MARK 2064: SWOT Analysis of Ottawa Marriott Hotel in Canada

This report presents a comprehensive SWOT analysis of the Ottawa Marriott Hotel in Canada, examining its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within the competitive hospitality industry. The analysis identifies the hotel's target market, customer needs, and internal factors like operational norms and innovation, alongside external factors such as competition and economic shifts. Key issues highlighted include high room rates, limited online presence, and challenges in attracting younger demographics. Strategic recommendations focus on franchising, cost leadership, and market segmentation to improve affordability and brand identity. The report concludes with an action plan aimed at enhancing the hotel's competitiveness and revenue generation, suggesting strategies such as incorporating Airbnb services, expanding into European markets, and introducing specialty restaurants. This detailed assessment provides a roadmap for the Ottawa Marriott Hotel to optimize its market position and achieve sustainable growth. Desklib offers a variety of similar solved assignments to aid students in their studies.

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Executive Summary
The report has thrown light on the overall SWOT analysis of the Marriott International Inc
Hotel which is situated in Ottawa Canada. The target market along with the needs of the
customers have been analysed which helped in understanding the internal strengths and
weaknesses as per the 7Ps of marketing. On the other hand, the opportunities and threats are
being recognized as per the external business environment which helped in managing the
overall effectiveness of the firm. Lastly, recommendations have been provided to improve the
high rates of the rooms in the hotel with a proper action plan.

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Table of Contents
Overview of Ottawa Marriott Hotel.......................................................................................3
Brief Description of Target Market............................................................................................3
Needs and Wants of Customers from Marriott Hotel............................................................4
SWOT Analysis.....................................................................................................................4
List of Issues from SWOT Analysis..........................................................................................8
Strategic Recommendations and Conclusion.............................................................................8
Action Plan.............................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................12

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Overview of Ottawa Marriott Hotel
Ottawa Marriott Hotel is the hotel which is located in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. The
hotel was founded in the year 1971, and the hotel was built by Campeau Corporation which
was the tallest building in Ottawa (Marriott.com, 2019). The hotel comprises more than 489
guestrooms along with 26000 square feet of the meeting space, activity area available for
children, indoor pool and a fitness centre. In the year 2010, it was being noticed that the hotel
underwent important kinds of renovations at the main floor and they tried to open a Summit
which was considered as the private space for the hotel Ottawa.
Brief Description of Target Market
There is a specific kind of criterion which is being followed by the Marriott Hotel for
targeting the customers. The primary approaches are inclusive of accessible, measurable,
substantial along with demographic characteristics of the respective population. The
potential and current customer group of Marriott Hotel are inclusive of the upper class
and business travellers. With the implementation of Virtual Matrix, it has been helpful for
the Marriott Hotel to attract more customers and gain profitability. Through the help of VR
matrix, it has helped the customers in analysing knowledge on the presence of the hotel
amenities, and it can be treated as the opportunity for the company.
The mission of the hotel is to satisfy the different requirements of the customers, and
the hotel strives to achieve the same through motivated associates who are present in the
organisation. The customisation of the product by delivering the suitable quality to the
customers is the other mission which has been achieved by Marriott Hotel.
On the other hand, the vision of the hotel is to become the world's leading provider of
the different kinds of hospitality services which is inclusive of taking care of the various

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guests, extensive kind of operational knowledge, offering the best portfolio of the brand
along with development of the highly skilled workforce which will be beneficial in gaining
competitive advantage.
Needs and Wants of Customers from Marriott Hotel
The significant demands of the customers from the Marriott Hotel includes a
centrally located hotel which will be near the airport. Innovation is the other significant
aspect which is seen by the customers such as the usage of Virtual Matrix utilized by
Marriott Hotel which will be beneficial in making the customers feel special. Additionally,
there should be the inclusion of premium services inclusion of comfort which is required to
be provided to the customers. Furthermore, from the above, it can be ascertained that the
primary needs of the customers are receiving well-managed customer services which will be
assisting them in becoming more effective in performing their operations.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
The biggest strength of Marriott International Inc is the strict type of adherence
towards the different operational norms (David, David & David, 2017). The hotel is
analysing that such policies are revolving around the resourcefulness. It is termed as Marriott
way which is custom designed, and it helps the company to improve their brand presence in
the market.
Secondly, Marriott International Inc has the drive for the gaining of competitive
advantage in the market as it is one of the most competitive brands which tries to reinvent
themselves by providing special virtual reality tour of the hotel and unique design of the
hotel to combat the competition (Hitt & Duane Ireland, 2017). Through proper inclusion of

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an innovation in the room services along within the customer service are the major strengths
of Marriott.
The operation philosophy of Marriott International Inc is entirely cantered towards
the innovation of the different services and products which are being offered to the
customers (Taghavifard et al., 2018). For instance- Marriott has introduced the 360-degree
virtual tour of the hotel for the customers through the inclusion of 3D technology related to
the presentation with the assistance of professional individuals. It has helped the company in
understanding the different features of the hotel to gain a substantial competitive advantage.
Marriott International Inc has their presence across the world as they have their
presence in more than 122 countries around the world. Due to the brand image of the hotel,
Marriott has been able to improve their popularity in the worldwide, and it indicates that it
has been a positive outlook for the company to maintain positive outlook which is the main
strength. The Marriott International Hotel has a worldwide system of reservation as the
reservations can be made and done from various parts of the world which is the other
advantage of the company in comparison to the other competitors such as Hyatt and Hilton
brands.
Weaknesses
The major weakness of the Marriott International Inc is the high rate of the rooms
along with customised services is twice as high in comparison to the other hotel rooms
(Schaltegger, Burritt & Petersen, 2017). Due to the high pricing of the rooms, it has
undoubtedly some adverse effects in attracting an adequate number of the potential type of
guests in the organization. This has affected their brand image to some extent, and it reduced
the ultimate demographics of the organisation as well.

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Moreover, the online presence of the hotel is low as the company is not active on the
social media which fails to share the relevant kind of information to the customers. Due to the
limited type of exposure in the media, the Marriott Hotel has not created an online presence
to obtain young customers in the market (Doz, 2017). Marriott International Inc has different
travellers in the market who are the primary target market of the company. The other issue
which has been faced by Marriott International Inc is managing and targeting the young
generation in the business environment (Roghanian, Ghorbani & Alipour 2018).
As commented by CEO of Marriott International Inc, it has been noticed that Ottawa
Marriott Hotel is facing the various difficulties in changing the overall infrastructure of the
hotel as it relies on multiple strategies inclusive of better bars along with stockrooms along
with free smartphone applications along with free smartphone application named Xplor
which can be helpful in combining reservations with the games.
Opportunities
There are different kinds of opportunities which can be considered by Marriott
International Inc Hotel which will be helpful in managing the brand image of the company.
Firstly, there can be the inclusion of enhancement in the services provided by the hotel
which should be made by the organisation as it will grow various services in the competitive
market which will grasp the loyalty among the different customers (Phadermrod, Crowder &
Wills, 2019). Through the proper planning along with the implementation of strategies, it will
be helpful for the generating revenues. The trend is on the rise wherein the Marriott Hotel can
include themselves with the Airbnb services as it will be useful for offering the clients with
the different customised services at a reasonable rate (Welford, 2016).
There are different opportunities relating to the advertisement campaigns which can
be adopted by the hotel which will improve the direct market plan and it will enhance the

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growth of the company (Trigeorgis & Reuer, 2017). Although, it has been noticed that
Marriott International Inc has performed excellently in the expansion of their business in
China market through merging with the other hotel business. Similarly, the company can
expand their presence in European countries in a similar manner. There can be the inclusion
of speciality restaurant as it will provide a variety of cuisine for the customers and it will be
beneficial for the growth of the hotel (Frynas & Mellahi, 2015).
Threats
The natural disasters along with attacks on tourists as well as the shift in the
economy are the various kinds of aspects which can affect the hospitality industry, and it is
sometimes inevitable (Helfat & Martin, 2015). There are different kinds of political issues
and government involvement risks which can be risky for the growth of the hotel business
which is operating in foreign countries (Takacs & Vaduva, 2017). Additionally, the factors
inclusive of the crisis along with issues of the housing sector can be considered as the threat
for the respective hotel.
It can be noticed that there are different hotels in various parts of the world; therefore
it is one of the major threats for the business of Marriott International Inc as the customers
have multiple options which act as the substitute for them in the competitive business
environment. Additionally, the fluctuation rate is high in the prices in the market which can
lead to high along with intense competition which can be a considerable threat for the
business in a negative manner (Meyer, Neck & Meeks, 2017).
From the above SWOT analysis of Marriott International Inc Hotel, it can be analysed
that there are different opportunities which can be interpreted by Marriott International Inc
Hotel which will improve their presence in the market and gain competitiveness.
Furthermore, the hotel needs to keep a proper check on the threats such as the fluctuation

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rates in prices that can affect their growth in the market and it will improve their overall
presence in the market effectively.
List of Issues from SWOT Analysis
 Lagging in Technological advancements
 Dilution of the brand
 High Maintenance and Costs of Staffing
 Not well promoted through advertisements
 Political Instability in the Economy
 High Level of Competition in the International Market
Strategic Recommendations and Conclusion
The primary issue which has been analyzed in the respective swot analysis of Marriott
Hotel is the High Prices of the Rooms that has affected their brand image as all individuals
from various income backgrounds cannot afford the same.
Therefore, from the above, it can be recommended that there are different aspects
which can be adopted by Marriott International Inc Hotel, which will help them in managing
the prices of the rooms as all the customers can afford the same and it will be increasing the
overall revenue of the organisation.
Firstly, the Marriott International Inc Hotel can adopt the franchising along with cost
leadership strategy in their marketing mix aspect (Lasserre, 2017). Additionally, regarding
the segmentation of the market, the company needs to strengthen their brand as per the
category as it will improve their brand identity. With the traditional kind of brand growth, the
Marriott brand can see an overall increase of 76% in the volume of the deal which will be
appropriate for the growth of the hotel.

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Figure 1: Acceleration of Growth of Marriott International Inc Hotel
Source:
With the help of the franchising strategy, the management of the company Marriott
Hotel can concentrate on product development which will be the core directive of the hotel.
With the implementation of the same, it will significantly reduce the overall financial risks
which are associated with the company along with allowing non-participatory growth of the
hotel. Marriott can include the low-priced rooms which will be significant for the growth of
the hotel in comparison to other competitors.

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Action Plan
Action Steps
What Will
Be Done?
Responsibilitie
s
Who Will Do
It?
Timeline
By When?
(Day/Mont
h)
Resources
A. Resource
s
Available
B. Resource
s Needed
(financia
l,
human,
political
& other)
Potential
Barriers
A. What
individuals
or
organisatio
ns might
resist?
B. How?
Communicatio
ns Plan
Who is
involved?
What methods?
How often?
Step 1:
Value
Match the
Competitors
present in
the market
Marketing
Manager
4 Months Human
Resource
Management
along with
Financial
Aspects are
required to
be
considered.
The employees
may not be able
to cope with the
changes which
are taking place
in the hotel for
the reduction of
the prices of the
rooms in the
hotel.
All the
employees will
be involved, and
there can be the
inclusion of a
cost leadership
strategy which
will improve the
scenario

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Step 2:
Sell Stressed
Last-Minute
Inventory
Inventory
Manager
4 Months Through
social media
marketing
There can be
issues in the list
of stocks present
in the company,
and it will affect
the overall
efficiency of the
firm.
FIFO method
with the help of
the inventory
stock manager
Step 3:
Meeting the
Market
Demand
Human
Resource
Manager and
Marketing
Manager
3 Months Through
social media
marketing
In meeting the
market demand,
there can be
issues relating to
demotivation
among
employees, and
it can affect the
brand image.
Employees and
the usage of the
different
marketing tools
Step 4:
The
maximisatio
n of the
Midweeks
Customer
Service
2 Months
Through
being active
in the social
It can affect the
sales and
profitability of
the firm at first;
The employees
and the
involvement of

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Bookings Executive media sites however, it will
be manageable
after the few
weeks.
the customers
Therefore, it can be concluded that strategic standing of Marriott International Inc can
adopt the cost leadership strategy which will be assisting them in improving the overall
innovative aspects of the growth of the company in the competitive business environment. It
is the global leader in the hospitality industry who can become competitive in a competitive
environment. However, few threats and weaknesses can affect the growth of the firm in
which it has been noticed that the rate of rooms is high which has impacted the overall
efficiency of the firm negatively.

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References
David, M. E., David, F. R., & David, F. R. (2017). The quantitative strategic planning matrix:
a new marketing tool. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 25(4), 342-352.
Doz, Y. L. (2017). Strategic management in multinational companies. In International
Business (pp. 229-248). Routledge.
Frynas, J. G., & Mellahi, K. (2015). Global strategic management. Oxford University Press,
USA.
Helfat, C. E., & Martin, J. A. (2015). Dynamic managerial capabilities: Review and
assessment of the administrative impact on strategic change. Journal of
management, 41(5), 1281-1312.
Hitt, M., & Duane Ireland, R. (2017). The intersection of entrepreneurship and strategic
management research. The Blackwell handbook of entrepreneurship, 45-63.
Lasserre, P. (2017). Global strategic management. Macmillan International Higher
Education.
Madsen, D. (2016). SWOT Analysis: A Management Fashion Perspective.
Marriott.com (2019) Marriott® Hotel, Ottawa (online) Retrieved from
www.marriott.com/Ottawa [Accessed on 6 February 2019]
Meyer, G. D., Neck, H. M., & Meeks, M. D. (2017). The entrepreneurship‐strategic
management interface. Strategic Entrepreneurship: Creating a new mindset, 17-44.
Phadermrod, B., Crowder, R. M., & Wills, G. B. (2019). Importance-performance analysis
based SWOT analysis. International Journal of Information Management, 44, 194-
203.

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Roghanian, E., Ghorbani, B., & Alipour, M. (2018). Application of intuitionistic fuzzy
numbers in SWOT analysis. International Journal of Industrial and Systems
Engineering, 28(2), 152-165.
Schaltegger, S., Burritt, R., & Petersen, H. (2017). An introduction to corporate
environmental management: Striving for sustainability. Routledge.
Taghavifard, M. T., Amoozad Mahdiraji, H., Alibakhshi, A. M., Zavadskas, E. K., & Bausys,
R. (2018). An Extension of Fuzzy SWOT Analysis: An Application to Information
Technology. Information, 9(3), 46.
Takacs, j., & Vaduva, S. A. (2017). Swot analysis of the global hospitality industry. Revista
Economica, 69(6).
Trigeorgis, L., & Reuer, J. J. (2017). Real options theory in strategic management. Strategic
Management Journal, 38(1), 42-63.
Welford, R. (2016). Corporate environmental management 1: systems and strategies.
Routledge.