social
media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram focus on the promotional activities
for the businesses and help to build campaigns to reach out target customers who are the
users of the social media and networking platform. Currently millions of active members
associated with the Facebook and campaigners choose locational based potential customers
with to the point specification. Therefore, these social media platforms are the greatest tools
to reach out global viewers with appropriate strategy and marketing policy which enable the
MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park to achieve a lot of competitive advantages in the
mid-range hospitality industry in UK perspective. Therefore it could be mentioned that social
media has a great impact on business development and future business prospect (Porcu et al.
2017).

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Discussion:
The 21st century socio-cultural facet has immensely intrigued by social media and mobile
technology and has a great impact on decision making and concept building. Modern
businesses successfully develop social media portfolio to reach out to potential customers
with proper strategy and policy. The 21st century is the edge of 360 degree marketing
approach which included traditional marketing approaches such as audio visual, billboards
and modern marketing approach such as social media and mobile technology. There are
numerous social media platforms are now in the market and day by day mobile applications
supporting business promotion and marketing strategy comes into the picture. Modern
businesses chose their own platform to reach out the target customers based globally which
enables the businesses to generate business and achieve competitive advantage in the market
perspective. MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park strategically implements the
promotional strategy in the social media and mobile networking platform with higher rating
and visibility to develop a suitable social media portfolio and brand value. Modern users are
capable of handling various social media and mobile applications which enables them to
compare services and offering by mid-range hotels to choose a suitable hotel according to
their choices. There are various segments of visitors in the UK who seeks help to
accommodate with reasonable pricing in the heart of London. MEININGER Hotel London
Hyde Park administrates various social media strategies to reach out these customers to
attract then those are segmented into specific price range. Therefore, placing a proper social
media portfolio enable the user to get reach to the MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park
and avail their facilities with ease (Prayag et al. 2015).
Current social media strategy:
Though the hotel is providing wonderful amenities and top-notch service, they do not have
the popularity that they deserve. This is due to their traditional marketing plan. They have
chosen the wrong promotional channel. It is important to be mentioned here that digital
marketing is tricky. The utilisation of correct channel incorrect way to build the brand value
can effective for the organisation, MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park from a business
point of view (Prud’homme et al. 2016).
However, the contextual organisation, MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park, failed
miserably in establishing their social media strategy. A most significant point in this arena is

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failed to appoint a dedicated social media handler. On the contrary, they do not take the task
seriously. Anyone in the marketing team is posted in the social media platform without a joint
objective. The time of the posting is also not maintained properly. Sometimes it is seen 5 to 6
post is posted back to back within a day. Other time there are long stretches of time when the
news feed remains eventless (Rahimi et al. 2016).
The strategy of the organisation, MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park, in dealing with the
negative review is just deleted them and ignoring them altogether. The organisation fails to
understand the fact that negative feeds are the first thing their target audience will read while
searching for a review. While dealing with a huge number of employees and managing a
large number of amenities it is most likely to make mistakes. It is not a shame to make
mistakes, but it is how to deal with it. Admitting a mistake and ask for forgiveness and
making up for that is the best thing that can be done in this case (Roper, 2017).
It is also important to be mentioned here that the setting up too many social media accounts
will do no profit. Rather it creates a negative impression when every account is not properly
maintained. It is also important to keep in mind that every social media platform is not
suitable for every business. Moreover, having too many accounts on a single social media site
is also detrimental for the companies’ point of view. It is seen in the current care the general
manager of the organisation, MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park, has set up a Facebook
account whereas the marketing manager does the same. They both try to manage their
respective account, but it sends the wrong impression to their customers (Santero-Sanchez et
al. 2015).
Another practice, that the organisation, MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park has done is
bragging about them and only them. This is not only monotonous but also irritating from the
viewpoint of the target audience. Finally, lees engagement with the target customer is also
identified in the current social media strategy. They have no dedicated employee who is
competent in doing the job; hence, the total social media presence become a mess and
backfires making the negative impression in the psyche of the target audience. While
deciding social media strategy, one should keep it in mind that people will not like or
subscribe the page of the contextual organisation, MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park, if
it is not eventful and exciting. The target audience is not interested in listing the story
regarding how good the hotel is (Strom et al. 2015).