Integrated Hospitality Marketing Communications: Case Study Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the integrated marketing communications strategies employed by Island Beach Resort, a small, private luxury resort on the Florida gulf coast. The report evaluates the effectiveness of various marketing channels, including direct sales through property websites, online referral marketing, web marketing, and banner advertisements. It critically examines the resort's communication channel choices, marketing strategies, and creative content, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. The report also explores the benefits and drawbacks of both online and traditional marketing approaches, such as banner advertisements and direct selling, and examines the role of tools like Escapia in the resort's marketing efforts. The analysis concludes with recommendations for the resort to enhance its marketing efforts and reach a global audience, including suggestions for utilizing social media and intermediaries to expand its reach. The report emphasizes the importance of creative content and its impact on brand image and profitability.

INTEGRATED HOSPITALITY
MARKETING
COMMUNICATIONS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK A...........................................................................................................................................3
Evaluation of different kinds of marketing channels utilized in case study and how they serve
communication objectives for resort...........................................................................................3
Critical Evaluation of hospitality case study including communication channel choice,
strategy and creative content.......................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION and RECOMMENDATION..................................................................................6
TASK B...........................................................................................................................................7
Covered in PPT...........................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Hospitality marketing is about using and implementing marketing strategies and effective
techniques in hospitality sector. It takes a look at how hotels, resorts, restaurants and food service
providers within industry make utilize of marketing strategies and tactics to promote their goods
& services to target market. With all marketing efforts companies operating under hospitality
sector achieve their set aims aim and objectives in effective manner. The current study is based
on Island beach resort which falls under category of small and private luxury resort, located on
Florida gulf coast. Firm is able to serve their guest in systematic manner and cater their services
according to needs of people, they have direct approval to pristine beach.
This report will explain varied marketing channels used in case study, that help to
achieve communication objectives of resort. It will also critically examine hospitality case study
including creative content, communication channel choice and strategy.
TASK A
Evaluation of different kinds of marketing channels utilized in case study and how they serve
communication objectives for resort
There are several types of marketing channels available in digital marketing world that
can be used by companies to gain attention of clients and drive them towards purchase specific
product or service. It includes selling through intermediaries, direct selling, dual distribution and
reverse channels. Here, the case study of Island beach resort has been discussed in which firm
use following marketing channels that can be evaluated below ;
Direct sales through property websites-
In context of case study, it has been determined that firm use direct sales as marketing
channel that is quite effective and beneficial for them (Galasintu, Supanit and Chaiittivej, 2018).
It refers to selling accommodation and food services to guest in non retail environment. It is one
of the best marketing channels used by Island Beach resort to market their services. In recent
time, people like to search online instead of taking any type of information from newspaper or
other sources because of which they save both time & money. By promoting their services via
using direct sales channel through creating property websites resort can increase their sales rather
than before. This channel is consider as cost effective method that help to save money and
support to reach at target market, it does not require high capital investment.
Online referral marketing-

It is a procedure to significantly increase and encourage referrals from internet, perhaps
most trusted and best marketing channel (Slivar and Bayer, 2017). Online referral as marketing
channel is use in case study that includes tools and techniques that business can integrate into
their daily activities to generate steady flow of leads that can be referred by exiting guest. The
best thing about this source is that guest trust referrals. It considers as digital marketing method
and used by Island Beach resort to communicate with their consumers. They can effectively
serve communication objective of firm by promoting business service through internet. It is
beneficial, as many people in market believe in net promotion because they get right and actual
info about resort. It helps to improve consumer retention rate and increase marketing reach in
effective manner. As compare to other forms of marketing channels and loyalty retention, online
referral is cost effective way to gain new & loyal consumers.
Web marketing-
Marketing on internet is also known as web marketing, e-marketing and web advertising.
In regard to case study, Island beach resort use web marketing along with above channels that
cater many benefits to them (Qu, 2017). It allows them to promote their services on internet, it
actually includes not only social media and websites but also emails campaigns as well as
wireless media. Some types of web marketing are effective to high extent, by using this channel
resort reach out to maximum guest who were otherwise not applicable. With it firm can
communicate to target market as consumers use internet to search many things like William's
family do. Since internet is cheap and global, it is likely to attract a lot of abusers.
Banners ads-
In context of case study, banner advertisement also discussed used for generating
business awareness among target market and gain attention of potential people as well who are
able to pay good amount (Hager, 2019). With this source resort place their banners at place
where a lot of people visit daily, it helps to capture the eye of consumers even better. The most
beneficial thing of this marketing form is that banners are cheaper to create that save money and
effectively generate resort business awareness. By placing banners on different places firm can
strengthen their business, they can alert guest to great services they have.
All above marketing channels can be use by Island Beach resort that effectively and
appropriately served their communication objectives. For example, with online referral firm can
interact to target market and provide all basic info about its business. By reading the reviews of

previous visitors people can take their decision. Furthermore, resort by creating their own
website mention services which they want to offer to people and communicate with them to
identify their needs as well.
Critical Evaluation of hospitality case study including communication channel choice, strategy
and creative content
Online marketing-
In case study of hospitality varied types of marketing channels has been utilized such as
online referral to achieve business objectives. With this communication channels resort can
strengthen their brand image within marketplace in effective manner. It allows firm to let
consumers know about their services and products and improve their overall reputation. The best
thing about this channel is that it leads covert to consumers easier than prospects that come in
through alternative lead ways like marketing. But with this channel resort cannot be able to
control what types of people they take in. While using web marketing Island beach resort face
security related issues that is not good for its business and communication objectives.
Traditional marketing-
After analysing hospitality case study it has been identified that resort use banner
advertisement as one of the most common marketing channel which falls under form of
traditional marketing. There are a lot of benefits of using this strategy to communicate with
consumers. It is the oldest form of promotion and make instant impression on people mind. It
helps firm to obtain their sales in much faster time as they know that it can be certainly had a
positive impact on potential clients as soon as they spot banners on buildings, roads and streets
or even cars. These banners are often placed on side streets, streets more often thus there is
possibility that individual in motorbikes, cars and likes would not have means to consider at
them. And when they be capable to look at these banners it can most likely be limited time.
Direct selling-
This communication channel also described in case study of hospitality Along with
benefits, it can be said that direct selling consume a lot of time on consumers interactions to
makes profit. It is one of the best communication strategy used by resort that comes with varied
benefits. With direct sells resort create their own site and chance content without taking approval
from other to generate awarenesses about accommodation and food services. It gives firm chance
to add more data about their business and operations that gain attention of people. Direct sells

help to save money and permit resort to direct deal with consumers without taking help to any
mediator. It can be said that direct selling have some drawbacks that impact on business
operations, firm can lose other distribution or marketing channels offered by intermediaries.
Escapia-
It is also considered as traditional marketing efforts of firm, it is web based holiday rental
property management software created to cater resort applications required to manage trust
accounting, housekeeping, consumer relationship management, reservations, online bookings
partnership and maintenance (Coldiron, 2020). With the help of this system resort can
communicate with guests online and book their rooms at specific date. It can aid firm to avoid
double reservations when firm is accessible on TripAdvisor rentals that automatically updated
them. When resort list their properties on this channel they can obtain full benefits of all that
TripAdvisor has to cater such as attractions. It helps to drive consumers towards company own
website where management is always available to support people by responding queries. It can
be said that some consumers are interested in face to face communication which is not possible
with this tool for Island Beach resort which in return lose potential clients.
Creative content-
In order to promote their product and services in market place Island beach resort create
effective content. It helps to generate their private and small business awareness in all over the
world. In their creative content resort gives important information related to their goods and
services which is really very essential for consumers to know along with some pictures of resort
areas like swimming pools, bar, dining hall and other. But due to small size of words, many
people who are interested to visit Island beach resort were unable to read information given by
management. It directly put impacts on their brand image and profitability of business.
CONCLUSION and RECOMMENDATION
From above analysis, it has been concluded that by using online web marketing, direct
selling, traditional marketing such as banner advertisement and many other marketing channels
either offline or online Island beach resort earn huge profits. By using all these sources, resort
management have been successful in gaining the attention of people who are able to pay money
for good services. Furthermore, it has been summarized that by following and implementing
appropriate suggestions' organization build their business position at international level.
Recommendations-

 In order to reach at global level, Island beach resort must use another marketing channels
along with their existing one that is selling through intermediaries. It is the place where
intermediaries such as retailers are used to make accommodation service and food
products available to consumers. Organization should sell their goods through travel
agent because they are more closer to people who seek to spend their vacation at the best
place under budget.
 Instead of traditional marketing methods or channels, Island beach resort should use
social media as digital marketing tool. It is one of the best and most effective platform
where millions of people are accessible who can visit resort and enjoy their holidays with
friend & family members.
TASK B
Covered in PPT

REFERENCES
Book and Journals
Coldiron, H., 2020. The Disruption and Product Life Cycle of the Vacation Rental Management
Market in Sunriver, Oregon: A Microcosm into the Changing Industry.
Galasintu, S., Supanit, S. and Chaiittivej, C., 2018. The issue of direct sales and direct marketing
law and enforcement in Thailand: A comparative study of the relevant UK and Malaysia
laws. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences. 39(2). pp.328-333.
Hager, A., 2019. Do online ads influence vote choice?. Political Communication. 36(3). pp.376-
393.
Qu, Y., 2017, May. Analysis on the Web Marketing of Foreign Trade Enterprise. In 2017 7th
International Conference on Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (ICASET
2017). Atlantis Press.
Slivar, I. and Bayer, R., 2017. Online referrals categorization and performance of the hospitality
industry: The case of international hotel brands in Europe. Business and Economics
Research Journal, 8(4), pp.835-847.
Online
Disadvantages of using Banners in advertising. 2019. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.beyond-ledpos.com.my/disadvantages-of-using-banner-as-advertising-
tool/>